Adult acne

[Daisyandbabies]

Hi everyone,
Just looking for a little advice from those of you who have suffered with acne. I've had it since I was about 13, got pretty bad when I was 18 and was left with some crater scars and ice pick scars and pretty rubbish looking skin.
I know it's mostly hormonal as when I was pregnant both times, I didn't get a single spot after the first trimester was over. For the first 12 weeks, I must have had at least 14 big spots on my chin alone at all times.

I can't take pill or roacutaine and have been paying loads to get proactiv shipped from America as it has benzoyl peroxide in which works pretty well for my skin, most of the time. The overall condition of my skin is awful though, with scars and enlarged pores and always greasy and uneven looking. I always have at least one spot and sometimes lots, with the odd gigantic cyst that I have to use antibiotic cream for as they leave pitted scars.
I'm almost 30, getting married in the summer and tired of having this rubbish skin and forking out loads of money for something that isn't really great.

Any recommendations besides the pill and roacutaine?
Thanks!

Just to add, I don't have polycystic ovaries or anything like that X

I recommend the acne.org website. Not necessarily the products they're now pushing (they never used to have that I swear) but loads of great info and a good forum.

Surely you can get benzoyl peroxide in the UK?

You can get acnecide in the uk which is a 5% benzoyl peroxide gel. It's about £7 a tube iirc. There was a shortage of BP in the uk so I stockpiled the stuff a few weeks ago when I found some.

I also second the acne.org regime. You don't need to buy their products but the idea is pretty sound.

Don't waste your time or money on anything else (except maybe a dermatologist!)

Ooooo I will have a look at that! Most things with benzoyl peroxide are prescription only in the whole of Europe now due to side effects. It really does work though...downside is it's not great for the overall look of your skin and it's really ageing X

Assume you must have seen a dermatologist as you've had the problem for so long. Has s/he not been helpful. My DGD started having acne when she hit puberty (about 12.5) and she had no end of creams and antibiotics from the GP, none of which did any good. She saw a dermatologist a few months ago and she prescribed EPODUO (and I think she takes an antibiotic as well) and her skin cleared more or less straight away - she's coming 16 now.

Why can't you take Ruoccatane?

EPODUO, I will have a look at that! I have a benign liver tumour and birth control and roaccutaine are bad for it, so what I use has to be topical. Thanks! X

I second Acnecide (OTC Boots,Superdrug) only BP cream in uk I have found after they were all banned! It is harsh on your skin so moisturising essential. I found it made my face v dry and it peeled (sounds horrific) but after 2 weeks it is soft and clear. I didnt know it was ageing? Gulp..Is that because it is so drying? Is out of my price range but could you pay for a professional peel to sort out scarring? Try not to fixate on your skin. I know its hard and congrats on wedding x

Brilliant, thanks! A peel wouldn't do much as I have actual pitted scars which are deep. Laser resurfacing would help but very expensive and risky and I don't care about it enough for that.

If it's hormonal have you tried spiralactone? It worked miracles for me. It's a medication that was originally designed for congestive heart failure, but all the men on it got boobs as it turned out to be an anti- androgen (impacting male hormones) You CANNOT conceive if you're using it as it can cause awful birth defects, but I had no side effects and the best skin of my life on it.....
It's off patent now and my GP was very happy to prescribe.

I'm on Spiro too. I found out about it via acne.org, found the scientific article which reported the results of an RCT, presented it to my GP and they were happy to prescribe. I'm happy on it.

Daisy I have suffered the same way and am now in my thirties.

Rouaccatane did not work for me, neither does any anti bio tics. Mine are hormonal and I have recently found that cutting dairy out of my diet and low carving has helped immensely.

Carbing!!

Thanks! Argh, that must be hard...I love dairy and carbs! I could cut out milk but not sure I could live without cheese, bread and potatoes. I have noticed in the past that soda and chocolate to tend to give me spots the day after I have them. I don't drink any soda now and only the occasional choccy (wait, why am I lying ;) ). I started using Effaclar Duo yesterday which has really good reviews so hopefully that will help, I will let you know if it does! X

I've just bought that Effaclar Duo now Daisy - the reviews are amazing! I'm such a sucker

Haha, I'm such a sucker too! Hope it works for us both!

I know how you feel. I was almost put on Accutane a year ago for cystic acne, which I've suffered from for 16 years! I decided against it as DH and I were planning on TTC and I decided I didn't want to wait. I also discovered through charting that my cycles were out of whack slightly- 28 day cycles but not ovulating until CD 17 or so, with an average 11 day luteal phase (should be about 14 days). All signs of low progesterone (or being estrogen dominant). By chance found out that high-dose vitamin C increases natural progesterone production and so now by taking 1000mgs of vitamin C daily my hormones are much more level and my acne pretty much sorted! I just have the Boots 500mg tablets (the ones with zinc too) and take one in the morning (with a vitamin B complex) and one in the evening before bed. It doesn't stop me getting spots, I still get the odd one on my chin, but havent had a cyst in months and my skin looks smooth and clear. Obviously whatever is going on with you might be different, but it's such a cheap, easy fix that it's with a shot.

I still get so so angry thinking about the fob-off I had from the GP when I asked if we could run some hormone tests to see if we could find an underlying issue to my acne. They weren't interested in treating the cause, only the symptoms. I hate to think what Accutane could have done to me

That's brilliant that you've sorted that! It's a blessing in disguise about the roaccutaine, I'm sure.
Mine is definitely hormonal, my cycles before kids were always 40-48 days although my lutetal phase must have been fine as I got pregnant first month of trying both times.
Of course, there are worst things in life than acne, by far, but it really does shatter your confidence and I often wonder when people are describing me to someone that they might say, 'you know, the one with the bad skin?'

Whoops, posted too soon.
Anyway, glad the vitamin c has helped you, I might try although I have to be careful with vitamins I have a kidney stone, boooo. Hope your advice helps others though! X

That sounds very complicated elderberries! Good on you for figuring it out.