Help me with my awful skin please??!

[Bostonpancake]

I have had the worst skin for as long as I can remember - oily, blackheads, dull, bumpy, occasional spots (that are usually massive) and more recently, wrinkles! Make up just slides off my skin after about 2 hours.

What can I use to improve it? I'm 38 and skin can be sensitive at times.

DD has found MD Formulations facewash wonderful, although she still takes Yasmin.

I had acne for 20 years, and tried everything from benzyl peroxide (Oxy10 type stuff) to antibiotics to Roaccutane. Also spent £££ on skin care products. Some things worked to a certain extent, but was not treating my root cause.

In desperation two years ago I gave a gluten free diet ago, and with in 3 months I was clear for the first time since I was 14. If I have any gluten, with in 2-3 days I am having an outbreak. In fact last week I had some rye bread and 3 days later......one volcanic eruption on my chin and lots of smaller spots. Fortunately for me, dairy is not a trigger. I take my fish oils and eat lots of veg and fruit, and healthy fats.

For years, I was told by GPs and dermatologists that food does not affect acne, however recent research is showing that specifically, dairy and high glycaemic index foods (sugar, white bread, white rice, fruit juice etc) can affect acne. There is little research on any link between acne and gluten per se, however, recent research showing 1 in 5 have gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity can manifest in problem skin and other undiagnosable health 'niggles'.

Everyone is different with what causes their acne. Like Caroline Hirons says, it is usually a mix of hormones, inflammation and skin care. Diet influences hormones and inflammation. For many people an overhaul of their diet may not be worth it if you just have a few spots that don't bother you that much, but acne can be soul destroying for some. By the time my patients get to me (I'm a dietitian) they are usually really down about their skin, and changing what they eat/drink not only improves their skin, but their over all well being too.

Sarah that's really interesting - it does make complete sense that what you put inside your body shows on the outside. I am trying ( failing) to cut out sugar as I think this may be to blame for a few things and also help me lose a few pounds! Going to be really difficult though...

So much useful advice here! Really appreciate it

I am 38 and have similar skin. Cutting out sugar definitely helps, but I can't keep it up. I have cut down a lot though. Also, double cleansing, and the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo and K creams have changed my skin. I wouldn't be without it now, it makes a massive difference to my skin.

BHA's such as La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, which contains salicylic acid are generally better for oily, clogged, black head prone skin, as they go beneath the surface and help exfoliate ( de-clog ) from within the pores. AHA's ( Glycolic Acid ) such as Alpha H Liquid Gold, are better for surface problems, such as fine lines, wrinkles, dark marks and scars etc.

I've certainly found this is the case for me. In fact my skin reacts badly to Glycolic Acid, and it makes me break out. Where as salicylic acid does wonders for it.

Marking place.

Salicylic acid works really well for me too - I use Jan Marini bioglycolic lotion which has glycolic and salcylic acids (and mandelic acid i think!) every few nights.
When I had DD1, she was very very dairy intolerant and I had to go off it completely to breastfeed her (including casein, whey products etc). My skin was the best its ever been to the point people were raving about it (my skin is usually pretty shit). It went back to being shitty as soon as I weaned and I assumed it was the hormonal changes - which it still could be? But I'm now feeding DD2 and have not had the amazing change in my skin this time around (was really really looking forward to it) - she isn't dairy intolerant though and so I've kept eating the usual cheese, milk etc. So now I've started an experiment to cut it out again and see what happens!! It's so hard though, especially as no cheese really limits my breastfeeding diet. I've done the last few months almost dairy free (still have cheese here and there) and I've noticed my skin is definitely a bit better.
Another up side is that the pregnancy weight has started to DROP off since I dropped dairy ...

As I posted before I cannot eat wheat or dairy otherwise my skin breaks out in crusty patches that itch and weep if you scratch them.
Don't know if this will work for anybody else who has a more greasy spotty skin, I came across it and used it on my face because I didn't read the label but I tried it on ds's face after he had a bad break out of spots, some large pus filled ones and some hard white pus filled little ones that were impossible to squeeze. It is Lush's Volcano Foot Mask, I had tried Clearasil Spot Cream on him for over a week but it didn't do a thing so one night before bed I got him to exfoliate with the volcano stuff then I smeared it over the spots and he went to bed for the night, in the morning they were drying up so we did the same the following night and in the morning they were gone. I swear by it. It is like a super exfoliater. It leaves your skin super smoothe.

Be careful if you are cutting out dairy, you need to make sure you are getting calcium. You can replace milk with non-dairy alternatives e.g. almond, oat, flaxseed, hemp, rice milks. Organic ones aren't usually fortified with calcium, but the non-organic ones are (as well as vitamin D - over 50% of us are probably deficient).

Here's a link to calcium foods and why vitamin D's important

Going gluten free is much easier than it used to be, GF products are widely available, but GF doesn't necessarily mean healthy/skin friendly. By that I mean GF white pasta, white bread, biscuits, cakes etc. Try to stick to whole grains. Some people can tolerate a certain amount of gluten (unfortunately I can't!). The other thing to mention is that if you suspect you are gluten intolerant, it is important to get the all clear for coeliac disease from your GP. It is a simple blood test, don't go GF before this as the test requires gluten to be in your system.

Excuse the essay, I could witter on about this all day!!

sarah did you leave out fortified soy milk for any reason? - much easier to get than anything else, especially if you are in cafes etc. I also take calcium supplements as I'm really conscious of not getting enough especially while bfeeding!

Walnut - people with a dairy allergy may also have a problem with soy. Some, not all. I'm not aware of any studies linking acne to soy (although there are people who say anecdotally that soy is a problem).

So it's a tricky call to make whether to try eliminating both. If breastfeeding, and fortified soy milk is an important source of calcium, then I'd advise you to continue. If spots continue to be a problem, then you could try removal of soy, but make sure you're getting calcium from alternative sources. Unfortunately it's trial and error, no easy answers!

Thanks sarah - I didnt realise that!