Hormonal acne, any suggestions?

[vitaminC]

I dress well and always try to look groomed, but the one thing that makes a big difference between me and the women I see who always look great is their skin!

I've always had rubbish skin. I didn't get terrible acne as a teenager (just around forehead/temples) but ever since then I've always had a few spots at any given time, they've never gone away completely.

I'm now 41 and still get cystic acne. It's mainly on my cheeks, chin and neck, but the rest of my face is blotchy and sallow looking and I have fairly open pores on and around my nose. Even once they disappear, the spots leave red blotches which take months to subside!

I've tried all kinds of creams and scrubs, including some very expensive ones, but nothing makes a difference as the cause is hormonal, not dermatological.

The best my skin ever looked was when I was taking the Cerazette mini-pill, but I had to give that up due to other horrific side effects. I now take natural progesterone, which sorts out the other hormonal issues, but isn't helping my skin.

It's much worse around the time of my period, but it's pretty bad most of the time to be honest. My gynecologist (who is treating the hormonal problems) doesn't have any suggestions.

I eat a very healthy, balanced diet, don't smoke, drink sensibly and drink plenty of water.

What else can I do? Has anyone else had similar problems and found a solution? Is it time to start looking at professional beauty treatments such as dermabrasion? I suppose the upside is that I don't look anywhere near my age, but I'm just so fed up at still dealing with "teenage spots" in my 40s and feel like I never actually look good!

I'm having some success with a supplement called DIM-plus. But very interested in other suggestions!

I am in my 30's and have the same problem and it really gets me down. I never look groomed likes others however hard I try and I get panicky if not near my make up bag-thank God for makeup.
I probably should go on the pill to control my hormones. We have tried with no success for a 2nd baby for 2 years and kind of accepted it but not sure I am ready to prevent pregnancy completely.
Sorry no help but wanted you to know that you are not alone.

Roaccutane is what you need. When acne is that bad (and I speak from experience as mine was so severe I was regularly taking courses of penicillin as my face was so green and infected) no amount of great skincare, creams, potions, change of diet, lots of water etc etc will shift it, it really won't. It has to be treated from within.

You need to get yourself to your GP and get a referral to a consultant dermatologist. My acne only cleared up when I was 46 and only after a six-month course of Roac. I have never looked back but I had decades of skin that was so awful I literally couldn't believe how fast acne could spread and how much my own body seemed to hate me...

Thanks for the replies.

I'm really hoping to avoid Roaccutane, but will keep it in mind as a last resort. I guess it's time to go talk to a dermatologist, though.

I've been clinging on to the hope that I'll find a solution (or at the very least and explanation) for my hormonal issues, but maybe that's just not going to happen.

A good detox (cutting out caffeine, specifically) and instead drinking Dr Stuart's Skin Purify tea by the gallon (or at least 2-3 cups a day) has totally cleared up my skin! I suffered from PCOS acne for 20 years! Now I'm having all the treatments to deal with the scarring on my chin - peels/dermabrasion. You can get the tea from Holland & Barrett. I'm also "severely limited" (doc's words) on the contraception front...

PS look up the reviews for it online. Astounding!

Leaving it the hell alone

Drinking more water

Vit C & zinc supplements

No products with silicones in

Oolong tea

One or several or all of those have helped me - after 10 months I'm down to one cyst!

I had a breakout once and Zynerit cleared it up.

My GP said Zynerit is only for mild/moderate acne...I didn't think mine was that bad (had small cysts around my jawline and several patches of angry whiteheads around my cheeks) but GP said it was too severe for topical products :(

The antibiotics she put me on didn't work straightaway but might have played a role in reducing any underlying infection caused by the cysts.

Not everyone rates her but I can go out with no foundation on now
Acne care sheet here
www.carolinehirons.com/2012/05/acne-cheat-sheet.html?m=1

Thanks everyone. I will be looking into all these.

I already drink loads of water, but will try cutting down on coffee!

I really want to leave prescription meds until I've exhausted all other options, but I will keep an open mind about them once I've tried all the other suggestions.

Have a look on get the gloss website. Diary of adult acne and dr Sam. I take Yasmin which works really well. But if I have to come off it I'll definitely go straight to a dermatologist to keep things at bay. Xx

My GP put me on a diuretic. I also have topical cream (Differin)

Apparently it very slightly raises testosterone which stops my mahoosive, under the skin, last for two months, hurt like hell chin zits from appearing.

I started getting them when I came off the pill and had a mirena fitted - it was the hormone change that did it. Love the coil, hate the spots

ShakeYourTailFeathers I found the non-hormonal coil much better acne-wise. My periods are a bit heavier though (but shorter).

Have you tried fish oils? They were recommended on here and have helped me

Agree my skin's been massively better while talking fish oil and a multivitamin. and i still eat too much sugar and drink too much coffee!

