I had a lot of acne, which started about 6th grade and continued through high school. I was told I ate too many sweets and didn't wash enough. Both myths.

One I didn't stop doing, how can you stop eating chocolate? The other I felt guilty about through school, but no matter how often I washed, nothing good happened. Not at all. My mother insisted on breaking the "ripe ones," with a Kleenexes in hand. She thought that helped, and that Kleenexes were all the sterile precautions you needed to take. :)

My acne slowed when I was about 20, but still, it came back far too often. I saw a dermatologist, also when in my thirties, about an unrelated matter, and offhandedly asked about the acne.

Why did I wait?

She gave me a prescription for what at the time must have been really good stuff, Brevoxyl cream. It kept the acne away, unless I forgot to use it.

It was supposed to be put on every night, but that irritated my skin and I only use it every other night. Which is good enough. The problem is, it can bleach some colors. I moved away from that doctor long ago and got my Internist to give me prescriptions for this. I should go back to a dermatologist, I am sure there are much better drugs now.

But like you said, the main thing is to go. In the vast number of cases, you don't need to suffer with this any longer.

Now, do you still use all those substances and drugs, and do you use them in the order given, nightly?