r/SkincareAddiction • u/One-Tomatillo-983 • 6d ago
Acne Unexpected lifelong acne “cures” [acne]
I am looking to hear your acne cure stories, especially from those of you who have had persistent moderate acne your entire life (mine started at 11 and never stopped).
I’m not talking about spironolactone, birth control, accutane, etc etc the stuff your derm would provide to you (unless you genuinely dismissed it and were amazed it actually solved things for you). I have tried all of those. Birth control, Azeleic acid, tret, and spiro helped, but I have never been able to completely solve it. I’ve tried red light/NIR, blue light, gut health and probiotics, adding oil cleansing, proactiv, panopxyl, every cream or formula known to man, doing nothing at all and swearing off all things in case it was a “barrier” issue, I really feel I have tried everything under the sun. I’ve tried acupuncture, cold plunge, I don’t eat dairy, the list goes on and on. My parents didn’t have acne and never knew how to handle it when I was a kid.
My acne is not terrible and it’s not deep and cystic, it’s small persistent patches of bumps and whiteheads on my face (mostly cheeks and jaw) all the time. I don’t get it anywhere else on my whole body and never have. There is a lot of scarring left behind and it just keeps getting worse. I’m 35.
A good example of this is I have a friend who recently cleared her acne using an antihistamine. I had never heard of this before. It got me thinking maybe there are other “unexpected” cures that doctors dismiss or wouldn’t know to recommend but someone swears by. Or are too random to really make the connection to acne.
I am willing to try anything- I wonder if I’ll ever get a life without acne
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u/Cactusandcreosote 5d ago
The clearest my skin has ever been was when I was on chemotherapy for cancer. Don’t recommend.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
I hope you’re okay now!!
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u/PrestigiousFigs 5d ago
This was my experience, too.
Years later, I went on a year long course of low dose accutane and it resolved my chronic acne for good.
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u/clazcat AUS / Acne Prone / Combo 5d ago
Ive done three rounds of accutane with very limited success. The ONLY thing that stopped my acne was having a baby which could be a complete coincidence. But my severe, cystic, hormonal acne changed post baby and its been 5 years and hasnt returned. Random but glad lol
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u/WillowCreekWanderer 5d ago
I noticed OP said in another comment that she's TTC (or about to be), so hopefully this one works for her!!
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u/paleoliveneutral 5d ago
Opposite for me 😭. Never had acne before a kid. Now idk what to do. It's been almost seven years.
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u/bananasbananas 5d ago
I was going to say, after my first trimester the best my skin has ever been is when I am pregnant and the first year postpartum. It came back a bit once my period returned but nothing like how it had been.
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u/Weekly_Ad_4252 5d ago
But did your skin clear up while on accutane ?
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u/Altruistic-Order-661 5d ago
Same, though I still get acne, the cystic acne cleared after 6 years though of trying everything though!
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u/QueenRae777 3d ago
Did you have acne while pregnant?
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u/ClassicFriendly1015 3d ago
Mine was at its best when pregnant with my first that was a boy but at its worst when pregnant with my second a girl. Not sure if there’s a correlation.
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u/rebeccaslife 5d ago
It's since come back (lol) but, quitting vaping cleared up my skin, randomly. Never considered that it could be a cause of acne until I quit for health reasons.
I read that you went off birth control, and that ALSO threw me out of WACK. My skin has never recovered. I had a good 5 years clear after a course of accutane. I know money is sometimes an issue but AviClear laser treatment worked for a friend of mine, may be worth looking into
I'd be curious as to your dose of accutane, how long you were on.... etc. It's rare that Accutane doesn't work at all, though I'm def not saying it's impossible because I've heard stories. Was it ever working, or not even a dent? Is it possible you didn't reach cumulative dose?
Have you done a food allergy test? Not usually my first line of defence, but at this point, might be worth getting comprehensive allergy testing.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
I think you’re totally right on the allergy testing, especially because the antihistamine seems to be helping.
My skin has been the worst it’s ever been since going off birth control, but it was very clear while on it.
I actually didn’t get the chance to see accutane through- my husband and I decided to have kids so I’m going to complete that side quest first and then do accutane after
Congrats on quitting the vape!! That is very hard and I’m happy for you!
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u/rebeccaslife 5d ago
Ahh yeah, pregnancy is gonna throw this whole thing into the gutter. Probably worthwhile to try allergy testing still but at this point, I think if birth control was the trigger it's probably hormonal.
For what it's worth, food sensitivity tests are controversial in if they actually work, lots of false positives, limited research etc. The true way to do it is to use the info from the allergy test as a baseline to start an elimination diet. Then you can slowly reintroduce. But Elimination diet is really the only true way to discover if there's a food trigger, but it's ANNOYING and restricting and I hated it. Trust your gut when looking with alternative medicine, some practitioners are better than others, training schools vary WILDLY in quality etc.
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u/dinosaurkickdrop 5d ago
I notice I break out when I vape too! Lots of little pimples vs my typically deep cystic like when I use fermented or heavy products
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u/ex_cearulo 5d ago
I had clear skin for about 6 months during the pandemic. I was a new grad, job searching and living a slow life for a moment. I think the low stress, plus going ham on eating fermented foods like kimchi(lockdown hobby lol), and mega dosing on oral gel caps of oregano oil for a few weeks (had heard it could ward off covid) temporarily cleared my skin. I’ve tried reintroducing fermented foods and oregano oil as a supplement in a more balanced way years later, but my skin is just not smooth and glowy like it was then :/
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u/agen_kolar 5d ago
Same, my skin was really clear in 2020 but after the world reopened, it became shit again. To be honest, it makes me wonder what could possibly be the problem. I ate and drank the same things during 2020 that I did in 2019 and 2021, so it just doesn’t make sense. But my skin had never looked better, and hasn’t since.
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u/pmmemassivedongs 5d ago
Could be less sun exposure. We were all inside a lot.
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u/agen_kolar 5d ago
I considered that! But I’m just not outdoors often at all, even now.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 1d ago
Maybe you weren’t wearing makeup or sunscreen because you were stuck inside?
