Adult acne - anyone been successfully treated?

[becstarlitsea]

Drives me up the flippin' wall... I"m 36 fgs, I've got wrinkles and acne at the same time, it just ain't fair!

I've had it since I was 26 (didn't get acne at all as a teen, it waited for me to graduate uni before setting in...). I have been on long-term antibiotics (which worked while I was on them, but acne came back), Dianette (brilliant, but dr says I can't take it any more due to other health risks), and currently use Duac gel.

I feel unreasonably miserable about it particularly as I'm getting older my skin scars more easily so every time I feel the 'bruise' feeling under my skin I know that I'm likely to have another scar soon...

Whatever anyone has done that worked, whether diet/lifestyle or medical I'd be very happy to hear about it.

one other thing, folic acid supplements help reduce scarring

Oh I'm so glad I found this thread.
My skin gets me down all the time, hate looking at it.
I was prescribed zineryt and antiboitics that I can't remember the name of, that worked wonders - while I was taking them. After a year I just got so sick of taking them and the side effects that I just stopped.
Since then we've moved and I just can't face sitting infront of a GP I don't know having my shitty skin 'hmmm'-ed over. Keep saying 'I'll do it next week', I just feel stupid and childish and vain.
I can't win, at the moment my skin is really dry and spotty but if I put moisturiser on I just get oily spotty skin!
Can anyone reccommend a good light moisturiser that doesn't just sit on the skin?
And also, has anyone got any makeup reccommendations? I can't seem to find anything, reasonably priced, that doesn't make things worse!
Glad to know you lot are here, I'm just about to bookmark this thread!

I know what you mean about going to the GP bratley - last time I spoke to my GP about it I went with three other problems and just mumbled 'and also I'm a bit fed up about my acne' in the middle of the list. I feel embarrassed to even care about it too.

The best moisturiser for me is Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination skin. Anything else seems to make my skin worse. I like her cleanser too. I'd be interested in make up recommendations too - the make up I've tried seems to make my spots look even more noticeable, and I think it seems to spread them/irritate them as well.

I've stuck to the acne.org regime and I have not touched my face at all - and it definitely looks better for it. I've got a rubber band on my wrist and every time I feel tempted to touch my face I ping the rubber band - sounds silly but it always works for me when I'm trying to give up something compulsive... And I've also been taking a zinc supplement and a low GI diet and lots of water.

If the improvement continues at this rate I will be very happy indeed!

I keep raving about this stuff - L'Oreal Minerals concealer is fabulous! I used to use a No7 cream concealer but that always got very clogging after a few hours. The L'Oreal one is very light - you apply it with the little brush, just a little bit at a time, and it just blends in with your skin. It really is great. I don't like to use a foundation as well, but if you did I'm sure the Minerals one is as good as the concealer.

Well done on the no picking! I caved and squeezed one the other day, and regretted it badly - it went bright red and sore and took a long time to heal. Never again!

If you don't want to see the GP. how about a nutritionist? They may be able to suggest some things that may help. Trouble is of course you have to pay, but it may be worth it to get some positive help. I agree GPs can be dismissive of acne, especially considering how emotionally damaging and painful it can be.

Is this it IrritableGrizzly? Or is there a separate concealor?

I have found the no picking very hard, especially today as I'm working from home, and can't help but notice my skin every time I go into the bathroom. But it looks so much better for being left alone I have to keep reminding myself that I won't be helping if I pick. The rubber band does help - gives me something else to do with my hands instead. If our income improves I might consider a nutritionist but in the meantime I'm going to persevere with a low GI diet and zinc supplement by myself.

That's interesting about sweeteners, beesonmummyshead - I wonder if it's something to do with insulin response, maybe that's why a low GI diet seems to be recommended so widely... I might try to look it up. But actually I should really be getting on with some work instead of googling about my skin (how teenage can you get!)

Roaccutane. It cured 2 very very nasty bouts of adult acne, a few years apart. Ever since the 2nd lot almost 4 years ago, my skin is absolutely perfect. Seriously, about 1 spot every 6 months, and the rest of the time my skintone is good, even, blemish-free.

It cost a lot of money, probably close to four hundred or five hundred quid, for dermatologist appointment and prescriptions. But my God, it was worth every penny. I would otherwise have spent more than I could afford on lotions and potions, and the misery it was making my life was just not worth worrying about the money. I think it can be available on NHS for some cases, but couldn't be sure.

Side effects were not at all bad for me, and certainly better than the awful, painful, red pustules I was living with before!! Dry eyes, yes, and dry lips, but nothing horrendous. You can't take it if you are trying to get pregnant. It is strong stuff. But EVERYTHING else I had tried, from alternative cures to topical lotions prescribed by GP etc, had NO effect on me at all.

There were reports a few years back about it being linked to depression and a couple of teenagers allegedly committed suicide while on drug. I can't possibly comment on the studies of course, all I can say is what my dermatologist said to me (she was a very sensible mother of three teenage kids) - that in her experience, there are far more teenagers who are depressed and suicidal as a result of horrendous skin and/or bullying because of that. All she advised me to do, seeing as I had had a history of depression, was to warn my nearest and dearest to alert me if they saw any changes in me, and she asked me about it at my monthly appointments. Needless to say, I could not have been LESS depressed that my skin was clearing up!

