Back on antibiotics for my acne.....I'm 36 and fed up

[Iwonderif]

Tonight I've decided to go back on my antibiotics Lymecycline for my acne. I've tried for months to get in under control myself but nothing seems to be working. I have terrible chin acne. Painful cystic spots. Tiny blocked pores that feel like grains of sand and blackheads. Plus plenty of scars. My forehead & cheeks are clear. Bizarrely I get spots between my eyebrows too which has been happening for only about 6 months. I was first prescribed the antibiotics about 2 years ago & Duac gel. Both worked incredibly well for about a year but then it was almost like I had become immune to both. So I then went on a mission to try and sort it out myself.....I have spent a small fortune on cleansers, serums, masks, spot gels an ointments etc etc. it's so disheartening to have constant "fresh" spots daily. I have to wear makeup most days now as my chin is in such a poor state.

Can anyone offer me any advice or tips? I've been told this is adult hormonal acne. I had terrible acne when I was pregnant with my son who's now 5 but in my 7th month of pg my skin went back to normal & glowed. Then approx 2 years ago it just suddenly went crazy. With no warning and has never recovered. Up until I was 31 I had good skin. The odd zit once a month.

It may be worth saying that the regular painful ones itch for a few hours at the same time as throbbing. Sometimes never coming to a head but staying around for about 2-3 weeks. Then leaving a pink mark which rarely fades.

If you've got this far, thank you for reading this post I know it's long but I'm feeling pretty rubbish that I'm back to the antibiotics instead of trying to sort it out myself.

My routine is pretty good. I double cleanse AM & PM. I use nip and fab pads in the morning and the clearasil ones at night as they're pretty strong. I then use a night oil with rosehip. Any other ideas???? TIA

How much would a dermatologist cost privately?

I am in my third month of Lymecycline and I'm not sure things are any better- OP you could have been me we are even the same age!

Googling Roaccutane now.

Now I've seen the photo, seriously see a dermatologist. You aren't going to fix this by giving up chocolate which has been proven to be a myth anyway or dairy or any other dietary intervention.

Never seen a derm privately but between me and DH we have seen a couple of other specialties privately and it's usually £200-£250 for a first appointment and less for a follow up.

If you think of how much you've spent on products that didn't work it soon adds up to that kind of figure.

No topical or dietary measure will sort this. Neither will age. At 36, it's unlikely to just go and you are likely to still have acne at 50. Sorry.
See a derm. I'm expect your GP will be sympathetic. If not, go privately. It is so lovely to not think about spots/skin trouble.

I agree with Naice. Don't bother spending more on different cleansers or dietary treatment. Push for a derm referral and Roaccutane.

Lurking

My acne was the same as OP's, and the topical retin a with the antibiotic has sorted it for the most part, just the scars now. I have no doubt it would come back again if I stopped, but topical retin treatments could sort it and it is something you can be on for life. Perhaps not the one I am on but many others you can use long term.

I do think roaccutane sounds amazing and can get rid of it for good which is fantastic, but there are topical treatments that can treat cystic acne like this. I have poor mental health so roaccutane scares me, but thankfully topical treatment is working for me and like I said, my skin was the same as the op's.

google 'liver doctor' (Dr Sandra Cabot) and read some of the case studies on her website. Have you had your liver function tested? I think she is quite amazing and her website may be of help to you to look inwards rather than spend more money on products and antibiotics etc.

I've googled her. She has a book on how to treat HIV naturally. That's total woo and dangerous. That would just be one example of scientific inaccuracies from one page of her website - I'd be here all day if I listed them all.

Don't waste your time or money on anything but a dermatologist.

OP has many marks, and ongoing cystic acne. Even if OP gets only 1 cyst per month, that's 12 new marks a year, multiplied by 14 years, that's 150 marks. Too many. I have never seen cystic acne respond in any permanent way to any topical treatments.

