Acne Still? TMI?

When I was younger, I took zinc and that actually helped. you can get it at most health related stores.. Additionally, I drank lots of water which also seemed to help. I have heard for some, that taking dairy out of their diets worked tremendously..

good luck to you and try the zinc vitamins.. as mentioned, they did help me..

best to you

I never had acne when I was younger except the few blemishes that came when my period came, until I hit 35ish, UGH! Adult acne all the way! I'm 42 now, and it's still a bother. One product that I really like it Origins "Out of Trouble", it's a 10 minute mask that REALLY works! I love it! I don't use it all the time, but when my skin is really asking for it, I'll use it a few days in a row, and I always get great results. And, if I could afford a regimen from Origins, that's the way I would go, they truly have great products.

Proactive worked for my kids' faces pretty well.
I also got them the Suave peach body wash with the nubbins in it to exfoliate their backs and shoulders.
The sun helps my son -- his acne is always much better in the summer. I don't know if it is the sun or the fact that he is drinking more water and getting more rest, but...
YMMV
LBC

Well the acne that hurts that is deep under the skin is cystic acne. The only treatment I found for that is going to the dermatologist and getting it injected with cortisone. The pimple (and pain) is gone in less than an hour.

I found Pro Active very helpful.

Also, Yaz birth control helps acne. I used it for a year and had zero breakouts and no cystic acne.

ugh, that's what I'm dealing with right now. It's like I turned 30 and my body thought that meant 13.

I've started washing my face twice a day with stuff for oily skin, since that seems to be my biggest problem. I also use a clearasil acne treatment on the under the surface ones that helps alot. I put it on when it first starts and it keeps it from getting too painful.

I've also been getting a lot of body breakouts, especially on my breasts and back, so I've been using a neutrogena body wash for acne which helps alot.

Treat it from the inside. Someone mentioned the sun and it being better in the summer. Probably correlates to vitamin D levels. Also increase your intake of natural vitamin A. Eat a diet of REAL food your great-grandmother would have recognized.

I'm SOOOO sorry!!!!

Stress has sooo much to do with how our body reacts to things....

I would suggest you document your diet - if you drink a lot of soda and eat junk food - it may be causing your acne.....try adding more water, fresh fruit and veggies to your diet...see if that changes anything...it drives me nuts when Dr.'s prescribe something instead of trying to find the root of the problem!!! URGH!!! I too would give up on them...go back to your Primary Care Physician and get them to think outside the box....maybe refer you to a dietician? I don't know...every BODY is different...

My daughter used ProActiv...and it seemed to work for her. Maybe it will work for you?

I get acne when I wax...not all the time but most of the time...especially if I don't do it every two weeks...

I use Olay facial cleanser and Mary Kay Night Emollient...I don't get a lot of break outs...never really did...but I do still (at 45) get acne occasionally.

I hope you get a permanent solution to this!!! GOOD LUCK!! Hope you have a wonderful family vacation!!

I am 35 and still battling acne and hate it. I have tried everything from over the counter stuff to Retin-A to prescription medicines, including antibiotics. Retin-A worked but wore off after several years and now it's bad again. :(

Pro-Active did not work for me. In fact, it changed my skin from struggling with acne to struggling with acne and a greasy face. Ugh!

Oxy-Clinical seemed to work well for awhile but around the time that I invested in a couple of kits, my face went back to being a greasy mess.

Loreal makes a scrub that I am enjoying right now. You might check it out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C112DW/ref=pd_lpo_k2...

Note, I just started but the greasy face is mostly gone. The breakouts will probably still happen but at least my face isn't greasy.

As for the breakouts, I have recently done a lot of research and those Mommas that said to watch your diet are right. Having acne at this age, especially cystic acne, means that your body isn't balanced and is not processing things right. Watching your carbs and the types of foods you put in your body I think will help. I am going on vacation and when I get back, I am going to monitor and track this to see but it makes sense for me as I have a lot of other signs that signify that this is my culprit. Being diligent though in testing this theory out is going to suck, especially if it's a life-long issue. Then again, I am tired of dealing with acne and frankly, I probably shouldn't eat that stuff anyway.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
N.

This might sound crazy, but when I started to get really bad break outs in my late teens my mom suggested I use Dial Gold antibacterial soap, warm water, and a wash cloth. I am now in my 20's and I still get them from time to time. I have PCOS so my skin is often oily and I get breaks all the time. I just wash my face once in the morning with dial and then I use olay daily moisturizer for sensitive skin, and I do the same at night before I go to bed (although I put less moisturizer on at night because I sweat in my sleep (yuck!). Now instead of having painful break outs all over my face I just get the occasional pimple. And whats great about this is that you don't have to spend a fortune on prescriptions or acne fighting systems.

