Before you pump yourself full of chemicals to which individuals have varied and unpredictable reactions, try an egg and chicken meat free diet.

It will take a month or two for the first relief to show up because it takes a while for whatever is the culprit to wash out of your system. Unfortunately, cake and mayonnaise have to be cut out, too!

If the egg and chicken meat free diet helps, keep going for a while and then break the diet. The incubation time for new acne would be 5 to 7 days, in my experience. It's very easy to try and those who have success with it are spared these medications which, also in Australia, are suspected of suicide inducing.

What did their teeth look like?

I suffered severe acne when I was a teenager and I tried everything - changing diet, Retin-A, antibiotics, 1,000 different cleansers. Nothing worked, until I tried Accutane. It worked within three months and I have been largely acne free for 15 years. While I never considered suicide, I could definitely see how acne could lead some teenagers down that path. I know acne made me shy, unconfident and generally miserable. Once it was gone, my personality changed for the better. I had no psychological side effects and I am eternally grateful to Accutane for saving me for more years of embarrassment and even worse scarring than I have now.

I wonder if researchers can determine whether the numbers of kids who committed suicide while on Accutane are greater or less than the number of kids with severe acne who commit suicide. It would be a shame to discard this remedy if it ends up saving lives.

I finally used Accutane in my 20s. I wish that I could have used Accutane while I was in highschool. People that have not had severe acne have NO idea what it is like and can't really offer an opinion.

adding fuel to a debate about whether acne drugs such as Roche's Accutane prompt suicidal thoughts.

What a moronic line of study to pursue... Have they actually ever had acne? Its all the shallow asshats they have to put up with for 20 years of their life that boost the suicide risk, not the one drug that might have actually had lasting effects (albeit with a lot of bad side effects).

Acne, causes vary. It's not always diet or hygiene. It can be as simple as over active oil glands with pore walls that like to stick together.

I've had the worst of it. It didn't even look like acne. I would go to school and the other kids would ask me if I had gotten punched.

Infected blood filled welts over my face that I took to lancing to relieve the pressure. Dermatologist would inject antibiotics directly into them. I would keep them bandaged because they would leak spontaneously. Pretty embarrassing in public. Those were my teen years.

As an adult, I still have acne and oily skin. It's not so bad now, but I have the craters. I need to keep my skin clean because the craters provide a home for bacteria and I end up with foul smelling skin.

I gave up a long time ago on treatment and the side affects of some meds where too much for me.

Although I never had acne as a teen I ended up having incredibly severe acne when I was in my 40's and I believe it was all related to hormones and stress. I had gotten laid off, shortly afterward my husband cheated on me, and I ended up getting such horrible acne I wouldn't even leave the house for months on end. I tried everything short of accutane because I had heard of some of the horrible side effects from it... what got rid of it for me was this natural remedy called Praventin. I will never be without this stuff again. It worked within 4 days and got progressively better as I kept using it. I was taking it twice a day, morning and night as it said on the bottle and within a month it was completely gone..even the redness. Now when I get the occasional outbreak I take it and it goes away within a day or 2.

I wonder if the acne is causing depression, or the depression causing the acne, and once you have acne it's a vicious cycle. I just know that for me acne is worse when I am struggling emotionally or stressed out. I recognize there are lots of different causes, and that's what makes it hard to track cause and effect.

When I was 16 (it feels like ages ago, but I'm only 23), my doctor prescribed Accutane for me. My acne wasn't extreme, but it was bad, and nothing worked. Before I could take it, I had to read over a booklet about the drug, it's effects, what I should do while on it (if I was sexually active, it was must to be on birth control), and I had to sign a form. The doctor also had to make sure my kidneys were healthy. I took the medicine every other day, and the worst side effects I encountered were the severe dry lips and bloody nose. Chapstick couldn't save me, and my lips would bleed often. The drug really helped me out, and I knew the risks prior to taking the drug. I still suffer from acne, and I wish there was something on the market that could help. Proactiv Solution does not work for everyone!

