Photos in comments I (25F) have never had consistent acne. Of course some pimples here and there esp around age 19, but for the most part I’ve had pretty clear skin.
A few months ago I suddenly started getting large and painful pimples around my mouth, chin, and forehead that won’t go away and also red spots on my forehead that aren’t raised (some acne is also small). It doesn’t seem to ebb and flow with my cycle, but I’m trying to keep and eye on it and haven’t noticed a pattern at this time. I’m fucking exhausted from this shit.
I’ve tried benzoyl peroxide spot treatment (typically what used to work for my occasional pimples in the past), benzoyl peroxide face wash, double cleansing w oil cleanser first, cerave resurfacing retinol, peaches acne salicylic acid moisturizer, adapalene ointment, spearmint capsules, castor oil (this was a mistake I saw some girl talk about on TikTok but made it a million times worse), and also tried not putting anything on my skin. I’ve also tried cutting out most dairy, excessive sugar, and most processed foods.
Idk what to do. Please assist lol. I wish I could add pictures but it’s not letting me
Hey! This might be fungal acne — I had two bouts this year and none of the usual stuff cleared it up.
Try doing a mask of Nizoral with 1% ketoconazole (yes, dandruff shampoo) for 10 minutes, every other day for 5 days. And in between only use Vanicream cleanser and moisturizer.
This has helped me without fail. Plus sometimes I throw in the Axis Y Green Vital Energy Complex sheet mask for major soothing.
Fungal infections come from excess moisture and are meant to dry the skin more… I wouldn’t use fungal stuff on your face unless directed by a doctor. You usually have to be exposed to a fungus to get a fungal infection, and since this is coming around OP’s period, I don’t think it’s fungal. OP’s skin is going to get drier, disrupting the skin barrier allowing bacteria to get in and causing more cysts. Not to mention… fungal flora feed on the bacteria (which is what causes most breakouts/hormonal acne) on our skin! You could be causing breakouts if it’s NOT fungal! It’s possible OP’s acne could be fungal, but I would NOT recommend this to anyone w/o being diagnosed by a doctor and prescribed this. This could make OP’s skin so much worse.
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this sudden acne, it’s such a frustrating and exhausting experience. It’s also so confusing when you’ve tried so many things and nothing seems to work.
In my experience dealing with, these helped:
Getting off birth control made my acne so much worse, and I realized a lot of it was hormonally driven. Balancing my hormones through diet, supplements and lifestyle changes made a big difference. Some things to look into are balancing blood sugar, taking inositol for my PCOS, managing stress, and looking at nutrient deficiencies (mine were vitamin D, B and magnesium).Of course check with your doctor.
Focusing on anti-inflammatory foods and supporting my gut health with a good probiotic also seemed to help.
I had to get rid of all pore-clogging ingredients in my skincare, makeup and haircare. I used the Skindex ingredient checker tools from Cool as a Cucumber. Turns out some of my go-to products had sneaky pore-clogging ingredients that were breaking me out.
Using a simple, gentle skincare routine consistently with products formulated for sensitive, acne-prone skin was key. The Cool as a Cucumber line (especially their Soothe Operator Cleanser, Balancing Act Serum, and Hydralixir) got me clear when nothing else worked.
Lastly, try not to stress (easier said than done I know). Stress only makes acne worse. Be patient with yourself and your skin. You’ll get through this! Wishing you all the best on your skincare journey.
Yes, I didn’t realize until my 20s that all of the harsh acne products make my skin worse! That stuff is so harsh and some of it shouldn’t be labeled as daily.
This sounds hormonal based on the location of the breakouts, which is the type of acne I have (26F). I’ve been battling hormonal acne since I was like 17 ish. The only things that have worked are Birth control and Spironolactone (Aldactone, it’s normally a very small diuretic/blood pressure medication). Both help regulate androgens, which can cause acne (an example of an androgen is Testosterone!) I had to restart both and my gosh my skin has cleared up a lot! I had a cyst pop that was so deep I could see the fat/muscle tissue on my face. It’s SUPER common with young women in their 20’s.