Have you tried cutting dairy? You have to really cut everything (including whey products and casein) for at least three months to tell whether it makes a difference.

That plus Jan Marini Bioglycolic lotion has basically cleared mine. If I have a cheese binge now (especially at the wrong time of the month) everyone can tell!

Vitamin B6, maybe try 50 to 100mg daily. I broke out horribly in early pregnancy always and my doctor recommended this. It worked nicely.

I used benzoyl peroxide 2.5% with a moisturiser over it (Eucerin) but I never had widespread cystic acne, just the odd huge, painful one occasionally, with regular zits for the most part.

Dietwise, I find that sugar affects my acne. My DS had severe cystic acne and nothing shifted it -- he did allergy testing, cut out lots of foods, additives, preservatives, drank lots of water, changed soaps, changed laundry detergent and fabric conditioner.. Roaccutane seems to have done the trick for him finally. He didn't have female hormonal issues obv..

With cystic acne, roaccutane might be the best bet. Be aware though that since you are female, you will need to consent to using oral contraceptive plus a barrier contraception while on roaccutane and you will also have to take pregnancy tests during the course of treatment and for a month afterwards iirc, as roaccutane is a teratogen.

I think b6 can help if underlying cause is hormonal however you do need high strength. Also have a look at Chinese face mapping.

My skin breaks out for 2 main reasons, related to ovulation and sensitivities. I have to be ultra careful with what skin products I use ph balanced only.

I think the carolines sheet is pretty good although I have used a little metanium overnight when I know I'm getting an outbreak and it seems to calm my skin more effectively than lots of other creams - and I've probably used every spot cream on the market!

I'll definitely start taking a B6 supplement.

I'm a medic myself, so know about the risks and restrictions with Roaccutane, which is why I want to exhaust every other possible option before resorting to that!

I'm not in the UK so hadn't heard of Caroline Hirons, but her page made a lot of sense.

I didn't eat dairy for over 10 years (as two of my kids had a major intolerance to it so I avoided buying it), but have started eating greek yoghurt for breakfast and occasionally cheese, over the past year. I'm not sure it's made a difference to my skin, however.

Looking back at old photos, the only time my skin has actually looked glowing and healthy, was about 8 years ago, when I had a lot of stress in my life and started meditating every day! I also lost weight (although I've never actually been overweight) and was healthier than at any other time in my adult life!

I currently have a very hectic life and haven't practised meditation for years! Maybe I need to figure out how to slot that back into my week...

I implore you to try La Riche Posay Effaclar Duo face wash and moisturiser. I had spotty, hormonal skin for years and years, and then I tried this about 18 months ago. My skin is now consistently clear, fresh and healthy looking, I can't believe it. I used to dread looking in the mirror each morning as I hated looking at what had 'erupted' overnight. Now I pretty much never have spots. I noticed a difference almost straight away, but it took about a month for my skin to clear completely - I've used these two products (plus a richer cream around my eyes) by themselves, so I also think I have saved a lot of money as I used to try different, expensive skin care ranges which sometimes worked for a while and then the spots would come back. Effaclar has been truly miraculous for me.

I have the same problem. I drink 2-3 litres of water a day (plus other drinks), have spent a fortune on all manner of washes etc, but the only thing that clears up my skin without fail is upping my fruit and vegetable intake.

If I manage 7-10 portions every day for a week, I can really tell the difference. It is quite hard to do though and you have to really think about how you can cram more veg into every single meal. I tend to chuck onions, mushrooms and sweetcorn/peas into pretty much everything as that's three easy portions.

Two things really helped me - a topical anti biotic from the GP, and stopping using Aveda hair stuff. I love Aveda, but it doesn't love me.

My mother, aged 73, who had spots for 50 years and still has greasier skin than I do says that she went on a really strong antibiotics that they give to people who have infections post-surgery sorted her out and now she looks lovely and has no wrinkles. Ask the doctor it is a very cheap antibiotic but amazing.

I read the caroline hirshon method and agree it has helped sort me out. I'm dreadful and always fiddle.

Good luck I also went on Roaccutane as a teenager but I think it has contributed to depressive issues but I had amazing skin for at least 10 years afterwards. Yasmin also helped.

I have been suffering for two years since coming off the pill, getting pregnant and now breastfeeding. A combination of things has helped me. Zineryt (topical antibiotic), silver serum and a liquid exfoliator. The silver serum is antimicrobial, was recommended by Samantha Brick (I know!) and seems to have helped. The exfoliant is actually an ingrowing hair treatment from skin doctors. You're probably not meant to use it on your face so I'm not suggesting anyone try it! It does have salicylic acid and I think glycolic acid in, possibly in a higher concentration than for face products. It did make my skin go quite dry and flaky for a few weeks but definitely helped the acne.
Hoping to go back on the pill next year which will help the hormones.