Adult acne back with a vengeance and wedding in 4 months

[lilyheather1]

Please help! My wedding is in 4 months time and my skin is breaking out near constantly with small painful red spots some whiteheads too. I thought I'd beaten the adult acne last year but no such luck. My current routine is:
Daily soft exfoliant
Hot muslin face wash
Hydrating serum
Sun lotion
Moisturiser.

Am I doing something wrong? If you've got your adult acne under control what did you do that worked? Looking for any help at all. Thanks all x

Also try changing your pillow case every night for a week. This really made a difference for me.

Heal your skin from the inside... most detox diets say similar things, no dairy, no sugar, avoid grains, deep sea fish, red meat, deadly nightshade vegetables, refined foods, alcohol, coffee. Add in lots of healthy fats to heal tissue, fresh leafy greens, sprouted seeds, vitamin A, D, C, B's (but methylated) avoid starches, additives in vitamins and a good quality multi mineral complex plus protiotics and naturally fermented foods but start slowly. Epsom salt baths and all over skin brushing to help clear toxins. Treat the whole epidermis as an organ rather than focussing just on your face and find a 20 minute daily yoga routine to help with stress.

I suffered from acne and it got worse before my wedding - I think it was the stress. So I feel for you.

What worked for me in the end was a combination of:

-simplifying my routine and being more gentle on my skin (so exfoliating only a few times a week with glycolic acid - not a scrub, and cutting down on harsh products)
-reducing sugar intake
-getting a prescription medication - Epiduo did wonders for me

My skin is now completely clear.

As an aside I found my GP completely unsympathetic. My acne was never very serious, always mild/moderate and I think they just weren’t very interested. In the end I researched options and reviews and requested a prescription medicine from Superdrug’s online clinic. May not be the best option for everyone/for more serious or complicated skin concerns but the medication I got (the Epiduo) completely sorted my skin out. I therefore pay privately for it but it’s only £49 for a tube that lasts months.

I’ve recently been using La Roshe- Posay cleanser, toner and moisture

This cleared dds mild spots up.

The pill - yasmin or equivalent - totally cleared my older dds skin (bad acne) took 3 months.

I don’t want to derail OP’s thread, but has anyone found anything to work on acne scars (rather than the spots)?

@PrimeExample retinol might help if you want something you can try at home. Otherwise microdermabrasion, microbeedling or a peel could be worth trying. Depends on the scarring and your skin.

Microneedling not microbeedling 😂

I have suffered all my life and can confidently say the only thing that cures it is lucette or dianette from the gp. Products may worsen or improve it but the cause is most likely hormonal so no skin product will actually be a cure.

Doctors appointment and stress the anxiety it is giving you. To ensure it is taken seriously.
Medication will fix it in time!

You might well be aggravating it by your routine.

There is no need to suffer with it, especially with the big day approaching.

If you don't want oral medications and there are just one or two then There are also dermatologists that can inject antibiotics and anti inflammatories into big cystic ones to bring them done with immediate effect (as in gone the next day)
However I would go the full loral antibiotics they are not as bad as the old school ones, there is a lot of choice. (Ive ben through it)

Hi all, thank you so much for your kind suggestions!

I'm on the blood sugar diet at the mo as I was worried about my additional sugar intake over the last year or so. So my sugars aren't high, but there is more dairy in my diet now than there was so I could address this.

Im going to speak to a dermatologist and see what they say. My skin isn't absolutely terrible, but I'd like it to be clearer considering I'm now in my mid-late twenties! I'll be going cleanser shopping this afternoon too and hopefully I should see some improvement once I start making these changes...

In regards to stress, I definitely think this has played a role! My job gets very demanding over the winter period and as my office doesn't close for Christmas, I don't feel I've had any time to stop and rest, so I need to work on that too. Gosh, it's no fun this being an adult lark!

Just to echo what others have said - see a dermatologist.

The best thing I've tried for my skin is differin (prescription retinol). Either your GP can prescribe it or look at Dermatica site (as PP mentioned above) - they supply tertinoin (another retinoid- it's a bit stronger than differin). You only use it a couple of times a week to start. It helps soeed up skin cell regeneration & is gold standard for acne treatment.

For scarring, look at Vit C and/or niacinamide - in combo with retinoid at night.

You must wear SPF daily if going this route, as they make skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Don't try Proactive. X

*TRETINOIN! Ughh. Spellcheck.