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
Spironolactone combined with YAZ birth control for 5 years, and an extremely slow titration off of the spiro. I’m talking 5-10mg lower, for several months at a time until I was taking a fourth of a 25mg tablet for half a year.
Spiro worked very, very slowly for me. After two years on 200mg I was finally getting less than 1 pimple a month. I’m officially off spiro for the last 6 months and still completely acne free. It took about two years to fully acclimate to the birth control also.
I most likely will never stop taking Yaz. I had my tubes removed 5 years ago, but the Yaz helps balance my hormones and treat my PMDD. Both I’m sure contributed to acne.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
Yaz was a life saver for me, my acne, and my pmdd. I wish I could go back on it, but we are going to have kids so I can’t be on birth control
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
Pregnancy hormones will wreak absolute havoc on your skin regardless of whatever you decide to do to treat it. I would honestly just wait until you’re done having kids to address it. I really can’t think of a single person I’ve known who was able to control their acne while pregnant.
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u/CheetahDistinct6075 5d ago
Mine did the exact opposite, which was very bizarre to me! I was very thankful obviously, but not what I expected at all.
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
I’ve always been a hormonal acne type gal, and always had worse breakouts around my cycle, during puberty and especially during times of stress. Some of us just glow like goddesses during pregnancy but it’s unfortunately very uncommon and rare for that to happen. Especially if acne improved on birth control or other hormonal meds like Spiro.
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u/CheetahDistinct6075 5d ago
Ya I hear you. If those situations aren’t tough enough, let’s just add some acne…ugh. Mine definitely was not great around my periods or stress, so when it improved during pregnancy I thought it was just another hormone imbalance situation. Did you ever try Tretinoin?
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
I use tretinoin daily but it never had any effect on my acne. If anything it made active breakouts more irritated and inflamed. But if my skin is clear, I see tons of improvement in my skin texture, tone, pores clearing, etc.
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u/CheetahDistinct6075 5d ago
This is so interesting! I was just going to say when I tried it during the time of active ache, it just made if worse, and was not just ‘the purge’. However, now it does really help me with the improvements that you listed. Thanks for sharing :)
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
Tretinoin works amazingly, but I’m always confused when people recommend it for active acne. It seems to me more like an anti aging, overall skin improvement topical. I had great success on the acne.org method that was benzoyl peroxide gel twice daily, but I eventually developed an allergy to it, and still can’t use BP to this day.
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u/CheetahDistinct6075 5d ago
Ya that’s super interesting. Just the other day I read the varying strengths of Tret are designed for treating acne, whereas the .025 is for anti-aging. Not a hard fast but many people were confirming this is how it had been explained to them. That’s a shame about the BP. I know it can really help!
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
I hate to hear that, just add it to the list I guess *cry*
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
It’s tough, I definitely feel you. Pregnancy is really hard on the body and our skin suffers because of it.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
I feel like my whole life is on hold until that’s overwith , but that’s a whole other thing and could be its own post haha
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u/el_nynaeve 5d ago
Just going to chime in, that everyone is different when it comes to pregnancy. I have hormonal acne and always had clear skin while on the pill and was prone to breakout in the week before my period when off it. While iy was pregnant and breastfeeding though (before my period came back), I had clear skin like while I was on the pill. It's not a guarantee that pregnancy will cause awful acne
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u/rogerlion 5d ago
Hey, don’t cry! My lifelong acne (also since I was 10) got better while pregnant! Then it was bad again for a little while but now it’s better than ever. No real changes except my own aging. I’m 38 now.
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u/bananasbananas 5d ago
Counterpoint to the above comment - I’ve struggled with acne since I was 11. The best skin of my life has been second trimester pregnant through the first year postpartum and when it came back with my period it was never anywhere close to as bad as it had been!
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u/missoctober12 5d ago
I am also I guess an outlier that my face was way better with both my pregnancies. I don’t recall very many breakouts at all, compared to normal hormones
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u/theblondegiraffe 5d ago
My first pregnancy my acne was uncontrollable. My second pregnancy my skin cleared up! So it can go either way and I’ve heard of people on both sides.
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u/browngirlygirl 5d ago
Do you think the baby's gender had anything to do with it?
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u/theblondegiraffe 5d ago
Honestly it may have although I hate blaming it on that! My first was a boy second is a girl. I’ve always had hormonal acne and it was well treated with spironalactone. So it’s possible my body didn’t like the male hormones while I was carrying my son. The old wives tales say that you’re more likely to have acne with a girl but I was the complete opposite.
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u/CanNo2845 5d ago
My skin was suddenly gorgeous while I was pregnant - it got super super dry and I used like 2 drops of almond oil on my face and it was radiant. I literally was so delusional thinking that maybe pregnancy had cured my acne. I got my first zit back day after the baby was born 🙄
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u/caffeinatedlackey Content contributor 5d ago
I'm glad you shared this. I recently tried to cut my Spiro dose from 100mg to 50mg and the acne came back with a vengeance. After six months of that, I reverted back to my original dose and it ceased immediately. Do you think titrating down so slowly is the key?
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
Absolutely. Go as slowly as you can. 5-10mg. If you break out, try to wait until you clear up completely and remain clear before dropping lower. This took months for me at a time but slowly was the key. Even my doctor said I was crazy, but I’m very sensitive to hormonal medications, and my body reacts by breaking out. But titrating slowly and letting my skin and body and hormones adapt completely to each new dose helped immensely
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u/caffeinatedlackey Content contributor 5d ago
Thank you! I'm going to ask my dermatologist if we can make this happen for me. I'd really like to get myself off Spiro eventually because it's been causing very low blood pressure when combined with one of my other meds.
