To not want to live like this?

[Lagirl20]

Hello

I'll try to keep this short and sweet... I am desperate for a solution!

I am in my late twenties. I have had, since puberty, incredibly oily hair (needs daily washing), incredibly oily skin (complete shiny oil slick two hours after washing), clogged pores and bad hormonal acne.

My body produces an insane amount of oil. I've tried most acne treatments going (creams, antibiotics, etc) and I've tried washing my hair less/not at all but nothing helps. The oily hair and skin must be hormonal. I am desperate to not feel so oily and greasy and disgusting every day. I don't have any other symptoms but this must be a hormonal imbalance. Does anyone have any idea? Is anyone else the same? Has anyone else successfully treated this?

I am thinking of forking out hundreds to see a hormonal specialist. Help! :(

Same as a PP, I can't recommend Roaccutane enough. Granted it is a serious medication, one you'd have to think carefully about, but if you really are at your wits end I think it will change your life. It completely stops your oil production and your hair just does NOT get greasy. I mean, I'd wash mine with shampoo once every week but that was only because I wanted it to smell nice. You can get pretty dry skin when on it, so just need to make sure you apply lip balm daily and hand cream etc!

I am late fifties now and the older I have gotten the greasier my hair has become. Despite always shampooing it twice I would say my scalp is never really clean even after washing. I have tried everything known to man and nothing really works. I am never without dry dhampoo.
The strangest thing is that I have always had very dry skin on my face, all very odd.

Have you tried the contraceptive pill?

Did you get a blood test and that really intrusive scan? Because that us the only proper way to determine whether you have PCOS.

Roaccutane.

Have you tried the pill at all? Hormonal imbalance was ruled out for me, too, yet going on Yasmin cleared my skin completely and calmed down the oiliness within 4 months. The marks left over from the spots took longer to clear, but I'm so happy with my skin now, yet nobody would accept that it could potentially be a hormonal issue.

I had horrendous acne, and oily skin from teens to 30s, when I got put on accutane. You have to be carefully monitored on it, but it helped no end. I still have occasional spots, but nothing like before, and my hair and skin are not greasy any more (well, I’m a bit greasy but nothing like it was, I can go two to three days without washing my hair).

I’m sure you’ll have tried some of these things but Caroline Hirons advice is invaluable www.carolinehirons.com/2014/01/beauty-myths-no5-if-you-have-oily-skin.html

Have you tried blue ice shampoo from the body shop?

I had that issue - permanently greasy hair and cystic acne around my jaw. Yasmin has completely sorted it out.

I have pcos, I have hairyness and oiliness but no weight issues and I've conceived 6 times, brought 2 to term. Game changer for me with oil has been going dairy and soya free

Another one here to recommend roaccutane. It really dried my skin out and for the first time since my teens I didn't have oily skin. It didn't work long term for me but worth it to have clear, non-oily skin for a couple of years. I now keep my skin under control long term with the pill and antibiotics together.

I have super oily skin and hair and I’m late 20s too. I get terrible terrible cystic acne with certain triggers, most recent bouts from biotin, certain pills and the mirena coil - each time it takes up to 9 months to clear up my skin with minocycline. I also have female pattern balding and won’t take roaccutane because of bouts of depression.

I’ve managed to get everything under control by experimenting and knowing what works. Yasmin keeps the acne at bay. If I get an outbreak I go straight on the antibiotics. When the skin is clear the oiliness doesn’t bother me so much - just looks glowy. And as a pp said, oily skin is less prone to wrinkles and loss of elasticity so don’t dry it out too much. I moisturise a lot, again with tried and tested products (a very cheap water-based moisturiser in this case). For the hair I’ve now given up trying to wash frequently. I wash once a week and just go really really heavy on the dry shampoo - try a tinted can on batiste. Smells nice and looks good if you let it absorb before brushing out. I also recommend retinol and vit c serum from the ordinary to keep the skin looking plump and fab.

I'd go privately. Get a hormone test and a PCO scan. Not everyone with PCOs has PCOS, but the more you know the better placed you will be to understand it. Try a PCOS diet too.

I was similar. Read that the contraceptive pill 'Yasmin' was good for clearing up cystic acne so asked my GP if I could switch to that. They prescribed Lucette (which is a very similar but cheaper version) and my spots and skin cleared up pretty quickly.

Re greasy hair, I tend to use Batiste dry shampoo a lot and have also found that if I colour my hair that dries it out and the roots don't get so greasy so quickly.

I've suffered with oily hair that's greasy within a few hours of being out in fresh air and definitely couldn't go a day without washing it. I tried every shampoo - cheap and expensive but nothing worked. I was so miserable, embarrassed and self conscious when I felt a mess every day. I turned to lush shampoo and conditioner and it's changed my life. All natural and really gentle. Cynthia sylvia stout is my favourite. Been using it for years and could have cried when a shop assistant wrongly told me it was discontinued. Now my hair still looks and feels clean at night and often in to the next day. I wash it every day because I exercise every day and it gets sweaty but if it wasn't for that I could definitely stretch it out now.

