Anyone else have this problem? For the past few years I have been having a horrible time w/ acne and just can't get it under control. I have tried just about everything, even that proactive stuff doesn't work. I can't figure out why i would be having this problem in my mid 30's, I never had acne when i was teen, maybe this is payback? LOL Any suggestions of what might work would be great.

I have the same problem proactive didnt work for me ethier it just gave me a horriable rash so they switched me to the gentle kind which didnt help at all I have a really hard time with any cleanser they give me rashese and sores on my face. I heard once though that you can go to a dermatologist and she will perscribe a pill to take care of acne but its not actually acne its something else im not sure what. ok im tired and rambling but i know where you are comming from.

i have heard from a friend that birth control pills help w/ acne, but i am unable to take those as they cause me major problems. The proactive does the same to me gives me a rash and sores. If I wear makeup which I don't very often, but when I do forget it my face is a mess for weeks. Sorry I guess I just feel like complaining about this, because I am so sick of it.

no I completly understand its horriable and if you are like me you cant leave them alone and so you end up with scars so even if your not having a flare up you still have to cover up the scar. I'm not taking birth control pills because my husband and I are trying desperatly in vain for our 3rd child I think ive just resolved to the fact that there never going away and thank goodness I didnt have to face this in high school no one calls you names about acne when you are an adult at least not to your face.

so true. thanks for listening to me complain, sometimes it helps just to hear that you are not the only one that has a problem.

My dad has roscea (sp?), which is often confused with adult acne. He sees a dermatologist and was given an antibiotic as well as something to put on his face once a day, and both have helped tremendously. The only problem with the antibiotic is that it makes you very sensitive to the sun, so he either needs to stay out of the sun or wear a lot of sunscreen.

I would definitely see a dermatologist.

-Lisa

i went through that about four years ago. i would get them on my cheeks which i never had that as a teenager. are you under a ton of stress. thats what caused mine. once i figured that out, it was good from there. sometimes i think when our bodies start changing it happens to all the hormones. the doc told me i am perimanopausal. i am only 37. so i am sure that had something to do with it.

I am using kiehls right now but have perfect skin with MD Formulations. It is pricey but It clears my face in a day or two! It is hard to find sometimes so I tried the kiehls...does not compare!

try using a product called Hibacleanse - don't know if I have spelled it right, it is over the counter but usually have to ask the pharmacist - anyway use it at night and in the morning to clean your face - worked like a charm for me when i got it in my early 30s

thanks for all the great tips everyone ,not only is it great advice, but makes me feel better! I will try the products you all have mentioned and will and see a dermatologist!

I suffer from it. I had bad skin as a teenager and around 15 it cleared up almost completely. Then a few years later is was back and in full force. My skin started to clear up again to where I would only get a few in a month but after I had baby #4 it's back and nothing I can do will fix it. When I delivered he stripped me of almost all of my hormones causing me to go into premature menapause (as well as still getting periods) I have the hormones of a 13 year old one day and a 68 year old the next. It is destroying my skin. The only thing that will work completely is hormone replacement therapy, but there is NO WAY I'm doing that. So I'm suffering with acne as an adult and it sucks!!!!!!!!
My MIL knows I can't help it but keeps buying facial cleansers and other acne medicine for me to try. I know she is trying to help, but it still hurts my feelings.
Proactive did not work for me but peeled the skin clear off of my face. It rolled off. Come to find out I'm allergic to it. The birth control pills to help with acne didn't help either, in fact it just made it 10x worse.

I take vitamins (glucosomine helps with acne a little bit. I take it for my joints but the doctor said that the 1,500 mg would also help out a little with my adult acne, which it has.) I drink plenty of water and eat healthy plus exercise. I'm trying to cut back on stress which is a huge factor normally. I also make sure my face stays as clean as possible and wash it a few times a day with a gentle cleanser. I still have adult acne though and I'm fed up. I just want clear skin again (and while I'm at it a bigger bra size would be nice too )

mkolmar, I have plenty of bra size too bad i can't give you some.

What kind of cleanser do you use? I try to keep my face clean, but i don't use a cleanser.

I use Aveeno facial cleanser. I also use a gentle moisturiser from mary kay that is purple and comes in a jar. It doesn't add oil to the face either.

I just turned 30, and had this problem until last fall. I finally went to see a dermatologist. She had me on 100mg of minocycline (an antibiotic) twice a day for 3 months, and now only 100mg at night. I use Purpose face wash which is made by Johnson, and it doesn't iritate me at all. I also use Benzocline cream in the morning, and Differin at night. Both of these creams are Rx only. My face has never looked so good...and it should as much as the Rx's cost!