I'm 46 and still battling acne. I never dreamed that it would still be such an issue. Anyway, AcneFree works well for me. Not the Severe Acne formula...it is way too harsh for my sensitive skin. I've never tried Proactiv before but have certainly heard very good things about it.

There are skin products out there and I would personally recommend a product called Zap-it if you need to go that route. What you are describing is directly related to your diet and your intake of toxins (you can also inhale and absorb, not just ingest....) A detox, a good absorbable multivitamin and an avoidance of synthetic chemicals in your home and diet will get rid of it I AM sure!

If you're interested I can go into more detail. This is common. You are not the only one. It is also a simple and inexpensive fix if you see what's wrong.

God bless!

M.

I will second the Accutane. I know that Accutane has really gotten a bad rap, but it is truly a miracle drug for adult acne. If you are done having kids, I would highly recommend you speak to a dermatologist about it. For the deep, painful type of cystic acne you mention, you can try all the over the counter stuff in the world, but it won't really work in the long run. And as the other poster mentioned, Accutane has very long-lasting results. I wish you much luck in battling this very annoying enemy.

I had constant breakouts until I started the oil cleansing method. At first I thought cleaning my oily acne prone skin with oil would be bad news but it's worked better than any treatment I've tried. If you google oil cleansing method you'll get all the important info. Most people don't do this, but I follow the ocm up with a gentle cleanser then top off my most acne prone area (my chin) with a generous layer of benzoyl peroxide.

this isnt acne. its time to do an elimination diet and see what foods you are eating that you shouldnt be. my husband was like this until we changed our eating habits. his mother still thinks she has acne. he is completely fine now....

You should seriously explore the link between diet and acne if you haven't already. It is worth a try.

Also-have you tried retin a? It does have a very difficult start up because you will purge your skin a lot but after that it keeps skin amazingly clear. And it is the only proven wrinkle eliminator available.

I am 38, and have dealt with acne as an adult. I have done the dermatologist route, with no success. The ONLY thing that EVER worked for me, is Proactiv.

It's gentle on my skin, but the most effective thing I've used. It DOES clear up my skin.

You do use it as a daily regimen, it's only 3 steps, so takes a total of a few minutes, and it actually soothes the skin. Other things I've used were soooo irritating. Not Proactiv. My skin actually feels calmer after I've used it. And within a very short time, my skin feels much smoother, softer, and looks much clearer.

And there is a product that usually comes with the 3 piece kit that is called a facial mask, that is a fantastic spot treatment for acne flare ups. If you put a spot of this stuff on an acne spot at night, by morning, it will come to a head, then after one more day of the spot treatment, it's gone. Seriously.

I'd definitely recommend you trying Proactiv, if you haven't already. It's truly the best skin care line I've ever used. It actually works.

And NO, I don't work for Proactiv. I just use it and love it.

I totally understand. I'm 40 and, until a few months ago, nothing I tried helped, including pro-active. I swear it was worse than when I was in high school. I FINALLY found something that has worked beautifully. It doesn't dry out my skin and leaves it feeling so soft. Every am and pm I wash my face with c booth Daily Vitamins Healthy Skin Facial Cleanser and then use c. booth Glycolic Acid Skin Resurfacing Solution.
Here they are, but you can also find them in Rite Aid & other stores.

http://www.amazon.com/Booth-Vitamins-Healthy-Facial-Clean...

http://www.amazon.com/Booth-derma-Glycolic-Resurfacing-So...

Best wishes!! :o)

My body went crazy with breakouts all on my back, chest, and face when I got off of BC pills. Could that be your culprit? I think 'time' was the only thing that fixed it in that instance.

But I do also get pimples often. I recently moved and either less stress is causing fewer pimples or the soft water is better on my skin. Not sure which.

But anyhoo - PRODUCTS: I have used for a long time the 'regimen' found at www.acne.org . I like the prices. The cleanser is ph balanced and very gentle and a huge size for the price. Another product I've tried was OXY Clinical that you can find at the grocery store. I liked the wash (it has benz peroxide in it), but did not like the clearing treatment. Oxy didn't really explain the steps and their proper order, unfortunately. But I like the OXY 'wash' and like to use IT with my acne.org 'treatment', followed by my acne.org 'moisturizer.'

