Hormonal acne

[womanity]

At the ripe old age of 47 I’ve just developed a faceful of acne, presumably following the insertion of a mirena coil a couple of months ago.

How do I fix it? The last time I had acne (in my 20s...) I used Clinique #2 clarifying lotion and the odd squeeze of anti blemish stuff.

My skin care routine is currently absolutely nothing at all, and I don’t wear make up (though I might have to start!)

Oh.

Well, shit. Thanks for the heads up!

I hope the antibiotics work for you.

I really don’t want to lose the coil because it’s doing exactly what it was meant to but I’m not sure I fancy having a red chin beard either.

Same happened to me with the implant. Ring the drs because mine went cystic very quickly and they throbbed so badly it woke me up at night.

All acne’s hormonal, that’s why prepubescent kids don’t get it.

The drs won’t mind you ringing about this, that’s what Gp’s are for,.

I'm having this problem too but spots are on back of neck & shoulder area.

Does this settle down after a while?

I've never been prone to spots & at this stage in my life I don't want to have to deal with them.

No, ime it doesn’t settle down because the increase in progesterone makes your skin oily, the oil is food for the bacteria so they thrive.

I had the implant out after 9 months. They really ought to warn us about this before we commit to these things because it’s not like you can just take these things out on our own is it.

I have suffered many times over the years with acne on the chin and around mouth. It was at its worst when I was on the pill in my 20s. I’m now peri menopausal and it seems to finally be sorting itself out. I don’t take any hormonal contraception and haven’t for years because I hate what it does to my skin.

At one point I was prescribed Spironolactone by a dermatologist which helped loads. It’s not actually an acne drug- I think its primary use is to reduce fluid build up relating to heart failure or liver/kidney issues. But I assume it also reduces testosterone because it is often prescribed to men who are transitioning to/identifying as women.

Whether that would help you and whether or not it can be used alongside the coil I don’t know but might be worth asking GP or dermatologist.

Actually if you can afford a private consultation with a dermatologist that might be a good move (or try getting a referral on NHS but that could be a bit of a wait). They will be able to assess your situation as a whole and work out how to tackle it.

@waterlego I was prescribed spironolactone too for acne in my 20s which helped loads, my skin went lovely and clear but did you find it caused other problems such as peeling weak nails and dental problems etc also constipation??

I only wanted a cleanser recommendation- I’m not liking the sound of any of this 😭😭😭😭😭

I really hope it doesn’t come to having to choose between not leaving the house because acne or not leaving the house because periods.

The first spot only appeared about 10 days ago but since then I’ve grown about 20 more and I can feel more brewing, so I’ve now had probably more spots in 10 days than in the past two years combined. 😭😭😭

I was reading about spironolactone last night too, but don’t really like the sound of that either.

Current plan is to give it a few more days and if it doesn’t stop/clear up any, I’ll speak to gp.

(I’ve only had coil about 2 months - is that in line with your experiences?)

Thanks so much for all the advice.

But what will a cleanser do if you’ve got a bacterial infection in the deep layers of your skin?. You’re not doing anything wrong with skincare, you’ve just got an infection.

20 spots is loads in 10 days. Honestly just ring them and get a prescription because you scar really easily after 40. I’ve got scars from 4 years ago that are just fading now with vitamin c applications but they’re still the first thing I see in the mirror.

I used to book the shopping to come when dh was here so I could hide in the utility room.

I used to book the shopping to come when dh was here so I could hide in the utility room.

Oh bless you. That’s harsh. Although I have been very kind of glad to be able to hide behind mask on school run...

@klfahah, I didn’t notice any issues with teeth or nails, no. Constipation- possibly but that’s a pretty common problem for me anyway so I probably wouldn’t have noticed/attributed it to the medication.

I did suffer some loss of libido which I thought might possibly have been linked to it though. (Equally could have been just general hormonal fluctuations/mental health ups and downs).

OP, I don’t think a specific skincare will solve the problem (though there are of course brands which are designed for skin with acne, which may well help).

My years with hormonal acne on my face, and later, cystic acne on the upper back, unfortunately taught me that whatever I put on my skin didn’t make much difference. For me, it was about treating the problem at the source: those bastard hormones!

Hopefully you’ll find something that helps you.

OP, if you had a long-standing skin infection anywhere else on your body you’d go to the GP. For some reason we think facial acne is different. Probably because it’s dismissed as a teenage thing and we’re sold lots of face washes etc to deal with it (that do v little). I’ve just been to the GP with my acne/possible rosacea and she took it v seriously and has prescribed antibiotic cream which seems to be having an impact already after just a few days, with the promise of oral antibiotics and/ or a dermatology referral if it doesn’t clear up with that. Go to your GP, they absolutely will take you seriously and will be able to help.

@womanity

I only wanted a cleanser recommendation- I’m not liking the sound of any of this 😭😭😭😭😭

I really hope it doesn’t come to having to choose between not leaving the house because acne or not leaving the house because periods.

The first spot only appeared about 10 days ago but since then I’ve grown about 20 more and I can feel more brewing, so I’ve now had probably more spots in 10 days than in the past two years combined. 😭😭😭

I was reading about spironolactone last night too, but don’t really like the sound of that either.

Current plan is to give it a few more days and if it doesn’t stop/clear up any, I’ll speak to gp.

(I’ve only had coil about 2 months - is that in line with your experiences?)

Thanks so much for all the advice.

I've had it in just as long & have read online that it might settle down when hormones do. So I'm living in hope!

I feel it hasn't settled yet as I'm still spotting most days.

@justawoman I blame the cosmetic firms personally, they’ve pushed skin care pretty hard for years as the cure & renamed acne “breakouts”.

You’re right though, anywhere else on the body you’d seek antibiotics pretty quickly not hit boots skincare aisle.

I’m yet to meet a female gp with bad skin.

For the sake of anyone reading this thread in the future, an update.

It’s stopped. Completely stopped. So either, it was ‘period due acne’ like I used to get in my twenties, or something else entirely. No new spots in a couple of days. Fingers crossed.

Hopefully it stays away. If it comes back, do see your GP.

While skincare alone can't fix the problem, some products can help. Pears green soap in the morning, a light moisturiser, and Cetaphil gentle cleanser at night works better for me than anything else I've tried.