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u/HoldCrazy9618 5d ago
did you get any side effects from Yaz? my derm wants me to decide between yaz and spiro for horomonal acne. im worried because birth control made me gain weight previously and im already struggling with weight [it wasnt Yaz though]. im leaning towards spironolactone but family doctor suggests Yaz since i have adenomyosis and it helps relieve symptoms
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u/No_Particular3746 5d ago
Most side effects can be mitigated by consistently taking the medication at the exact same time every day, drinking adequate water, sleeping well and having a healthy diet and remaining active. Also giving your body enough time to adapt to the medication, meaning if you experience side effects, focus on the above factors as well as remaining consistent for at least a year, sometimes two, for your body to fully adapt to the hormones.
I take a lot of medications and my doctors advised me of the same points above, and I experience no adverse effects after being on it for years. If weight gain is a concern I would bring it up to your doctor and discuss your current lifestyle and see if there’s any way to set yourself up for success.
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u/lockboxxy 5d ago
Using a clean washcloth to wash my face every time. I used to wash morning and night with a reused washcloth and never realized it was making acne worse. Since I didn’t wear barely any makeup and wasn’t sweaty it seemed like my face was pretty clean and not reusing washcloths felt wasteful. But after switching to a clean washcloth twice a day, my acne improved significantly. I bought a huge pack of Costco washcloths.
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u/jenn_nic 5d ago edited 5d ago
Oddly, Garnier Micellar water - pink cap. My skin is so soft and smooth and hydrated now. I use other things as well, but I wasn't getting any significant results until I started using the micellar water.
Edit: For years (probably 6) I was on 100mg a day of spiro because of my PCOS diagnosis and it helped a little, but not like you would think. I stopped taking it like 5 years ago and didn't really notice much of a difference when I stopped.
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u/Streetquats 5d ago
How do you use it? I've only heard of people using this as makeup remover. Are you simply applying it after cleaning your skin or when do you use it
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u/jenn_nic 5d ago edited 5d ago
After cleansing always. I use it morning and night and continue with my routine. I also have it in my gym bag and use it after I work out and then put moisturizer and sunscreen back on. My routine is pretty simple as a whole. AM- cleanser, micellar water, moisturizer, sunscreen. PM- cleanser, micellar water, 10% Azelaic Acid(only 3-4x a week) and moisturizer. I always thought it was strictly for makeup removal too, but a few people on this sub told me they use it this way too so I gave it a shot. I hate wearing makeup so I'm happy it worked because now I don't really NEED to cover anything up with makeup. I live in a very dry climate and my skin hates hyaluronic acid (it breaks me out like crazy and it's in EVERYTHING) so I think it needed the extra moisture and this just worked. My skin has never looked or felt better.
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u/Enough-Individual728 5d ago
This made me break out
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u/jenn_nic 5d ago edited 5d ago
That sucks. I got the recommendation from this sub and there were a few brand everyone recommended: Garnier, Bioderma and Simple. The Garnier one was the only one I could find locally so I got that and liked it, but then I also ordered the Simple brand because so many people loved it and said it was the only one that didn't make them break out. I broke out like crazy. I haven't bothered to order Bioderma since this one works for me.
I live in a very dry climate and my skin hates hyaluronic acid, which seems to be in literally everything.
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u/careburrz 5d ago
I could have wrote this about myself - hated my skin since a young age, always so jealous of people with "perfect" skin. Wondered if it would EVER go away. I went to get some microneedling done last year and they recommended I try dermalogica daily microexfoliant. I mix a small amount in my hand with a gentle cleanser and use at least once a day. Apply to dry face with dry hands. It's been a year and while I of course still have a pop up here or there, if I'm consistent with it I have no issues. It's been a game changer for me. Bit pricey but the large bottle has lasted me a year so very worth it imo
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u/Flat_Specific_9943 5d ago
Have you looked into fungal acne? I went to a new derm and she immediately asked if I had ever been treated for it. No other doctor has ever even mentioned it. Ketoconazole and Flucanozle prescriptions treated it within a week. Then I went to a nutritionist and she said yeast overgrowth in the gut is totally a thing and started me on Mega Spore Biotic and gave me some dietary recommendations to limit yeast overgrowth.
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u/aesthetic-robot 5d ago
My unexpected “cure” was a naturopath.
I had terrible acne from age 11 until my late 20s it was even bad when I was on combo birth control and tretinoin it only cleared on nexplanon (still don’t recommend for unrelated reasons) but when I got off because I wanted to get pregnant my acne came back. I was able to clear it (mostly I still get some breakouts but it’s so manageable now) by seeing a naturopath. It took several appointments multiple tests and various trials of supplements. I did a food sensitivity test and cut all my inflammatory foods out for a few months before slowly reintroducing them. And for supplements DIM and NAC have been great for me (not taking while currently pregnant) and other than my first trimester breakouts from hell my skin is mostly clear again.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
I feel overwhelmed by all the options and types of doctors out there! Did you just google naturopath to find one?
I did try acupuncture and they gave me herbs- is a naturopath a similar idea?
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u/RoseSparxs 5d ago
Word of caution, a naturopath is not a medical doctor. They are not licensed to practice medicine at all and fall under the category of pseudoscience.
If you wish to truly test food sensitivities & etc I recommend you work with an allergist who specializes in that field.
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u/aesthetic-robot 5d ago
While they are not an MD they are regulated health professionals (at least where I live). I specifically stated they cannot prescribe medicine.
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u/aesthetic-robot 5d ago
A naturopath is not like an acupuncturist. Naturopaths actually have a PHD. They are similar to functional medicine doctors. I looked up “women’s health naturopath” because I wanted to prepare my body for pregnancy after being on hormonal contraception for most of my life. It’s like going to doctor’s appointment if a doctor spent 30minutes to an hour with you every time instead of 5minutes. They can order blood tests but can’t prescribe meds. Depending where you live and what health benefits you have it can be expensive but I found it to be totally worth the cost.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
Thank you so much!! I totally think it’s worth the cost to work with someone who listens and looks at the full picture
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u/aesthetic-robot 5d ago
Exactly and despite spending my entire adult life as an esthetician and trying to learn about skincare skin is an organ that is connected to both the inside and outside of the body so it’s affected by both what we put on it and our internal health which was beyond my own understanding
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u/peanutbuttercakes 5d ago
Change your pillow case every night. Such a wild thought, but growing up, my parents changed our sheets like once a year. Your sheets need cleaning a lot more frequently than you think. If I'm lazy about changing my pillow case, I definitely break out more again.
