to think that 31 is too old to have this many spots?

[fastdaytears]

I look rough today and ridiculously it is getting me down. No spots for teenage years then Mirena about 6 years ago and skin has been dreadful ever since (I know everyone loves to blame the Mirena for everything and could well be co-incidence). Now on mini pill and have 5 proper big gross spots. I don't have greasy skin generally.

1. anyone else in my horrible spotty boat?
2. any suggestions for cover up that might last longer than an hour?
3. am I being totally vain and ridiculous to worry about this when am healthy and basically have nothing to whinge about?

I didn't have spots as a teenager either, but got really bad skin in my 20s when going on the pill too (awful actually - ended up having to use roaccutane). Never used it since. I don't think it's being vain to care - it really really got me down too. I ended up using the coil (not mirena though) for years as wouldn't ever use hormonal-based contraception again. YANBU.

It's so unfair! I'm 31 too and started getting spotty again about 3 years ago. I'm thinking it may be triggered by sugar as I was ok last week, then ate loads of haribo on Saturday and I've got loads of spots now.
I've started trying to be good with my skincare regime, cleansing morning and night.
If be interested to know what keeps the bastards covered all day, they seem to shine through all cover in minutes

I'm 40 and have the worst skin I've ever had. I despair I really do.

it is not ridiculous or vain, our faces are what we present to the world after all.
I had terrible skin in late twenties and early thirties. There was a pill from H and B that helped but this being mn I will probably get shouted down for that.
Have you spoken to the doctor who prescribed you the pill about it?

My skin got progressively worse until I went on Roaccutane in my mid-twenties. It's one of the best things I ever did - I had got so desperate and nothing else worked - so it's worth bearing in mind (though it's definitely not a drug to be taken lightly). Interestingly, my dermatologist suggested that the mini pill might have been responsible in my case. I've since switched to a different one.

I had terrible spots as a teenager.. finally sorted in my early 20s when I started taking Yasmin. Then I stopped last September as planning on ttc this year and oh my god my skin was awful. I'm 30 I shouldn't have skin that bad - spots and fine lines.. how is that even fair?!

I panicked and started taking the Yasmin again but it didn't clear up (and it put ttc on hold obviously) - I finally decided to see my GP last week, he has put me on a 2 month course of antibiotics plus a topical treatment called Zineryt and the difference is amazing already! I have no more painful red lumps all over my jaw and cheeks.. just the old spots drying up and fading. I don't know why I have struggled on for so long!

Hopefully once I have finished the antibiotics I can try coming off the pill again and the Zineryt will help keep things under control.

Really don't suffer - go see your GP and see what they can offer!

Ooh sunny what's the pill?

Which mini-pill is it?

I had to swap from the combined pill due to migraine auras and was put on cerelle/cerezette - and my skin was awful. For the first time in my life i had the deep cystic type of acne. Unsightly, painful and hard to deal with. I was unhappy so went back to the doctors. They were bad for my self esteem and the children I taught couldn't help but ask why my face was sore.

The GP was great. She did offer to treat the skin, but I thought that the cause was probably the pill so I wanted to treat that first. I asked to try a different mini pill. They weren't desperately keen as all the rest don't have the 12 hour window that cerelle has, but she did allow me to swap to a different one (micronor).

After a month of things settling down, I'm over the moon. I have no periods on micronor, just like cerelle, which is fab. And I now am back to having the odd little spot from time to time, but not the cystic kind.

Oh and wrt concealers -I find Benefit's Boing to be very good :)

I cant actually remember its name, it was years ago, it was some herbal thing.
I just looked at the H and B website but could not see it....sometimes there are licensing issues and things are withdrawn.

i've had adult acne for over 2 yrs now, was using lymecycline before i got pregnant with ds2, that worked ok, now that im breastfeeding i use duac topical gel which is very good, and avoiding foundation. with foundation though i find the best is dream matte mousse as it's so light on you skin and gives excellent coverage, can't use liquid! clearasil best face wash also.

I would say though that if it's adult acne, don't do what i did and get really down because you search/try for a variety of bizarre methods treatments that will only be ineffective, if it's actual acne you should see your gp and get it treated, hope thaat helps!

I can't help but just wanted to say that I share your pain. I'm 35 and my skin's the worst it's ever been. I've tried everything the GP can prescribe and nothing's worked(I have PCOS so it's definitely hormonal). The combined pill worked but I'm now too old to take it apparently!

I also think that - while the cosmetic issue is worth treating in itself and doing so doesn't make you vain - it goes beyond that in severe cases. I remember cysts that throbbed with pain, lasted for weeks on end and sometimes even made it hard to eat!

Welcome to the club!

I've had bad skin since my teens - including actual cysts at times. I was even prescribed Accutane at one point. That's helped somewhat (never been really bad since, just quite bad) but was honestly the most physically unpleasant experience of my life. Recently broke out really badly due to oil cleansing. Again! My face looks like Hastings after the bloody battle! It just makes you so self-conscious, doesn't it?