I know you've had a lot of responses already but I thought I'd throw in yet another option for you to try... I also started getting bad breakouts when I was WELL out of my teens! I went to a very well-respected dermatologist in Oakbrook and she gave me some guidelines to follow. This was maybe 15 years ago. Every single time I've started to have bad breakouts since then, I go back to her list and her methods work! The most important thing she said to do is to get the suds from Head and Shoulders on your face 2-3 times/week. I'm not picky about I use on my hair so I would use it on my hair 3 times/week and just make sure to use the suds on my face when I did. I can't remember why it works, but it does. If it's bad cystic acne, she would also prescribe a short round of an antibiotic, I think. But honestly, the Head and Shoulders (the basic one - not the shampoo/conditioner combo) has worked for me by itself that I haven't had to go back to her for antibiotics since that first visit all those years ago.
I would also try to limit your sugar and dairy intake, since I also believe that plays a part in acne. But I'm a sugar-holic so even if you don't, the H&S should help.
Good luck!

I third the zap-it. I am in my 30's and constantly felt like I was a teenager again. I can honestly say "zap it" from Melaleuca is the only thing that I have found to work. And it is cheap too, $16 for a whole skin care line that lasts about 2 to 3 months, 2 if you are really good about using it, 3 if you occasionally get lazy and don't use it all the time, LOL. But they also have a skin serum that I have found actually has minimized the scarring and marks from all the acne over the years, my skin has never looked better since using their skin care products. The skin serum has also worked for my frown lines, too. I am a marketing exec for Melaleuca, but even if I wasn't I would still recommend this stuff, that is why I joined them, because I love their products.

The deep acne that hurts and doesn't really ever come to a head is cystic acne. I've had plenty over the years. There is a definite diet connection -- I went to a holistic doctor once who was pretty much able to correct it with a combination of (many) vitamins and the complete elimination of sugar from my diet, but it was too hard to follow the regimen because there were so many vitamins and supplements to take each day and it is hard to avoid all sugar. However, I do notice that if I am careful with sugar now that I am 40 my skin is fine, and if I eat a ton of sugar then I will get a small breakout. For the occasional cyst, a cortisone injection makes it go away immediately. If you can't get to a dermatologist, try a hot washcloth on the cyst for 5-10 min followed by Cortisone 10 on the cyst -- it will shrink it and make it less painful and red, but it won't go away entirely. My breakouts are small and infrequent though because when I was 25 I did one course of Accutane. It was a serious step, but it worked. No alcohol allowed for the entire 6 months because of possible liver damage. The first two weeks are like nothing is happening. The next two weeks are horrible -- my doctor described it as getting every pimple you are ever going to get for your entire life all condensed into two weeks. I went for a lot of cortisone injections then. After the first month, your skin starts to get drier, the pimples start to clear up, and your lips get horribly dry, cracked and chapped. You might even get nosebleeds from the dryness. Also, your skin is super sun sensitive during and after this time (for a good 3-6 months after your are done) so no big beach vacations or you will be miserable. Anyway -- I am thrilled that I did it. Skin still looks great 15 years later. It can make your eyes really dry too though so if you wear contacts you have to watch out for that. Good luck!

I have constant blackheads and cystic acne (the once that hurt). I am 42 and have never been acne free--I have tried everything, including proactiv. Proactiv doesn't help the cystic acne or the blackheads--seems better on the regular pimples.

I will be watching the responses! Just want you to know you aren't alone!

Accutane. I've been on it twice, and the results will last ~10 years (or forever, if you're lucky).

Also, it's worth making sure that you don't have a thyroid or other hormonal issue going on. Recently my skin started breaking out like crazy (but my skin was also dry and scaly, it was weird). Anyway, due to this and several other annoying issues (weight gain, migraines, lethargy) I went to see my doctor, they ran blood tests and found that I had a hypothyroid condition. They put me on meds and the acne and other issues are disappearing. So, it's worth seeing your doctor and having a full workup, just to be sure there aren't any underlying issues.

I can second the Zap-it from melaleuca.

Honestly, go to a dermatologist. She can help you get your skin back to normal. Then, you can get over the counter stuff. But until you get a professional to "bring it under control", it will be a lot of sales pitches and people who want to get you to try their product.

My husband still deals with this and we've found that benzo-foam and clindimyacin (sp?) foam help the best.. he's been clear for a while now. You can only get them through the derm. but it's been working so well we don't mind.