I suffered from cystic acne until my early 30's and Accutane was a MIRACLE drug for me. When my two sons started experiencing acne in their teens, and after other treatment failed to produce good results, I had no reservations about letting them use Accutane despite warnings about depression. They both did fine. I think the depression and social trauma that accompanies acne is so terrible for teens. (Remember the awful "pizza face" remarks, etc.) As a parent, I did not want my boys to go through that. Accutane was worth the small risk.

I went through every possible treatment for acne untill my doctors finally prescribed me accutane. NEVER in my entire life have I had such horrible depression and mood swings. I can recall a few times feeling suicidal.

Six months later began the sever abdominal cramps and inconsistent bowel movements. The humiliation of going through highschool of not being able to "hold it in". Nurses passes to the bathroom and all. If I would have only known the implications of taking this drug I never would have taken it.

Now I am being told that I do not classify for this class action lawsuit against this company because I have only be diagnosed with IBS....What BS...

Unless you have suffered from severe acne you can have no idea the emotional toll it takes on a person.

I stopped eating really bad fats and reduced my vitamin C intake to no more than the 100% RDA. Most of my acne cleared up, but my back is quite scarred up.

I was covered on my face and back. People eat too much low quality fat. I still have very oily skin, but the oil doesn't matter anymore. I can have tons of olive oil with no problem. Solids fats are another matter. And orange juice? I don't touch the stuff anymore, that acid drove my acne wild.

Unfortunately my dermatologist in my teen years gave me an open ended Rx for tetracycline and after a couple of years of that I developed tinnitus, which has since ruined my life. The yellow teeth aren't much help either.

I'm an 18 year old with maybe mild acne. I know a few kids at my old school that had acne so bad it looked like someone had slapped them several times in one place on their face. I have a few severe break outs every now and then. A freshman in college and I still have to deal with "dude, ever tried proactive?" The fact is, yes, i use stridex on a daily basis and use proactive quite often. For some people, acne cannot be helped. It all comes down to hormones, really. It's times like this i envy people in Africa who have never even heard of acne. lol

After decades of cystic acne, I finally decided to use Accutane (a generic version). I'd delayed taking it because of the all the negative stories. I used Accutane for over a year and never had any resulting depression. I only wish I'd used it long ago.

My siblings and I all suffered cystic acne as teenagers. I know without a doubt in my mind that this type of acne is not due to diet or exercise or cleansing routine. It has to do with genetics. Our mother had bad acne growing up. We happen to have deep pores and very oil skin and with that combination we are highly prone to acne. In high school we tried everything under the sun (tetracycline, strong benzoyl peroxide products, retin-A, etc) but nothing really worked. With most of the products we just ended up with irritated faces but still had the acne. We heard of Accutane but we also heard a lot of bad side effect stories and so we were afraid to go on Accutane. When I was in college I finally had enough of the constant acne and decided to try Accutane. It was wonderful. I loved that drug. Finally I had normal skin. The acne cleared up and stayed away for a number of years. Eventually I my acne came back in my late 20s and I had a second round of treatment. Again I had great results. My siblings saw how effective it was for me and went on Accutane also. We were all fortunate that none of us suffered from any degree of depression or stomach problems. I feel completely healthy to this day (I'm 35 now). I hope that this drug remains on the market as it is very effective and for some people, such as myself, it seems to be safe. Perhaps some people genetically are incompatible with this drug. I would love to see more research conducted to find out who might tolerate this drug the most and the least.

well perhaps they should find a cure for acne. im sure they have one, but make too much money on clearsil and neutrogena, to release it. acne is by far one of the worst things you could succumb to. especially after high school when you want to be an adult, but cant because youre worried about your skin 24 hours a day.

Clearly these researchers have no clue. Any group that is a minority in a lookist society such as ours is going to have a higher risk of suicide.