In actual fact other people barely take note. And, yes, Benefit Boing is great. As is double wear by Estee Lauder!

it is not exactly the same but certainly had similar ingredients to this

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/hri-clear-complexion-60032418

please do not anyone jump on me for recommending a herbal product, but this really did work for me.
As did having children. Has anyone else had the same experience?

I got to about 40 before I started getting spots. At one point they were so bad I went to the doctor , who diagnosed it as peri-oral dermatitis (which, if my schoolgirl Latin doesn't fail me, simply means something like 'spots around the mouth').

Anyway. He prescribed oxytetracycline, which cleared them up beautifully. He gives me a big enough supply for a few outbreaks at a time and all is good. Maybe worth a try?

'peri oral dermatitis' what crap doctor speak - a bit like me being told I had 'contact dermatitis' when I presented with scabies ffs.

Ugh I'm with you OP. In my case I had terrible skin as a teenager, but it cleared up a bit when I got to about 18 and then I went on the pill at 19 and after a couple of different ones I went on Marvelon and then Cerelle and my skin was perfect. I came off a year ago to start ttc and have been a spotty mess ever since. It gets better and worse at different points during my cycle but even at the best times I seem to have at least one or two big spots, mainly around my chin and mouth. I'm 28 ffs! And I have a professional job and hate the fact that I look like a spotty teenager. I need to make a doctors appointment and see if I can get some kind of antibiotic treatment.

In terms of cover up, I recommend Benefit as well, they do a really good concealer.

Feeling your pain, had nightmare spots as a teen and get outbreaks when run down. Cover up - best one i found for v pale skin is Rimmel and its dirt cheap. Apply after foundation then powder and you cant see them. Dont squeeze. Wait till come to a yellow head then on cleansed skin pierce gently with needle dipped in Oxy 10 spot cream. Then mop up with tissue and spot cream. I apply make up over Oxy 10 and it still seems to work.

Cleansed and tone religiously and dont touch your face with your hands to avoid extra bacteria getting there. And a Simple face wash once a week is gentle and leaves skin extra clean. Best things i learned was piercing not squeezing and not touching face, noticed real difference with no hands as u used to put chin in hands andthat was worst area.

Fastdaytears I have been there and understand completely. I got adult acne in my early to mid thirties and it totally bashed my already shaky confidence. I think I was the most depressed I have ever been. I ended up being put on a low dose of Roaccutane and I wish I had done it sooner, it would have saved me a lot of angst and scarring. My GP was very sympathetic as she could see the distress it was causing me.

However, Roaccutane is a very strong drug and you may well want to try other options first.

I think my acne was also triggered by the Mirena and then made worse by all the makeup I smothered on to cover up the spots. I also remember from years back that the mini-pill broke me out in a terrible rash around my mouth. Is there any chance you could go on the combined pill? I wasn't able to because of my medical history.

Get yourself to your GP and look at the options for treatment. Also, look at the products you are putting on your face. I now do a lot of research into what I put on my face and choose products with minimal clogging ingredients. I use a website called Cosdna.

I use Estee Lauder Clear Difference BB Cream combined with their Double Wear Concealer. The BB cream is fantastic and does not clog my pores at all. I also use Avene Soapless Gel Cleanser and a toner that contains salicylic acid (I use the normal strength one from the Paula's Choice range). I would keep your routine as simple as possible and try one new thing at a time to avoid confusion.

I thought this video was great on the subject of covering up!

Re. Accutane/Roaccutane: it works but is definitely not an option if having a baby in the next two to five years or so is an option. And it's linked to depression - certainly affected me that way when I was on it.

That having been said: if I we're certain a pregnancy was out of the question I might ask my doctor for another round.

For me it was when I had the mirena put in at the age of 50 that I stopped getting spots (I had suffered from the age of 14!!!)
I'm 56 now, know that I am menopausal now because of a recent blood test, so I really wonder whether it's the menopause too that's helped.
I am so jealous (not in a nasty way) of people that have such lovely skins and look like they've never had a single spot in their lives.
Really feel for you OP. Been there, got the tee shirt.

Another one with spots and am in my 40s. I never had more than the odd spot in my teens so to be spotty now was a complete shock. I don't take hormonal contraception but I have Fibromyalgia so take various painkillers.

I have a topical antibiotic from the GP and a cream from the chemist (recommended by GP but can't remember the name) but the only things that really helps me is to cut out sugars - I try to low carb as much as I can.

I don't wear make up but I do hate the mess of scars and the spots that appear when I don't low carb on my chin

Ugh I've had spots since I started my periods aged 11 - thats 3/4 of my life with spots! I've had delightful phases of neck pimples, chest pimples and back pimples too (the back ones I've still got.) It's worse with age as I've also now got rosacea and my cheeks and nose are red and sore and in the last couple of years I've started getting thread veins on my nose and chin. I've currently got two shiners on my chin and one on my upper lip plus another load of smaller spots under the skin. And the best bit is that my doctor tells me it's not bad enough for medication . I'm just hoping the menopause eventually sorts my skin out...after all you never see the elderly with acne do you? Maybe I'll be the first!