# Acne or fat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491 "2011-04-07T03:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/41 "2011-04-13T03:25:29Z")
Either will have negative effects on appearance, but the weight will also have negative effects on so much else. And 100 pounds extra is a heck of a lot of weight. We’re talking severely hampered in most physical activity, and a significantly shorter lifespan. Sure, sure, maybe the weight will go away, but the same is true of the acne. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/42 "2011-04-14T17:59:08Z")
Definitely acne. You can get acne fixed with benzoyl peroxide, retin-a and a host of other toical drugs, as well as fixed (as a woman) with birth control pills. Genetics for thinness? Yes please. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/43 "2011-04-14T21:32:21Z")
Yeah, it’s attitudes like that that used to piss me off when I had no insurance, couldn’t afford all those “topical medicines”, and couldn’t take birth control pills because of risk factors that made it much more likely than average I’d suffer a heart attack or stroke while on them (I have two cousins who suffered strokes in their late 20’s linked to birth control pills - it’s not theoretical risk in my extended family). Yeah, felt real good when someone wearing shoes that cost more than my entire wardrobe would sneer at me “Why don’t you get your skin FIXED?” Well, honey, why don’t you lose 50 pounds? It looks easy if you don’t have the problem. If you have the problem you might spends years trying to “fix” the problem, and it’s only worse if you don’t have money or health insurance coverage. It’s even easier if you’re not the one who has to suffer the side effects of the medication required for the really bad acne. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/44 "2011-04-14T21:58:12Z")
BCP did jack shit for my acne, for the record. I think it actually made it worse. And yes, I tried several different types, including the one that was supposed to be awesome for acne. As for losing 100 pounds, maybe I couldn’t lose all 100, but I feel pretty confident that I could lose enough that I felt comfortable with myself. I’m not at an officially acceptable weight right now but feel quite pleased with my body and overall appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/45 "2011-04-14T22:47:21Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I work with a chick with a smokin’ hot body, but adult acne. I also work with a chick who is cute but about 60 lbs overweight. I’d definitely take the body/acne girl. So now I’m thinking about body acne… ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/46 "2011-04-14T23:29:58Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Definitely acne. You can get acne fixed with benzoyl peroxide, retin-a and a host of other toical drugs, as well as fixed (as a woman) with birth control pills. > > Genetics for thinness? Yes please. My skin is way too sensitive for over-the-counter meds and for most prescription stuff. I have rosecea and my dermatologist and I are having a heckuva time controling it. I seem to have inherited this problem from my father’s family. I want genetics for good skin. At least I’m having some success in the weight loss area. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/47 "2011-04-15T02:24:20Z")
I’ve been on acne drugs and it was a really terrible time for me, I sympathise with some of the stories in this thread. As it stands now I’m thin with moderately bad skin (thankfully much better than I was years ago), and I’d probably keep it that way rather than clear up my skin completely and get fat. If, by choosing “acne”, I had to go back to my worst ever skin (or even _worse_), I’d take the fat and then do whatever I could to lose it. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/48 "2011-04-15T02:34:30Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yeah, it’s attitudes like that that used to piss me off when I had no insurance, couldn’t afford all those “topical medicines”, and couldn’t take birth control pills because of risk factors that made it much more likely than average I’d suffer a heart attack or stroke while on them (I have two cousins who suffered strokes in their late 20’s linked to birth control pills - it’s not theoretical risk in my extended family). :rolleyes: First of all, only a tiny minority of people have adverse reactions to the pill. Secondly, many are $4 monthly prescriptions without insurance, so cost is a non-issue. And finally, genetics for thinness can in NO WAY be replicated by ANY medications. So it’s like apples and oranges. That was the point I was making. > [@Broomstick](#): > > If you have the problem you might spends years trying to “fix” the problem, and it’s only worse if you don’t have money or health insurance coverage. It’s even easier if you’re not the one who has to suffer the side effects of the medication required for the really bad acne. **Broomstick** , I have vitiligo and psoriasis and I had moderately-severe acne a few years ago. So don’t try and one up me on skin diseases, okay? You see a dermo very often by your own admission, so coverage is not an issue you face. > [@carnut](#): > > My skin is way too sensitive for over-the-counter meds and for most prescription stuff. I have rosecea and my dermatologist and I are having a heckuva time controling it. **carnut** , ask your doc about **Klaron**. It’s ultra cheap and it’s somewhat stinky (smells like sulphur) but it’s a large part of what cleared me up. It’s a very old drug (a $10 script lasted me 5 months) but it is exceedingly gentle. I have vitiligo and psorasis and it was only the 4th dermo I’d seen who recommended it. It’s a godsend. