Help! Fed up with adult acne

[Sigmagirl]

Re Retin-A: If you decide to go that route, and it doesn’t seem to work for you at first, even after you get over the irritation, be aware that it comes in different forms. Like the Three Bears’ porridge, you may have to find the one that’s “just right.” When I first tried it, I got the liquid kind that was like Napalm. Then they gave me a gel that peeled off my skin in shreds like rubber cement after it’s dried – totally ineffective. After that, a lotion that was sorta-sorta. Now it comes in pump-type foam that works very well. Don’t let one non-starter with that put you off the stuff. It can help a lot.

[DianaG]

Not dermatologist recommended, and certainly not for those who have frequent, widespread acne, but if you have just the occasional pimple (like Carm6773), never mind all those spot treatments. Nothing has ever worked better for me than to just pop that fucker and put some Neosporin on it. Gone the next day like it never happened.

[rbroome]

@trupa

So I no longer have the waistline, energy, or hair (among other things I remember fondly) I had when I was 17. Why the %^$#^do I still have the skin?

I’m a 40 yr old guy, fercryingoutloud, I’m supposed to have a midlife crisis, not worry if a zit will break out before the prom. My acne isn’t catastrophic, but it’s definitely noticeable.

I want to go all Apocalypse Now-gunships-at-dawn-with-Wagner on this face of mine. Please help me select my weapon platforms. So far I’ve been using the Johnson & Johnson line of products, and Tersaseptic shampoo & face wash. They’re OK for slowly stopping an outbreak after the fact, but skip one nigh, and you’re behind the 8-ball again.

It seems all the other products I see marketed are being sold as/by cosmetics companies, which are, IMHO, famous for their pseudo-science quackery (slimming cream, anyone?)

I don’t care about wrinkles. I certainly don’t want to moisturize. I don’t want something gentle, I want to nuke this from orbit. So what really works? What has some good clinical data behind it? What can make this go away and, especially, stay away?

been there.
Accutane.
and hurry. it is such a difficult drug that rumors are that it will be banned soon. Call a GOOD dermatologist (someone who routinely has at least several patients under treatment at any given time and can be very serious and frightening when she needs to be-she needs to be) and get started. Lots of side effects, but if you keep at it and follow all the directions carefully, it will be worth it. And trust me, when they say watch your diet-even 2 cookies is WAY too much.

[irishgirl]

Personally the three things that have sorted my skin out:

1. Went on Dianette, an anti-testosterone contraceptive pill. Really, really good for my skin and hair, but not an option in the USA (FDA no likee) or for boys.

2. Came off Dianette, had a Mirena IUCD fitted- works like a charm and my skin isn’t much worse than it was on Dianette, and my endometriosis and PMS symptoms are 100% gone. Again, not an option for the boys.

3. Finally decided to treat my self to a trip to the beauty salon. It was amazing. Now I get a Dermalogica facial every 6 weeks and use Dermalogica products daily. This isn’t the cheapest plan, but for me, it’s worth every penny for the great skin and the stress relief and there is a vast range of products so it can be individually tailored to your skin.