Anyone else mid thirties and still a bit spotty ?

[Hideehi]

I'm usinf clarins to try and fight the wrinkles but what to do about my chin, jaw and mouth area which still is like a teenagers, not peachy and lush but prone to quite a few zits still.
Anyone else ??

Me too! I never had spots as a teenager but they started sometime during my 20's (don't know exactly when) - and it was usually only 1 huge spot at a time rather than lots of them - but as soon as 1 spot disappeared another appeared so I ALWAYS had at least 1 massive spot on my face (usually round my chin aswell) plus lots of red marks from old spots.

This continued until I got pg at 31 (am now 33) - skin cleared up fantastically whilst pg and stayed clear even after DS was born.

Now it is 16 months later and I have just got my first 2 spots in nearly 2 years! Am gutted as it was so brilliant having clear skin all the time and not having to worry about putting make-up to cover them up etc (and they are BIG).

Am really hoping that these 2 spots I have got are just blips

I always thought it was the pill that caused mine although the doctor never agreed! But I went back on the pill when DS was 6 weeks and the spots didn't come back - I stopped taking the pill again 4 weeks ago and the spots have come back

A condition called polycystic ovaries is sometimes the root cause behind adult onset acne.

I've been really spotty for the last year or so and I hate it as I used to have really smooth clear skin.
I've tried everything, but the only thing that seems to keep them under control is washing my face with plain warm water at least twic a day then applying a light moisturiser (eg Olay). I also use Clearasil pads maybe every other day. Since I've been following this regime I'm almost back to normal.

I?ve just reached 30 and still suffer with spots and very oily skin. I get spots just before my period; using Liz Earle has helped the condition of my skin tremendously. I also use her moisturiser in light, as most other moisturisers are too heavy for my spot prone skin and make my oily t zone even more so. At night I use Elemis pro collagen marine cream to help keep the wrinkles at bay. I also notice a difference when I drink more water.

dont forget oily skin is healthy skin and means you will age slower and be less prones to wrinkles

I don't have this problem (at the moment!), but a close friend of mine does, and it has completely vanished since she started taking a particular supplement. She is a naturopath herself, and was always baffled why she had this problem when she was on top of everything else... I'm sure it was DIM ( www.dim.org.uk/ or www.primev.com/DIM.htm#DIM2 ) By the way, that last one was a site where you can buy it but I would suggest you really ought to go through a naturopath or similar to make sure it's right for you. I don't even know that that site has a quality product, just useful Q&A section...

The difference has been completely astonishing. She always had that hormone type/round the jaw line acne which lots of posts on here seem to be referring to. I've known her 15 years and it's absolutely gone.
Anyway, HTH.

I am 28 and although my skin is going thru a good phase right now, it has never really calmed down from being a teenager! BUT the OP mentions using clarins which i know many people swear by - i had several (bloody expensive) consultations and used all the recommended products for 2 years and my skin got no better. Then we had a baby and no money so i started buying oil of olay (the cheapest of that variety!) and my skin has improved loads! No idea why, assumed that the more expensive the product the better it would be but that hasn't been the case for me. Or perhaps my skin just prefers my lifestyle now - who knows?!

I have been a bit of a pizza face all my life - I am now ony a week or two off being 43 and still zitty a lot of the time, prone to big sore ones just before coming on, etc. But I can safely say I don;t have PCOS or at least I didn't 3/4 years ago when I was just as spotty but about to concieve DS.

I've head nearly 30 years to get used to being spotty, and I won;t say it causes me anything other than mild irritation (though I don;t like the sore ones). But then I am a belligerent feminist who dresses strangely and am quite used to my appearance upsetting and horrifying people on occasion (no fun if it doesn't) so generally remember that people are too busy fussing about the spandex, the lurid colours or the obnoxious badge slogans to notice the plukes .

I have suffered from spots all my adult life in varying degrees, the only thing i have found to work is DUAC from the doctor. Believe me i have tried everything

does witch hazel work for anyone?

anyone tried pure t skin balancing gel, kapow by benefit, skin doctors overnight zit zapper or proactiv? they have been mentioned before on here.

I've used the witch hazel stick which you rub on to the affected area. It does work but it's very drying so would'nt want to use it too much.

Like Madamez I am 43 in a week's time and have had spots for an unbelievable and very unfair (to my mind) 30 years !

Luckily, although I am never without 1 or 2 on my face, my main problems haven't been there, but on my back, shoulders and, to some extent on my chest. I can't begin to describe how "dirty" and unfeminine this has made me feel over the years. Going swimming is usually out of the question, as are sleeveless clothes (unless I've been in the sun lately) and I know this has had an awful lot to do with my lack of sel;f confidence about my appearance over the years.
It's just horrid and it now looks as though I'm stuck with having awful skin until I hit the menopause - and probably after too, knowing my luck.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been to various doctors and have tried all sorts .... creams (very impractical for your back), anti-biotics, something else (lost in the mists of times) and various forms of the Pill. Only Dianette made a bit of difference, but now, at my age, my GP is reluctant to continue prescribing this so am currently not taking anything and haven't been for about 6 months. Really, I should go back yet again ..... but after 30 years, getting the impetus to go and whinge for the umpteenth time when nothing works is hard. ('Tis also hard to face up to the hard fact of being "too old" for a particular sort of contraceptive - very depressing - but that's another thread).

