Acne Agony

[CareerChange24]

I have really bad acne on my chin and often on my forehead and hairline. I know it’s only one area. But I love to not wear makeup, so if I don’t it’s so red angry and a mess. Wearing makeup I have to spend ages covering it up.

I’ve tried doxycycline and duac to no avail. Can someone recommend something please! My confidence is really low and I didn’t realise how something like this could knock you. The hard lumps I get are massive and I feel the scarring and redness may never go away.

Skin rocks? Skin and me? Medik8??

My skin has cleared up dramatically while pregnant. My hair also doesn't get oily like it used to. I'm 30. I had cystic acne but Lucette contraception cured it.

It proves you can do everything right (skincare, hygiene, diet, drinking water...) but the problem is internal. I get so annoyed with people who have naturally clear skin telling people they just need to wash their face 🙄

I'm worried once I give birth it'll go back worse than before, did yours stay clear?

You could try a red or blue light mask; Omnilux or similar.

Could be hormonal so consider hormonal contraception (some make it worse). If you have exhausted treatment from GP then push for a referral.

Try a zinc supplement too.

I have started light therapy. A clinic close to me does a monthly subscription for £99, with up to five sessions. I think I’ve had 7-8 sessions now, and am really seeing the benefits. I suffer with cystic and hormonal acne. I had a giant cyst appear around my fourth session, and with weekly therapy it stayed under the skin and then disappeared within three weeks.

I didn’t find anything I put on my skin helped to this degree. It’s helping heal old acne scars too, and for the first time in years I’ve been going out make up free.

I considered a mask for home, but I understand that they are not the same strength and often not clinically tested. It’s a Dermaluxe light I go under.

Lymecycline changed my life.

My GP kept prescribing me different creams and ointments that did absolutely fuck all for my cystic acne and one day I went to fill my prescription for the latest thing they'd prescribed and the pharmacist said "i'm sorry but I feel i have to tell you, this won't work. You need oral antibiotics and you need to take them for at least 6 months". He was right! I asked to see a different GP, told them what they pharmacist said and they prescribed Lymecycline. I started to notice a difference in about 4 weeks, by 12 weeks my skin was almost completely clear. By 6 months you would never have known I'd had acne. I had no side effects either.

Ask your GP for it, can't think of any reason why they would refuse but if they do explain that your acne is affecting your mental health. It is a medical problem and you shouldn't have to put up with it.

I had awful hormonal acne for a couple of years since stopping the pill, it cleared up when I got pregnant and stayed clear. Like pp said it was like pregnancy was a hormone reset. I’m pregnant again now and unfortunately this time my skin is awful again but it is clearing now I’m getting into the second trimester.

It’s not perfectly clear but I have one or two spots rather than huge breakouts and no inflammation like I used to have. My diet is way worse after three years of poor sleep (two babies under two years apart). I hope you get to keep your clear skin, I feel like we have earned it!

Go to your local pharmacy and buy a bottle of Betadine (it is surgical scrub) leave your make up off, wash your face morning and evening as per instructions. Within a week your skin will be clear. Have a towel for your face that only you use, and change it regularly.
It took me years and 2 dermatologists to get this far. Good luck.

Acne.Org. Please look at the DanielKern.org website. He created the products & The Regimen after his own battle with acne. How I wish I’d discovered it years before I stumbled across it. It really helped me after years of acne problems from my early teens right into my 30’s. I remember the guilt of putting my baby down to go & wash my face because it was so greasy. How I wish I’d known you absolutely do not have to do this. His mantra is gentle: acne = irritation, & irritation = acne. The best weapon in the Regimen is Benzoyl Peroxide. It’s the only thing that ever cured my acne after wasting tons of money on all sorts of other stuff. He states that if you follow the Regimen, you are pretty much guaranteed to completely cure your acne. In my experience, this is true. My ‘baby’ is 27 now, & my skin is great. Good luck, it’s horrible, I know so well.

I recommend you get aknemycin, It's a topical tretinoin, you will see a difference after a month or so. I tried antibiotics, roaccutane (although briefly), only topical sorted my skin completely.

