Will I ever be free from spots?!

[ChuckGarabedian]

I’m almost 37 and since early teens, I have never had clear skin. I have always been a bit spotty, mainly my chin and my upper back. I put up with it as it’s not cystic acne and let’s face it, it’s a first world problem! But I do wonder if I’ll ever be free of them - I’m a bit embarrassed to have teenage skin in my late 30s tbh.

I have always taken quite good care of my skin in cleansing properly, drink lots of water, use SPF etc, but chin spots seem to point towards hormones and there’s not much I can do about that. I have been on the mini pill since I had my youngest two years ago but the spot problem predates that.

Have tried various OTC treatments but didn’t find any of them effective. I was prescribed erythromycin by my doctor at one stage, but had to stop taking them when I discovered I was pregnant.

Anyone have any similar experiences? Did your spots clear up eventually, or did any particular treatment/medication work?

I’m exactly the same (42). I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early 30s when I started TTC. Could this be a possible cause for you? It doesn’t always impact on fertility so the fact you’ve had a child doesn’t rule it out.

If it is hormone based no amount of product will get rid of the spots entirely, they’ll just help you manage them.

I use a mixture of products - La Roche Posay, Elemis, Origins and Murad and it seems to help keep them at bay!

I’ve recently started taking ovranette and my skin has pretty much cleared up. I had horrible cystic acne on my cheeks and chin.

I've had terrible skin since going on the mini pill about 6 years ago. It's pretty sensitive as well so was concerned with using stuff for acne prone skin but I've just started using salicylic face wash and I'm astounded as how quickly it's helped my skin. I really wish I'd done this years ago. I was on the verge of going to my doctor's as it was so bad but thought I'd give the face wash one last try. It has made my skin dry but to be honest I'd take that over the spots and oil slick skin I've been experiencing.

What is the face wash you're using?

I've had the same kind of acne since 12. Persistent low level spots, not cystic acne. Been through all the GP stuff, various lotions etc. I ma aged to get them to agree to a dermatology referral when I was 37. It took 18 months to be seen. I'm 39 now, and am 10 months in to a 15 month course of Isotretinoin. (I'm on a low dose as it worked so well, but it means I'm on it for longer). My skin was clear within 3 weeks. I've had maybe 3 spots since. My skin looks amazing. I can go make up free if I want to now. I can't tell you how thrilled I am! I haven't had any major issues with being on it. After about 6 mths of treatment I got some dry skin. That seems to have settled other than occasionally on my eye lids. I also have dry eyes - but it only affects me when I'm wearing contact lenses. Eye drops sort it out though. No MH problems, or anything else. I'd 100% recommend.

As a PP said, what face wash are you using? I found that one's for acne-prone skin made mine worse as they were too drying - I discovered Origins checks & balances and it has done wonders for me.

A friend of mine swears by her Dr Denis Gross LED face mask for clearing her acne, but they are not cheap!

Have you tried a retinoid like Differin or tretinoin? They’re a mainstay of acne treatment. They can be prescribed by your GP or you can use an online dermatology service like Skin&Me or Dermatica.

I had clear skin as a teenager and as an adult and most likely after children I started to get acne on my chin area.
Over the years I had medication, antibiotics, creams and Roaccutane. None of these treatments worked and after about 30 years one GP thought it maybe rosacea and gave me a cream. The cream did work to a certain extent but I didn't like the texture. I then went on to try Dermatica, the rosacea treatment and my skin has never looked better.
My chin was constant spots, always swollen and red. After about 2 months the spots reduced and I no longer had the swelling. Now my skin just looks normal no spots and no swelling, the deep mouth creases I had have all gone.
I wish Dermatica was around years ago.
You could give them a try, it's a questionnaire and 3 photos and they have different treatments, acne, rosacea, aging and glow etc. I can share a code for the first 2 months discounted if interested.

Try giving up milk and milk products. You might have PCOS. could be slightly reactive to makeup, moisturiser etc.

I second the dairy intolerance, makes a huge difference to me. Also cutting out refined carbs. Sorry!

I have had good results using La Roche posay theee step cleansing system and acnecide gel
https://www.boots.com/la-roche-posay-effaclar-3-step-kit-10293472

My skin has flared up with the peri and using tretanoin has really helped.
I would seek out proper treatment.

Just the Nivea one https://www.boots.com/nivea-derma-skin-clear-face-wash-gel-with-salicylicacid-150ml-10320397?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--PLAs_HeroCompare---_-PMax:+UK_Smart_Shopping_Beauty&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA0PuuBhBsEiwAS7fsNfsy_A6eSkPrRtJqDyRLcW0b5ZKzL0uqDPSTdcZTVw2mUdOORGLQrBoC0S4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Really happy with the results.

I have menopausal acne like a few PP. I use CosRX calming facial wash and am currently four weeks into a treatment from Skin&Me.

This is the first time in years I haven't had a spot on my face. My skin isn't perfect and I don't think it ever will be but it's made a huge difference in just under 28 days.