Good luck becstar and bunnybumblesmum, I am sure you will find the thing that works for you. Roaccutane was my last resort, I wish I had found another way so I could tell you about that too, but it really was worth every penny I spent. I know how horrible it is to go around with a face you are trying to hide, especially when you are not a teenager anymore. Very best of luck! Hope this has helped.

I had suffered form acne from 12 to 30. I tried everything from dianette to topical to antibiotics. Also tried changing diet.

Age 30 I tired harpophagutum (herbal remedy, devils claw...very important it should be the tincture not the tablets as its alot easier to get into the system and more pure). I tried this remedy for something else actually but wihtin 2 days noticed a marked improvemnt in my skin.

I am not saying this is your cure. It may not work for you but it did for me. Personally, I wanted to try everything I could.

Good luck in your search, I'm sure you will find your own cure.

Emeraldgirl1 - I couldn't agree more about roaccutane. I can't count the number of mornings I woke up as a teenager or adult, cautiously moved and felt my face to see what had appeared overnight, and then lay in bed trying to think of a good excuse for not having to face the world that day. I came perilously close to thinking of suicide and I still mourn my "lost" teens and twenties when my awful skin stopped me from participating in life. I can't understand how anyone who has gone through that can feel depressed when they finally find a drug that does work. I wonder if maybe people think that if their skin would clear up life would be perfect, then it does and life isn't perfect, so maybe that's why they feel depressed? Me, I was walking on cloud 9 after a couple of weeks of roaccutane (though I did find it got worse for the first week or so and then suddenly cleared up).

Roaccutane did work incredibly well for me, though I did need a repeat course. But what finally nailed it was getting pregnant. When I first became pregnant it got worse (though I didn't care as I was so happy to be expecting), then it cleared up completely and that was that.

I had a 6 month course of roaccutane and it didn't really work for me. The topical Retin-A used to be quite effective, but now it's not. Dianette didn't help. I find a gluten-free diet with loads of veg and salad appears to make a difference, but I'm not completely sure.

I'm trying the acne.org system now, so thanks for that tip. This is a great thread for seeing that this is not a rare problem. In fact I sometimes wonder whether skincare companies have realised what a market there is. There's so much more in the way of wrinkle treatment than spot treatment.

you can get roaccutane on the NHS it is pretty standard treatment for adult acne these days. just to keep everyone informed just cos it is only spots doesn't mean you are not entitle to nhs treatment.

also the third lot of roacutane i had they started me on a really low dose and worked up to the full dose then weaned me off it i was on it 9 months in total but beacause i couldn't combine it with dianette anymore it was worth being on it for longer.

unfortunately it came back with avengence when i had a mirena coil put it in.

no idea what i will do after this baby i have even jokingly said to dermatologist about a hysterectomy. he shocked me by saying that may be the only permenant solution!!!!!!!

God, I wish I had known that about the nhs when I paid a bloody fortune for my Roaccutane!!

Was your doc serious about the hysterectomy?? Wow, that seems extreme!

Hope you are OK with your skin now?

my skin is a mess today.
use oil cleansing method to keep it under control but this pregnancy has messed it up and feel like i am 15 again arghh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he was not joking. my skin problems are directly related to my hormones i have 2 days a month where it is fine.

i have no idea what to do about contraception as the only thing that didn't make it worse was dianette and i can't be on that anymore.
don't really want to have another course of roaccutane dread to think what damage it has done to my liver.

so i am destined to be spotty till menopause. or get hysterectomy.

sad but true.

been following this thread as am 37 and still suffer spots. I had a 5 month course of roaccutane which was only moderatey helpful. I've been on Dianette several times over the years which was also moderately helpful but not sure I'd be allowed on it again. But also, was convinced the hormones were having other unwanted side effects such as leaving me with bald patches & low mood. The spots are so bad again that I'm seriously thinking about asking to go back on the Dianette but don't know if that's wise. The thing is, I've also struggled with what to do about conception (after trying half a dozen other pills as well as the mirena coil we're left using condoms which at our age isn't so much fun!) so I'm intrigued to hear that a hysterectomy could actually sort out my acne as well - I had no idea. But I gather you're talking a complete hysterectomy not just getting your tubes clipped or whatever it is they do? Can you tell me more?

is it acne or is it acne rosacea...do your checks go red and warm

is it acne or is it acne rosacea...do your checks go red and warm

is it acne or is it acne rosacea...do your checks go red and warm

is it acne or is it acne rosacea...do your checks go red and warm

sorry computer went on the blink

just plain old acne - spots mostly on my forehead and round the sides of my face.

has doc tried you on at least 3 months of oxytetracycline 250mg tablets.

Nicam gel 4% which is the same as freederm(biut half the cost is also very good. My son has just started on Zineryt lotion which is prescrition only and it is working a treat but Nicam came a close second

I started suffering with acne about 5 years ago.

Tried all the lotions, potions, different contraceptive pills, antibiotics. Nothing helped it.

I gave up in the end (about a year ago), and now use nothing but water on my face morning and night and my skin's better for it.

oh yes, forgot also tried oral antibiotics with no effect whatsoever. I have some prescription benzoyl peroxide cream which helps slightly.

what strength benzoyl peroxide have they put you on

5%

you can get panoxyl 10% but it can make your skin peel even more than the 5%. my son found the Nicam gel worked really well. Ask the pharmacist for it as its not kept in the shop...its in the dispensary. You get twice as much for your money...the shop one is called Freederm but its only a small tube. Careful with panoxyl as it bleaches dark bedding....it can make your skin red too. Iused to sell it when I worked for Stiefel laboratories