# Acne



## Ender57

I have a minor acne problem on my face, mainly around my chin. It comes and goes but overall it isn't there that often.   I don't need to take any medication for it and use over the counter creams on it. I wanted to know if it will be a problem when I get the medical stage of testing and if you could keep me out of the military.Thanks!!!


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## Garbageman

Not a problem, unless it was so severe that it would somehow limit your ability to do your job (eg. wear a properly fitted gas mask).  But I've seen quite a few guys with fairly bad acne in the CF.  In fact, once you're in (assuming you're going for Reg Force) they'll even pay for a prescription for you if you want it.


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## space_sldr

Ender57, I've got the same problem and I asked the physician about it when I went for my medical last week. He said thats not a problem at all.  ;D


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## G3RM

Lay off the junk food  I had the same problem about a year ago, untill my mom bought me some of these acne whip pad thinggys I think they're called ClearSkin pads or somthing. They work wonders, within 2 weeks I was almost acne free


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## Army_Deej

has anyone done their medical with filled cavities, or anything like that and were fine??


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## Garbageman

DEEJ said:
			
		

> has anyone done their medical with filled cavities, or anything like that and were fine??


Several fillings, 2 root canals, and no worries!  This is my third round through the recruiting process, so it can't just be that I snuck through either.  Unless your dental health develops into a serious enough problem that it would somehow impair you from doing your job, I don't think it's a problem. ;D


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## Spr.Earl

To all,Dental is a major thing in the Forces.
I know of Militia Pers. who have been punted from going over seas because of bad teeth.
Your teeth can stop you from signing up!


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## Army_Deej

What if all those cavities and stuff happened when I was in high school, but now have white teeth, and healthy gums.   Then would it stop me from getting in?   ???


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## Fogpatrol 1.0

Do they check for new cavities or just check your old filled cavities?


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## Bert

DEEJ and Fogpatrol

Don't worry about it.  What Spr. Earl described is possible in severe cases but won't necessarily keep you out of the military.
The thing is when you get deployed somewhere, you are under possible combat or high alert situations.  If a member is
bothered by severe mouth rot as an example (could be any medical or physical condition), then it means they will likely spend
alot of time in the MIR or in the clinic taking them away from their tasking.  On deployment, thats not good.  

Members are assessed, poked and proded before they go on deployment so this kind of thing is picked up prior to the tasking.
Everyone at some point has medical or physical issues that might become severe but the military deals with it as regular
routine.

In the recruitment application process, the candidate is assessed during the medical evaluation.  If you clear that stage, you're
good to go.


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## belkin81

This is silly. Asking if cavaities will keep you out of the army...maybe if your mouth is full of black teeth then yes. I didn't see an army dentist till i was in basic training and even then if you have cavaties like some of my fellow recruits they don't correct them then, or in sq or in biq. Unless its an emergency then you can go see a dentist durning training like one guy had his wisdom teeth out on my sq course.


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## Nat. Cap. Girl

I have another medical question, I broke my ankle last summer, and had a plate put in.  It's still in, but my ankle's back to normal and better as ever.  I also tore my ACL in february and had surgery in April, and I'm wondering if I'll pass the medical in November (when I want to apply for RMC)


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## girlfiredup

Holy cow girl.. for someone so young, you've been through quite a bit.   What did you do....chase a parked car?     :blotto:


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## Nat. Cap. Girl

hahaha i've had some bad luck... two soccer seasons in a row down the drain... when i'm finished it will prolly have been about a year of physio lol.  but seriously... i'm worried... do you think it will affect my chances of passing the medical?


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## Sappo

chances of getting in no, probably not

if its 100% and not gonna snap in half... then you're ok

but probably like me, get shafted 1 1/2 weeks before leaving for BMQ and told you have to get a bunch of papers signed by your doctor certifing you are ok


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## Nat. Cap. Girl

k cool thanks.  so when should i apply? i want to go to rmc, so basic training would be in the summer time right... so should i apply sometime in november?


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## Ender57

Applying in November would help, but you may be waiting a while to hear back from CFRC, so hopefully you are patient. As long as you don't have any medical problems, pass the tests and pass the background check you most likely shouldn't have any problem with getting in for summer next year. But it all depends on what there are for openings, good luck though.


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## Drummie

Sappo said:
			
		

> chances of getting in no, probably not
> 
> if its 100% and not gonna snap in half... then you're ok
> 
> but probably like me, get shafted 1 1/2 weeks before leaving for BMQ and told you have to get a bunch of papers signed by your doctor certifing you are ok



 I can relate, got a call the day before enrollment ceremonies telling me not to come....after i've recieved kit list, joining instructions, and letter of confirmation.


