Going to the GP about acne (again)

[acneeee]

I'm 28, and have had acne on my chin and jaw for around 5 years now. I first went to the GP 3 years ago and since then I've been back 2 or 3 times (can't quite remember). I've tried:

• Differin/adapelene every night for the last 3 years
• Zineryt which worked well but I think you can't use it indefinitely as it's an antibiotic?
• A course of oral antibiotics which didn't really do anything

I want to go back as the acne is still just as bad. My skin seems to have gotten tolerant to the Differin and it makes no difference anymore. My acne leaves red marks which means my entire chin and jaw area is red because of lots of scars.

I don't really want to go on the oral contraceptive pill as I have a few risk factors for blood clots (I'm overweight and have congenital heart disease) so I'm not sure if they would even prescribe it anyway. Is there anything else that can be done?

I'd say the acne is mild, but persistent. It's often painful bumps under the skin that never come to the surface.

I suffered with bad acne and since taking inositol (also PCOS) .. cleared up in a few months and not had the same intense breakout since the occasional small spot.

:) try diet change and natural supplements whilst you wait but if you do have PCOS - just know it is possible

Roaccutane is the only thing that worked for me at the age of 30. I still get the occasional pmt spot but not as bad.

It doesn't stop breakouts but Paula's Choice BHA exfoliant is AMAZING for skin texture - I used to have darker pigmentation for months everywhere I had a spot and this has really improved it. My sister used it for acne scarring and it has made such a big difference

Where do you get tretenoin from? I thought it wasn't available over the counter in the UK? I tried to buy some about a year ago after a YouTuber told me to 🙈 but didn't get very far with it

You can buy tretinoin abroad (or ask a family member to if they're on holiday). I have a family member bring me some back from Spain, costs me about 19euro for a tube over the counter at the pharmacy. There's different strengths so make sure you start on a lower strength then work your way up. I don't use it every night now but my skin has never been better and I have suffered all my life with acne and spots and I too never found a cure. I have used the pill in the past and that didn't fix it either.

If you do use tretinoin make sure you are using spf in the day though as it does make your skin more open to uv raysa

Roaccutane, Spirinolactone or Jasmin are the only treatments that will work with hormonal Acne. My 24 year old DD has just been on her second round of Roaccutane which has cleared her skin up nicely. There is a way of combining Spirinolactone with low dose Roaccutane over a longer treatment period which is another option for hormonal Acne. You need a NHS referral to a dermatologist or refer yourself privately.

I had roaccutane for persistent acne too.

Lol at diet. If you’ve got any other bacterial infection no one says have you tried cutting out sugar and dairy 🤣

Being a non drinking cows milk allergy cook from scratch person never gave me clear skin.

Can you invest in some sessions with a nutritionist to help support your move away from sugar? I am sure you can have some but just less? More protein would help with skin renewal. If you are veggie be honest about the amount of quality protein you are eating as you do need plenty to feel full and to help body healing/cell renewal. Collagen can help skin too.

Water and no fizzy drinks is a an easy swap and can help skin deal with the acne.

Diet helps your body deal with infection.

also, Acne isn’t just bacterial infection. It’s hormone related. And diet impacts your hormones and how well your body functions.

diary isn’t tolerated well by everyone and can impact their skin, cause excema etc so for some taking that out of the diet can mean the skin is better able to cope with other issues

I took Roaccutane about 15 years ago for cystic acne. Never had another one since. It's a life changer.

Acne in your 20's is hormonal Acne. Unlike teenage Acne which is far more treatable & transient. Your Diet, eating diary, sugar, chocolate isn't causing it.

I order it from a website called tretinoin world .. allthough went on last week and there’s an odd message about payment so leaving it another few weeks and I’ll try again. Never had any probs before and it’s been years so hoping they sort it quick xx

You possibly have some sort of gut dysbiosis. Try cutting out sugar and processed food for a few weeks and see if it helps.

You cannot know this for sure. Acne can certainly be caused by gut dysbiosis. How can you rule that out in the OPs case?

Do you know what part of the body relates to acne on the chest and back? She’s only 12 and we have an appointment next week but intrigued to know.

@Starsandrain sure. Given her age and the location of the acne Id say it’s puberty related. The inflammatory acne prevalent in the pubertal age group commonly occurs due to increased circulating androgen levels.

To help her, keep processed foods high in carbs and sugar to a minimum. Hard with teenagers I know but far less risky in terms of the side effects of medication/contraceptive pill that is the only allopathic solution.

Thank you. Unfortunately she has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about a year ago so does have to have carbs and sugar fairly regularly but will try and improve her diet. She’s swapped to drinking mainly only water and I’ve suggested more fruit and veg which she is trying but no improvement so far so have an appointment.

Push your gp for a referral to dermatology - my skin was horrendous for years and years - when I finally got the referral first thing the specialist said was ‘ I don’t understand why they took so long to refer you’ 🤦‍♀️. Only thing that worked for me was a short course of roccutane. Had regular blood tests while on this and my clear has been clear ever since - 10+ years. Totally changed my life and did wonders for my self esteem as I was so self conscious about my skin before.

*skin has been clear
Also only side effects I had was drying of skin which moisturising with e45 while on the medication sorted out

@Starsandrain ah makes sense. Look at the work of Dr. Ian Lake. He’s a NHS GP with type 1 and he manages is beautifully with low carb.

Good luck!

Agree with others I'd try and fix from the inside, looking at reducing sugar, carbs, fatty and processed foods, increase exercise and sleep quality. I've had microdermabrasion before which has helped, it's a bit sore but really renews your skin.

Teenage acne is hormone driven. Why else would it start with the production of sex hormones?

There's a lot of misinformation about human physiology & pathology.

@Lira715 thank you!!