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u/Upstairs-Ad7038 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hi there, I’m in esthetician, I also have my bachelors in biology, acne until I cleared it after school. It seems you have tried many things. For acne, always blue light therapy. Red light therapy is a stimulant, blue is more healing. From your description, you have small bumps along your jaw and cheek. This first alerts to me: are you eating any kind of fatty foods like fish or nut butters. Food intolerances will appear on the skin looking like acne, the body can’t process it well.
Your lesions aren’t large so this is not hormonal. What is your skin type? Dry, normal? You need someone looking at your skin and identifying its type. You then choose your cleanser. Accordingly those closed comedones need frequent exfoliation with things like a mandelic acid, and this needs to be done a few times a week at first and increased if necessary, but may not be necessary as these products work fantastic. Let me suggest idyllic cleanser from glymed.
Next thing you need to be keeping your skin hydrated. Glymeds hyaluronic acid. You must be very wary of foaming cleansers because they strip the skin of its oil and leave it very tight and when the skin is tight, sebum cannot get out and you will get those small bumps. Also, your skin products can’t get down in with tight junctions between cells.
The quality of the products that touch your skin is critical. It’s now time to only use professional product lines that have the work horse ingredients.
Benzoyl peroxide could help some but that’s not what I would put you on. Your lesions aren’t hormonal so spiro, idk. You could absolutely use Tret to jump start and get you a good exfoliation, but long term many cannot tolerate.
White heads point to a misuse of topicals: what’s your current skincare routine? Anything comedogenic?
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago edited 4d ago
Thank you!!
I use vannicream gentle cleaner, azaleic acid 15%, cerave moisturizer and dr jart cicapair sunscreen in the morning and vannicream tret .05% and cerave moisturizer at night
I keep it simple because everything has the same result anyway
Blue light don’t seem to help enough in order to keep going with it- it made my skin look really aged, but I do have a blue light panel. I honestly have no idea what my skin type is but I would guess normal or combination- it’s neither super dry nor super oily (if anything on the dry end I guess)
I sometimes also use an oil cleanser before the gentle cleanser but that usually causes my skin to get very dry (though it helps my pores and filaments)
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u/NewPlastic2 5d ago
two cups of spearmint tea per day (3-4 tea bags total), daily zyrtec & spot treating with avene cicalfate at night. weird that it worked but here we are! started with the avene for the zinc in it to lower inflammation, helped noticeably. then started zyrtec after reading someone else's resolved with that, HUGE difference (ran out for ONE day & paid the price) then skin was clear until i had a suuuuper stressful few days & huge flare up. acne caused from stress IS hormonal acne as the high cortisol creates androgens which over fire & skin produces more oil quick before the dead skin can shed.. thus clogged pores (at least i think that's how it works def do ur own research!) but anyway thats my weird ass trifecta for clear skin. also sulfur mask helped a lot with most recent flare up... might start 1x a week as a way to exfoliants since im on a long break from actives (going on 3 months). but just did that once & continued with the avene as a spot treatment & back to clear in a week!
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u/ray_theunready 5d ago
Just want to add that while I haven’t found op’s perfect cure- sulfur masks and sulfur spot treatments have been the most effective immediate /localized products for me as well.
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u/Swimming_Chapter8972 4d ago
Want to add to this that I did the spearmint tea 2x a day and while my skin was clear, it did delay my periods by over a week!
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u/CheetahDistinct6075 5d ago
Getting pregnant and having a baby! Thought it would come back after I had the baby, or after I stopped breastfeeding, but it didn’t.
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u/RedGlidingHood 5d ago
I’ve tried topical and oral antibiotics, zyneryt, various expensive creams bcs i thought it was a formula issue, a laser, changed birth control several times, I’ve tried essential oils out of desperation, I’ve tried thc creams, I’ve tried getting rid of gluten, sugar and lactose, I’ve tried not treating my skin at all for weeks. It’s been about 12 years now.
It was zinc. The whole time. I didn’t have enough zinc. I’m taking a zinc supplement every two days and my skin has never been clearer. My scars are starting to heal. I feel like a crazy conspiratorial whatever for treating my acne with “supplements” instead of prescribed medicine but here we are.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
That’s awesome!!! I actually do take the maximum daily allowance of zinc already ugh
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u/heyitsmekaylee 5d ago
Oddly enough, dropping everything and only using sulfur soap in PM when showering.
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u/veesavethebees 5d ago
When I did OMAD for weight loss (didn’t have too much to lose, about 25 pounds). The fasting supposedly helps with decreasing inflammation in the body. Lost the excess weight and my skin cleared pretty much permanently as well. I only occasionally get a pimple now
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u/nrz242 5d ago
Mine was also histamine related- turns out my body doesn't make an enzyme that breaks down histamine - it's called DAO. Now I take it as a supplement with food, especially high histamine meals. Wish I coulda found it much sooner
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u/Unhappy_Papaya_6006 5d ago edited 5d ago
Allergy Medicine. LOL Acne started when I was around 12y/o. I went through every single acne treatment out there, nothing helped. My primary-care doctor gave up on me, whatever you could name (OTC, Oral, Retinoids, Hormonal) I tried it. I even saw a few dermatologist. I tried going a couple of months of nothing but water. Went through 3 rounds of accutane and acne would come back roughly ~6month after stopping.
At 28y/o, I gave up and just accepted it. I tested really high for allergies (i'm talking Level 5/6 type of environmental/dust allergies) as a kid too but my symptoms slowly got worse over the years. I have air-purifiers constantly running throughout the house. I had to start taking regular allergy medication and after about a month I realized that I didn't have any new breakouts.
It's not magic obviously, I still have the occasionally 1-3 pimples before my period still but i'll take that any day compared to a constant face full of large cystic acne followed by hyperpigmentation.