This was me. Could wash my hair in the evening and fry eggs on it in the morning (theoretically!). Dreadfully greasy skin..spots, blocked pores...I was an oil slick.

Now I’m 65 and I have fantastic skin, still plump and bouncy and not a wrinkle to be seen. Hair is still long and healthy....artificial dark purple but in very good condition.

Just something for you to look forward to 😊👍

I have suffered the same issue since puberty, and I was finally diagnosed with Sjogrens in my late twenties. It causes various issues but a core one is your body not using water properly, leading to oily face/hair, dry skin, dry eyes/mouth... It can cause other issues too, but maybe do a quick Google search and check if the symptoms ring any bells for you.

Hope you find some solutions, in any case :flowers:

I would recommend seeing a female GP and explaining the impact this is having on your confidence. Ask for blood tests of your hormone levels, liver function, thyroid, and other key parameters. Then get the GP to go through it with you explaining any imbalances found. Your GP should be capable from interpreting the results to determine if this is primarily a dermatology investigation or endocrinology. If they are unhelpful change your doctor. See if they will refer you and if you don't have private health insurance see if via the NHS you can see someone and take your blood results with you. Right now you could try the following to bring improvements by optimising your nutrition status and reducing your toxic load:

• avoid alcohol to support liver function and detoxification
• reduce all sugars and eat non tropical fruit, no fruit juice
• drink plenty of water / herb tea (1x coffee ok but keep caffeine low)
• eat more fresh vegetables, pulses, legumes for fibre and hormone balancing phytonutrients
• avoid refined white carbs and switch to whole grains
• have a daily walk outside for fresh air
• *switch to natural skin products like Neals Yard sensitive skin range
• *use natural bodywash products like Faith in Nature, organic cotton tampons/towels, shampoo and conditioner by Avalon Organics or Neals Yard and switch to Lavera spray deodorant, use Ecover products at home and avoid exposure to harsh chemicals (i.e. free from hormone disrupting ingredients)
• try Starflower oil to help balance hormones
• eat omega 3 rich foods (oily fish, nuts, seeds)
• take a course of Optibacs probiotics every day strength
• take a skin nourishing supplement such as Biocare Hair& Nail complex

If you follow this report back and let us know how you get on! Good luckx

This was me 15-20 years ago. It may be worth trying the pill (assuming you’re not trying to get pregnant!). I have naturally oily skin but the progesterone only pill made my skin and hair even worse - really greasy. The combined pill solved the problem entirely.

I also found that oil cleansing and using richer moisturizer helped my skin. I believe that the products I’d used previously for oily skin were stripping the natural oils away and stimulating my skin to produce more than it otherwise would. For hair, I use mild shampoo to wash and rinse well twice (in the shower, never the bath), then condition and rinse, then blow dry. I then use tongs or straighteners sometimes. It takes more time but looks good for longer before it needs washing. I hope this is of some help.

Not just any combined pill - diannette is specifically designed for acne and is only for acne sufferers (not just contraception only). It is the only thing that has helped me with similar issues. The only time I have ever had clear skin since my teens was with diannette and a few golden weeks after my DD was born. It's miserable, I know.

I’m oily too. Until 2 years ago, I’d not be keen going out in the evening without having a shower and washing my hair, even if I’d washed my hair that morning.
I remember a friend saying that she could get her hair blow dried before a holiday and it would look lovely the whole time. Dry shampoo just clumps in my hair!
And yes,...I’ve tried not washing it, every shampoo ever, only washing every three days etc. My skin was very greasy too.
I’m 45 and not very wrinkly at all.
You just need to wash it every day and accept it’s probably you OP.

Another roaccutane recommendation. A Lowish dose over a long time period (I did 9 months) should permanently damage the sebaceous glands. You'll see almost a complete stop of oil production whilst on roaccutane and then post course you wont ever be as oily again

I am currently on my second month of accutane and it has truly changed my life. I previously had to wash my hair every other day, now I can go a week. My skin is clear, makeup stays on all day without needing powder.

GPs will try to fob you off with creams and contraception - these solutions only work for as long as you stay on the medication, the creams stop working after a while. Once you finish your course of accutane, your acne is very unlikely to return. It is a very serious drug, but it is the only one which actually cures this problem.

If you can afford to go private, it will cost around £2k but be done much faster. If you go the NHS route it will be at least 6 months before you see any pills.

I am a convert to this dairy theory. DS had awfully oily hair which drove him batty. Went to uni. met a lovely girl, she volunteered in SA in 6th form got very, very ill with some stomach bug. Found she could no longer eat dairy. Living with son she has converted him to lactose free foods, drinks, too lazy and poor to shop for both. He said he feels so much better, his skin is good and his hair is no longer oily. He had a milkshake the other week and felt so ill afterwards.

What have you got to lose @Lagirl20