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.

Thanks so much! Do you buy online? I need to try something it’s getting me down!

Thanks! Did you have to send a picture in? I know it’s sounds daft but I’m so insecure the thought of that terrifies me! I have bright red skin, mostly nose and cheeks. I did have something from the gp but fell pregnant (3 years ago) and haven’t been back since

I’m not on Facebook but will try and log in to see, I’m desperate! I will also look into the creams thanks so much

I had awful cystic acne on my chin, huge painful boils that would be so sore I couldn’t sleep on that side, and they would often get infected. It was awful. I had so many creams and potions from the doctor that didn’t touch it, until one GP said acne on your chin/jawline is usually hormonal, and prescribed me Dianette. Within a couple of months, my skin was glowing! Unfortunately, I also suffered some rare hormonal side effects from the Dianette, so I would eventually come off it after a while. Then the spots would return, I would go back on Dianette again, more hormonal sides so I came off it - I was stuck in this cycle for years!

Eventually, another GP prescribed me Lymecycline antibiotics. I was so sceptical - I thought that antibiotics wouldn’t work because my acne was hormonal. But they completely fixed it! My skin isn’t as perfect and “glowy” as it was on Dianette, but it completely got rid of those big, sore cystic lumps - I just get the occasional “normal” whitehead spot around my time of the month. And no side effects! Lymecycline has been awesome for me, and my GP is happy for me to stay on it, because it works so well for me and gives me no side effects.

Keep pushing at the doctors - proper acne can’t be fixed by skincare alone, you need proper medical treatment. And there will be something that works for you 😊

Try Acnecide. Really improved my skin

https://www.boots.com/acnecide-gel-30g-10187571

I use the Skin and Me cleanser now with my prescription but of you like The Body Shop I found the Camomile Cleansing Butter really good for removing every trace of makeup. I'd switch from your Micellar Water to that, then use your Tea Tree face wash.

@Dumbo18 yes you have to upload 3 photos to your account. I hate looking at my first ones as it was awful but least you do get to see the improvement.

Any new meds? I started on lithium and had horrendous spots for the first year and then it calmed down.
Garnier pure active charcoal was the only thing that helped. I did the mask once a week and then when it flared up. No other skin products but also too depressed for make up so I didn't have to worry about a make up remover

La Roche Posay worked wonders on my son's skin

@MumTeacherofMany roche posay or any other beauty brands will do nothing for you. You need a dermatologist to prescribe adapalene, tretinoin or niacinimide (strengths you can’t get over the counter). I really suggest rather than wasting more money on face washes that won’t do anything, submit photos to skin and me or dermatica.

Yes, I buy online from Paula's Choice. I find her products really work for me. They're not cheap, but after years of spending money on stuff that doesn't work, I'm happy to pay it- just glad I've found something that works!

You can spend countless time and money on the various lotions and potions recommended by lots of different people on here.
People will swear that X, Y or Z cleared their acne.
I don’t doubt they are telling the truth..
BUT! Everyone is different.

You need to:

1. See the GP.
2. Get a referral to Dermatology.
3. Go from there.

PS - Roaccutane is amazing, a proper wonder drug. If taken properly under the care of a dermatologist your skin WILL CLEAR.
Remember - not everyone gets awful side effects. You may not get any at all. And even if you do, you can always stop taking it if it gets too much.

You can use Dermatica or skin and me .

This will help . But can also advise on cheap effective skin routine

You could be waiting over a year for a dermatologist referral .

Dermatica and skin and me are very affordable ways to, with quick access to get prescription topicals usually only available through a dermatologist.

I've not tried Roaccutane, but the antibiotic Lymecycline cleared up my adult acne within weeks. Just wish I'd got it sooner.

”You could be waiting over a year for a dermatologist referral”
It really shouldn’t take that long, but it will depend on waiting times in your local area.
You might as well start the ball rolling as soon as possible - you can always try other things in the meantime.

