Adult acne and autumn

[Honeybee85]

My skin is combination\ greasy normally but apart from an occasional pimple, it’s most of the time ‘under control’.

However, I started noticing that whenever the season is changing from summer to autumn (that started to happen here about 3 weeks ago) my skin becomes more greasy then unsual, pimples all over, looking blotchy etc. This happens every year and only when it becomes autumn so not during other changes of season.
Does anyone have the same problem?

By the way, my solution is to invest more in anti acne products, skip night moisturizer and trying to avoid sugar more then I usually do.

I feel for you as I have adult acne too. Though mine is a kind of all-year-round special type. Face, neck, back, chest... Fun. Though strangely I noticed it increased from winter to spring this year...

Hi OP, really feel your pain as I had adult acne for a long time. One thing I was told was that if you're using products that are very astringent as acne treatments so often are, that it can actually cause your skin to produce more sebum. If you use them and then its been cold then maybe it has had like a double drying effect and your skin is just over compensating for that.

I think the way mine cleared up was largely because I got older (now 30 but in my mid 20's it was horrendous) but I also began using more "adult" skin care products. I literally went through everything they were selling at Boots. Hope it clears up for you

Could it be rosacea?

Hi @VisibleShantiLine Oh I feel for you as mine is limited to my face fortunately at least until now...hopefully you can find a solution!

@attillathenun thank you for your advice re agressive skincare products. And good to hear your acne disappeared, we are same age category but unfortunately mine won’t go away. By the way, I am thinking to have a look at Muji tomorrow, their skincare line has impressed me in the past and I saw on their website that they have a line for adult acne based on soothing and healing fruit extracts.

@BatEaredFox
No, it really is acne though my skin is indeed quite sensitive and prone to redness!

@Honeybee85 Oh I've never heard of them before, sounds good if its quite gentle. I was using Vichy and now use La Roche Posay, on the pricier side but becomes so worth it once you find that one thing that actually works!

@attillathenun
May I ask which line from La Rose Posay you use? Esspecially interested in the day moisturizer . Btw I have used right their Anthelios matte suncream for face on holiday once and it was absolutely brilliant. Even in a very hot and humit tropical climate it kept my skin shine free

It may sound illogical but have you tried face oil? I swear by it for my slightly dodgy skin. Rose hip is very good and super cheap, though my favourite is lotus by clarins (and I also have a random tkmaxx one). I alternate them each night and put them on straight after I’ve washed my face to trap moisture in, ideally I give it a few mins before applying a small bit of sudocrem to any problem areas.

Skin can often go greasy when it’s not getting enough moisture, chances are it’s drying out when people start using central heating and the outside air is colder.

@Excited101

Oh I remember that Clarins oil! It’s in a blue glass bottle, isn’t it? I used it years ago. I will take a look at it in a few months from now as it’s probably twice the price here as it is at home

I have used oil btw as a night moisturizer, rice bran oil, loved it when my skin wasn’t so difficult because only about £7 and my skin looked fantastic the next morning. But after my skin started acting out if definitely was too greasy

Sounds like an inflammatory issue. Do you have autumnal allergies?

@stopgap

Thanks for the suggestion but fortunately I have no allergies at all except hay fever in spring time which doesn’t have an effect on my skin.
I did think it might have to do with decreasing sunlight during autumn 🤔

I suffer really badly from ache. I don’t know if it’s because I’m pregnant but my skin has cleared up massively and never been better. I’m not suggesting this to be a remedy by the way lol

I have been using a tea tree exfoliating scrub (99p from home bargains) and also using the palmers stretch mark cream ( the one with the pump) and I feel thus has gone towards my new skin. I wash my pillow cases regularly and I try my best to know pick my face or squeeze spots unless they need it

The ordinary do acne stuff. You could look at it. It's not too expensive.

Don't skip night moisturiser, just find the right one.

I think central heating may play a part in it. And going from cold outside to warm inside. Mine is bad at the moment.