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## q_1966

I have acne, its not that bad and most of it is under the skin, (not alot of pimples) i was wondering if CF can decide not to let you join for that reason, because a friend of the family tried to join the Regs, 5 or 6 years ago, passed everything, cept for the interview he failed and was told that one of the reasons he couldnt join was because of his horrible acne. Will this be a problem for me, trying to join.

- Shawn


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## Sh0rtbUs

No. Appearance has nothing to do with it, if it doesnt hinder you physically, then its not an issue.


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## tabernac

> I have acne, its not that bad and most of it is under the skin, (not alot of pimples) i was wondering if CF can decide not to let you join for that reason, because a friend of the family tried to join the Regs, 5 or 6 years ago, passed everything, cept for the interview he failed and was told that one of the reasons he couldnt join was because of his horrible acne. Will this be a problem for me, trying to join.



If you REALLY want to get rid of it, and depending on your financial situation, go to your GP(General Practitioner) and ask for a referral to a dermatologist. The dermatologist might prescribe you with Acutane(the most potent anti-acne agent on the market) or a a drug of lesser potency, such as Novo-Minocycline. But your GP might just give you a prescription for a drying gel agent, such as Benzagel. Hope this helps.


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## Griswald DME

Shawn Papke said:
			
		

> he failed and was told that one of the reasons he couldnt join was because of his horrible acne.



You said it was only one of the reasons, I'm almost positive it wasn't the primary reason he wasn't accepted.  I find it offensive that someone would even mention someone's acne, is it really anything to do with a soldiers abilities?  It sounds like someone a kid would say in high school "you can't join my team because you have acne".  Give me a break.


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## cgyflames01

If you REALLY want to get rid of it, and depending on your financial situation, go to your GP(General Practitioner) and ask for a referral to a dermatologist. The dermatologist might prescribe you with Acutane(the most potent anti-acne agent on the market) or a a drug of lesser potency, such as Novo-Minocycline. But your GP might just give you a prescription for a drying gel agent, such as Benzagel. Hope this helps. Id be carefull with acutane, its a very serious drug, there's has to be a valid reason, why you can't donate blood,after taking this medicine.


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## tabernac

"Id be carefull with acutane, its a very serious drug, there's has to be a valid reason, why you can't donate blood,after taking this medicine." 

Are you sure about that? I did know that there have been some suicides and attempted suicides from people using the drug, but they were already going into depression before the drug.


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## scm77

I take acutane.  I took a weaker pill for a few months and it didn't do anything.  I've been taking it now for a few months and it has worked really well.

It's really strong.  In the blister pack it comes in there is a symbol beside each pill telling you not to take it if you are pregnant.  It can cause birth defects and miscarraige.  It makes your skin dry, especially your lips.  You're only supposed to take it for a few months so if you can handle very dry skin for a while it is worth it.  It's worked great for both me and my brother.

You also have to get your blood tested every month while you are on it to monitor your cholesterol and liver.


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## ab00013

I'm not a doctor or anything but before you consider any medications perhaps try alternative options. I know that for some steaming daily with a pot of water on the stove helps clean out pores or using natural soaps such as goat's milk or tea tree oil, etc work well. Anyways just reading all the possible side effects of these medications, I would say it might be worth the money try some natural remedies or go and see a naturopath for advice.


It can't hurt...


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## scm77

Also this Proactiv stuff is supposed to work real good.

http://www.proactivsolution.ca/?type=GoogleAdWordsSearch


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## Da_man

scm77 said:
			
		

> Also this Proactiv stuff is supposed to work real good.
> 
> http://www.proactivsolution.ca/?type=GoogleAdWordsSearch



Proactive is POS.  The only active ingredient in it is benzoyl peroxide, wich is found in every acne treatment products, but proactive has a very small quantity of it.


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## Torlyn

cgyflames01 said:
			
		

> Id be carefull with acutane, its a very serious drug, there's has to be a valid reason, why you can't donate blood,after taking this medicine.



I took acutane, and I still give blood.  You can't while you're taking the drug, but that's the same for most prolonged medical treatments.  Once you're finished with the drug, no problems donating.

T


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## winchable

I am the accutane master, and the finest example of a good result because of it.

I had seriously (like deforming) acne when I was 15-17 and I took accutane after trying everything else. Generally they dont start you on accutane, they'll start you on weaker drugs like tri cyclene and a topical lotoin to begin with and once they've determined that your acne warrants accutane they'll put you on the stuff

Proactive is garbage. I mean it, unless you're jessica simpson the stuff will not help you one freakin bit.

If you think your acne is bad, the first thing you should do is get a referral to a dermatologist and let them determine if it warrants special medsys. These home remedies will not do shitall if your acne is more than skin-deep like mine was.
You can switch to Pears Soap right away though, that's the best stuff for cleaning your face with. Other than taht, see the GP get the referral and as my GP put it when I was in to his office when i was 16 "We'll have you on the cover of GQ in six months"
Best thing is to get it now before it scars alot.

