hormonal acne - any recommendations?

[Potteresque97]

Argh, my acne is awful again...i'm mid-30s, had it since I was mid/late20s, also have scarring and now sunspots are joining them. Anybody got any recommendations for anything that helped theirs? products, food exclusions etc? I already cleanse, exfoliate, tone on a daily basis.

I've used Clinique Anti-blemish solutions 3 step system and it's been very good.
Now my skin is actually looking good again, so I've been told by the Clinique-lady that I should find other products so I can use the anti-blemish range if I get break-outs again.

It's a cleanser (there's a foam and a soap bar), a toner and a moisturiser.
You can probably get samples, alternatively get the travel sizes instead of the full size products.

Is your skin oily/combination ? If so I recommend Avene products. Their soapless cleanser and Cleanance face cream is bloody brilliant. I've been using it for about 7 weeks and the spots either side of my chin around the time of my period have been pretty much non-existent. Their Triacneal cream is also great. If you're near a larger Boots store you should be able to get some samples. I wouldn't use anything else now. I actually ventured out today without any make up on for the first time in a long time and whilst I wasn't about to get signed up my a modelling agency I wasn't paranoid about any plukes either.

Trip to the doctor?

Dianette worked wonders on me.

Sounds obvious but oil-free foundation.

Low GI diet works for some people. Apparently the insulin response caused by high glycemic index foods also causes fluctuations in other hormones and can result in acne in some people. Might be worth a try as it's a healthy diet too?

Thanks for the recommendations, can't take dianette or other acne drugs as ttc

Sorry to ask a personal question here but I take that if you are ttc and have acne that you have been tested for PCOS. Don't answer,just a thought.

Cutting sugar out your diet can work, but it's not easy I-take-dianette

Dermologica overnight clearing gel is supposed to be really good too, but I've not been brave enough to shell out the money to try it yet and-I-just-went-on-Dianette-as-it's-easier

My skin improved when I stopped using moisturiser - I wash twice a day with La Roche Posay, and then use their Effaclar K? It did seem to be helping pre Dianette.

I hate my skin. I feel your pain.

sorry it's Effaclar Duo

I have started to really cut back on sugar, worth a try...then coffee. The coffee could actually be harder but I'm getting to the age where I'm not using moisturiser due to spots but have lines. I should say, have dd1, by a miracle of modern science and luck, trying to leave door open although doubt would happen naturally. The fertility drs didn't really care re diagnosis as not causing any other issues 'pcos is a diagnosis of exclusion' or something. Thanks for all the recommendations, I sometimes think like someone above said, something works for a while, then stops working and you have to mix it up.

Sorry to hijack. Can I ask the posters taking Dianette how long they're planning to stay on it? I was recently given a 6-month prescription. It took until the 4th pack was finished to see a change but the change has been great now and my skin is nearing decent. I'm heading into my last pack of the 6 at the end of this week and I need a PLAN about how to manage my stupid fucking skin once I'm off it. I don't want to take it any longer than that as am going to be ttc and also it's not a good drug to be on for long periods.

Initial plan:

-Cutting out moisturiser at night works for me too I think; I currently cleanse with coconut oil and hot flannel and that usually leaves my skin soft enough.

• Use benzoyl peroxide on spots that appear and try to manage breakouts with this.

-Cut down on caffeine (this will be sooooo much harder than sugar)

-Continue drinking loads of water (I drink lots anyway but it's not a miracle cure for me because I also drink coffee - think they cancel each other out!)

-Take an antenatal supplement eg Pregnacare or whatever the ttc one is with added Omega oil

...Anything else?

Hormonal acne is so fucking evil. You have to experience it to understand :(

cut out coffee and alcohol and eat loads of fruit

I struggle with this too, I was on Dianette from about age 17-23 and than Yasmin - which for me worked well as a replacement and there was no big difference in my complexion. However we're now TTC so I went off the pill in late 2011 and my spots returned :-( and now being 32 and fair skinned my skin is starting to look a little dry and lined in some places (but oily in others!), so I do struggle with what to tackle first, spots or aging...

I started using the Dermalogica medi bac range and it has worked for me but it is SO expensive. I use the clearing skin wash every day, and the microfoliant once or twice a week (every time I use these products in the shower I also put them on my chest and back and this has helped clear up those areas really well). The oil-free lotion - I started using it morning and night but my skin got quite dry and dull pretty quickly so I now generally use it just once a day. I use the overnight gel on spots and do find that they go quicker than previously. Other than that I use Simple products and if I feel I've been using the medi bac stuff a bit intensely I'll have a couple of days off for my skin to recover. I tried the mattifier but found smashbox primer - and then lanacane! - better for using on my whole face.

It is expensive but I try and find bargains on ebay, and not using it 24/7 does make it last longer... the overnight gel lasts for ages if you only use it on spots, not your whole face.

Other than that things that have helped are, making a massive conscious effort to not touch my face... I've never tried to cut down the sugar in my diet but I know that if I eat a bag of pic n mix at the cinema I will look terrible the next week!

Would love to know if there's an anti aging moisturiser out there that doesn't encourage spots!

oh and another thing that I did around the time I started using the dermalogica was to change my pillowcase and face cloth more frequently (every few days). So basically i think I'm now down to my "baseline" level of acne and am not "enhancing" it through dirty pillowcases or touching my face all the time...

The US site acne.org is a really useful resource although I never did the actual process with the gel.

Using mineral makeup really helped and is a brilliant foundation (particularly Urban Decay).

The best skincare for me was the Dr Nick Lowe stuff from Boots. Reasonably priced and works well. Dermalogica never did anything for me but I didn't try the Medibac range.

good luck with cutting the coffee faddypeony!