I had it starting at about 23, had the clearest skin you ever saw as a teenager. It is VERY common for this to happen as an adult. I finally found a routine that worked for me. Origins swept away (I think that's what it was called), which is sort of a gentle exfoliator a few times a week, Cetaphil, Clean and Clear astringent, and a very mild, oil free face cream. My pores would get sick of Cetaphil so every once in a while I had to change it up, Clinique foaming face wash worked well, as did Arbonne (expensive and horrible wait times). When I got pregnant my face cleared up again and I thought I was home free until I started getting that umm, woman thing back again and then it came back in full force. There is a silver lining though. KNOCK ON WOOD, for about the past six months I have not really had an outbreak. I don't know what happened but I'm not complaining. I get a zit here and there, but not usually more than one at a time and can go months between them. I hope it lasts. People swear by Proactive but I think it's one of those things that works great for some people and not others. I also found that while the Origins gentle exfoliant was great for my skin, their cleanser irritated the problem. I am almost 32 now and am just now starting to feel like maybe it's easing up. It was really trial and error. Good luck

so many products to test. LOL I will have to try a few and see which one work for me.

I just recently started having this problem as well and never had a problem in my younger years either, so maybe it is a curse to all of us who made it through puberty unscathed...lol. My dermatologist told me many things and since I have started seeing her, everything is so much better...Here is some of the advice she gave me...

To help prevent acne wash your face or the affected area twice a day. Use skin care products that are non-comedogenic (they will not clog pores), water-based and oil-free. If you use hair spray cover your face to prevent the spray from coming in contact with your face. Do not pick, squeeze, or pop any acne, this will only make the condition worse. Avoid sun exposure. Also, foods do not cause acne, as some people think.

Over the counter products that work best are those that contain benzoyl peroxide, or salicylic acid. Products that contain benzoyl peroxide or salicyclic acid help to kill bacteria that create acne and also help prevent new acne from forming.

Your dermatologist may prescribe topical medications to help unclog pores and reduce the bacteria on your skin. Some medications cause peeling, redness and drying of the area. So that is normal.

It is important to remember that acne does not clear up over night, rather it takes six to eight weeks of treatment to see any real improvement.

And just remember, acne is caused by a bacteria, so you have to remember to wash your face at least twice a day to keep it under control. And if you use lotion on your face, try to use the less greasy ones. Lubriderm is the best I have used so far. Jergens, Curel, Vaseline, and Suave are horrible on your face, so try to avoid those.

I have suffered with acne my entire life!!! Now for the first time (and I am 36) my face is clear. The ProActive line worked for me. It was/is a miracle for me when I found it two years ago. I have found though that it does not control the oil and the ProActive oil controlling lotion only makes me break out.

The salon where I get my hair done started carrying a line called Dermalogica. http://www.dermalogica.com
The owner of the salon gave me a free facial and they use only Dermalogica products. I noticed an immediate difference. I went to dinner that night with my husband and friends and all my girlfriends kept asking me if I changed my makeup or what was different because my skin looked amazing. My skin? Amazing? I now use the Dermalogica face scrub, eye lift cream and oil controlling lotion. The oil controlling lotion is amazing. I do not shine at all with this product on. I do not even have to apply powder during the day. It is amazing.

I also wanted to mention that my dermatologist recomends Cetaphil for a facial and body cleanser - inexpensive and over the counter.

Ok....... that's it. Sorry so long. I just can relate.

bj

Hi, I don't have problems now with acne (did a few years back but now on a BCP) but occasionally have a bout with eczema.

I just recently started using something again that I used back in college called "black soap". I always heard it was good for most skin ailments. I bought some last weekend that I stumbled on (in it's true form..it's brown in color and not actually black) and it has been awesome. The pollen here is MISERABLE this time of year and it affects me differently every year. This year I broke out into an awful rash on my neck and arms. After a few days of using the soap in the shower, it cleared up. I was reading up on it tonight (google it) and it is listed as being good for acne also. You can use it as a body wash, face wash...I even read it works well for athlete's foot. None of the oitments I got from my dermatologist were working.

It's a "natural" remedy so it will probably be hard to find but I saw a few sites online that sold it. I get it from some vendors at a local market area here.

I know how frustrating skin issues can be so I feel your pain. I just wanted to throw out a suggestion. I love to try more natural remedies when I can and if they work.

Good luck to you!

I've suffered from acne since I was 13. It cleared up some from around 17 to 23, but then it came back even worse than before. Most of the bad acne I have now is actually irritation from the ugh coarse facial hair I have under my chin. I went to the dermatologist and was giffen RetinA micro, but it cause me to break out in hives (as does benzoil peroxide). I use Dove soap, witch hazel, oil free oil of olay w/ spf 15, and salicylic acid on the break outs. Unfortunately, our insurance won't cover adult acne or laser hair removal, so this is something I'm just gonna have to suffer from until we can afford to pay to have it fixed. Just another lovely side effect of having PCOS - fortunately the medications I'm taking for that seem to hae helped my skin a little. Sigh. It's so embarassing!

