spots that wont go away.

[BooyHoo]

i have two spots on my chin that have been there for about 3 months now. they get very big and sore and then theyweep and then before they get a chance to heal completely another white head will come on them. tehy aren't normal zits, tehy are big and sore. as a teen i had quite a bad problem around my chin. thios isn't anywhere enar as bad but it is very annoying. what can i use to get rid of them permanently? even make-up doesn't cover them.,

See a dermatologist or even your GP and get them checked out any time you have a spot on your skin that doesn't heal you need to get them checked out. It could be inflammatory acne, could be cystic acne, could be something more serious. You might need antibiotics, Accutane or Retin-A but all are prescription.

What are you using on them?

I get this sort of thing from time to time and find that morning and evening washing with Clearasil Ultra Deep Pore Treatment gel drys them up pretty quickly.

I can only use it for a few days because it's pretty drying, and it doesn't stop me being prone to spots in the same places, but it does seem to break the cycle of these ones never really going away.

Er, should be "you need to get IT checked out."

ooh, thank you. i wasn't sure if it was serious enough to see the GP but think i will then if it could require an anti b.

not using anything. i am just cleaning my face with babywipes and then washing with water in the shower. have used clearasil products in teh past and find them really harsh.

I use Cetaphil lotion cleanser (£4 at Asda). Many dermatologists recommend it as it's very non-irritating. TBH I follow the Paula Begoun thing still (when needed) -- she says NO alcohol-based cleansers / toners as they only make oily skin worse. Cetaphil only (also works well for taking off eye makeup!), then dab any surface spots with 10 volume (3%) hydrogen peroxide to kill the bacteria. But it sounds like what you have is deeper and might respond better to prescription-strength stuff.

PS to clarify, the hydrogen peroxide is just the same stuff you might use to clean a cut. It is not the same as the benzoyl (sp?) peroxide in acne creams, which is very drying & irritating I find.

Yes, it's pretty harsh so I only use it when I need to. I've nearly run out so I'll try the Cetaphil stuff next time.

I think all my spots are caused by hormones as I don't really have oily skin.

thank you mitten. i think i'll get some of the cetaphil and try it for a month before going teh GP route.

Cetaphil is just a mild cleanser though! Not a spot treatment per se. The advantage to it is that it cleanses without irritating (irritation causes inflammation and makes the whole thing worse.) If you have cystic acne, AFAIK nothing will clear it but a medication like Accutane. Would be better to see sooner rather than later -- you don't want to be left with scarring.

ah right, didn't realise that. i have scarring anyway but yes, i'd rather not have any more. concealer costs enough as it is.

I had inflammatory acne on my forehead as a teen and when my mum realized how bad it was she hauled me off to the GP for a referral to a dermatologist pronto. (She had had acne herself at that age -- and this was back when they treated it with x-rays and tanning lamps!!) Some sort of prescription antibiotic lotion, plus some Retin A at one point, got my spots cleared up quite well within months. Also switched to the Cetaphil / hydrogen peroxide routine around that point. But it's really thanks to my mum, bless her, that I was spared scarring.