Adult acne

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Hello, feeling pretty down about the state of my skin at the moment-seeing all of these make-up free photos doing the rounds online hasn't helped tonight either! I'm in my 30s so it's really gone past something I will just come to grow out of now.

Does anyone on here suffer with adult acne too?
I was on Dianete for years which really cleared my skin up great but I had to come off that 5 years ago. I had Zyneryt ointment on prescription for a couple of years and that was fantastic but suddenly it's like I became immune and it stopped working. I've tried a couple of other treatments from the gp (can't remember names now) but nothing else has been very effective.
Any advise or recommendations would be much appreciated!

My daughters (31 & 28) both have late-onset acne (they had great skin as teenagers so it's hard for them )

They've both tried various skin things & antibiotics (erythromycin & lymecycline). DD1 is coping with hers, but DD2's is worse, & she paid to see a dermatology consultant privately recently; he intends to put her on Roaccutane next time she sees him (next month probably) which we hope will help. It's toxic stuff stuff though & needs to be avoided if there's any risk of pregnancy

I had acne from my teens until my mid thirties. For years it was kept at bay with a combination of oral antibiotics & Dianette but whenever I tried coming off it would flare up again. Eventually in my mid thirties I had Roaccutane which seemed to do the job. My skin was good during pregnancy a couple of years later and for the 7 or so years since on Cilest. However, I recently came off Vilest and had the Mirena coil put in and have broken out all over my back! Really didn't expect to be dealing with this in my forties! Sadly I cannot go back on Cilest so I guess I'll go back to the doctor and maybe ask for antibiotics.

Try Murad 30 Day Acne Complex. Contains clarifying cleanser, clarifying gel, spot lotion, oil free moisturiser and cleansing wipes. I was prone to large painful spots and cysts as a result of medication I need to take. My complexion was a mess and I felt very down, but this kit has transformed things. It worked quickly, within days things were much better. I went easy on the spot lotion after a bit of flakiness developed, but this was mild and I rubbed gently with a muslin to remove it. I'll be buying more soon to stockpile in case there are supply problems down the line.

I suddenly got adult cystic acne when I was 26. I tried antibiotics, differin gel and other meds off the doc but nothing helped. I ended up paying for laser treatment. After 3 sessions and a course of face wash, my skin was clear. I'm 29 now and it's still clear (apart from the odd spot at period time) but no cysts anymore. I also take sea kelp everyday (I have no idea if this is actually helping, but I like to think it is!).

Proactiv. Can't recommend this enough. (you can get it in major Boots store now too off the shelf)

Failing that, Roaccuatane. Had two courses myself. Still suffer from the odd 'zit' but nothing like the painful, unsightly cysts I used to have everywhere.

Sorry my link didn't work properly. Looked ok on preview! I checked out Proactiv. Like the Murad products it has salicylic acid. Maybe that's the key ingredient. Good luck.

I had acne since I was 12 and it was terrible all through my teen years. I ended up having three treatments of Roaccutane over the years and to me it was a miracle treatment.
I do still get spots now at 37 but can manage them using things like face washes with Salicylic acid in (I like Labortoire Garnier). I also used Freederm cream for a while - you can get it in Boots. It works very differently to other products so if nothing else is working it could be a good (and cheap and easy!) Option to try first?

Retin-a cream is working well for me at the moment. I find that anything i use works for a while but then it's back to square one again

Get the GP to refer you to a Dermatologist. I have suffered since a teen - currently am 46.. with mild but persistent acne.

At the moment I am taking Trimethoprim - quite high doses - it does work. The consultant said it was the final step before Roaccutane.

I am also using Differin cream which helps somewhat.

Thank you so much for your replies, I am going to read up a bit on all of your suggestions tonight. The Murad 30 day acne complex and proactiv sound like they are definately worth a shot before going back to the gp.
Wonder whether there are any home remedies that have worked for people?

I'm 37 and have had persistant acne (much worse on my chest than my face!) since I was about 11. I had 3 courses of Roaccutane in my 20s that sorted out my skin and kept it clear for quite a long time. I then took an antiobiotic Minocin that kept it under control for several years (pre-Roaccutane AB's never worked for me).

I came off the Minocin when I was trying to get pregnant. I had my DS a year ago and now my skin is going downhill again. I don't get big spots, but my skin is generally poor, very oily, and I get persistant rash like areas of spots on my back and chest.

So I've already been on doxycycline which didn't work, and have just started oxytetracycline. I've been told that the've banned Minocin since I was last on it, which I'm gutted about!