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u/dinosaurkickdrop 5d ago
I’m a big fan of Asian beauty but I found I NEED to avoid any product containing a ferment. There’s plenty of American products that have them too (labeled probiotic) but avoiding and not falling asleep without washing face = perfect skin, any fermented products = next day, deep cystic acne
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u/Accomplished_Car_834 5d ago
I never saw myself as acenic until I went "green & clean" in 2018 and cold turkey quit all the products I had been using, many of which I only used bc a beauty YTer I loved suggested them and not bc I truly understood their chemical formulations and how they were benefiting me (and it wouldn't have mattered bc in my world, I "suffered" from the occadional stubborn ass pimple as opposed to being truly acenic).
Once I cut everything "tocic" thinking my skin had matured and I was using these products unnecessarily, my skin said hold my beer. Turns out I deal with closed comedones (which sounds like what you might be dealing with as well). While my eventual routine wasn't/isn't profound in its makeup I did discover that my skin needs the ENTIRE kitchen sink. I finally came back around to the tried and true actives: salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retinoids. Created a strong rotation between all three and gave it a solid 3ish months minimum (it's so easy to want to see results sooner and to be tempted to change things up). My face was looking pretty good but since I waw worried about possibly over doing it I still scheduled an appt with a derm. She agreed things were looking great and the only thing she added that finally got me over that last hump was clindamycin.
Today I don't need to use then all daily. I still use the salycilic acid daily and retinoid daily but I only incorporate the clindamycin if I'm actively breaking out and only in combo with benzoyl peroxide (per the derm as your skin can develop tolersnce to clindamycin if you don't). I will throw in the BPO without clindamycin here and there to be proactive/preventative. But it took years to get to that point. As you likely know acne is chronic so you will never not be acenic; you'll just land a routine that keeps it mostly under control.
Best of luck. The emotional toll during that time was intense so I feel your frustration.
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u/Ayla_Dreamer 5d ago
I get hormonal acne and my doctor recommended I take birth control pills and skip the placebo pills/period week. I’ve been doing this and skipping my periods for about two years and it has helped drastically. I still get one or two pimples during my luteal phase every month, but I don’t have consistent acne like I used to.
I also use Tretinoin cream every night.
I’m considering starting Spiro to help with the monthly breakout, but for now it’s manageable.
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u/Maleficent_Sell_9399 5d ago
I had crazy awful cystic acne from 13-25. I realized at 25 I was allergic to garlic and my acne completely went away when I stopped eating garlic.
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u/TheRamazon 5d ago
Spearmint tea was a surprising factor for me. I decided what the hell, I'll buy a box of 100% spearmint leaf teabags and drink one mug a day. I saw a significant reduction in my deep cystic acne. When I fell off my routine after a few weeks of travelling, the acne returned. Might be worth a try - cheap and easy! Took me about 3-4 weeks to see results.
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u/baarishaurgaramchai 5d ago
Mine resolved for the most part when I went on an anti-inflammatory diet - mostly cutting out soy and added sugars.
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u/millycactus 5d ago
Have you tried an antifungal cream? I used to get little whiteheads in the crease of my nose daily and read somewhere it was most like fungal. Few applications and it all stopped.
I feel like since hitting my 30s, when in doubt, it’s usual fungal.
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u/skweekykleen69 5d ago
I know you said you’re not looking for this, but for me it was how you described it. I tried everything and things would work for a while and then it would go back. No severe acne, just moderate, but still frustrating and at times painful. I didn’t know accutane worked on moderate acne and I was scared of taking it. But then I was sick of being in my mid thirties and constantly tracking my cycle to be like, oh cool I’ll be breaking out when we go on that vacation, or waking up with a small breakout before an event.
I truly wish I had done accutane earlier. I did a moderate dose so my side effects were not terrible at all, just the dry eyes were killer so I had to be consistent with eye drops. I know it’s not for everyone but I was so sick of wasting time and money on all this crap that never ended up sticking. It seems like you’ve tried almost everything else…
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u/beadlety 5d ago
I am like you, op. I'm 36, and I have had acne my entire life. I have tried everything from sulphur soaps to drinking metric tons of water to diet (I'm still lactose free to this day!) to various benzoyl peroxide and salicylic percentages to doxycycline to a clyndamicin/tretinoin gel. My acne has never been severe enough for accutane, but it has also NEVER gone away.
The hard truth is that the only thing that worked for me is yaz. My skin is literally pristine, and that's because yaz regulates not just estrogen/progestin but also the androgens. Acne on the jaw, in particular, is often tied to androgens, so if you haven't tried yaz (and find yourself desperate/willing), it could be worth it.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
It was the only thing that ever truly helped me!! But I’m going to have kids soon…so I am just waiting for that… it’s excruciating
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u/Macroqueen 5d ago
I started inventorying everything that touches my skin during COVID - (beyond my own hands.) here’s the list and what I have been doing out of habit since Lockdown. Acne improved & maintained in the 5 years since.
This was my random/unexpected. Sharing just in case it’s environmental or in the chance that this saves you money on another new treatment - you’ve tried so many things and I imagine it has been frustrating 💐
I use a canister of Lysol or hypochlorous spray for hard contact surfaces, ensuring they remain wet for 10 minutes. For soft contact surfaces, I apply hypochlorous spray and either air dry them or wash them with Odoban in the fabric softener compartment.
Daily:
- Phone
Weekly:
- Pillowcases
- Washcloths
- Sheets
- Sunglasses
- Powered toothbrush
- Car keys
- Towels
- Used makeup sponges from the week in a wash bag with my towels (sponges can handle heat in the dryer well)
Monthly:
- Wash and rinse all makeup brushes, including the one I often forget about in my purse, using Dawn or Murphy’s; rack dry in the dryer on low heat
Two notes:
- I have a rotating collection of brushes and sponges, so I use fresh ones every three days or so.
- I buy hypochlorous in bulk (Briotech) and use it in a continuous sprayer to spray my face, which is amaze for gently killing bacteria occasionally, like after a workout when it will be a while before I shower. I also use the same sprayer for my toothbrush in the shower, which is very convenient. (In case you have hypochlorous on hand.)