The ONLY thing which ever makes a marked difference is sunshine, but unfortunately, much as I'd like to I can't afford to be jetting off chasing the sun all year round. Sunbeds help too but we all know the risks they pose ... and I would need to be using them regularly and indefinitely.

Okay ..... I am pretty wrinkle free but I think I'd trade that for the excrutiating self consciousness that often accompanies bad skin.

Catsmother - It sounds as if you are having a bad time with your skin.
There are loads of different treatments now and everybody responds differently so what is ideal for one person doesn't always work for another.
Have you asked to see a dermatologist? If you sus out a sympathetic GP in your practice and tell them what you've just told us I'm sure they'll be able to help.
I know I said I still suffer but it is largely kept at bay by treatment and I've accepted now that I'll have to struggle with it(and treat it) probably for ever.
Keep at it. Doctors know that often you have to try several different treatments until you find the right one and this should've been explained to you. Also it often takes 2-3 months before the treatment works. I promise you won't be seen as whinging and if you start now who knows you could be in sleeveless tops by Spring.

i developed acne rosacea (sp?) about 5 years ago. tried loads of things. topical anitbiotics (zineryt) helped a little but the best thing has been changing my diet. i was having acupuncture and was told to stop eating spicy foods and cut out coffee and alchol. it has made a huge difference although i am back on the coffee and drink occassionaly. in fact i had alot of wine at the weekend and my cheek is flaring up again. definitely worth looking at diet.

Message withdrawn

i have spots, but not oily skin.

the two don't always go hand in hand.

me - never had zits as a teenager

i really didn't have them as a teen.

i started getting bad acne when i was 28 and went off hte pill.

i am 31 at weekend and i still get breakouts on my chin and around my nose. they do seem worse before my period and my skin went awful after having DS then gradually cleared up.

i find that the cleansers and creams for oily skin are too severe but that some of the anti ageing stuff is too rich and greasy.i did spend a fortune on the clinique 3 step stuff a few years back and it did nothing except make me skint. i then went for a facial at a salon and the therapist said tha i should avoid products containing the "wonder ingredient" salicyclic acid as it strips your skin then leaves it prone to dirt and germs. might explain why mine got worse after a while. i found that Thalgo stuff worked ok but i got the one for normal/combination skin so it wasnt too severe.

i also second mineral foundation. its fab stuff. i use sheer cover from the shopping channels on sky and it is brill. it doesnt clog my pores but gives me a flawless look and covers scars etc without having to apply loads. i only really noticed how good it was when i saw photos of myself wearing it and i looked like i had perfect skin. i couldnt believe it

Isn't it frustrating - had perfect skin when pg. It was bliss - the minute I had my DD my skin has flared up again (just shows it is hormones for me). I get pimple like spots over my chin which is what I used to get on the pill. (I'm not allowed on the pill though as I get migraines). I just wish my skin would be glowy and gorgeous again..... A drastic reason to get PG again so quickly though!

isn't salicylic acid just aspirin anyway? Pretty cheap for a 'wonder' ingredient, not that you'd know it judging by the price of the creams!

Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.

thanks i'll stop spreading my ignorance!

i'm 26 too and have really bd skin since having dd two years ago, also have pretty heavy periods since and the hairy chin thing

went to gp but coudn;t do dianette as we may ave another baby next year (maybe that will sort the hormone probs out)

My skin became terrible when I hit 30, and has only just calmed down at 44. I was on Dianette AND a daily antibiotic for years.

Maybe it was coincidence, and the spots diminished because of my age (though I've just had a dd, so my hormones must still be swilling about), but in the course of my endless net surfing looking for enlightenment, I came across a website called acne.org (The Regimen). This recommended benzoyl peroxide at just 2.5% strength, all over the affected area twice a day. I had had bp before, but in much higher strengths, and only on individual spots. Anyway, my spots have gone pretty much after following this regime.

I am sceptical by nature, especially about internet 'wonder cures', and only tried this because bp is cheap and readily available. But unless the spots disappeared by coincidence, it worked. I now buy direct from the website, though I am charged customs duty. The website's originator is insistent that using bp at more than 2.5% is counter-productive because it strips the skin and makes it more prone to angry reactions and thus more spots(+ bleaches towels, etc).

So there it is. Maybe just coincidence but I daren't stop using this stuff. I did stop, incidentally, when I was pregnant, just in case it could be harmful, and got some zits - but maybe that was a pregnancy thing.

PS: I put on 5 stone while on Dianette. Size 8/10 until age 30 - now HUUUUUUGE!