I have an odd feeling I may end up being referred to a dermatologist again. I will definitely push for it if necessary. I can't believe I'm still fighting acne!

I get them on my back, shoulders and sometimes chest too Tricky, it's miserable isn't it. Mine are more the big cystic ones. Annoying when you have found a treatment that works for you and then can't get it, Dianette was brilliant for my skin but came off it to have children. I can't have the pill anymore so that's out now.
I haven't heard of that roaccutane but as it seems to have been effective for a few of you, I will look into getting a prescription for that if I get no joy with the others.

you can only get Roaccutane from a dermatologist as it's a very strong drug prescribed as a last resort. You may read some scare stories as it can have some bad side effects. Personally I had no problems and would go on it again.

Yes, OP. Roaccutane is only prescribed by a dermatologist. It seems that they will only prescribe if the acne is very severe or persistent.

I have visited a private derm, and requested it if my antibiotics and differin routine don't work sufficiently. At 46 I expect to not have this issue anymore.

Dianette was a win for me too, but I am not supposed to take it any more due to blood clotting issues.

I would just go straight to the GP. At least get on the waiting list for a referral and try other remedies in the meantime.

I totally recommend roaccutane. I took it in 2/3 cycles after many cycles on antibiotics. And it totally cleared things up. This was 20 years ago. I'm 40. Since then haven't had massive breakouts at all. Just the occasional one. My brother also took it and he's fine now. Go for it.

I'm on my 4th month of Roaccutane and the results are amazing. Was on neverending cycles of different antibiotics for years and years but even when they worked (temporarily) I could feel they were just holding the acne at bay, not actually curing it. With Roaccutane I feel like there has been a fundamental difference in my skin and I actually no longer have acne.

Essentially, I think that if you have real acne (as opposed to some spots) nothing you put on the surface of your skin is going to have that much effect - you really have to tackle it from within. I had a rigorous skincare routine using really good glycolic-based products but it has taken the Roaccutane to sort things out. Side-effects have been minimal (peeling lips, sore joints & muscles for a couple of months) and worth putting up with. I can't recommend it enough.

I have been using La Roche Posay Efflacar which you can get from Boots. No other off the shelf remedy has ever worked but this has cleared my skin within weeks I have always had at least 3 big angry spots around my chin/jawline so it has been a revelation.

Have been using it for 4 weeks now and the only spot I have had felt like it was going to be a whopper but it stayed under the surface so there was no outward sign of it whereas previously it would have developed into a nasty huge yello spot

As a PP said, it fontains salicylic acid so maybe that is key?

Honestly, a good thing you should do is wash the face with cold water and then wipe it with a dry washed cloth. Do it twice a day, will help your skin to glow.

I suspect you're right lurkingfromhome and real acne needs treating from the inside but for now I have been and bought Proactiv so lets see if there is any improvement at all. Thanks Spooky will have a look for that one in Boots.

I have had spotty skin since I was 12, I was then diagnosed with PCOS at 18. I was on Dianette for years which worked well, came off it to get pregnant. I then went on Yasmin, which gave me heart palpitations, so I had to come off it.

My spotty skin is now acne and I'm on my third course of antibiotics. Nothing over the counter has ever worked for me, but I am considering buying acid peels.

Can you go back on Dianette Chipped? I can't take the pill now, gp says there are higher risks as I suffer sometimes with visual disturbances. I heard there had been issues with the licencing for Dianette though.

I've also had visual disturbances / migraine like pain so I'm convinced the pill is for me.

Interestingly I went to have blue light laser therapy awhile ago and after having the initial consultation, I was refused the treatment on the day as my skin had calmed down and was no longer bad enough!

I have suffered for 30 years until on a different thread someone suggested hibiscrub

It's changed my world. In 3 weeks, my acne has all but cleared up (just the red scars left) i still get spots but they vanish overnight!

Sadly I have tried Hibiscrub to no improvement, I assume my acne is hormonal..,

I have been going for acid peels for a few years now (have tried salicylic, glycolic and lactic acid) and found that the salicylic works best for me. I have also tried microdermabrasion but that wasn't quite as good.

Other than that, I use Skinceuticals Blemish and Age products which have been formulated for 'older' skin that still suffers from spots. I've found that this has really helped. I also use a Retinol night cream but as we go into summer, I can't use this as the peels make your skin so much more sensitive to the sun.

All of this is £££ but I really just can't carry on with having the spots, or at least trying to manage them.