”Dermatica and skin and me are very affordable ways to, with quick access to get prescription topicals usually only available through a dermatologist”
^ this worries me. For a fee you can get topicals usually only available from a dermatologist? Really? What qualifies them to do that? Are they medically trained and have a medical degree? Personally I would be very wary of this.

To be honest, my skin can take anything but the one thing that has made me break out is body shop.

Speak to your GP in the first instance if you haven’t already done so, there’s quite a bit that they can prescribe without you needing to go to a dermatologist. Usually as well as a good routine, you need antibiotics to clear it up. Honestly, don’t worry, they won’t think anything of it.

Have a research of K beauty routines. Myself and quite a few friends tend to use Korean products, but our routines are trial and error and based on the problems that we have so I don’t want to recommend specific products. COSRX is a great brand.

To get my make up off properly I use a good 3 pads of micellar water, then an oil based cleanser, then a water based cleanser (and an exfoliant cleanser every three days or so). It sounds excessive, but my make up is dark so if I use a pad I can see it hasn’t come off after one wash regardless of product.

I thought micellar water ( like facial wipes ) was for emergency use only? I only use these at festivals

I've been in your position and it's awful. I'm sorry.

Yasmin helped me (for a bit) so I don't think any other hormonal treatment will improve things for you.

I know you are worried about roaccutane but I delayed for over a decade for the same reason. I eventually went for it. The side effects are noticeable, but for me the side effects were nothing compared with dealing with acne and they disappear when you stop the course. It genuinely has changed my life. Please think about it!

And even if you don't want to, speak to your doctor and push for a dermatologist referral. There's nothing to be ashamed about; this is literally their job. The alternatives to roaccutane would be antibiotics - they helped me for short periods of time but stopped working after a few months and then I was resistant, so it doesn't feel worth it in hindsight.

Nothing diet related helped me but maybe cutting sugar in your coffee would be an easy sugar reduction and worth a go? (Plus great for weight!)

Excellent advice. I'd just get a referral asap and it will come through eventually. Be pushy and make sure the doctor doesn't fob you off.

Products never did anything for my acne, cost a bomb and made me feel very depressed. It's a medical issue.

Two things

1. See a dermatologist asap.
2. Find an esthetician/beautician with a lot of experience with adult acne and get regular facials. The facials alone can make a huge difference, acne is partially caused by a build up of debris in the follicles as well as the p.acne bacteria and the amount of sebum (oil) your skin produces. This can be affected by hormones, diet, stress, lack of sleep etc etc. Modern esthetics has a lot of ways to dramatically improve the appearance of skin.

My relative took Roaccutane and developed a blood disorder which led to their death at a very young age. Roaccutane is a very strong drug whose side affects should not be minimised. I understand that there have been lawsuits in the US.
My kids have terrible cystic acne and all take antibiotics, some on Lymecycline, and gel. It doesn’t clear their skin up completely but keeps it fairly at bay.
Cerave anti blemish and Liz Earle are good face washes and seem to help a bit. I would never ever want my children to use Roaccutane.

I had acne all my life due to hormones imbalanced due to being very skinny. I have put on 20kg over the years am now 64kgs and surprise not more acne

micellar water, wipes, anything easy isn’t good in your 30s unfortunately.
you need to research a good cleanser and moisturiser and tone weekly. There’s also skin&me which is around £20 a month which could be good.

this worries me. For a fee you can get topicals usually only available from a dermatologist? Really? What qualifies them to do that? Are they medically trained and have a medical degree?

@PoptartPoptart, yes Dermatica (and possibly other similar companies but I only know Dermatica as that is who I use) is staffed by dermatologists, GPs and other HCPs- it’s how they are able to dispense prescription products. When my tretinoin arrives it has a prescription label on it. Perhaps you’re not aware of the recent increase in online prescribing. Superdrug and Boots also have some prescription products available online.

With Dermatica, the customer/patient has to answer questions and send (lots of) photos so that the HCPs can diagnose the problem and issue the right prescription. They do the same as a dermatologist would do in person, the only difference being that they are working from photographs (and they will ask for more/better photos if they’re not confident they can identify the problem).