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/49 "2011-04-15T02:46:14Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > :rolleyes: First of all, only a tiny minority of people have adverse reactions to the pill. Yeah, but it sure sucks when you’re 28 years old and stuck in a wheelchair for life because you’re one of the unlucky ones, like what happened to one of my cousins. Some people _really shouldn’t_ take hormonal birth control. > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > **Broomstick** , I have vitiligo and psoriasis and I had moderately-severe acne a few years ago. So don’t try and one up me on skin diseases, okay? You see a dermo very often by your own admission, so coverage is not an issue you face. I haven’t been able to see a “dermo” for three years, as it is not covered by my current insurance and I have no money to do so. When I have a break out I suffer through it, until the infected skin is bad enough that my medical insurance will pay for an antibiotic for it. Also, vitiligo and psoriasis are NOT acne, nor are they treated the same. I’m sorry you have such skin problems, but they aren’t the same as my skin problems. Which, by the way, have been serious enough at one time that I required surgery to drain the abscess and got to walk around with half my face covered by a bandage and cream usually reserved for burn patients for three months until it healed. Your moderate acne, while no doubt unpleasant, is not the same as some of my rather major skin infections. > [@](#): > > **carnut** , ask your doc about **Klaron**. It’s ultra cheap and it’s somewhat stinky (smells like sulphur) but it’s a large part of what cleared me up. It’s a very old drug (a $10 script lasted me 5 months) but it is exceedingly gentle. I have vitiligo and psorasis and it was only the 4th dermo I’d seen who recommended it. It’s a godsend. Good luck. I hope he/she has better luck with that than I did, because it didn’t help me a bit when I tried it. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/50 "2011-04-15T02:51:14Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > **carnut** , ask your doc about **Klaron**. It’s ultra cheap and it’s somewhat stinky (smells like sulphur) but it’s a large part of what cleared me up. It’s a very old drug (a $10 script lasted me 5 months) but it is exceedingly gentle. I have vitiligo and psorasis and it was only the 4th dermo I’d seen who recommended it. It’s a godsend. Good luck. I will do so. Thanks for the info. It would be nice to be able to go outside on a sunny day and not have my skin flare up. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/51 "2011-04-15T03:03:11Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I haven’t been able to see a “dermo” for three years, as it is not covered by my current insurance and I have no money to do so. I was going off of what you said upthread: > [@Broomstick](#): > > They say “you should see a doctor about that” to someone **who has weekly dermatologist appointments** and is struggling to find a solution to the problem. bolding mine. > [@Broomstick](#): > > Also, vitiligo and psoriasis are NOT acne, nor are they treated the same. I’m sorry you have such skin problems, but they aren’t the same as my skin problems. Never said they were treated the same, nor did I insinuate they were the same or even similar to yours. > [@Broomstick](#): > > Which, by the way, have been serious enough at one time that I required surgery to drain the abscess and got to walk around with half my face covered by a bandage and cream usually reserved for burn patients for three months until it healed. Your moderate acne, while no doubt unpleasant, is not the same as some of my rather major skin infections.. I don’t think dick measuring is going to get us anywhere. You’ve already regaled us with skin stories. That doesn’t mean my opinion that I’d rather have genes for being thin (originally how this started out) than have acne are any less valid. It’s an _opinion_ fer chrisssakes. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/52 "2011-04-15T07:24:38Z")
I think it was to be presumed that any adult with bad acne as per the OP would have already thought to have seen a dermatologist. Saying you’d rather have bad skin because all you’d have to do is see a dermatologist and get it cleared right up is kind of lame. ---
**Author:** ![ramel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ramel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ramel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/53 "2011-04-15T13:30:30Z")
I’m not sure I like the implication in the poll options that somebody 100lbs over weight can’t have a hot body. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491/54 "2011-04-16T03:17:41Z")
> [@ramel](#): > > I’m not sure I like the implication in the poll options that somebody 100lbs over weight can’t have a hot body. I generally don’t find weight is a help or a hindrance with what I find attractive in a person. Some people just ring my bell no matter what their size, height or whatever. Skin, on the other hand, can freak me out. Kinda weird when I have skin problems myself, but there it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acne-or-fat/577491.md?page=2)