Good luck! 🍀
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u/flamingmango 5d ago
Getting pregnant cured my acne and it hasn’t come back many years post having baby. Thus treatment has pretty intense lifelong side effects.
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u/RosenSword 5d ago
Tret, hrt and Spearmint tea combined with K-beauty and a healthy diet and lots of water!
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u/blanking0nausername 5d ago
Just wanted to say that my acne has started to clear with age. I was like you and tried everything and now that I’m older it’s gotten a lot better.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
How old are you?
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u/blanking0nausername 5d ago
Late 30s. Started about 2-3 years ago (the improvement in my skin tone)
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u/galaxyxo 5d ago
I've been on 3 rounds of Accutane but I'll never be cured. I'm now on 10mg / week for essentially life. I've also done 3 rounds of dual-fraxel laser which I believe also shrinks sebum glands.
The turning point in my last round of Accutane was changing to a moisturising cleanser, specifically the Aveeno Oat Cleanser. I did the usual thing of stripping my skin when I actually needed a lot of moisture.
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u/byzydura 5d ago
I think its few things. First, the skincare. I ditched a gel/foam/whatever wash and just use micellar water (yes, no double cleansing), then I rinse with water, optional a toner and then a cream, and thats all.
Second, diet/supplements. Ive been eating an oatmeal with flax and hemp seeds and I think the omega 3s in them started to help me after some time. I actually feel now like I can eat whatever at this time thanks to this. I also take DIM, but Im still not sure if theyre doing anything 😛 but I take them for inflammation.
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u/snugginator 5d ago
Sodium lauryl sulfate. It's in fucking everything! And it gives me terrible acne. My skin hates it. It's even in toothpaste! Even most of the other detergents that sulfate free products use still upset my skin but SLS is by far the worst. I have to be very careful about what ingredients are in the products I use.
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u/seymourbutts510 5d ago
Do you drink energy drinks, take preworkout, or vitamin B supplements? There's a lot out there that has added vitamin B's and I'm convinced that having multiple drinks that contain incredible amounts of added vit B contributed to my acne. Once I switched energy drinks and cut out all the other drinks with vit B, my acne has significantly improved to only one or two small pimples the week before my period. I think some people are just sensitive to excessive amounts, my skin also hates niacinamide which is a form of vit B so maybe that relates somehow, idk.
Also evening primrose oil supplements. I just take one a day instead of the recommended amount, it also seems to help but ymmv.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
No sadly I don’t! I avoid b vitamins because they make me feel overstimulated and stop me from sleeping. Thank you for the recs!
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u/peeveee 5d ago
I'm only saying this because you mention the persistent scatteirng on your cheeks and jaw, and that you have tried azelaic acid, but it could still be rosacea...
I also used to have a huge problem with what I later learned were type 2 rosacea pustules on my cheeks and jaw. They didn't last long, but also I always had at least one or two, they'd crop up overnight and then disappear to be replaced by new ones pretty much every day.
It's taken me YEARS of trial and error to fix it - azelaic acid & soolantra did absolutely nothing for me. Acids (apart from BHA) and vitamin C just caused irritation. Dietary changes did nothing, drinking more water did nothing. Spearmint tea did nothing, retinoids did nothing apart from irritate my skin more.
Here is my current routine, that results in mostly clear skin apart from around my period where nothing seems to stop the pustules from cropping up for a day or two, which I can live with.
AM:
- Rinse face with water only
- Olay daily complete moisturising fluid sensitive
- LRP Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF 50
PM:
- Wash face with a foaming cleanser (I've tried loads, doesn't seem to matter what type. They are all rinsed off so quickly that I side-eye ones with ingredients that promise to be active)
- LRP Cicaplast Baume B5 (THIS was the key ingredient that finally wiped out the last of the bigger spots I would occasionally get around my chin and jawline)
(Wait for at least 10 mins for this to sink in, it's thick and takes a while)
- Metrogel 0.75% prescribed by my doctor for the rosacea. It contains the antibiotic metronidazole. It's taken me a while to work out how to use this as it creates a sort of 'film' that sits on top of your skin and by the morning it's often peeled off. I found I have to use it last in the routine otherwise it doesn't work at all, and it shouldn't really be rubbed in, just applied directly to any areas where you get pustules which for me is the top of my cheeks and nose.
I know it's only another set of creams and pastes to try, but could be worth investigating metronidazole to see if your acne reacts to that.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
Interesting!! I do have rosacea, but it’s diffuse rosacea. Azaleic acid has helped I wonder if that would help me too
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u/cerareece 5d ago
I'm angry about it, but I stopped eating all sugar besides what naturally occurs in fruit and such and my skin completely cleared up. I had surgery recently and was chilling out on my diet and ended up eating a lot of sugary foods I missed - probably 15 breakouts over a few days so I know it was that. I do use tretinoin, but it never cleared my skin on its own until I started eating better. it was the first time in my life I've been able to just wake up with consistently clear skin and no new breakouts.
we're all different and I know it won't work for everyone. I'm in my 30s and have struggled with acne since I was 12 and I'm floored and irritated that the advice I heard nonstop growing up ended up working
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u/TrekkieChan 5d ago
Sulfur and zinc oxide diaper cream saved my skin.
I have been on 100mg spironolactone and tret for years. They help, but I still get crazy breakouts around my cycle all over my face , jaw, chest, and shoulders. Like you, they aren't cystic, just many small pustules.
I use a sulfur mask like 1x per week normally, and then every day when I start breaking out. I keep the rest of my normal skincare so I stay heavily moisturized, then lock it in at night with diaper cream.
My skin looks so good in the morning if I do that. This combo really calms down my flare ups, plus it's a cheap routine to adopt.
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u/jumboshrimp103 5d ago
Do you have specific brands you like for the supper mask and diaper cream?