And no it shouldn't keep you out of the army!


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## Torlyn

Che said:
			
		

> I am the accutane master, and the finest example of a good result because of it.



To this day, I still thank the good lord that people are allowed to screw with chemical creations that resulted in accutane.  FAVOURITE drug ever.  When Pizza Face is the nicest thing you hear, and end up 8 months later with no acne and no scars, it's quite the confidence booster.    Che et al are very correct though.  In order to get the treatment that will suit you best, ask your GP for a referral to a dermatologist.  That's what they get paid the big bucks for.

T


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## beach_bum

A few years ago, I heard about someone being rejected for acne and I asked the medic how that would cause him to be rejected.  From what I understand, it's not facial acne that is the big problem.  Some people have serious acne on their backs, and that is the problematic type.  It can be agravated by a ruck sack etc and become infected.


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## tabernac

> Some people have serious acne on their backs, and that is the problematic type.



I had that "great" problem, but the best drug in the world cleared it up, quick like.


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## bossi

beach_bum said:
			
		

> ... Some people have serious acne on their backs, and that is the problematic type.   It can be agravated by a ruck sack etc and become infected.



Interestingly enough, another cure for acne vulgaris is ... sunshine (no - I'm not kidding).



			
				Torlyn said:
			
		

> In order to get the treatment that will suit you best, ask your GP for a referral to a dermatologist. That's what they get paid the big bucks for.



Absolutely, especially since overdoses can destroy night vision ...


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## scm77

bossi said:
			
		

> Interestingly enough, another cure for acne vulgaris is ... sunshine (no - I'm not kidding).



Sunshine made it worse for me.  It would just become more red and swollen.


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## bossi

scm77 said:
			
		

> Sunshine made it worse for me.   It would just become more red and swollen.



More proof that expert medical diagnosis and treatment is preferrable ...


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## gorf

I'm outside doing stuff (cutting wood or farm work) a lot and I still get it pretty bad. As for on my back, should I ask a doctor about it before basic training?


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## Torlyn

Gorf said:
			
		

> I'm outside doing stuff (cutting wood or farm work) a lot and I still get it pretty bad. As for on my back, should I ask a doctor about it before basic training?



Oy...  Yes.  Anything that has to do with your health and well-being should be seen to by a doctor.  If you are going to see a doctor about it, keep your recruiter in the loop.  (I'm assuming you're just waiting for basic to start?)

I think we've flogged this topic to death by now...  Lock time?


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## winchable

I'm hesitant to let a thread go on that involves medical advice but what the hell, this topic is very, very near and dear to my heart.



> Interestingly enough, another cure for acne vulgaris is ... sunshine (no - I'm not kidding).



I've heard this a few times, and let me tell you, it's a short term cure.
In the long run sunshine fuses the pores in question which only adds to the blockage and increases the acne, I found out the hard way.


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## meni0n

Accutane has a lot of side effects. It depends on the person. Some people got the side effects after they stopped using it and the side effects became long-term. I seem to recall a picture of a young guy who had his lips permanently destroyed by accutane. It's a serious drug consider the implications. I hate taking chances with my health so I just tough it out. Sure your self-esteem takes a beating but at least you won't be destroying your health.


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## Michael Dorosh

I took Accutane in junior high as well - miracle drug, it was.  My uncle told me about his acne problems growing up in the 1950s; we're pretty luck.  He tried everything including pissing on his hands and rubbing his face with it - they didn't know a lot about it back then.


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## winchable

My dad had it when he was a kid as bad  as I did, his mom used to force feed him the water leftover after boiling veggies to cure it.


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## Torlyn

You're not supposed to give blood if you're on antibiotics, much less accutane.  Any sort of medication reduces your ability to give blood, not just accutane.  As for what's in it:

http://www.rocheusa.com/products/accutane/pi.pdf

T


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## USSRsovietsnake

cept for the interview he failed and was told that one of the reasons he couldnt join was because of his horrible acne. 

HMMM id rather have the people who drink and do drugs when they arnt old enough, to not be able to join.


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## CurtisWoodworth

I had pretty bad acne, face, back. I didn't take my shirt off where ever I was. I started with the really basic stuff. Topical stuff. It didn't work at all, so I was put on Minocycline. 20 months later, no real improvement. Then I got put on acutane and it didn't work for the first couple of months. But then bang, it worked like a charm. Everything cleared up and my scars are now fading. Acutane does have serious side effects, like extreme mood swings. There are cases of suicide. And about the giving of  blood. Thats only while your on Acutane, and a few months afterwards. Something inside of Acutane raises your cholesterol level in the blood. It would show up on a blood test for sure. It drops back down afterwards.


