Aibu to ask you how you got rid of adult acne?

[Troton]

Specifically there’s a lady I know through a friend who has always had moderate acne the whole time I’ve known her. It’s cleared up lately and she looks radiant and im desperate to know her secret but I know it’s be so bloody rude of me!

So im going to ask on here instead - how did you get rid of adult acne?
I’ve just started my second round of roaccutane. I bailed on the first round and only did three months so sadly the effects didn’t last long. I’m hoping to stick it out this time but I’m only on a low dose and worried it’s not going to be a permenant cure. That said I’m reluctant to up the dose as I’m scared of the side effects.

Dianette then moving onto Yasmin pill when I was told I had been on dianette for too long. Came off it for a bit and my skin flared up again straight away. Think will be on the pill until the menopause. That is preferable to the huge cysts that ached and took weeks to go away with new ones appearing all the time. Hope your friend get theirs sorted.

I had no idea the mini pill was ( I think) causing mine, that and a bag load of other symptoms. I switched pill 4 weeks ago and I feel brand new! Skin has cleared up along with depression, moodiness and general shiteness! So we know each other OP?!

Haha possibly so fruitbatancer.
There’s no way I’m asking the lady in real life now ... what if it one of you - how mortifying would that be for me !!!
The Isotretinoin is working well for me now. But it’s certainly not without side effects I feel achey all over and my anxiety is worse but I dont know if that’s directly because of the drug or because I’ve been reading up on all the horrible side effects and I’m worried about whether my children will
Inherit my acne. I’m finding it very hard to stay on the Isotretinoin to be honest I keep imagining it’s posining me from the inside!
One of the most worrying things I read was that they’ve found links to permenant male impotence and erectile dysfunction in men..which worries me having two boys!
As well as the side effects to do with the liver, depression etc
Why oh why can’t they invent some magic cream!

Lymecycline. I have to take it every day. Was taken off it for a couple of months and acne came back just as bad, weeping red and sore. Doctor put me back on it. I don’t even need foundation or concealer now. It’s like a miracle.

Ah I have a friend who has had excellent success with lymecycline although like you she has to keep taking it. I used to be on oxytetracycline which worked for the most part but I eventually became immune to it. I presume the same can happen with lymecycline or any antibiotic in fact.
I’m feeling really down about this today. I know it sounds vein but I’ve lost my confidence so much over the last few years. I wish I wasn’t embarassed to pop to the shop with no makeup on (I would never do this!) I don’t even like my husband to see me without makeup :-(

Stopped wearing make up entirely.
Stopped using any facial cleanser or wash or toner or anything. Plain water or just bar soap only.
Stopped eating chocolate and drinking coke or taking sugar in tea/coffee.

I'm 45 now and have had clear skin for years.......Unless I wear make up, use product on my face, or consume sugary stuff, and then I erupt like a teen again.

Every other "cure" (and believe me I tried them all) was fucking useless.

DB improved with tetracycline, but still uses anti-acne cleanser, and still eats sugary shite, and still has terrible skin. He's 48

DH had it terribly when I met him - and it had scarred a lot in the past as well. He'd tried all the creams, tried the medication - nothing had really worked and it just suddenly disappeared in his mid-20s practically overnight - I remember looking at him and suddenly just thinking "fucking hell your skin's gone amazing" and it just had gone away. He still gets the very odd flareup but nowhere near how it was when I met him where he had the most absolutely huge lumps from it at times.

(Obviously I married him regardless of his skin issues)

Went to mega bucks cosmetic dermatologist - she was great and even advised on what makeup I could wear

Wish I'd done it years earlier, worth every penny

Place marking

I had it well into my early thirties. I found that extreme periods of stress brought on two particularly nasty bouts of it and it changed from a couple of random spots to proper cystic acne which needed extensive coverage using makeup (and even then you could see it). Once when I was 19 after a nasty relationship breakup and again when I was about 33 going through infertility. I tried my best to resist picking any spots and if I was left with any deep scarring I used to apply toothpaste at night which would dry out the skin and make the damaged skin peel off. Thankfully (and I’m not sure how) but I didn’t end up with any scarring and I haven’t had a single spot since I had my children. Try not to touch your face I used to do this a lot when I was sat at the desk at work and it spreads the bacteria. I also wear a lot less makeup now I’ve got kids as I simply don’t have the time to spend on myself anymore and I’m sure that helps.