Topical treatments do work but as you continually make new skin, you need to continually put on more topical treatment. As U2TheEdge says there are other considerations why Roaccutane may not be an option, one being mental health, another being planning pregancy.

OP I hope you get some proper help soon with your acne - there are even treatments that help the scars that you have had for such a long time but you need to be feisty and get to see a specialist.

Cutting out sugar (mostly) has improved my skin dramatically, with far fewer spots of all descriptions. Sadly it has done nothing for my wrinkles.

Thank you to each of you who replied. I was very wary of posting the picture but I can see that many of you do think it's pretty rubbish looking. My self confidence is going downhill and after speaking to DH whose very supportive he's told me to look at finding a private dermatologist. I will though see GP next week just to see what the NHS waiting list is like. If it's rubbish which I think it will be I can at least ask who they may recommend. My GP specialised in dermatology before becoming a GP. It's who I saw when I originally had it. I think after almost 2 years he will see there's been so satisfactory improvement.

Thank you once again. I will keep you posted with all of this. Really can't stress enough how much you've helped me realise that I do indeed need the help & expertise of someone in the know. Whether that be my GP and he prescribes something mentioned in the above posts OR I go and privately see a dermatologist.

Also the spots are similar to those between my eyebrows too but wasn't brave enough to post a full face!!

Roaccutane!

If you lay it on really thick in the appointment about it affecting your self esteem etc, you can usually get a referral. DS is just about to finish the course and he has the most gorgeous skin now - like when he was a baby (he is 15) and it worked quickly. You have to take the pill and a 2nd form of contraceptive, if female because it really, really is terrible if you get pregnant but it is a miracle. Really. We had an NHS appointment within 7 weeks and collected the drugs straight away. It can only be prescribed by a dermatologist and you have to collect the drugs from the hospital or, in our case, they were posted to our GP.

Honestly, everything else is just pfaffing around and woo.

Good luck OP

This can be sorted!

I managed to get in tomorrow at 11am to see GP. Not the one I tend to see regarding my skin but a well liked one all the same. Fingers crossed he listens well and can see just how this is getting to me. Will post tomorrow & let you know how the appt goes. I'm currently now only cleansing with Cetaphil. May get the moisturiser tmrw too. Having to be brave and go foundation free too as I'm concerned my makeup isn't helping the situation.

When you see the GP tomorrow OP do not be fobbed off with any more GP prescribed treatments.

If the GP doesn't offer to refer you to a derm, ask for a referral. If GP is reluctant, put them on the spot (no pun intended) - what medical reason will they not refer you.

At what point does the GP stop trying the limited options available to them? They are not working and quite frankly as a trained derm your GP should have offered you a derm appointment long ago.

Good luck.

Haveyou tried diet? For me acne is sugar related and when I cut sugar and booze it goes. There's an interesting study somewhere linking sugar and processed foods to acne via hormones . Dermatologists always say there's no proof of diet it that's because not many studies have been done. I'm convinced it's about diet

www.aad.org/stories-and-news/news-releases/growing-evidence-suggests-possible-link-between-diet-and-acne

Roaccutane worked brilliantly in my late 20s. When I had a minor relapse in my mid-30s using Duac gel in the morning and Retin A at night really sorted it out again...

Thank you failingmammalian. Yes I have cut out sugar for 5 weeks and didn't really see a big difference. The spots still appeared. I will be firm with GP Naice. I've tried Duac but I think I became resistant to it. Worked within days initially then started to notice how less effective it became

"At what point does the GP stop trying the limited options available to them?"

There are lots of topical treatments GP can prescribe other than duac. You may have got resistance to lymecycline and there are other tablet antibiotics you can take also (which may work). Some of them you have to avoid getting pregnant tho.

I would say that trying them first vs waiting for NHS dermatology (where you may be offered the same thing) is worth considering.

Roaccutane is potent and works but like anything there are possible side effects. If you read a bit about it and then unless you are dead keen on roaccutane, I'd try something else first.