Dalacin t? I remember using that in the 90s, it was like putting dab-it-off on my face (even came in a similar bottle)! 🤣

Wow I'm hoping mine stays the same. Hopefully yours improves again too and good luck with the pregnancy ❤️

Thats it. Still amazing product

This. There used to be a pill called Dianette which you went on for acne primarily. I had a nightmare with cystic acne but this worked within 4/6 months. I don’t know if it’s even around anymore. You need to inhibit the testosterone production, which leads to the sebum, which leads to the spots. Acne origin in the ovaries, and anything topical is just a sticking plaster. 🙂 good luck. I understand completely.

That's great. It was a nightmare, I nearly quit my job because of the nasty comments I got from customers.

Mine stayed OK after coming off the pill but I started getting facials with a peel, this skintrinsiq machine that sucks out impurities and LED therapy, plus Obagi products. It was £150/m for the treatments alone! Nevermind the skincare products.

All that and pregnancy is still the first time in 10 years I don't have deep cysts and inflammation under my jawline on 1 side. It's all hormones I think

If it's really bad have the Accutane.

My son used it when he was 16 and has never had a flare up and he's 31 now. He did have really dry lips for a few weeks and that was it.

The Dermatologist was lovely, perfect for 16 year old young men. He explained the pros and cons, ordered blood work and saw him on a regular basis to see how he was doing.

After three years of trying everything, my son finally agreed to try the Accutane. He'd heard all the horror stories but when he realized how well he was going to be monitored he agreed. After the first 30 days and his skin clearing up he had the nerve to tell me I should have made him start it sooner!

Just don't get pregnant while taking. The Dermatologist was quite firm on this for his female patients.

Google low-dosage roaccutane. I struggled with adult acne for decades, this sorted it in a couple of months.

I have tried A LOT over the last 30 years and finally the thing that has worked for me is the following...
Eating lots of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds)
Taking zinc supplements
Reducing dairy
Drinking Green tea and washing face with the used teabag (might sound gross but is soothing)
and the best thing has been Acnecide. Available from Boots etc. I'm so cross I've only discovered it recently. It could have saved me years of feeling hideous.

Everything any GP prescribed failed to make a dent in any of the spots.

Good luck! I feel your pain x

Changing my diet and massively improving my gut health was the only thing that cured my acne after 30 years. Probiotics and a lot of pre-biotic food. It disappeared within a week and my skin has now completely healed.

A trip to Thailand sorted my acne...

Roaccutane changed my life. The effect it had on my mental health was wholly positive. I’ve never had bad acne since.

I was referred to an NHS community dermatology department. The wait wasn’t long at all. I now take spironalactone which has made a massive difference. Maybe ask your GP to refer you?

My sympathies. Acne is a horrible thing to deal with. It's hormonal so if you can some kind of hormonal contraceptive should help. I used to find a warm cloth over my face helped the pain. Also important to stay moisturised even though that might feel like the last thing your skin needs.

Just to jump on, I'm interested in the tea link please?

If you can afford to (i know not everyone can) go to a private dermatologist. I did 3 years ago I went to sk!n, it was a £25 deposit for appointment which could be used towards treatments.
I had a course of salicylic acid skin peels, recommended medik8 products which I still use now. Along with aknicare cream. One of the products was medik8 retinal which I'm ngl takes time to see the benefits. I would say about a year and I'm using the highest strength now, but every time I did move up a strength my skin would break out for a couple months during adjustment.
Now you could go to the private dermatologist and just get the products they recommend after they thoroughly assess your skin.
Things like retinal there are products you shouldn't use alongside them for example, and it's not something you can just grab and use every day at first. There is a system to follow.
I am 35 now and have suffered acne since I can remember, I have used countless products from clinical, dermalogica, cleanziderm, eve lom, duac gel ect...... my skin is better than it has been in a long time and that is thanks to medik8.
Also drink plenty of water, introduce things like kefir into your diet.
But honestly if you can go to a skin clinic, they would be able to give you the best advise