Quite a while back (25 yrs or so)a friend of mine had a terrible case (not sure if it was actually acne or just looked like it) His whole face was just covered always
I remebered watching his face clearing up and finally completely free of any blemishes. I am not sure if what he took was over the counter or prescribed but I asked him what helped him and he said "zinc"

I've had acne since I was 11. I'm 34 now, and I dream of living without it! I also have PCOS, so I've got the hair issue as well...

With my first pg, my skin cleared up and stayed clear until I got pg with #2. It did a 180, and got bad, and stayed that way.

My best defense is not wearing make-up. I only wear it on special occasions, etc. I also wash with a scrub type cleanser, to clean out the pores, and Clean and Clear has a cleanser with benzoyl peroxide in it. That works nicely, too.

I've had acne since my early teens . . . I finally got the courage to ask my dermotologist for Accutane 2 years ago and I can't believe the difference!!!

Accutane is definitely not for everyone . . . it has major risks and potential side effects. My dr sat down with my BF and I . . . spoke to us extensively about the risks, etc. I had to sign a contract that I would use birth control religiously through the treatment since it can cause horrible birth defects. (I used Depo) I took a blood panel and pregnancy test each month during the treatment. It basically changes the way your pores react, reducing the amount of acne. (I had the cystic kind.)

The only side effects that I had was drier skin . . . but it never peeled, got red, or anything that everyone else told me it would do. In fact, the only thing that happened is that I could finally go out without makeup for the first time in almost 20 years!!! My skin actually glowed!!! I couldn't wear contacts for a while because my eyes were so dry, and I wore chapstick constantly to prevent chapped lips . . . but it was amazing how quickly this stuff worked. I even noticed my hair wouldn't get greasy at the scalp so quickly . . . it was freaky!

I only used Accutane for 3 months and I still get a bit of acne here and there, but nothing like it was before. Accutane is not for everyone . . . I think the restrictions for its use have gotten even more strict since I used it . . . but I am so happy that I made the choice to use it finally!

I too have suffered from acne my whole life, teens, twenties, thirties, I'm now in my early 40's. Although its not as bad now, I'm usually never without at least one pimple. I have noticed a difference since I've been using Olay anti-aging, anti-blemish cleanser. I also use the clean & clear 10% benzoyl peroxide as a topical for the pimple which usually takes care of it in a day or so. I hope one day to be acne free, but I've had it for so long that its hard imagine.

(My best friend for the last 35 years is gorgeous, has never had a pimple, washes her face with dial soap or whatever's in the bathroom and puts vaseline on it...life's just not fair!)

That's so not fair vww! My DH hardly ever breaks out and washes with dial soap too.

[quote="Ironbaker"]Hi, I don't have problems now with acne (did a few years back but now on a BCP) but occasionally have a bout with eczema.

I just recently started using something again that I used back in college called "black soap". I always heard it was good for most skin ailments.

I may have to try this. I have had eczema since i was born. I don't have nearly the problems now as I did until I was about 20, but do have flare ups usually in the summer when the weather is warmer. What a drag that can be.

Thanks everyone for a the advice. I bought some Cetaphil (sp?) 3 days ago and can already tell a difference. I am going to try this for a bit and see if it continues to work.

I am also going to check out th dermalogica that bjfranco suggested.

Hey cocakedecorator,

I had acne problems during my pregnancy and even after that, it was horrible!! And like you proactive didn't work. But guess what I found this soap in Dollar General (hopefully you have that store in your town) that is just great!! It is amazing!! The name is sulfur and comes in a yellow box and it's only $1.00 I bougt it because it has the same ingredient as proactive's mask and since it was so cheap I figure I did't have much to loose. You can usually find it in the hispanic aisle (if they have one! ).
I recommend it to a friend and it worked wonders for her too!!

God Luck!

I'm 29 and have had minor problems since I was a teen and have oily skin. I started using Origins products and have been able to keep it under control. It is worth every penny. I love their face wash called Checks & Balances and they have a treatment called Spot Remover that is great too. My 9-year-old son started having oily problems with his nose and a few small blemishes, can't believe it, and have used it on his spots too. Don't forget that you still need to moisturize because using cleansers and products sometimes dry out your skin and irritate it even more.

Where can you get Origins? I have never seen this before.

My Origins counter is in Macy's. There are some free-standing stores, but I think most of them are in department stores.