Mumsnet Talk

Is there anything I can do?

It must be hormonal I'm guessing. The skin on my neck, back and face (and even a bit on chest) is getting worse by the day!

I don't want to take the pill again. Will creams do the trick? Is it worth asking the GP?

Anyone else old and spotty or is it just me revisiting my youth

Nope, me too. Every month I get a crop on my chin. I escaped acne and spots as a teenager - am mightily fucked off my face is Zit Trancentral now I'm 40. No advice sorry, I'll hang around to see if anyone's got any though.

me too !!!

Ah that's interesting as I barely had a spot as a teenager. This is the worst my skin has ever been. My back/neck/shoulders are awful. My kids had a look yesterday and were horrified lol.

Oh thank god I'm not the only one. Not that I wish it any of you . But at least misery loves company!

Bloody hormones! You'd think we'd deserve a break from them by now fgs

Mine are only round my mouth and chin - herpes styleee!

I'm not quite at 40 but my skin has got a bit worse over the last year or so. Nothing too bad yet but I was almsot spot free for years and it's more clogged up these days.

It must be either menopause hormones starting to kick in, stress or lack of sunbathing opportunities.

I had exactly the same problem. Use Liz Earle cleanse and polish every morning and it cured it for me in a month. If I run out and don't use it the spots come back pre period. I'm in my 40s.

I've heard lots of people recommend Liz Earle. I am trying something from boots which I now can't remember the name of (pro-activ or something).

Problem is mine isn't only on my face and I can't reach my back

Have you tried talking to your GP? I suffered in my twenties and found that a sympathetic doc can be v. helpful - they can tell in an instant if it is acne, rosacea, or monthly hormonal imbalance. A mate of mine went recently and GP immediately told her that it was rosacea due to swimming a lot in chlorinated water - apparently menopause can trigger a reaction to the chlorine as your skin can become more sensitive...to my untrained eye, it just looked like she had the same kind of acne I'd had, but the GP was right and she got some cream that cleared it up. There are a lot of fairly gentle treatments that aren't available OTC that they can advise on. I now find that time of the month, stress, tiredness sets my skin off, and I avoid heavy moisturiser for a couple of days and drink a lot of water, which does the trick - now. But when I had acne, none of those things worked. If that's you (and spots on your back sounds like it), see your doc.

It's going through puberty in reverse. ie your hormones are gearing up for periods to stop (as opposed to start) and the hormone imbalance causes spots. That's my theory anyway. Although I have no medical qualifications whatsoever.

I'm off to the gp later today about my dreadful skin. Have had enough of acne, I had great skin as a teenager and now I need a ton of make up on before I can leave the house. (I am aware that this is probably not helping the situation, but I figure I should be able to wear make up without a break out of acne)

I'll report back later

Me too, had ok skin all my life then at about 40 it became terrible! Have spent the past three years on antibiotics and that keeps it at bay but as soon as I stop taking them it comes back, so I guess I'm on them forever!!!

Please try Liz Earle cleanse and polish!

googlenut, I have roseacea and it's really getting me down - will the Liz Earle help that?

Dolce would be interested to hear what the gp says

I am having some success with this proactiv stuff from Boots. But then again my (v late) period arrived so that's probably why my skin had improved (always worse just before)

I am sure mine is hormonal acne. My cycle is getting longer and longer too. I'm on about 32 days now!

I'm suffering too!! Managed to escape ANY acne during my youth and since I turned 41 I'm getting regular spots around the time of my period every month. It starts on one cheek, works its way down to my chin and up the other side of my face. Feeling really low about it and didn't anticipate this happening at all.

I did see a male doctor a year ago and he said that this could be sorted out by going on the pill. I don't want to do that as my husband has had the snip so it sort of defeats the object! Also there are health implications (family history) re. the pill so I've always avoided it.

To add to my woes my hair has recently started thinning and I've just had a blood test showing borderline thyroid problems - I have to have a repeat test in 12 weeks. So I'm turning 43 in a couple of weeks and feel like I'm starting to fall to bits.

Sorry OP - no advice really but I sympathise with you!

My hair is thinning too chitter!

Check your vitb12 levels when you look at your blood tests. Mine were virtually non existent.

Just joined as i too have started to get spots and when i have them they're painful and are driving me mad, I'm 45 have 5 children never had anything like this till the last 6 months. Had a hysterectomy 9 years ago so don't have periods just spots now

I'm 45, been on antibiotics for acne for years; every time I try to come off them my acne flares up so badly that I have to go on penicillin for a couple of weeks to sort it out before I start on "normal" antibiotics again. For acne that bad, no amount of changing your skincare regime will do it (although I am religious about looking after my skin). Sigh ... I do sympathise.

my skin was only ever sorted out by getting knocked up and I got about 4 years' grace afterwards before it got all hormonally zitty again - and I started getting migraines again too so it's def hormones.

I am back on the antibiotics (ltd effect to be honest) and also trying out the Murad regime - there's a starter pack with face wash / spot cream / an exfoliating gel / oil free moisturiser. Still getting just one or two mega bumps but the murad deals very well with them.

I use Murad too and it's an excellent range - even better for more <ahem> mature ladies are the Murad products that deal with acne & wrinkles in one go! It's no good on its own for me, but combined with antibiotics it's one of the best skincare ranges for acne, I think.

I escaped acne in my teens but got it in my 30s. In the end my GP gave me a prescription for zineryt which did the trick. But I would have to have repeat prescriptions for it. Since having the mirena about 18 months ago, I don't get spots! So for me, it must have been hormonal.

My skin was like that for a couple of years, plus hair thinning. Turned out to be a dodgy thyroid.

Currently on a stable dose and my skin is loads better.