Acne sufferers

[Jammydodger6]

I have used benzoyl peroxide (Acnecide) before but it just gives me a rash and I react badly to it. It is 5% gel.

Has anyone got any recommendation for acne treatment that actually work? Something with lower strength benzoyl peroxide? I have google searched and nothing obvious.

Have you spoke to your gp? I’ve tried benzoyl peroxide, found salicylic acid is better. Adapalene was a waste of time. For me, lymecycline didn’t work, but doxycycline didn’t.

Doxycycline DID sorry!

To be honest, cleansers and creams never made much of a difference to me. Meds from the GP.

Used every cream known to man and every drug a GP could give me. Got a dermatologist, prescribed roaccutane, have had beautifully clear skin every since. This was 3 years ago, after a decade of bad acne on my chin.

Have you tried Niacinamide with zinc? The Ordinary do this and it's made a huge difference, particularly on my chest and arms, in two weeks.

I exhausted all options throughout my teens and eventually GP referred to Derm for Isotretinoin/Roaccutane. It wasn't pleasant but it worked.

Carbon Theory works brilliantly. Use the soap and the moisturiser.

My skin was an absolute mess with acnecide (BP) at first. I practically burned half my skin off, but let it heal, and use it really sparingly and only at night. Use a simple water based moisturiser, like Neutrogena Hydo cream to keep hydrated too. It's been a month now and starting to see a big difference. Mine is hormonal jawline acne with some on my cheeks too.

I had awful acne and some of the creams i was prescribed over the years has caused scarring. So I'd research anything you use first.

Some contraception can trigger.

Do you eat much dairy? I did and have cut it out completely = biggest difference I've ever seen in just 2-3 weeks.

If you can afford to splurge, Cepton medicated face wash is a game changer. You can buy it online! You only need a small amount at a time so it lasts ages! X

I had Differin and Duac prescribed (but I think you can get them from Boots too), which helped a lot but I still had some problems, and I was then started on the pill as well, which I was relucatant to try but its worked miracles for me. I've now been at least six months without a single blemish which is amazing.

Obviously everyone's skin is different but these have been incredible solution for me after around 10 years of bad skin and lower self esteem.

I've suffered from hormonal cystic acne on my jawline for years. I'm 40 now. Tried many creams and gels prescribed from my GP but with little success or they created problems like the ones you described. A recent Google led me to try spearmint tea and it's definitely making a difference. I have 2 cups a day and since I started it I haven't had any deep spots. Apparently it reduces the androgens produced by your body and I already knew that was my problem. If you think your cause might be similar then it's definitely worth a punt.

Giving up dairy cured mine.

I went to the dr, when I’d exhausted all their options I had roaccutane which was life changing.

So I've found products with colloidal silver in a working well for me and I suffer with cystic acne and monthly breakouts.

Current routine is
La Roche Posay face wash
Derma flannel every few days
Silver and aloe Vera gel
Silver serum
Watery essence biore (day)
Msm silver moisturiser (bedtime)
Retinol on non derma flannel days

I got all the silver stuff off amazon.

I tried using a derma roller recently and caused a hello helluva break out but they're clearing up again now

Hi OP,

I feel your pain, I have had many long bouts of acne from teenage years all the way up to middle age with various lengths of time inbetween. I have tried so many different products and treatments from the GP. It's difficult to say if any one specific thing helped or each time it just ended up going away of its own accord in the end.

It does depend on lots of factors, age is one because I understand the reasons behind the acne are often different if say you are a teenager or an older person. Also different types of acne and your skin type are factors in what treatment might work.

I would suggest speaking to a GP, at my practice there is one who specialises in dermatology, so ask the receptionist if you have one too. You could also ask the GP for a referral to a dermatology consultant.

Good luck OP.

Doxycycline worked a bit but didn't clear them all up

I tried all the lotions and potions going including ones prescribed by gp and nothing touched it.

Gp then prescribed lymecycline which also didn't do anything and just made me feel a bit sick.

Doxycycline did it for me and it hasn't come back.

Side effects were rough though even with taking lots of probiotics. (mostly nausea and abdominal pain)

Took about three weeks to see any difference but after that cleared up pretty much straight away.

Next thing for me would have been accutane which I wanted to avoid

OP I have tried:
Adapalene-differin
Duac
Benzoyl Peroxide
Tretinoin
Azelaic Acid-Finacea 15%, Skinoren 20%
Zineryt

They all help temporarily. Roaccutane was the only thing that made a permanent difference, but for about 3 months it made me look worse than ever before.

It all depends on what you have tried already and what is causing your acne.

Over the counter skincare is for mild acne only. Good options are:
La roche posay
Vichy
The ordinary

If it’s cystic, hormonal acne then no creams and potions will work. I was on the pill for years with good success but when I came off it last year my face exploded again so I went back on it. However, I can’t stay on it now so have started taking a supplement called Skin Accumax which was done the trick so far but my bad post-pill skin usually kicks in 3 or 4 months after stopping the pill so I’ll reserve judgement until then. Skin Accumax has good reviews though so I’m optimistic

I am normally on antibiotics for acne but pregnant at the moment so can only use topical which I didn't have much hope as normally they just make me peel and go red but do nothing for the spots. However I've been pleasantly surprised by Zineryt lotion ( comes in a dabber). My skin has cleared up a lot and you can put it on over your makeup and still seems to work.

Epiduo is good

Just started using zineryt as my skin got used to epiduo for years

See your GP. Antibiotics should clear it up. I’ve used Lymecyline and that kept me clear for a year but TTC so I can’t take right now.

Zineryt may work well for you longer term but stopped working for me after a year. Skinoren cream worked for around 3 years and stopped working. You may have to rotate what you use. I imagine I could try Zineryt now and it would work again. But as I’m TTC my GP would only prescribe BP even though I have checked and Zineryt is safe!

Benzoyl peroxide works but it took 8 weeks for me! It made me breakout more first and made my skin itchy and red. Start very slowly at first, I suggest contact therapy where you put on a VERY thin layer and leave for 10 mins and wash off. Research has shown that is almost as effective as leaving on. And should cause far less irritation.

I would do that twice a week at first then build up to every day. I still do contact therapy in the morning as BP does not sit well under make up!

You can then slowly start to leave on overnight. Use a moisturiser, then a tiny bit of BP, then more moisturiser. Let each layer dry first. Try twice a week and build up slowly to every night. If the irritation and redness is noticeable, do every other night.

My skin looks okay now, hardly any new spots and they are small and go quickly. But it’s taken 12 weeks to have nice ish looking skin back. Luckily I didn’t really leave the house in the first few weeks!