I am mid forties and have suffered with acne since puberty. During my teens and twenties it was largely controlled by Dianette. In my first pregnancy I had great skin, not so lucky second time around.
I'm very fair. My skin is oily but dry. My skin marks incredibly easily and the redness/scarring bothers me as much as the acne which can be painful at times. Until a few years ago it was largely confined to my chin/around my mouth, but in the past few years I've developed Rosacea across my cheeks. It's mainly just red and bumpy, I don't tend to get pustules and some days it is more visible than others.
Towards the end of last year/beginning of 2026 I was desperate to try Roaccutane. I had my Dermatology appointment last week and would have been prescribed it had I been taking contraception (we use condoms whilst my DH is waiting for a vasectomy). So I was sent away to get some contraception and then will be given another appointment. In the meantime I've been on Lymecycline for a month (previously used 10 years ago, worked well at first then effectiveness dwindled) and Skinoren which I've also previously used.
I don't know if I want to try Roaccutane anymore. The dermatologist said my issues are almost certainly hormonal (I agree) and in which case when I go through menopause I would most likely need Spironolactone to manage my acne.
I'm not sure if all the trade offs are worth it. There are no guarantees it will work for me and if it does, it might only be for a limited time. I wear contact lenses and was told I wouldn't be able to wear them anymore. My contact lenses are hugely important to me. It wasn't fun having acne, braces and glasses as a teen so lenses made a huge difference. I know I will dry out like a crisp and night driving will likely be an issue for me. I already avoid it unless I need to.
But then there's the thought of what if. What if it does work and the side effects aren't bad for me? From posts I've read on here some people just seem to need to use lip balm more regularly. If you were me, what would you do?