Hi OP, feel your pain, have been there!
Obviously different things work for different people, but my skin cleared when I started using gentle cleansers instead of foaming ones, like these
https://uk.lush.com/products/ultrabland
https://www.boots.com/la-roche-posay-toleriane-dermo-cleanser-200ml-10083653

Also using salicylic acid ( I use every day, but would start off 2/3 times a week) instead of scrubby exfoliaters

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00949CTQQ/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_3JUtCbB5JHEC7 this one is good but you could use this

https://www.superdrug.com/Skin/Face-Skin-Care/Cleansers/NipFab-Teen-Skin-Salicylic-Acid-Night-Pads-80ml/p/764824

Or these with glycolic and salicylic

https://www.superdrug.com/Nip-Fab/NipFab-Glycolic-Fix-Extreme-pads-80ml/p/523000#pdpdetailss_
_
Also, this oil, which you could get a sample of at a clarins counter, try for a couple of weeks, and use every other night, completely transformed my skin_

Face Treatment Oil by Clarins Lotus Oily/Combination Skin 30ml https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A7P8NXY/ref=cmm_swrrcpapiii_cPUtCbRDA737H

Also a super light weight moisturiser for the morning, like

www.superdrug.com/Skin/Face-Skin-Care/Cleansers/Face-Wash/Simple-Water-Boost-Hydrating-Gel-Face-Cream-50ml/p/746832

Sorry that was so long!

Please don't apologise! I owe you and everyone here a huge thank you for taking the time to help me! 😊

I really feel for you OP, you definitely don’t need the stress of this so close to your wedding.
I developed acne early last year, it felt like it came out of nowhere! My advice is to get to either your GP or a dermatologist as soon as possible. I spent nearly all of last year trying to treat my acne myself but wish I’d got medical help sooner I spent a lot of money on different skincare brands and expensive facials and made a lot of tweaks to my diet. All of these things seemed to work in the short term, but by November I had really painful nodules under the skin (in addition to the spots) and I noticed that I was starting to get scars. I eventually went to my GP and prescribed Duac Once Daily Gel (it’s a topical antibiotic and benzoyl peroxide). It has been amazing at shifting the acne so far BUT it does feel like it makes them worse before they get better, basically drawing out all the nodules which then erupt into spots (and then clear up). I’m going back for a review next week but I feel like I’m on the right path already.

I’m sure that lots of the other things (skincare, treatment and dietary changes) will also help my skin, but personally I wish I had gone to the GP sooner.

Also I was advised to look for non-comedogenic foundation (if I absolutely had to wear makeup) to help reduce pore clogging. I’m using the Clinique Anti-Blemish foundation at the moment

OP unfortunately acne is pretty common in women (& men) 25 - 35/40..... Doctors are well equip with sorting it out.

I wouldn't be getting any new products until i've seen a GP at least and probably been referred to a dermatologist (NOT a beauty salon 'kind of dermatologist' they'll just send you down the route of tying all the possible treatments and costing a bomb).

A proper one will sort you out far quicker and much cheaper.

@Terriergrrrrrrrr, which Paula's Choice product did you use? I suffer terribly with cystic acne along my jaw so was really interested to read that this brand helped you - but the website has so many different products I don't know where to start - all advice hugely appreciated!

OP, I'm sorry to hear you're going through this - adult acne sucks, sympathy and solidarity from me xx

I have suffered with acne / bad skin all my life.

And I finally have it under control!

Firstly, I recommend going to your GP. I use a prescription face cream - Benzoyl Clindamycin. It's a topical cream that you apply in the evening.

It has worked wonders for me so I definitely recommend.

Secondly, have you tried cutting back / cutting out dairy? Having done this recently, my skin has never been better.

My skin routine at the moment is:

Once out the shower, moisturise - non oily one!
End of day - remove makeup and apply topical cream just before going to bed.

That's all I do haha!

Paula’s Choice or The Ordinary salicylic acid. Works wonders for me (if I ever run out or forget to use it my adult acne returns with a vengeance). Also reducing sugar and stress (easier said than done I know!)

Given your very important looming deadline I strongly suggest you go to the gp and ask for a referral to a dermatologist if you have private health cover via work use that. I was in your position 2 years ago with a lovely spot of rosacea to boot I primarily went to the dermatologist for my rosacea as I didn't want a red face for my wedding day but she diagnosed cystic acne and prescribed long term antibiotics which wouldn't affect my attempts to conceive and cream for my rosacea. I had lovely skin for my wedding day (even my DH noted the improvement and he's useless at these things!).

I would go to a doctors/dermatologist.

Doctors can prescribe an antibiotic cream, there's one called Duac which I have had in the past.

I think your routine sounds a bit much for your skin. I would strip it back a bit. Personally most serums bring me out in spots, they don't work for me.

My routine is: gentle facial wash, gentle exfoliator (every other day), moisturiser with SPF for day and Revitalift Night with hyaluronic acid in for night.

If I break out in a few hormonal spots I use Johnson's Clean and Clear moisturiser for a week, twice a day, in place of my other moisturisers and their exfoliating daily wash in place of the normal facial wash. It's basic and cheap but it works! (for me). Also a bit of Duac if there's a few going on, or if I have some under-the-skin collection of spots ie not angry, but a bit bumpy (but this is rare)

I would work on clearing the spots/aggravation to your skin before trying to treat tone, lines, wrinkles etc with serums and muslin cloths and all that. You can introduce these gradually once you've got on top of the spot problem.

Oh and forgot to add, I use micellar water after the facial wash to clear up any leftover mascara - but I splash my face afterwards, rather than leaving it on my skin.