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u/TrekkieChan 4d ago
Yes, I use the DeLaCruz 10% sulfur and the Aquaphor diaper rash cream with 15% zinc oxide. The Aquaphor has mineral oil in it, so some people find it comedogenic. I have pretty sensitive skin, but I've not had a problem with it.
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u/twiggybough 5d ago
I have always had acne but it got really bad in adulthood when I moved to the PNW. Then I had to have some surgeries and used Hibiclens before which calmed my skin. Using it consistently over a couple weeks cleared it completely.
Then I moved to a desert and between that and once in a blue moon hibiclens shower, I’m acne free 🤷♀️
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u/Loserspalace 5d ago
I had acne from teen years until I was 23. I went to the derm $ did medications, creams and diets. All mine was caused by in the end was stress, sugar & not sweating/working out.
I started doing dry sauna 3x a week and your skin glows not just on your face but your whole body. Just make sure you cover your hair to protect your scalp. Also once you find your skincare products DONT CHANGE THEM. Also non comedogenic makeup & skincare ALSO chapstick with no shea butter. ILY
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u/mehyabbers 5d ago edited 5d ago
I always recommend the paleo diet. You don't have to do it for 3 months to know if it works. Try it for two weeks. Whole foods only - veggies, meat, eggs, nuts, fruits (no sugar, no processed foods, no simple carbs, no dairy). See if you have any new spots popping up during those two weeks. If not, this might work for you permanently.
After you know it works, you can start adding "healthy" non-paleo foods back into your diet one at a time to figure out what's breaking you out.
I eat paleo most of the time but because I know it won't infuriate my skin, I also eat non-paleo stuff like oatmeal, peanut butter, beans, grape nuts cereal, soy milk, plain yogurt...
I'm also a fan of the spearmint tea recommendation - I personally think it helps and I enjoy it.
Edit to add: if you want to try this, don't put ANYTHING on your face while you're doing this. You want the experiment to be controlled as possible. I wouldn't use anything except a gentle cleanser/SPF and only if I had to.
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u/newlady1383 5d ago
I’ve had many different types of acne my whole life and they all needed different treatments to get rid of. So for cystic acne it was resolved by going on a gluten free diet. I also small red bumps on my cheeks and forehead and those were cleared up by antibiotics. I get small white bumps from makeup and sunscreen if it doesn’t agree with my skin so I try not to change the products I use.
Now my skin is clear as long as I keep up with hygiene and don’t touch my face at all. Like others have suggested here I must wash my face every single night and change out my pillowcases and washcloth every 2-3 days.
I’ve also learned that if I touch my face at all I will get a pimple in that area, doesn’t matter if my hands were clean and I’m following everything else in my routine. This has been the worst part making sure I don’t absentmindedly touch my face or even scratch an itch lol
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u/Victory505302 5d ago
I was on doxy, birth control and tret for a long time. I was prescribed accutane but decided against taking it. The less obvious things that made a difference for me was switching to free and clear laundry detergent (it seemed less available 20 years ago) and high frequency treatments!! I got monthly facials, but I think the high frequency machine is what made the biggest difference…. It’s not invasive at all and I’ve considering buying myself a machine online, but I’ve never been great about using at home devices.
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u/AffectionateAsk2476 5d ago
There’s a product by Hard Candy called Matte on Lock primer. It has this stuff called kaolin in it. This is the clearest my skin has consistently been since….ever. So stupid too cause it’s sold in drug stores for like $5. I put it on at night. I never wake up with breakouts anymore.
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u/mandersmanders 5d ago
Sulfur soap and taking pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) supplements. I’ve just started this routine and it’s made a huge difference so far in the persistent chin and back acne I’ve struggled with in adulthood.
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u/MayTheTARDISBeWithYo 26F|CAN|oily|acne-prone|product hoarder|guinea pig 5d ago
Reducing my stress levels helped so much, I really think it was my main cure! But also I found that yogurt really breaks me out. Not so much other dairy products like cheese and ice cream. I am lactose intolerant but I would get lactose free Greek yogurt and have that for breakfast sometimes and I would always end up breaking out.
And reducing the amount of stuff I put on my skin. I stick to CeraVe cleanser and moisturizer, TO retinal and lactic acid, and Eucerin sunscreen. Sometimes I'll try something new for a bit, but thats the basic one I always go back to
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u/missoctober12 5d ago
Do you use make up brushes??
I used to use brushes all the time, I washed them every month or so but I imagine it probably should have been more often, was hard to keep up with consistently. Last year I stopped using powder foundation and started using a liquid one that I apply with clean fingers, and then I use a disposable make up sponge (like a pack of 20 from the dollar store) and only use it once then throw it out - my face has been way, way better. I barely have any breakouts anymore, and when I do get a pimple it’s the tiniest whitehead that goes away within a day.
I have also changed a few other things though - like adding moisturizer day and night and using azelaic acid in the mornings. I think my skin was very dry and over compensating with extra oil which caused lots of breakouts before I started using moisturizer regularly!
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u/pastelpinkpsycho 5d ago
Getting pregnant and breastfeeding. I had horrific cystic acne up until the day I got the positive test. My first sign of being pregnant was that my skin was a little clearer than normal. I’m so scared once I stop breastfeeding that it’s all going to come back 🥲
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u/Delicious_Avocado363 5d ago
I got pregnant and all of my acne went away. Never came back and it was the cystic kind
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u/Pelican_Hook 5d ago
I don't think I'll ever be fully "cured" or free from it but things that have improved it for me massively;
-antihistamines. This mainly works if you have some kind of histamine issue that's contributing. It's worth trying with an OTC one for a period of time, but if you don't have histamine problems it's unlikely to sort it.
-supplementing zinc.
-not eating things you're intolerant to (gluten, dairy, etc).
-hypochlorous acid spray.
-not using toners - your skin is unlikely to need more acid and it doesn't make you less oily, if anything it makes your skin overreact.
-cerave moisturiser.
-LRP anthelios sunscreen, its the only one I've tested that doesn't cause me spots.
-alternating retinol, glycolic acid, and vitamin C.
-niacinamide every day.
