Oh the shame. I have hormonal ACNE and I'm 40 fgs!

[claudiaschiffer]

Can anyone help?

I have revolting veritable boils on my poor chin. They seem to pop up about 1/2 way through my cycle and has been confirmed as hormonal acne, all apparently due to too much progesterone in the 2nd half of my cycle. Ugh ugh ugh.

Anyway have just been to the docs and he has prescribed a pill to go on, but . . . dh and I are still thinking about ttc dc3 - am very undecided but that's a whole other story. So, the upshot is i'm not certain I want to go on the pill just yet, do you have any natural (or unnatural) remedies for this?

Oh also have developed raging pmt so if you know of anything that can help that too that would be wonderful - have been taking Evening Primrose Oil for the last couple of weeks so am hoping that will help.

oh poor you. i have this on and off (tho not for ages as pg/ bf, lol).

2 things i found helped - tea tree oil (apply direct to spot) and mario badescu drying lotion - quite evil stuff but really does work ime.

apparently top models swear by applying toothpaste to spot before bed - but then you'd know that wouldn't you claudia!

good luck!

sorry no ideas for the pmt tho

I found cutting out all refined sugar really helps with my skin, which is prone to hormonal outbreaks. I'm 33.

PMT - 1000mg Starflower Oil per day - it's a miracle worker

You could try cutting out dairy products for the skin complaint - that sometimes works - 'Oatly' instead of milk is not bad at all, in most supermarkets next to the longlife milk and can be used for cooking as well....

Go and see your gp and ask for a topical antibacterial lotion like Dalacin T. Oral antibiotics would work for you, but you probably want to avoid them if you are trying to get pregnant.

would just like to add that i had homeopathy for mine and it didn't work, waste of money imho.

wisteria, interesting that exclusion diet helped you. i excluded all sorts at various points but couldn't find a culprit. would not recommend this lightly as if you tend towards control freaky/ obsessive behaviour it can get very silly - i speak from bitter experience!! obv this is not you wisteria but just to advise caution when making radical changes to diet - you can end up feeling like you can't eat anything!!

Oo thank you. I did used to have the anti-biotics ages ago, will go back to doc. Will cut out sugar - don't know if I could manage to cut out milk tho - I just live on tea (white with one if you're making ).

Now Acupuncture I like the sound of. I am a total acupuncture fan but it is rather expensive and long term isn't it - how long did it take to sort you out hanaflower?

do you have to cut out all refined sugar all the time? or just at certain times of month?

asicsgirl mine was all fine when I was preg & bf ing too. Since then I look like someone from the middle-ages - positively pox ridden.

I am so vain (what with being a supermodel 'n' all ) I dunno if I can wait for it to be cured in months. Soo annoying.

no it is upsetting, i used to get v down about mine. funny we were watching tv last night and i realised i still think of myself as someone with bad skin - i watch those spot cream ads and think ooh, i should get some of that. then remember i don't need it, lol.

i did find the mario badescu stuff helped massively reduce the angry look of the spots, so even if didn't cure the problem, it made it possible to get out the front door without a balaclava

I have a sweet tooth, so cutting out sugar hasn't been easy. I use agave nectar instead in tea and on fruit etc - you can buy it online, or in Sainsbury's. Health food shops too, I expect. It's like syrup, but definately doesn't have the same effect as sugar on me. I find eating sugar effects my general health anyway - recovering from Glandular Fever - the improvement of my skin was something I noticed as a side effect of cutting it out for other reasons. My skin is just clearer, less oily, less blackheady, fewer spots when I don't eat sugar.

thanks celery that's interesting

You could try zinc supplements, I had young adult acne, and they worked for a bit. Best thing for me was antibiotics, but of course if you're ttc best avoid those.

Also just a point in case you do decide to go for the pill - but I got acne as a result of going on the pill when I was 20 - and the kind I was on (Marvellette or something I think, tho was so long ago!) was apparently the one they prescribed as a cure for acne - the irony!

Good luck - I know how upsetting it is.

I got my first acne at about 21, and have had it on many occasions since - am now 40 and currently (touch wood) ac-free. I totally sympathise, it's really horrible and people who haven't had it don't realise how painful it is.

Interesting that yours has been diagnosed as hormonal - I never got this far but have always been convinced the cause is hormonal.

If I was in your situation I'd try a topical antibiotic. I know they take a while to work but probably worth it. Or delay your TTC plans for 6 months and give the oral antibiotics a proper go.

Has the doctor suggested any treatment that actually affects your hormone levels - ie: treating the cause rather than the symptom?

Oh you dear girls are so kind.

It is upsetting, obviously it is only trivial and thank God everything else is fine, but I do feel so self-conscious, as if whenever anyone is talking to me I imagine all they are looking at is this huge red boil that is taking over my face. >wail

Oh and for PMT Dr Chris on This Morning swears by eating a starchy carb every 3 hours. Something like a piece of toast or a cracker - helps keep the blood sugar steady, or something.

sounds like rosacea, your gp can give you some gel to put on your face instead of the pill

I have been suffering from this (have just turned 49) and yes, it's trivial in the grand scheme of things, but still upsetting. My job also involves dealing with clients and (young and often very beautiful) advertising agency people, and I was getting more and more down about it.

I was getting huge spots, often in clusters, several at a time, and always in the same places every month.

I happened to mention this to the doctor who was doing some laser treatment on my face (broken veins - equally attractive!) and she recommended a Dermasweep. It wasn't cheap (can't remember how much because I paid for my laser treatment at the same time), and I had it done twice, but the results have been fab. I can't say I haven't had spots since then, but they have been minor and eminentlty livable with.

Don't know where you live but I went to Cosmedicate, in Harley Street.

It doesnt help with the PMT though!

Dermasweep??? Sounds completely amazing. Tell me more becauseimworthit. Is it some kind of peel? I am a bit horrified by peels. Will try and google it.

It's not a peel, and it doesn't hurt at all. I can't remember what it is /how it works, but it involves them sweeping what looks like a thin torch all over your skin. There is suction involved, and they use different fluids according to the needs of your skin.

Essentially it's like exfoliation.

There's an American website that will tell you more -

Whoops!

dermasweep