To think that at nearly 35 I shouldn't be riddled with acne...

[MumTeacherofMany]

Just that really. I turn 35 next month and currently have a crater chin and old acne scarring and little white heads popping up constantly. I have a fairly good skincare routine and making a conscious effort to drink more water. I do wear makeup daily because without... well it gors without saying. I use micellar water each evening and cleanse. Please what am I missing?! I know first world problems and that but it is REALLY getting me down, I feel like hiding away.

Micellar water is awful. Have you spoken to a dermatologist?

You need a dermatologist and a good skin care routine. Micellar water is not it.

Why is it awful? My skin feels soft and clean after using it. What do you suggest? It sounds so ridiculous but I'm embarrassed to see a dermatologist and have absolutely no spare cash.

@emmaempenadas what do you recommend as a makeup remover please?

I feel your pain. I've had acne all my adult life. The only thing that has worked longterm are topical retinol, if I stop using it the acne come back. Hope you find something that works.

you may need a course of antibiotics. My sister has been prescribed this as well as a retinol mix. The antibiotics clears it up immediately.

OP, if you have chronic acne, try Roacutane. It is the ultimate solution.

You need it clearing up from inside. I had this as an adult all my life and a huge increase at the age of 45 (thanks peri). HRT was the only thing that solved my lifelong acne challenge. So if yours is hormonal then no water (micellar or otherwise) will solve it. You need hormone balancing or accutane.

Depending on the extent of your acne, you can request prescription roaccutane.
I had it years ago after enduring years of bad, persistent acne covering my whole face.
It does have its side effects and you can get it through your GP, unless the NHS will not do it any more.
I hate to ask this, but can you think of any dietary issues/foods that cause your flare ups? I have a friend who got clear skin after cutting out dairy.

Ive suffered from hormonal acne in my chin and jaw for my whole adult life (I’m now 32) - the only thing that has gotten rid of it is a course of antibiotics for 6 months and applying an adapalene gel at night.

after the six month course I was so worried it would come back the gel on it’s own is keeping everything at bay. It’s the first time I’ve ever been happy with my skin.

i went to a private dermatologist and they actually said I should have just gone to the GP so I’d suggest doing that Op. good luck! 💕

Try hibiscrub. Have a google x

I sympathise. Have you tried Roche-Posay Effaclar 3-Step Anti-Blemish System. This has really cleared up my skin.

Are you taking any contraception? If so, what?

I agree that Micellar water isn’t great. I have had a lot of success by finally (in my 40s) switching to a proper skin care routine. I know Tropic is a bit of a dirty word on here due to it partly being an MLM company, I promise I don’t work for them. But a friend looked bloody amazing, her skin looked so glowy and she looked about 10 years younger, I asked what she’d been doing and she said loads of Tropic face masks. My skin had always been shit so in desperation I thought it was worth a try, and ordered a proper cleanser, toner, and moisturiser, as well as a tube of face mask and some juicy greens oil (straight off their website, at that point I had no idea they recruited MLM people). I’ve got to say it’s made a huge difference, I’d always been a bit scared to moisturise before as it just seemed to make my spots worse, but that doesn’t seem to happen with the tropic stuff. Their super greens oil is also bloody amazing for old acne scars, as well as any fine lines. It’s the first ‘proper’ skincare routine I’ve ever tried and it’s definitely worked for me, when I really thought nothing ever would. But whether it’s the best to use I don’t know, I haven’t tried any others and don’t intend to at the moment as this seems to be working!

Also if you look on Vinted you can pick the products up loads cheaper than directly from their website 😉.

The only other thing that worked was antibiotics from the doctors, which were great while I was on them but as soon as I stopped my skin would be back to square one, so I wanted to find something more long term.

Also water, all of the water. I drink about 3l per day.

You need roaccutane. It’s a myth that acne always clears up post teenage years. Get yourself on roaccutane. It’s life changing

I’m really spotty if I have dairy- especially my nose! Have you tried cutting out anything you might be intolerant to?

