autism spectrum and acne

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Hi, I was wondering from personal experience if autistics tend to have more issues with acne and what your experiences have been. My skin and cystic acne are very resistant to the typical treatments and I have had strong digestive side effects to medication (I am resistant to medication until the last resort already). I've noticed that a lot of other autistic young adults have acne, perhaps more so than most NTs.

People, especially my parents, have made moral attributions about my acne - I'm not complying with regimens consistently, otherwise don't care enough or not trying hard enough, etc. etc. I also get feedback that this is my greatest weaknesses in terms of physical appearance. I think others unfairly attack a lot of autistics about acne too - that we are not good enough about self-care because of the developmental disability, or don't value clear skins as much as NTs because of the social disability, etc. I'm not sure that that's true for most people on the spectrum (with acne). I think it's possible that autistics genetically have more predisposition to acne (which is basically genetic, and there's no cure and treatments are only so effective and all have side effects etc. Sounds a little like autism on the surface as far as that goes, but there's nothing inherent positive to say about acne, unlike autism ).

Thoughts? Or maybe I'm just rambling...

I have pretty severe acne on my back since I was old enough to get pimples, and I've recently been taking an antibiotic for it. Somehow, though, I don't think autism has anything to do with it. I personally believe that ASDs are a purely neurological condition.

I could be wrong, though.

I've had some pretty terrible acne over the years.

Clearly autism relates to the brain and nervous system (hence, differences with emotions, sensory input, motor skills etc.). Whether psychological or medical issues are core to some "subtypes" of autism (I deeply fear scientific knowledge will be advanced too far on this, opening the door to eugenics) is unclear, but physical issues with coordination are core and sleep seems to usually be atypical, if not an issue for most? people on the spectrum. The brain is connected to about everything else as the command center, and human being are all dynamic systems, so saying autism is just neurological may be a bit limited (and there's nothing wrong with that).

I am just the same, it get worse every time I get my periods. My parents had acne during their adolescence only, their parents had nothing, my brother and I still have acne at 20 (my brother has some autistic traits just like my father but probably not AS or improved over the years, and I am dyspraxic). But on the other side, I know two 22 who still have acne too, and they are "100%NT".

With all the polution and what we eat, I would not be surprised if the skin conditions were linked to our society more than to Autism. (I have a very sensitive skin, very thin one, more strech marks that both my mother and grandmother since I am 10 and I was not fat at all at the time, of course )

A very strong acne I suffered from for decades, beginning with 12 years and ending in the ripe age of 35, went away only by the strongest treatment ever: Roaccutan.
The treatment took 1,5 years and was very sucessful.

I have severe acne. There was a year when I hadn't, but generally I still have acne since I was 12.

I've had severe acne from the ages 10, until I was 20. I still get the odd pimple from time to time, but it's not anywhere nearly as bad, as it used to be.

Your experience sounds a lot like mine, minutiaman. I started having acne problems at 11, they'd fully set in by 12, and at just-about-25, it's still an issue. I've tried everything short of Accutane. I finally found a regimen which worked for me, and my skin was doing quite well, then I moved. One part of said regimen is not available and cannot be shipped here, and here I am again, feeling like a 14-year-old. Ain't life grand?

Suddenly, I'm reminded of a bit from Monk which (clearly) really struck me:
Monk: Hope's the worst.
Natalie: No, hope is a good thing.
Monk: You're very young.

For what it is worth, I never had identifiable acne.

I have mixed feelings about the responses so far - misery loves company? Really there are things that are much worse in society, and I think we autistic people, on average, are more social justice-oriented and care less about superficial (literally in this case) than NTs. I also think we are more aware of the stigma etc. with acne issues than people give us credit for, and as we seem to mostly be saying, there tends to be only so much we can do about it.

Apparently laser surgery is mostly hype and Acutane is considered most effective, but also has been associated with all sorts of nasty side effects, debatably suicide among them. I have done neither but what I've tried (benzyl peroxide, Clearsil, Proactive, AcneFree, etc. etc) has not done much. The antibiotic doxycycline started to make a difference but effects weakened and anyway it caused significant GI pain and so on.

Guess I will need to find a life partner who loves me despite - if not in part because of? One can hope - significant acne...

Have you tried a dietary approach?

i've never had any problems with acne

I have been getting acne on my face and back since I was 13. It started on back at 13 and then went to chest at 14. I have tons of scars there from me popping them and picking at them But my back, I think I am fine there since I can't pop back there.

It has come off and on since then and I was using acne cream and it helped out a lot and then I had none break out. Now I just use soap and water and that helps too. I was getting them on my face too so I started washing my face with soap. It helps out a lot.

There is certainly likely to be no correlation between Asperger's/Autism and Acne, except in maybe those cases were certain individuals fall behind in hygiene or poor dietary habits.

I had horrific cystic acne starting around 13. I was complacent with the situation but my mom just wouldn't let up. After being bugged, and bugged, and bugged about seeing a doctor and going on Accutane I fanally caved "f**k, ok lets go". Maybe it would have been different in my perspective if I was smaller, I was never picked on in school because I was much larger than the rest of the kids, even those a few years older than me, and was always considered as the 'scary' guy even though I never was mean, at least not that I was aware, I recall being told all the time that "you always look anrgy". I was 5'10" by sixth grade, 6' by eighth grade and 6'3" the end of ninth.

I took the garbage for about a year, the highest dose possible. The acne went away, and never came back (I still get cysts on my ass and scalp to this day) and now I am sure I have IBS as a result, although it could be the Asperger's that is the culprit for it I am finding out. I was also chemically depressed while I was on the medicine, and had episodes of suicidal thoughts. I resent being pressured to go on the medicine, as my Dad's acne cleared up and never came back as well, without the horrific Accutane.

With the exception of each of the two weeks leading up to my period, my face has always been remarkably clear.