Mine is much better when I cut out sugar and gluten.

Anonymous wrote:Did you get your hormones tested? Something is off balance.

Nothing is s off-balance. Some people have acne. I have it at 50 but I have a wonderful sex drive, and lean physic. Focus on the positive.

I did Accutane at 40- I wasn't having more children and had little bumps on my face since having children in low 30s. My derm put me on the lowest dosage of Accutane for about 4 months- my skin completely cleared up and 10 years later it's still clear. I had tried everything but the Accutane was the only fix.

I don't know if this will work, but some people swear by Pantothenic acid even for cystic acne. Sometimes I use vitamin A drops on my face, it is supposed to help. Not sure if it does though.

Accutane is the answer. I did it at 25 and it shut down my acne completely. It changed my life and I wish I had done it earlier. There is no reason not to ask for it and get it.

No dairy or gluten.

Acne.org 3 step system, religiously. I am 48 and have had acne since my early 20s. Like you, I tried everything short of Accutane, including every retinoid available, BCP, and repeated rounds of antibiotics. Nothing worked. I tried ProActiv and cleared about 85 percent, then tried the Acne.org system. I still get one chin pimple the week before my period but otherwise am clear. (And I promise I am not a shill for this product. It’s fairly inexpensive and they don’t advertise.)

For me OP, it is dairy. Stopped having acne after 25 years if I eat absolutely *no* milk, butter, cream or anything made with them. Even trace amounts will cause me to break out with bumps. It's gotten so I know where I will find acne on my face if I even eat one piece of milk chocolate.

I stopped dairy for other health reasons and was absolutely floored that my acne went away. I also have PCOS as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curology. Seriously made my persistent 40 year old acne disappear in 8 weeks. I was so frustrated one day on vacation, saw the ad on my social media and literally signed up without another thought. Not one zit in almost a year.

Curology is not available in Maryland (don't know about DC and VA).

It is available in Maryland as of 2020

Anonymous wrote:This is contrary to most advice but I now only wash my face once a day and my acne is so much better. Started out of pure laziness but then my skin improved. Then I changed my moisturizer to one without alcohol which helped even more. I think the old moisturizer plus washing my face twice a day was too drying and caused breakouts.

Also wearing a mask probably does not help chin and jawline acne, but at least it cannot be seen!

+1! I came here to say this! I had acne since I was 13 and I tried EVERYTHING (including spironolactone, which did work for me, but was not sustainable). When I got my first pimple when I was 13, my mom started me down a road of basically 2 decades of torturing my skin with acids, toners, retinols, clarisonics, etc. It turns out, once I started treating my skin much more gently, my acne is gone!

Couple general tips, OP:
-be more gentle with your face
-DON'T USE SILICONES!!! Check your products for silicones (dimethicone, etc.) and get rid of those products
-you might need to moisturize more than you think

My routine:
Morning:
-don't wash face
-in winter, put on a few drops of jojoba oil if feeling dry
-mineral powder makeup (I don't wear sunscreen, but I wear a very large visor and sunglasses during the day, and I generally stay out of the sun)

Evening:
-wash face with GENTLE cleanser (currently using Paula's Choice perfectly natural)
-every other night, 2% BHA liquid (Paula's Choice)
-simple serum with glycerine (Herbivore Bakuchiol is good)
-couple drops of jojoba oil
-Alaffia everyday coconut face cream

Anonymous wrote:Curology. Seriously made my persistent 40 year old acne disappear in 8 weeks. I was so frustrated one day on vacation, saw the ad on my social media and literally signed up without another thought. Not one zit in almost a year.

Curology is not available in Maryland (don't know about DC and VA).

Anonymous wrote:Spironolactone. I had acne as you described, tried everything including accutane. It’s hormonal. Spiro is the only thing that worked. Good luck.

+1

My DD did Accutane three times. Her skin looked great for about six months after finishing each course and then it went back.

Her OB then clinically diagnosed PCOS based on the acne and infrequent periods (otherwise, she is thin) and ordered a hormonal panel test. Her testosterone level was over 100. Was put on spiro and hasn't had an outbreak since.

Strongly recommend a hormonal panel before doing Accutane. Wish this had been recommended to my DD before trying this medication. (Three times--yikes!)

Dr gross alpha beta extra strength pads cured my chronic cystic acne, have to use daily.

Something that helped me OP was starting to dermaplane. Taking away a layer of dead skin, hairs, etc. seems to reduce the bacteria.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KKXQNMY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And this glycolic acid product:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WRPJW3V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It took me a very, very long time to discover that sugar and dairy were the main source of my skin problems.