I got my first month for £3.50 and then £24.99 each month for the next three months. It's definitely worth a try.

I am very similar to you with bouts of (low level) cystic acne amongst it.

As a teen/early 20s, I had the best effect with tretinoin but it did not completely clear it and eventually had a course of Roaccutane which left it better but still not completely gone. Occasional cystic jawline spot after this but not frequent.

Got worse again post childbirth with cystic jawline spots again - not horrific but bad enough to be an issue - and then again last year. I had some salicylic acid peels and then have been using Skin&Me for 5 months and am finally seeing an improvement. Peels actually made it so much worse but by my understanding anything that promotes cell turnover will do that and now it has calmed and seems to be settling. Definitely recommend giving Dermatica/Skin&Me a try but you need to persist for a while to see any benefit

Yes, me! I'm afraid the solution has been perimenopause in my early 40s rather than any products though. Using Avene and La Roche Posay definitely stopped making my skin any worse, which felt like a win, but this is the only thing that's cleared it.
The downside is the excessive chin hair that's arrived as the spots left, but one problem at a time 🤦🏻‍♀️

I have a 'spotty' husband.

I do think it's skin-type.

My husband and son suffer from blocked pores.

They get spots.

My daughter & I don't. It's not our skin type.

I have never had a spot in my life.

Similar experience, skin not great and I had monthly hormonal breakouts plus some really big reoccurring spots. I signed up to skin+Me during lockdown and used their services for about a year. Skin is brilliant now! I've unsubscribed but have a spare tube for the odd time when I feel a spot brewing.

I also wear makeup less often (maybe 4 days a week) plus wash my makeup off when I get in after work.

All of those things combined seemed to have helped!

Go straight to a dermatologist - idotretinoin

I did at 36 after spending a fortune on creams over the years. I’d tried antibiotics too (long term). Nothing worked.

I had isotretinoinfor a year (low dose) and I haven’t had a spot since the first month. I am happy to be make up free in public, something I never could have fathomed!

Im kicking myself for not going sooner and if my dd or ds suffer from acne I won’t hesitate to take them to a dermatologist.

My skin is the same - the only times it's been clear were when I was briefly on Dianette (wonder drug but they wouldn't let me be on it more than a year) and when I was pregnant. I sometimes get a cystic spot before my period, but mostly it's just annoying ones that never come to a head properly but aren't blind spots either. My mum still gets spots in her 70s occasionally so I guess it's hereditary!

Retinol has been the big change for me. I've used 'good' skincare for probably 15 years (Avene, LRP, Korean brands, I'm on skincare Facebook groups etc), but retinol actually stopped me getting spots. When my health is good, the weather suits my skin and I'm remembering to use retinol regularly, I have pretty much clear skin.

At the moment I'm using a low dose from Beauty Pie because the higher dose from Medic8 makes my skin dry after a while. But I'll go back to it. I was tempted by Skin&Me but just as I was about to sign up they put their prices up 🙄 I still might though, as it does get very good reviews.

Can I ask, did you go private? If so roughly how much did it cost? Thanks.

I'm 30 and have similar skin. I started using Skin&Me a couple of months ago and I genuinely can't believe the difference, before that the only thing that had helped was Dianette/Yasmin but I don't want to be on hormonal contraceptives any more.

Skin&Me do prescriptions tailored to your skin, you send them photos to help them assess what you need. I was dubious at first but I'm finally spot free and leaving the house make up free some days which I've never done since I was a teen!

OP, it feels awful getting spots, especially as an adult.

I only started getting spots in my late 20s. I tried everything but what worked in the end (in my early 30s) was a laser treatment called N lite. It wasn’t cheap but it worked. 3 sessions, a couple of weeks apart and it lasted for about a year/year and a half. Then I did it again. After about 3 or 4 times (can’t recall exact number) they just stopped coming back at all. I haven’t looked into it for several years because I haven’t needed it, but I imagine the treatment is still available.

I had awful acne from the age of 10 to 30. Am currently 33.
What sorted it for me was sheer laziness due to covid lock down. I wasn't seeing anyone so my skin care regime fell back. I never put makeup and so didn't have nay to wash off. So I wasn't washing my face three times a day and putting creams and lotions on. Then when I was only washing once a day my oiliness went completely down. I used to be so oily it was awful. And then after a bit, sometimes I would only rinse my face with water once a day, not use any soap as there was now no oil to clean away.
And my skin is now perfect. No spots at all. Not oily at all.
Nothing was changed except I just used less products rather bought a brand new amazing one. And I didn't change my hormones/contraception or anything. Am even more hormonal as have recently had baby so hormones no longer affect me with bad acne

I also feel like you OP and I'm a similar age. I have terrible skin. Full of spots and scars. Have spent a small fortune over the years trying different treatments and nothing has really worked for me. So following this thread with interest.

(p.s. I love your username - fellow Simpsons fan!) @ChuckGarabedian