TW: health, skin, mention of weight/body image, mental health
First time poster! I am sorry in advance, this is a long post but I am at my wit’s end and so fed up. And it’s going to sound so indulgent - but I’ve suffered on my own with this for ages and don’t know what to do. It’s all very silly and I feel silly for posting but would appreciate reassurance and advice.
so I am 31, and about 18 months ago I started running. Since I started running, I’ve developed terribly oily and acne prone skin, and a thick peach fuzz. It’s horrible and really bothering me.
(for context which is important) In my teens and early to mid 20s I was VERY skinny as I limited my food intake due to body image issues. Naturally I’ve got hips and boobs but I was convinced I needed to be a rake. Family members contributed to this (not their fault, they learned it through their parents etc)
In my mid 20s someone did some awful things to me and it affected my mental health significantly. It took years of medical
intervention and therapy to recover. During my recovery from this incident I became more pro body self love (yay!) and started eating normally. This led me to put on some weight and due to some family members and their own weight hang ups it really bothered me. I did get a bit bigger than I was comfortable with as well. Combined with taking on a part time job in the Navy, I had to get fit anyway, so I started running.
I literally hate exercising but I persevered and I now run 3-4 times a week for 40-50 mins at a time. I’m not super fast or anything but I cover 5-7km at a time. This is a huge achievement for me and I am SO PROUD of myself. I feel fitter and, whilst I am not my original weight and shape (which I think is actually a good thing as I basically had an eating disorder before), I feel good in myself and am physically a lot stronger. Hurray! It helps to stop me falling into bad habits re limiting food etc so I am much healthier overall physically and mentally. Also a much happier person as I’m lucky and met my other half who is just wonderful.
Unfortunately as I mentioned, a side effect has been skin problems. Growing up I was very lucky and had very clear skin, with the odd hormonal spot or two. If anything my skin was sometimes a bit dry. It’s always been sensitive. Now I have rosacea and also very oily skin. Terrible acne appeared around my eyebrows, middle of my cheeks and along my chin. I am talking normal spots but also horrible deep acne that never came to a head but I as just lumpy and sore and would then leave marks. I also now have a very clear peach fuzz all over my cheeks and chin, and some on my forehead. It makes my makeup cake horribly and I love wearing makeup. It’s a joy to get to wear it and play with it, I’ve always enjoyed making up my face so losing this has been really hard.
I went to the Dr and a) got prescribed some azelaic acid which has helped enormously with the acne but it does dull my skin and can be irritating if I’m not careful, and isn’t a cure all anyway so I still get breakouts esp around my period and ovulation and b) had blood tests. Blood tests (including hormones) came back normal. My testosterone is ever so slightly higher than it used to be but hardly at all and likely just due to running. No alarm bells there at least.
The problem I’ve got is with my super sensitive but now oily and acne prone skin I have no idea what products to use. Makeup is a minefield. And how do I remove the peach fuzz without getting more acne or irritating my skin? The internet says everything is bad for one or the other. Shaving and dermaplaning can irritate and cause acne and so can waxing. Hair removal creams are tricky because of the acid I use as it can burn the skin even if I skip the acid that day: Plus the azelaic acid I am now reliant on makes using any products - skin or makeup - that much more complicated. I’m stuck with Simple and other uber gentle brands which are good but not great.
ive tried researching whether my running has caused this. I think it has. The timeline is very clear. Never exercised = dry sensitive skin no hair, now exercising = horribly oily sensitive skin with lots of hair. But the internet basically just says if I’m getting acne it’s because I’m not washing my face properly before or after exercise - I’m so careful about this!! I cleanse thoroughly immediately before and after. So it’s not that.
To top it all off I’ve started getting Seb Derm in my scalp so have had to also change my shampoos to expensive anti funghal ones. It’s like my skin HATES me now I’m trying to be healthier.
I eat well, scratch cook most nights with lots of vegetables etc. and I get fresh air from running and walking the dog. I think I have a pretty healthy lifestyle. But I’m so fed up and feel horrible about myself. And also feel like I’m going mad because the internet just doesn’t seem to have any similar cases.
has anyone else experienced anything like this - exercising leading to face hair and oily/acne skin? My body feels great but my outer layer says otherwise!! I just want to know I’m not going mad. (Also any tips on products for skincare or makeup that are suitable for both oily and sensitive skin, whilst on azelaic acid, very much yearned for) TIA