What has helped your acne prone skin?

[AndThisIsTrue]

I have acne rosacea, I was taking antibiotics for it but I have bad to stop them to TTC so my skin has gone back to being shit again. Has anyone had any luck treating their bad skin with over the counter products or other treatments? Or should I just invest in a paper bag to put over my head? Thanks!

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

Ask for a referral to a dermatologist and discuss Roaccutane. It cleared my acne permanently, and the rosacea isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.

[nailslikeknives]

Double cleansing has really helped me. I read about it on mumsnet about three months ago and it's made a big difference.
I either use cetaphil cleanser or la Roche Posay micellar water.

[AllPizzasGreatAndSmall]

Roaccutane is a non-starter as the OP is TTC.

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

Sorry, I missed that. Do not take Roaccutane if trying to get pregnant. It does awful things to foetuses (?foeti). Maybe after you've had a baby though?

[Crownjewel]

"Duac". Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory cream that's on prescription. GP assures me it's safe to use while TTC and during pregnancy.

[Ohanarama]

I have rosacea and am u
Currently getting good results with:
Cetaphil to remove make up.
Then La Roche posay 3 step which includes a cleanser and toner plus the "duo" serum.
Then I also put a little other serum by La Roche posay (roseilac?) which is specifically for rosacea, on nose, cheeks and chin.
Sounds a lot of stuff but all goes a long way and I had quite quick results. The most essential in my opinion are the lrp duo and rosacea serums.

[Dukketeater]

My doctor put me on rozex cream. Its amazing!

[Lunastarfish]

I second double cleansing. I also use witch hazel as a toner which helps me but tbh, the only thing that has really worked was the 3 month course of antibiotics I took a few years ago. Sorry to put a dampner on things but I had an acne breakout during pregnancy having been fine since the antibiotics

[Snappingcrayons]

Pregnancy. Completely cleared my acne up after years of trying all sorts.

[MadAngryGnome]

Double cleansing and LRP Duo helped my acne prone skin in pregnancy when all the hormones made it go crazy.

But - with breastfeeding and hence low oestrogen it's pretty darn good, even without doing the above. I guess different hormone fluctuations suit different skins, fingers crossed for you yours likes pregnancy/breastfeeding.

[PenguinVox]

Yes pregnancy and breastfeeding were great for my skin so wishing you lots of luck with TTC!

[waceystills]

Duac here too; cleared up my acme like a charm.

Your GP can prescribe it for you. Save to use if TTC, like a pp said.

[waceystills]

Acme? Oh dear

[isntthatapippip]

Oil cleansing method.

[itsbetterthanabox]

LRP made my skin much worse
No skincare except prescribed stuff has ever helped. When I went on a low carb diet my skin cleared up immensely but I had loads of other bad side effects to eating that way so it wasn't worth it! Not everyone does though.
Benzoyl peroxide helped when I first used it but it makes you very dry and flaky and then the next time I used a few years later it did absolutely nothing.

[paxtecum]

Giving up cow's dairy products and seeing a herbalist - definitely not a Chinese herbalist though.

The herbs gave my sluggish liver a kick start and rebalanced my hormones.

[Sallystyle]

Double cleanser
Retin A- I started with Treclin, Retin A and an antibiotic (none can be used while TTC)
Acid toner

No more cystic acne!! I have only had a couple of tiny tiny spots in months now. Just the scars to try to get rid of.

I noticed a huge improvement in just double cleansing and using acid.

[AndThisIsTrue]

What is double cleansing? Just doing it twice? I use cetaphil cleanser atm I haven't noticed any difference sadly.
I'm definately going to ask about rouaccatane once I've had another baby. Antibiotics worked but as soon as I stopped taking them it just came back. I've tried the creams from the Dr and they all made me really nauseous, it was really bizarre but horrible!

[MadAngryGnome]

Yup, I take makeup off first with micellar water and a cotton pad, then cleanse again with a non-foaming cleanser, hot water and a flannel to make sure every last scrap of foundation is off.

Oil cleansing can be surprisingly nice even for oily acne prone skin. You can do it with olive or use almond etc. Just massage into face, and scrub off with hot wet flannel. My skin loves it a couple of times a week and it seems to keep the oil at bay too.

[MadAngryGnome]

PS roaccutane is AMAZING stuff. If my skin gets worse I'm going for another round post-babies

[WickedWax]

Yes double cleansing is essentially just doing it twice.

I use an oil based make up remover with cotton pads for first cleanse, then either Cetaphil or Superdrug Naturally Radiant cream cleanser second. Rubbed into my skin for a minute or so, then removed with a clean flannel using lukewarm water.

That made a massive difference to my skin within a couple of weeks. I've now added in an acid toner - Bravura Calendula toner - and that seems to be doing the trick with the last few, surface of the skin, tiny whiteheads.

[Wolpertinger]

If you have acne rosacea then the advice will be different to that for acne - you need proper advice from a dermatologist really.

Most of the advice on this thread has been for acne, not rosacea, and not applicable for anyone TTC.

[MrsMarigold]

I use Acnecide which is an OTC containging Benzoyl Peroxide, I only use it at night and put it all over my face after double cleansing with micellar water. During the day use an oil cleanser and acidic toner followed by Effaclar Duo moisturiser - my skin is better than when I was on antibiotics.

[MrsMarigold]

used while TTC and both DC are perfect