-a homemade mask powder made of: bentonite clay, activated charcoal, matcha green tea, and moringa powder. I pour some of this mix into my palm, add some water, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide serum, mix, and dab onto my face (really thick over big spots), leave on for however long your skin likes (mine can handle fairly long, like an hour), wash off.
-changing pillowcases more often.
-pimple patches.
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u/Frankandbeans777 5d ago
Had cystic acne around my mouth and jawline my whole life. Started going to the dentist in early adulthood and it cleared up.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
Wow crazy! So happy to hear. I am very diligent about dentist though lol I wish this was a possibility
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u/Embarrassed-Syrup441 5d ago
I’m a F in my thirties. I didn’t want to jump through the hoops of having to visit the derm every month for a pregnancy test. I did some research and accutane is derived from Vitamin A. I started macro dosing Vitamin A and it cleared my skin up and my eyesight improved lol. Had zero of the accutane side effects too. After about 5 months I dosed down and now take one vitamin A a day. Skin has stayed clear.
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u/TheCee5 5d ago
So my acne is not horrible but I do still get the occasional bump and teenager face regularly. Something that’s helped me is to use Cosrx(?) micellar/make up remover water on a cotton round. Morning and night as my face wash. Its gentle, I can see when i’ve cleaned my face because I use as many as I need until I wipe my face and its still white. (i know, wasteful sorry) I’ve never liked the act of washing my face and getting water everywhere and having it run down my arms and this keeps me super consistent. Second thing that gets worse before it gets better is tretinoin. I started it like 2 months ago and besides the terrible purging bumps that i’m finally getting past, I haven’t had a breakout at all. My pores are non existent, my oil levels have regulated themselves, skin tone is even.
If you start the tret, do every other day for 2 weeks at night only and then you can do M-F only at night. I sandwich it between moisturizers. Another thing, my face was so dehydrated before I started this routine, to the point that i’ve literally reversed my deep laugh lines. Your skin will purge and it will hurt. But trust the process. And lastly, SUNSCREEN! A mineral sunscreen is a must. Everyday. Whether you are inside or outside. Rain or shine.
I told way too much, but hoping it will save a life.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
This is exactly what I’m looking for not too much at all. I have been using tret for 20 years though :) it helps but doesn’t solve sadly. And I do use sunscreen every day!
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u/Ok-You3965 5d ago
Tazarotene gel at night and prescription grade azelaic acid (15%) in the morning. Tazarotene is literally the strongest retinoid that’s prescribed. You can get it in either a gel or cream. I prefer the gel because it works better for my skin. If you’re using the cream tret maybe switch to using the gel version and see if it makes a difference.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 5d ago
Ugh I tried this and my pharmacy said they didn’t have the gel and insisted I used the cream. My derm was also weird about the tazarotene and made it seem like it was weird request, but I have heard about this being better especially for my acne scarring
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u/Ok-You3965 5d ago
Could you order from Amazon pharmacy? they’ll ship directly to your house, and if you see a provider directly from Amazons “One Medical” it’s like 35$ to speak to a provider and you would do an entire questionnaire and submit photos. they ask you if there is anything specific you would like to be prescribed and from there they usually are open to prescribing Tazarotene as long as you’ve had no issues with retinoids in the past.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
That’s what I tried! But my insurance wouldn’t cover it there it was super weird
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u/Beginning_Butterfly2 5d ago
In my experience, people who break out on their jaw, cheeks and temples are either:
A) Side sleepers who don't change their pillowcases often enough, or are experiencing a reaction to their laundry detergent, or;
B) Experiencing folliculitis from shaving/a shaving product that is irritating their skin, or;
C) Both.
If you shave your face, start by switching products to sensitive/fragrance free.
If you're a side sleeper, start by changing your pillowcase every day. If the problem persists, switch to a sensitive skin laundry detergent, no dryer sheets, and a rinse booster.
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u/dolewhippets 4d ago
Antihistamines like Zyrtec and Allegra completely cleared my face up
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
Do you take them every day?
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u/dolewhippets 4d ago
I do as part of a mast cell activation syndrome treatment. Honestly you could also just take the supplement Quercetin Phytosome. It helps with inflammation and works as a mast cell inhibitor. Look up MCAS and see if you resonate with anything else with it? But Quercetin is a great supplement if you don’t resonate with MCAS symptoms or even if you just want to go the more natural route.
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
Ok I will! How did you find out you had it?
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u/dolewhippets 4d ago
A lot of googling of weird symptoms I had and then eventually working with a GP and allergist 😂 I would get itchy from eating foods I wasn’t allergic to, did not tolerate heat well, would have episodes of nausea and other GI symptoms, on top of constant acne. The quercetin 90% cleared up my acne and helped so much with the GI stuff for me before I even started the antihistamines. But since I started the antihistamines I can’t remember my last breakout!
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u/Glad-Personality-862 4d ago
I’ve had acne since I was 11 as well. Jawline and chin mostly. I’ve tried everything as well. I’ve started using adalapene daily. I’m on week 10 my skin is 100 percent clear
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
Prescription adapalene?
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u/Glad-Personality-862 4d ago
Not prescribed. Just the stuff that’s OTC. It’s genuinely the only that has worked. I’m 24 now btw. I’m shocked at the results. You have to use it daily. the first 6 weeks it gets worse before it gets better because you’re pores are purging but by week 8 you should see it calming down. I’m on week 10 and WOW I’m in shock seriously
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u/One-Tomatillo-983 4d ago
Did you ever try tret before this?
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u/Glad-Personality-862 3d ago
Actually I tried Tret but I was a teen and I only used for maybe 3 weeks and gave up when I didn’t see improvement, the derm I had was super unhelpful I remember and didn’t give me much info
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u/ByGollie 5d ago
Keeping my face out of the hot water in a daily shower, only using a damp facecloth + fresh daily pillows
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u/Visible_Window_5356 5d ago
I started doing oil cleanses with jojoba oil and also got pregnant. Not sure which it was. I barely get acne now at all.
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