Can someone help my spotty face?

[taybert]

I have acne. I’ve basically had it since I was 11 (37 now). I’ve had times when it’s been better (on the pill, various medications) and worse (pregnancy). I’ve had 2 course of roaccutane as an adult, the last one finished about a year ago. I’ve been on Epiduo (benzoyl peroxide and adapalene) with spironolactone for maintenance since but for about the last month, it’s back. My head is an oil slick, I get rid of the breakout I have and another one pops up. It’s a familiar tale and I know I’m probably heading for the return of painful cystic spots soon.

I’m a doctor so I know all about the different meds and I’ve either had them and they haven’t worked or or I can’t have them now (eg OCP). I don’t have the strength to do another 6 months of roaccutane for the sake of a year off spots.

So please wise women help me! Having spent thousands on miracle cures for acne over the years I’ve pretty much given up on complicated skincare regimes beyond cleansing and an oil free moisturiser in the morning. But there are so many more products around now with active ingredients and I wonder if there’s something that could help a bit. Even just to reduce the oil.

Ideas very much appreciated! Thank you.

Korean skin care regime worked for me... it’s a bit of a faff but it cleared up my persistent, cystic acne (that I had tried everything on in the 15+ years of having it!)

Double-cleansing and tea tree sheet masks seemed to be particularly good. I think the main thing was that it helped to regulate the oiliness of my skin. Thankfully, 3 years on and not a single cystic spot since; I actually only do the full routine once in a blue moon now.

I developed really bad acne from the the age of 12 and no medication treated it successfully- it got better when I hit my 40’s (just in time for the wrinkles) I’m surprised as a doctor that you are asking for advice about this. You must know there is no miracle ointment! Obviously lots of water and a good diet - but you know that. The only thing I would suggest is a sunbed - it’s ageing but works wonders

A PP mentioned TCP - as a teenager I used surgical spirits as a 'cleanser' just on cotton wool at night. Probably not recommended but it dried up my oily skin & cleared up my horrible spots.

I have noticed my skin decline since wearing masks more frequently too, particularly around my chin/upper lip/nose. Have you tried Azelaic acid? (Skinoren 20%). It has worked for me in the past but your mileage may vary. It’s helps to fade post inflammatory hyperpigmentation too

OP, have you tried a charcoal & tea tree cleansing bar?

@Alicemtaylor2000 of course I know there isn’t a miracle ointment. I was asking if there’s a skincare regime which might help a bit, in particular to reduce oil. I won’t use a sunbed, I have pale Celtic skin and it’s just asking for trouble (I wouldn’t recommend anyone uses one tbh). My question doesn’t come from a place of ignorance but one of desperation, doctors are allowed to be a bit vain too!

I developed cystic acne when i started hormone therapy after treatment for breast cancer, it was horrendous . I also swear by silver serum from the skin shop (saw an article in paper a out it and thought give it a go!) and religiously use the scrub and serum 2 x day and rosehip facial oil at night as an occasional boost. It sounds daft to use an oil on oily skin but it it said to help reduce inflammation. Get the occasional bump around chin but nothing like it used to be.

It’s not vain to dislike pus coming out of your face 😭

I still check my face every morning just in case it’s come back. Plus I need to check my eyelash perm hasn’t dropped.

@Fluffycloudland77, or pus not coming out of your face, just having massive, sore, deep lumps which make your glands swell and throb like a bastard. Lifted lashes are a must in these bemasked times!

@hellyo18 well that’s a double bastard, as if you weren’t going through enough. I’m glad you find something that helped and the idea of silver as an ingredient makes perfect sense too.

I had acne til last year (38). Id done every tablet - dianette helped and roaccutane but a stress would set it off again.

Things that helped/worked:
Soap and water wash
Pure Witch hazel after wash/before moisturise
Light non oil moisturiser
Sudocream on breakouts

Everything else was a waste of money
Age helped!!!

Thinking about it I did change my facewash a few weeks ago to CeraVe having heard good things. I’ve got the anti oil one though which I now realise isn’t actually the one everyone recommends. My face does feel a bit tight afterwards so maybe that’s triggered some extra oil production. Maybe. I’ll probably switch back to something a bit gentler anyway.

Hi OP, I've said this before on these threads, and you may know this already but switching all hair and body products to SLS and silicone free helped me hugely. It's not a cure by any means but it helped (acne on face and shoulders, eczema elsewhere).