Differin gel. Mine was hormonal, no dietary changes had any effect.

I've not read through, but I have always had spit prone skin, and over the years have never been spot free for more than a few days.
I'm 34 now, but 14 months ago, i commenced on anti histamines (fexofenadine) as I had developed allergy symptoms. My spots cleared in days and have never returned, despite not taking the medication daily (take as required instead).
Really quite odd. Not sure if my spots were some sort of reaction to the allergen (still unaware of what the allergy is).

Inositol has completely got rid of mine, and I suffered for years. Any blood-sugar balancing herb or supplement—Cinnamon Bark, Gymnestra, Chromium—also 100% cleared my acne, but the latter three also caused weight loss, and I’m skinny to begin with.

Years ago someone said to me to think of acne as diabetes of the skin, and it’s certainly true in my case. Insulin is the master hormone, and if you’re insulin resistant (many acne sufferers) it’ll manifest in skin breakouts. All of the supplements mentioned above help the body process insulin more efficiently.

The only thing that has ever cleared my acne is Dianette. I know that my adrenal glands produce excess androgens, and think I have adrenal PCOS.

I'm assuming someone else has said but Roaccutane, gets a bad rap, quite severe side effects, but I'd do it again in a heart beat, I've been acne free 18 months now after 10 years. Lymecycline worked briefly for me but as soon as I stopped it came back.

@Troton I wouldn't mind if you asked me, I'm really open talking about acne, I'm sure she'd love to hear you've noticed how lovely her skin is!

@Troton sorry not again 😁 just seen you're on roaccutane, 20mg is quite a low dose (assuming you're normal weight) but lower doses over longer periods of time are meant to be more successful, it's all about the cumulative dose. I was on 60mg for 4 months as the first plan but found the symptoms too severe so dropped down to 40mg and had to extend my treatment to 6 months. It takes 8-10 weeks for it to start usually and an initial breakout is normal, how long have you been on it?

I used to have cystic acne, it was horrendous. The only thing that worked was roaccutane.
I just get a few regular spots now. I did have some bad spots for ages about 4 years ago and took me months to realise it was my powder foundation causing them! I'd put loads on to cover it, but it would get worse so then I'd put even more on! I think it dried my skin out too much.

userme18 I’m on 20mg a day and been on it for a month now. It’s definitely working however this is my second round. I was on it a couple of years ago and it’s effects only lasted a year. Which, given the side effects and how worried I am about what it does to your insides I’m not sure it’s worth it or going to be a long term solution.

The insolitol thing sounds intriguing as does the antihistamine thing! Will google them later on.

I think I’m beyond differin gel probably :-(

Sorry rushed message and typos just walking to work!

I have heard of some people needing 2 rounds for it to be permanently successful, what dose did you do last time? 20mg I should think you'd need to be on a good 8-9 months to get the cumulative dose (weight dependent) you could up your dose if you wanted to get off it sooner.

The keto diet cleared up my skin beautifully and even after I gave it up the acne hasn't come back as bad, probably because I am eating a lot less sugar than previously. I also use activated charcoal soap.

I had dreadful acne until, at the age of 28, I went and lived for 6 summer months in the Iraqi desert.
My skin cleared up with constant sun, 55 dregs heat and 0% humidity.

I was on antibiotics for 6 months along with another topical medicine (can't remember the name) cleared mind up completely.

I was put on Dianette at first but I had bad side effects so stopped that and was put on antibiotics. This was about 20 years ago though so there was no issue with prescribing them.

Pill was a disaster for me. Tried it a few times but exploded with spots coming off it each time.