Sick of hormonal teenage skin :(

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

For about 2 weeks of the month I have horrible spotty skin and it really makes me feel shit. I'm not on any hormonal contraception and even when I was it didn't make a difference.

I feel like a total child, not a grown up married mother :( especially at baby groups! We've recently moved areas and I want to make friends but I don't feel very confident in social situations at the best of times and I'm self conscious with makeup on too.

What can I do about it? Pretty sure it's hormonal, so do I have to just live with it?

[Curiouserandcuriouser30]

I feel for you OP, I had adult acne and it was horrible. It really affected my confidence too. When something is on your face, you can't hide it at all, so I felt like people were judging me. Looking back I'm sure they weren't, but it was still miserable.
What sorted it for me was going on the pill, would that be an option for you? As I understand it, different pills have different affects on the skin, which might be why it didn't work for you before. Some don't affect it, some can make it worse, but some improve it. I tried lots of creams, face washes etc. but none of them worked (I suspect mine was hormonal too as I never had oily skin). Could you go to your GP to discuss options? Even if you don't want to go on the pill, I'm sure they'll have other options.

[AlwaysBeYourself]

Give up dairy. Lots of people report that when they give up dairy they have less period pain and acne disappears.

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Yikes, give up dairy!! I'm currently doing slimming world and eating vast amounts of yoghurt which I'm not sure I could do without... Maybe I'll trial it for a month! Or would I need to give it longer to see the difference?

We will be TTC #2 at some point next year so not sure it's worth going on the pill in the meantime. I will research the options though. Didn't think you could go to the GP for something so 'trivial'!

Thanks both

[Domino777]

Angus cactus

Zinc

[Domino777]

Oil of primrose

[TurnipCake]

I watched Dr Sam Bunting's videos in the midst of hormonal acne and her advice really improved my skin i.e.

1. V gentle cleansing, no mechanical brushing etc I use Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser when I break out around my chin
   
   
2. Benzyl peroxide as an anti-inflammatory - you don't need to go higher than 5%
   
   
3. Retinol - I use LRP retinol, also have Sunday Riley Luna, but my spots don't like the essential oil, even though it has done wonders for the pigmentation. You can get stronger formulations on prescription

[BettyBi0]

Have you been checked out for polycystic ovaries? I just ask because I had adult acne myself that seemed to come in waves with my cycle. It was a real confidence crusher and made me feel generally sh*tty. When my PCO was diagnosed and I took control of my diet (mainly just switched to strictly low GI) my skin improved MASSIVELY. I had a couple of other triggers too - too much diet coke or coffee would always bring me out in a new crop of chin zits so I had to quit them too.

I feel for you though as it really sucks to get spots over and over as an adult.

[RJnomore1]

Microdermabrasion and sakycykic acid are doing wonders for me. I didn't eve have a breakout at all last month.

[Tate15]

Panoxyl

[CakeThat]

Yes to panoxyl! Cheap and effective!

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Ooh ok I will get some panoxyl!

I thankfully don't have any other symptoms of PCOS and DS was conceived first try so hopefully it's not that.

I've also has thrush every month for 7 years so I do think my hormones are somewhat out of kilter, although none of the gynaes etc I've seen have ever suggested it could be down to hormones.

I'm going to look in to retinol too as see it mentioned a lot on here!

[Youknowitmakessense]

I've invested in a Tria Blue Light.

Seems to be working...but early days

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Tried to get Panoxyl in Boots today but it has been discontinued apparently, and I couldn't get on the Internet to find out its ingredients to get an equivalent.

Thanks for the suggestions, will research when I get a sec, the baby was mad today! 😄

[BlairWaldorfLovesShopping]

Yes, go to the GP. Though if they agree it's hormonal they will probably suggest the pill, unless there are underlying issues as Betty suggests, which is another reason to go.

Re dairy, my dermatologist told me that while there is some evidence linking dairy and acne, there is no need to give it up. She just told me to avoid, for instance, drinking several lattes in a day, so I would have thought that "vast quantities of yogurt" probably isn't helping you.

I did just eat homemade pasta carbonara, followed by cheese and biscuits and then ice cream, but that's an awful lot of dairy for anyone, let alone me!

Panoxyl is benzoyl peroxide, and it keeps getting discontinued in various OTC forms. If you ask the GP for a topical cream to put on your spots they may be willing to prescribe it for you (the one I use is called Duac).

[SheHasAWildHeart]

I would suggest giving up dairy (I know there's no proven link but it worked for me and others I know. Substitute for soya milk etc)
Acnecide cream from Boots Pharmacy. £10 for a tube. I've tried almost everything and this is the best I've found. Doesn't totally get rid of acne but def makes a HUGE difference I've had people commenting on my skin. I only wear it an night but some people wear it on the morning too but I don't like stuff on my face during the day! When I wake up I use stuff from Garnier PureActive range marked for "spot prone skin" and it's fab coz most stuff dries my skin out whereas this doesn't.
I have noticed though that the acne is worse just before my periods but I've just learnt to accept that now :/ didn't expect acne at 35 when I didn't have it at 15!

[Behooven]

I think Acnecide gel is the same as Panoxyl. I get it from Superdrug for DS.

[SheHasAWildHeart]

Just to add the acnecide is benzoyl peroxide too (cover your pillows when you wear it at night because it will cause their colour to fade!)

[Behooven]

Oh yes wildheart I have the towels to prove it!

[SheHasAWildHeart]

It did scare me the first time thinking if that's what it does to the pillow what is it doing to my skin?! But I suppose as long as it works. How does your DS find it?

[Behooven]

He says it helps to keep the spots under control, he notices his skin gets worse if he stops using it. We had a different gel before (can't recall the name) but the concentration of Benzoyl Peroxide was higher - it dried his skin really badly so had to stop using it.

[trappedinsuburbia]

Dairy dairy dairy, I have been shouted down before that there is no link between diet and skin, but I was on verge of going to docs to ask for antibiotics when it was suggested to me.
Within 3 days, shiny skin gone, no new outbreaks and pores started to reduce.
Nowadays I check the ingredients of everything, I can tell within an hour or two now if i've accidently eaten something.
For me specifically it is the lactose.

[Nadoligllaweneto]

I mentioned dairy too upthread. Its not just the lactose, its the oestrogen.

[Nadoligllaweneto]

Sorry, that was on a different thread but yes to giving up dairy, also helps big time with painful periods.

[SheHasAWildHeart]

Yes Beehoven I was worried about it drying out my skin and it doesn't at all.
Yes to reducing dairy!

[trappedinsuburbia]

Nadoligllaweneto I can seem to eat lactose free dairy stuff with no reaction but then I do that quite rarely so I must have cut down drastically on the hormones in it as well. I just try and avoid everything.