I like the Childs Farm fig range and they do an adult range now online which I've not tried. Ditto hair product and makeup where you can. Put a bit of bicarb in the shampoo weekly if you get product build up.

Very best of luck to you, hope you see some improvements xx

@tiredanddangerous. Re your comment about finding a suitable dairy replacement for a cup of tea, have you tried the fresh & unsweetened version of Almond Breeze?

This was the only one that I found that was acceptable, but it does have to be the fresh version. I even managed to eat it with cereal, you can usually buy it in Tesco. Disappointed to report that a non dairy diet did naff all for my acne 😢.

Only thing that seems to have been working for me recently is Ren clearcalm spot treatment. It seems to work best by mixing it with your daily moisturiser in the morning and with whatever you choose to use at night. I mix it with Nip & Fab glycolic products and for now, my skin is relatively clear. Like most of you here, I'm a long term sufferer (since after 12) and constantly in search of solutions. I'm 47 now and dreading what the menopause might bring..

Of course - I didn’t mean to sound patronising- there maybe some skincare products that work for some people. When my skin was really bad I wasn’t in a position to be afford them. I remember coming home from my first term at university and my mum burst into tears because my skin was so bad ! I’m still left with scarred and red skin but can use makeup to cover it. I hope you find a product that can help you - all the best
Alice x

Have you tried salicylic acid? The Inkey List have a regime which seems to work for many.

www.instagram.com/tv/B_LT-B6Hktl/?igshid=5keihwzdf9l1

Differin at night, skinoren in the morning. Only thing that has worked for me!

I just read the whole thread as I have a similar issue. Thanks for all the tips. I started using Paula's Choice cleanser recently and found it great. My monthly break-out this month wasn't half as bad as usual. I'll look into the BHA (and into what BHA is!). Ta. x

Have you tried Acnecide? It comes in a range of treatments (face wash, creams and gels)

I get the odd pimple So I pop some gel on over night and by morning, it’s started to dry out.

I’ve only ever used the gel, though. And I don’t have acne so I couldn’t defo say that it’d get rid, but it’s worth a try. (:

The active ingredient in acnecide is benzoyl peroxide so I use that in my combined prescription treatment every night.

I have used salicylic acid in the past. I have used niacinamide in the past but never in combination with other treatments so that’s the first thing I’m going to add in then maybe azaleic acid.
Regime so far:
AM
LRP toleraine cleanser
Moisturiser with niacinamide (freederm, I’d ordered this before I started the thread)
LRP effeclar Matt BB cream

PM
LRP effaclar micellar water to remove most of makeup (well that hasn’t already slid off my face)
Toleraine cleanser to make sure it’s all off
Epiduo

People using prescription acne treatments (differin, epiduo, duac, acnecide etc) at night do you usually use a moisturiser too? I never have but seen a few regimes online where people do.

My skin is actually feeling quite a bit calmer and less dramatically greasy since switching CeraVe for the toleraine so maybe that’s a factor. I might get a niacinamide serum next.

My skins very oily so I don’t moisturise as a separate step.

In the morning I use sunblock so that’s got glycerin in it and at night I use retinol twice a week with squalene in it. Then tret 0.025% hydroquinone 4% twice a week.

I never understood how oily skin could be dry. I’ve tried so many creams and they all caused breakouts.

I don't suffer with my skin, so please feel free to disregard my suggestion but I thought I'd bring it up as nobody seems to have mentioned it yet.

There's a company called Witches Labs, they make a whole range of facial
products called Chloe's Secret Formula and on their Facebook page they have all sorts of testimonials for a variety of skins complaints, I'm sure I saw one for cystic acne.

Might not be a goer but check them out on Facebook and decide for yourself

(I'm not affiliated with this company by the way, but I do swear by their sleep balms!!)

My teenage son is really suffering. Lymecycline helped a bit, but didn't clear it completely and as soon as he stopped, bang, it was back.

I buy him every product going.

Slaycilic acid is probably the most effective, but it's not totally effective. He's trying azelaic acid right now and it's looking hopeful.

Sounds miserable for all of you suffering.

Hi frequency facials, it basically zaps the spots and it helped me massively, I also had cystic acne. Yasmin pill gave me weekly migraines.

@Fluffycloudland77 it is a bit weird. I just use a small amount of an oil free moisturiser. If I don’t then I tend to find I do get dry patches- I guess really I’ve got combination skin but the oily bits are really oily!