Aibu to be so pissed of about having really bad spots in my 30s?

[mmmgoats]

All around my chin and jaw line and now just above my lip on one side
Bloody horrible painful ones that are really red, get proper white heads on them and seem to bleed and scab

I’ve not changed anything skincare wise i stopped wearing make up for bit but no joy. A witch hazel stick seemed to be killing them off a little but i think it’s also spreading them :(
I’ve also got a random white head I think - little white spot on my cheek that just will not go.

I’m feeling really down about it :(
Clearly we were lied to as teenagers - “when you grow up you won’t get spots and will have lovely clear skin”

LIES!!!

@stopgap
I really do appreciate the details you gave - I have also done all the various "treatments" (medications, topical preps, etc), to no avail. I'll talk to my doctors about trying it, as I have lots of other health issues and allergies, but I'm excited to think there might be something that could work. 😊

See your GP. They can try you on various different antibiotics and refer you to a dermatologist if needed.

I'm currently taking roaccutane at 34, I have clear skin for the first time since I was 12.

I had zero skin problems in my teens, I turned 35 and my face went "argh you fucker now your getting it!"

I found these things worked for me:

• always remove makeup at the end of the day
• wash my face before bed even if I'm not wearing makeup
• if I'm not wearing makeup I just use water, no cleansers
• clean flannel EVERY TIME
• using lots of products to wash/cleanse/tone/moisturise/get rid of spots etc just made things worse
• once a fortnight I exfoliate with a really good scrub
• good quality makeup and regular cleaning of brushes/applicator sponges
• DO NOT PUT FOUNDATION ON WITH FINGERS
• try not to touch your face, I find if I set at a desk for long periods I lean my chin on my hands, touch my lower face - guaranteed breakouts, our hands are generally manky lol

and the singular one thing that is guaranteed to give me a flare up if I don't do it - drinking at least 3 if not 4 pints of water every day

Its a hormone issue not an age issue.

Spots around the chin and jaw line tend to be hormone related. If it's very bad do see your GP and maybe they can put you on the pill or similar to help regulate it. The white head on your cheek sounds like milia rather than a spot.

If I use a crap cleanser and SPF I get terrible spots.
I think a lot of cleansers just leave a film of crap on your skin that doesn’t remove spf.
Spf by its nature of being oil soluable and containing tiny grains of mineral will often clog pores.

I had adult acne in my 20s. It was horrible. Lots of red, painful spots. I got a referral to a dermatologist and eventually (you have to jump through various hoops) got to take Roaccutane. It's not a walk in the park (monthly blood/ pregnancy tests) but after 6 months my acne disappeared. I look back at those photos of me in my 20s and I look like a different person. Go to your GP - good luck.

It’s hormones
Evening primrose oil capsule has made a massive difference for me alongside the ordinary niacinamide

I’m now 42 but have had problems with my skin since my late teens. I tried every topical, antibiotic, homeopathic remedy before finally having two courses of Roaccutane in my twenties. That really helped. Over the last few years my skin started playing up again. My sister in law told me about Differin gel. I’ve been using it for a year now and my skin is great. You can buy it online. You need to complete a questionnaire before you are allowed to buy it. It has utterly transformed my skin. X

Thanks so much everyone. Not to drip feed but it started after a tfmr so I suspected it was hormonal and would just go away which it did for a
bit and then came back. It’s got even worse since I had a chemical
pregnancy a month or so ago so maybe I will go to the GP. I just felt a bit silly going for spots!
I might look up how much it is to pay to see a dermatologist as my other half has been waiting nearly a year for his referral appointment from gp.

It's not at all something that you should feel silly or embarrassed about to go to your GP for. It is very likely hormone related - blood tests could show if it's something like PCOS., and if it is then there are different meds which can help with the various symptoms.

I'm not sure why this is the case, but have read many times that the area you are getting your spots (ie chin) can be a sign of PCOS. I have PCOS myself, and am now on long term antibiotics, and have been for many years. I suffered badly from early teens and used roaccutane probably about 25 years ago. My PCOS wasn't diagnosed until my 30s, but I don't think that had anything to do with my earlier 'teenage acne', btw, but I feel the last 30+ years of skin problems has had such an effect on how I feel about myself, even now, so please don't think it's too silly to see your doctor about it, as there will likely be a treatment that works for you.

Thank you whatwas hope I don’t have pcos I seem to be having enough trouble staying pregnant as it is! But best to know I guess. Are there any other symptoms? Just curious - Id put the spots
down to hormone levels maybe being a bit haywire after the chemical but as it keeps reoccurring I guess it could do with some investigation

I find sudocrem really helps i put it on at night and before makeup

Eating an anti-inflammatory diet has helped my skin loads.

I second the dietary link. The only thing that helped me was cutting out cow products from my diet. Look up the acne and dairy link if your acne is hormonal (which is appears to be due to its location). I believe that acne is your body's way of telling you that something is unbalanced and pills, creams, gels deal with the symptoms not the cause. Also research gut health, which can be exasperated by taking antibiotics for acne. Your gut health can be improved by taking probiotics or, if you are dairy free, eating fermented foods.

The only treatments that will help with acne are medically proven ones that you can get from a doctor or dermatologist

I suggest taking a look at dermatica.co.uk, they are an online dermatologist service and cost just £20 for a consultation and treatment.