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## winchable

It is pills.
To put in simple terms its a couple of pills which are antibiotics that attack acne at the root of the problem rather then putting a bandaid on (Topical creams)
Stronger then tricyclene or other pills it either works alot, or does nothing and you only get one shot at it.

The normal procedure is progressive treatment. You start off on topical lotions (Very painful actually) move to pill (not accutane at first) then onto accutane as a last step.
All in all it really is a miracle drug if you're experiencing severe enough acne to warrant it, by severe I mean...acne on top of other acne kind of acne, not jessica simpson "proactiv" acne.
Doctors (good ones) monitor the progress to make sure you're not suffering the more dangerous psychological side-effects (which if you read the statistics are very,very rare cases)


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## tabernac

Che said:
			
		

> and you only get one shot at it.



Waht do you mean buy only one shot? Just 1 six moth treatment period and thats it?


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## winchable

My understanding was that it either works for you or it doesn't and if it doesn't work the first time it's not going to work a second time.
I don't know if you can have the initial period extended however.
But if you took it when you were 16 and it didn't work, there would be no point in trying again at 19.


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## Michael Dorosh

cheeky_monkey said:
			
		

> Waht do you mean buy only one shot? Just 1 six moth treatment period and thats it?



Che posted the correct answer - however, I'll add that I was only on it for a short period of time, and cleared things up to the point I never needed it again.


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## winchable

Oh yeah I noticed a difference after a month, 6 months into it I had no need to be on it anymore.
Like I said, works beautifully or not at all.


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## CurtisWoodworth

I had to meet the dermatologist every month, as well as a blood test. It either works on you, works somewhat or it doesn't. It's not really a "one shot" deal, it either works, it works slowly, or it doesn't work at all.

Also, while being a miracle drug, it doesn't guarantee you'll never get some pimples later, but never as serious as when you begin.


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## stukirkpatrick

I was on acutane a few years ago...it worked alright, but it didn't entirely clear up.  I agreed to try a smaller dose for a while last year (my face was really drying out), and it helped a lot, and stopped again in september to go back to topical stuff...  so it does vary, and can take more than one shot.


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## tabernac

Che said:
			
		

> Oh yeah I noticed a difference after a month, 6 months into it I had no need to be on it anymore.



So did I, but about 3 or 4 months after the treatment was over, the acne returned. So I'm back on it.


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## CurtisWoodworth

Oh, and have like... 2 or 3 things of chap stick, because dryness around the lips is a pretty common side effect of Acutane. You really can't go/do anything with that kind of chapped lips.

You end up licking them, then they get even worse and then you start begging for some chap. Always have some on you where ever you go, if you go on it. And this isn't like just dried out either, it hurts to smile if you don't have anything on you, and sometimes your lips will bleed from the cracking.


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## scm77

I've tried all of them except for the first one.  The sprectro jel sometimes cleared up little minor ones but didn't do anything for the larger ones.  The minocin I took for a number of months and had no effect.


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## tabernac

ARMYboi69 said:
			
		

> Right now my doctor has given me samples of
> *Stievamycin (Gel that goes on after soap)
> Spectro Jel (Facial Soap)
> Minocin Minocycline 100 mg Pills (Once a day)*
> 
> Has anyone tried these products or heard anything about them? I'm on 10 weeks of samples, then there will be a check-up where he will see if I should see a dermatoligist or not.



The minocycline is a pain because you can't take within an hour and a half of drinking milk. Because you can take milk with Acutane, I love it even more.


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## BDTyre

I ocassionally get acne on my back, but generally only after I've been doing heavy physical work and haven't had the opportunity to shower for a while.

But mine's never been bad enough to cause me any discomfort.  It never even breaks open.


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## Spr.Earl

When I was a kid I stopped wanking and that helped lot's.  ;D


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## winchable

> When I was a kid I stopped wanking and that helped lot's


LOL

Hear it also gets the hair off your palms


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## eod/combatdiver

You have to be kidding me if you think that acne will stop you from becoming a war fighter then you have bigger problems. I don't think that your friend was telling you the truth about why he was not excepted. I think that he had other problems then acne and he was not what the military was looking for. We already have enough of those and it is really hard for the military to get rid of once a mbr has signed a BE.


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## eod/combatdiver

No! I have seen alot of troops slip under the wire for bad knees, breathing problems, back problems, and all around junk!! I would not think that somthing that is cosmetic would pervent a mbr from Killing the Enemy and doing there job whatever tade that it may be.


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## Andyd513

I was taking accutane during my recruitment process and was denied on my medical until I was off it with copies of a post liver function test and a note from my dermatologist stating I was finished and no future treatments were needed. I also had it explained to me that once in the CF, CF dr's will prescribe accutane but it comes with a LD chit for a couple months because of how badly it dehydrates you.

its very serious medication but taken properly and not for long periods of time it cleared my acne completely up.


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