Very painful acne, how can I relieve the soreness?

[PrinceMichaelOfMoldavia]

Hi all. I’ve always had bad hormonal acne and rosacea, at it’s worse when I was a teenager and now I’m mid menopause. I had a year of lovely clear skin on Lymecycline until my GP took me off it in the hope that it would have cleared up.

It’s back again and I’ve restarted the Lymecycline but it will take a while to kick in. My facial skin is very painful and tender with huge red patches and thick hard lumps, even wearing my glasses hurts. I know it will settle down in a few weeks so I’m optimistic. But I wondered if anyone could recommend something to ease the pain, I’ve used wet cotton pads to ease the soreness but there must be something else. Thanks in advance.

I’ve been looking at the other thread (on AIBU, I think?) about whether or not taking Apple Cider Vinegar is beneficial or not for various ailments. One thing that people take ACV for is as a toner for acne, but needs to be diluted. You do need to use ACV which contains “the mother” - it will state it on the bottle and a well known brand is Braggs. I’m not in the UK but it is probably found at Holland & Barratt, health food stores or possibly larger Boots, Lloyds pharmacies or larger supermarkets.

Just google “Apple Cider Vinegar for acne” - lots of results including YouTube videos. Also in my results was one from www.acne.org and there is a thread with the title “Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (as a topical) reviews”

It may possibly work for you, I would think it at the very least would be soothing. Good luck!

I had a five month course of isotretinoin, it completely cleared it all up but it comes with risks. I use soolantra a couple of times a week to keep it at bay. Soolantra is flipping brilliant stuff, ask your gp if they can prescribe it because it’s auite magical with the Rosacea which is probably what you have, papulopustular Rosacea rather than Rosacea and acne.

Can you take some ibuprofen to help with the inflammation?

I used to make a facemask with oatmeal, yoghurt and a drop of geranium oil, I'd suggest trying yogurt and if you can get it a drop of geranium oil. The oatmeal is a scrub so I wouldn't recommend it.

I have psoriasis, a friend makes me soap with lard in, you would think soap would dry your skin but this is lovely and soothing. Not sure where you would buy it but if you can find a soap maker near you it is a fairly standard recipe.

Another one for regular ibuprofen here!

Hello, thank you for all the replies! I’ve been taking ibuprofen for the pain. In desperation the other night I even put ibuprofen gel on my face as it was throbbing so much. I will try the apple cider vinegar, I have been looking into that.

SluttyButty, I think I’ll ask the gp about Soolantra, that’s never been mentioned before.

Also I really hope this is ok to post a photo but this is one side of my face at the moment. Does this look like papulopustular rosacea or just acne?

I had roaccutane (isotretinoin) for acne. Two full courses, about 4 years apart. The 2nd course was several years ago & I'm still reasonably ok, although not completely clear. I don't know anything about rosacea, but the acne used to be utterly dreadful, & not just on my face. Some days I had to wear contacts (as glasses were painful), or it would affect my hairstyle or clothing choices - either to cover them or to avoid pressure on painful areas.

Be warned - if you get a derm appointment & they do give you roaccutane, it can be seriously unpleasant stuff. I could do with a third course TBH but the side effects were so bad the second time, that the derm said no way.

You could also get a definitive diagnosis on whether that is rosacea, acne, or both, & look into decent skincare to help it - it's possible you could be aggravating it by using the wrong products? My skin has cleared up a lot since I've figured what to use & what to avoid. It's astonishing how many ingredients in skincare products are actually detrimental to skin health.

Also, some people find their skin improves with dietary changes. Dairy & an excess of simple carbohydrates are two particular culprits.

Dairy, oily foods and excessive sugar are the major culprits. Sugar also includes sweetners...stick to natural occurring sugars and cut down on added sugar and you'll be on your way.

You could also fork out some cash and get an extensive allergy test too.

Op, that looks sore.

What's your cleansing and moisturising routine?

Looks painful OP! I used to suffer from acne and found this homemade face mask great

Turmeric, gram flour, Manuka honey and a bit of yoghurt

I used to do it every evening just be careful because turmeric powder stains.

I echo what PP’s are saying about apple cider vinegar I used to use that as a toner diluted with water and also would take a shot on an empty stomach morning and last thing at night.

What facewash do you use? I use the liquid black soap from akomaskincare. All natural ingredients, cheap and excellent for acne prone skin.

Make sure whatever moisturiser you use is also made up of natural ingredients.

Wonder is aloe vera gel would be cooling OP.

Oh that looks sore.

I was about to say a facial oil and Angus castus helped my hormonal ache but it wasn't as fierce as yours.

Prince that looks like mine did with severe papulopustular Rosacea. I was lucky that my rheumy referred me but I’d say you need an urgent derm referral. I can empathise with the pain, who knew faces could hurt that much.
The only thing that cleared mine was isotretinoin, it’s a drug that comes with a lot of side effects. It raised my cholesterol, made my liver have many hissy fits but a year after finishing it and using soolantra my face is still clear. IMO it was worth the shitty side effects to get rid of the pain and people looking at you like you were a freak. Btw diet and skin regimes will have no effect at all.