My acne is triggered by dairy. It’s totally under control now as I have no dairy whatsoever. I realised it was triggering seasonal asthma in the autumn for me too.
I saw a programme on tv once where a woman was talking about adult acne and connected where it was on your face to what might be triggering it, if it’s diet related. Chin acne is usually dairy apparently and that’s where I got it mostly. It was a bit of a eureka moment for me.

Have you tried a prescription product? I've used differin for a few weeks and it's been amazing. Defo got worse first but now not required at all.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
As a few posters mentioned I shouldn’t skip moisturizer so I bought one today that is essentially for adult greasy skin, will try it tonight (see photo).

Re diet; I actually started eating healthy the past weeks because I need to lose those last 3 pregnancy kilos and now my skin is starting to act out lol. I have tried prescribtive products, 2 rounds of roaccutane in the past but my skin does whatever it wants unfortunately

Fellow acne sufferer here. When you say eating healthy what does that mean exactly? For a lot of people that means more fruit/dried fruit but I get worse acne from that because of the amount of natural sugars in them. I am massively triggered by fruit and dried fruit as well as dairy and gluten and sugar (FUN), but lately mine is HORRENDOUS despite doing everything I usually do.
I got rid of mine completely but it came back 3 months ago and I've no idea why, seriously frustrating. I was eating healthy, taking probiotics (a must), doing clay masks and using acne friendly oil to remove makeup / moisturise and it was going really great. Now if I could only figure out what's now gone wrong 🙄😩 good luck! Watching for ideas..

Starting to wonder myself if it's maybe more rosacea related, they can present almost identical.

I would see your GP OP and get some prescription cream in the first instance.

@SugarThreat I feel for you! You really tried everything under the sun to get rid of your acne and still it remains hope you will find the solution for it sooner than later!

Re healthy food, mornings oatmeal with soy milk and cinnamon, fresh fruit as a snack, lunch usually whole fiber crackers with surimi salad and an avocado on top, snack again fruit, dinner salad/pasta/stir fry with a small low fat fruit yoghurt for desert. I drink water or green tea during the day. Once a week MCD (just a happy meal for me) and eat sometimes out during the weekend (variety of salads and fish today) and might snack on some crisps, cookies or chocolates. I rarely drink alcohol and quit smoking about 2 years ago.

Your diet is too heavy in grains. That causes massive acne flares for me. And soy is estrogenic and sends your hormones out of whack. I would have a look at going Paleo.

I’ve had enormous success with a 40/1 blend of myo inositol and d chiro inositol—as in I don’t get breakouts any longer and have flawless skin. It’s been extensively studied in women who have acne and PCOS, with really positive results. No side effects, as it’s naturally occurring, and used to be classified as Vitamin B8.

@stopgap

I will read into it, thank you.
I remember now that you mention vitamin B8 that I took a while ago a vitamin B supplement to support my low moods and I think it made my skin look better too at the time (I stopped taking it because I got pregnant). I am going to get a new jar of vitamin B supplements tomorrow and see if it has any effects!

@Honeybee85 I’m using the effaclar range. The only thing I definitely wouldn’t recommend is the toner - it made my skin so sore and dry! The zinc spray is fab though as an alternative

If you have acne (rather than the odd spot) you really do need to see your GP for prescription cream or antibiotics. Tea tree oil from Boots or £20 moisturisers won’t fix it.

Diet isn’t always to blame either. It depends on the person.

I always feel the need to comment on an adult acne thread in case it helps anyone because I had it for over a year in my late twenties recently and it was horrible! Not to mention it was painful and the scarring it's left.

However it sounds batshit but I think it was due to a shampoo I was using, wasn't a cheap one so thought surely it can't be that. But I have naturally very curly hair and decided to work more with my natural hair and read that shampoos with silicones in aren't good for curly hair and can also cause acne. I stopped using it and my acne reduced over the space of a few days and within a couple of weeks it was gone. I was sceptical and thought it was coincidence but I ran out of my other hair stuff recently and reused the left over shampoo and had a flare up almost immediately all along my jaw line again. I couldn't believe it!

Also swapped to "the ordinary natural moisturising factors with HA". It's only about £6 but my skin has never felt and looked better.