Stop the lookism perpetuated by Hollywood, magazines, etc. Stop telling young people that how they look matters more than everything else. Stop being judgmental about those who look different. Then maybe some of the suicides will stop.

I had severe acne in my teens and early twenties. I also suffer(ed) from chronic depression not related to acne before, during and after my acne. I believe my depression actually contributed to the severity of the acne. I took accutane in my early twenties and was elated by it's results, and do not think that it had any effect on my depression other than to relieve me of the extra burden of having to deal with acne.

I think Accutane has unfairly gotten a very bad reputation from the media. As a person who suffered from severe acne, it was a god send to me. I have used it and it was the only thing that worked. Because of it's side effects, I couldn't get a doctor to prescribe it to me until I was in my 20's, but I wish I would have had it in my teens. It would have saved me YEARS of suffering. When I finally did get it, it saved me from depression related to my terrible skin. It gave me hope and I think it's one of the best drugs. Does it have side effects? It can, but it was worth it for me and I thank Roche for making it available to me. Accutane was a miracle for me!

My son had a severe case of acne which covered about 40% of his body, face, torso, arms, legs, back. We tried multiple drugs. Nothing worked like Accutane. I would recommend it to anyone. It saved him. Boosted his self-esteem like you wouldn't believe. I only wish we would have used it earlier. He used it at the age of 14. He has many scars from the acne especially on his back. Accutane is heavily regulated and we had to sign a personal contract understanding the risks. He underwent a mini-psychological eval prior to receiving rx. They monitored his triglyceride level every month and they made sure he came from a loving and supportive home. It was the best thing we ever did for him.

My son tried everything to clear up his cystic acne but thankfully his acne was only on his body....nothing on his face! Just his body! Cystic bad! He tried everything to clear it up...nothing worked from Minocycline, to Doxycycline to different soaps. It did affect his working out and issues dating because he never wanted to take his shirt off and he had a great physique. He decided to go with the generic Isotretinon and keep being monitored with blood work every month. He did the 6-month treatment finally at 24 yrs old and it cleared everything up including all the cysts that would never go away before. He was always monitored and his personality has never been affected and never had any digestive issues...thank god! The acne never came back and he has a girlfriend and is back working out...with his shirt off! He said this drug was a miracle for him! But, yes, it may not be for everyone...But, you keep being monitored and if it is not working out for you and you see personality changes, then stop it! But, I do believe it is worth a try since acne gives everyone such low self-esteem issues! As a mother, I know that all to well too!

It is awful. You are not alone but you feel alone. It was a catch 22 for me. It worked wonders on me as a teenager. I had cystic acne but it didn't keep me from paricipating in anything (I did see other kids in the same boat who shied away and I almost wanted to tell them to come out of your shell - but you don't talk to each other that way when you are that age) but I did wind up with Ulcerative Colitis so severe (while I never comtemplated suicide) I did say you know if I walked out my door and got killed I would not care. Fortunately I have been symptom free for 15 years. The acne still gives me little warning shots here and there. Just everything and everyone is different. I am rambling but I often think and hope this skips my kids.

To the fragile adolescent psyche, severe acne is devastating. Many of these kids who resort to suicide have very low self esteem that has developed over several years. I'm sure to them, their situation is every bit as traumatic as what soldiers face on the battlefield, and perhaps there is even a post-traumatic (acne) stress syndrome. The low self esteem and depression don't resolve, even though the acne has cleared, and these poor kids see no other way out. There should be screening for mental health issues in kids with severe acne, to get them through this rough time.

I was in the clinical trials in 1979, My acne was manageable for 3 months before my pancreas shut down as a side effect. After that, the tormenting began again. Suicide was a thought for a time but understanding from those in my life for what I was going through strengthen. While on the outside, I am scared for life. I have gained strength that on the inside that I did not end my life. If you found a Christmas gift with wrinkled wrapper, most still would open it and rejoice in the treasure inside.