Sandpaper Skin!! Can anyone advise please?

[BeretRaspberry]

Hi,

I have always had normal/combination skin on my face, with a tendency for it to be more oily and I’ve suffered with acne since my early 20’s due to PCOS.

Lately, I’ve noticed a band of skin at the base of the front of my neck, that I can only describe as feeling like sandpaper - it is so rough. The band goes about 2” up my neck. It’s not red, itchy or sore.

The rest of my face is still mostly oily and I’ve been using Tret for my acne for a few years now (after many other things over the years as well). I never use it below my chin so the only things that go anywhere near this rough patch are gentle cleansers, hydrating toners, serums and my moisturiser. Last week I tried using a bit of Paula’s Choice 2% BHA on it but it hasn’t made a difference.

For info, I’m 49 and going through peri.

Does anyone else have any idea what I could do/try/what it could be? Thank you.

Hmm, with pcos Acanthosis Nigricans is quite common, and it sounds like what you're experiencing is the start of that. I'd have it checked out by your GP or specialist, it can be insulin resistance related or something else with a hormonal cause. I don't know why, but pcos seems to love showing up with mystery rashes around the neck 🤷

Thank you. I’ll check it out. I’ve had skin tags for years under my boobs and now some on my neck as well, which I think can be a sign of insulin resistance. That said, I don’t know how they test for it. I know my HbA1c was completely normal (29) and whenever I’ve been tested for anything diabetes related, it’s always been normal too.