I had acne from age 20 to about 40. It was always around my chin and near my mouth which is apparently classic for hormonal acne. For about 5 years of that time period, I also had cystic acne on my upper back which was incredibly painful and messy 🤢 In the end I got a referral to a dermatologist (took quite a while obviously and this was a few years ago) but eventually got seen. Roaccutane wasn’t suitable for me so instead I had Spironolactone which is a drug for other purposes but can be used off-label for acne- I think it lowers testosterone. Anyway, it worked for me. It completely sorted the back acne and kept my face really clear too- just the occasional small spot. I took it for about a year and am off it now, still with clear skin. I’m now in perimenopause too so I don’t know if the lack of acne now is lasting effect from the medication or whether perhaps perimenopausal hormonal changes have helped.

In terms of topical treatments, the only things that made any difference for me were La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo and tretinoin (in both cases, they haven’t completely eliminated spots but helped a great deal).

Roaccutane is indeed excellent and a life changer though it can have some not very nice side effects, if you can cope with these then it's definitely worth it. I will point out though that not everyone gets the same side effects but definitely speak to your GP about the possible ones. Good luck op!

I have hormonal acne after breastfeeding. I started Skin and Me in Sept and have seen a huge improvement. I'm not there yet but it is definitely moving in the right direction.

No skincare routine will solve this. As PPs say, medicated cream is necessary. A GP will take ages and private dermo is expensive so I recommend dermatica subscription. You take photos and they assess what you need. You can space the deliveries to only pay £20/3 months.

I was like you and still would be now at 30 without it. Life changing.

Had acne for 35 years, had the pill as a teenager, topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, the roll on antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide 5%, benzoyl peroxide 10%, Salasylic acid, Dermalogica, tablets from dermatologist, the scrubs, all the shop brands all the usual stuff and it all worked a bit, but then stopped working or was too harsh on my sensitive skin.... but right now everyone says I don't have acne and I don't need spot cream because I have found the routine that works for me, told to me by a female GP with acne...but you wouldn't know it because her skin was clear.

Adapalene gel (prescribed by said GP)

La Roche Posay Effaclar face wash

La Roche Posay Effaclar H cream for the way the adapalene will initially dry out your skin

La Roche Posay Anthelios Factor 50 sunblock.

This has changed my life, I'd never switch any of it up. I tried and all the spots came back, deep deep spots. Try your GP, these days they'll prescribe via a telephone appointment, and tell them what you want.

Look on YouTube for Adapalene, also called Differin in USA, before and after videos. It takes a couple of months but it really works. Good luck!

Roacutane via a dermatologist may help. It works but is brutal. You have to take a pregnancy test in clinic before each repeat prescription to ensure it’s negative. It dries your skin to the point you may get nose bleeds and have to repeatedly coat your skin with emollient cream -you can almost hear your skin slurping it up. Don’t be fobbed off by the GP

Micellar water is not the best. You need to double cleanse. Elf do a great cleansing balm for about £10 and then you need to wash your face after with a face wash. Korean skincare is the best. I use this face wash after the cleansing balm and it’s great for my skin https://www.sephora.co.uk/p/Pyunkang-Yul-Low-pH-Pore-Deep-Cleansing-Foam-100ml?curr=GBPcurr=GBP&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAk9itBhASEiwA1my_63zloEhcnjIGuH0MV0ZuCtRaa5rsnt4aEPSUZVHXTZaH_WX6s3hWgBoCX4IQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I do however think your best course of action is prescription medication for long term improvement

Another vote for Dermatica. I suffered for most
of my teens to mid thirties and tried all sorts including antibiotics and creams from the GP. My skin is the best it’s ever been as an adult.

Roaccutane is brutal (side effects can include birth defects if you fall pregnant, and suicide) but effective. I've had the dubious pleasure of being one of the small group who need more than one course of treatment, over a 6 year period.

No longer on it and skin is so much better but still has its moments. Cerave blemish control seems to make a big difference to me.