Derm may also put you on clindamycin (antibiotic ointment) and doxycycline (antibiotic)to help w/breakouts. They both prevent/treat the bacteria from growing that can cause those large, painful cysts.
I’d avoid scrubbing your face and over-drying. You don’t want to disrupt the skin barrier too much or breakouts are going to get worse/be more frequent. The issue can’t be fixed w/over the counter stuff for hormonal acne. Esp looking at your pics, it looks like you’re overdrying the skin and may be getting some eczema and dermatitis (which I ALSO have haha). I started washing my face with the La Roche-Posay "Hydrating Gentle cleanser), Then I applied “La Roche-Posay Eauthermale” (my dermatologist recommended it!) with/ Vanicream… holy COW did my acne, redness, eczema, and skin look so much better! I was also told by derm to stop exfoliating because it was making my skin worse/ “too angry”. I’d probably recommend the same to you until you can see Derm.
I second this!!! When my hormonal acne was at its peak I didn’t notice an ebb and flow around parts of my cycle and it was still down to high androgen levels! A lot of people I know have had to get on Spiro or change their dose in their mid-20s bc hormones shift as we age. I had to go up from 100mgs to 150 and my best friend had to go on a higher estrogen BC when we hit 25 because of the breakthrough acne we started getting!
This was me at 21. Are you in a US city? I have recs for acne specific esthetician. Beyond that, you have to look at ALL the products you are using. If you have acne you need to use acne-safe products. Also, diet can be a trigger so Google acne-triggering foods and maybe eliminate one at a time. Dm me if you are in a city and I can tell you about the program that worked for me.
I’m near Indianapolis! And yes I’m pretty sure the things I’m using are acne-safe, or at least claim to be… It’s so odd cuz I hadn’t changed anything before the acne started. Like diet didn’t change, products didn’t change, just all of a sudden it showed up!
See if you have a Face Reality acne esthetician near you. Those estheticians can clear you no matter what type of acne you have. They extract all the comedones under the skin. Mine has been a lifesaver! She has cleared my whole family! The products are wonderful too and help keep you clear when you get into maintenance mode after the first few months (or however long it takes to get you clear)
I 100% resonate with this, I’ve been doing a lot of research lately into like the role of the microbiome and skincare, are you using microbiome-friendly ingredients? could be good to consider
As for your mouth and chin you might have perioral dermatitis and you need to stick to a simple skincare because your regime consists of a TON of actives that will dry your skin out even more. Especially the spearmint which causes inflammation for people with sensitized skin. For your forehead, I would relieve the area from being hidden from hair as your hair products can rub up on it and cause further irritation. If you wear your hair down I would recommend a headband or clips to ensure it’s not stopping oxygen flow from reaching your forehead area. You need a simple routine: 1. gentle cleanser that is nonstripping (a good one is from Innisfree the amino green tea one) 2. Lightweight moisturizer that gives your skin nourishment (inkey list omega water cream) 3. Exfoliate or treat ONLY 2-3x a week at Nighttime in the forehead area. No scrubs. Your diet and lifestyle can also take account of your skin, if you work out make sure you are taking enough water so you are not internally dehydrating yourself. Research estrogenic foods that you can start eating as it will help better with your cycle. When we eat androgenic foods we as females find we can experience more imbalance.
To prevent my comment from being heavily downvoted, I suggest you speak with a dermatologist before taking my advice here. Anyway, let’s go ahead with my comment.
I’m going to make a safe assumption and say that your acne is not caused by lifestyle choices and that it’s probably not fungal acne either. Fungal acne is much less common compared to hormonal acne. It tends to be smaller, more uniform and appears in greater numbers compared to papular acne. You can ask yourself a few questions to figure it out: Are your pimples often clustered together? Are they red and itchy? If so, it might be fungal acne.
However, statistically speaking, you most likely have papular acne. Hard to say without pictures. The two products that worked for my papular acne were salicylic acid and azelaic acid with consistent use. I’d also recommend using a benzoyl peroxide wash in the shower before trying out these products, just to rule out bacterial acne. If it’s bacterial, the acne should clear up quickly, within days to weeks.
I regret trying Differin, but that’s just anecdotal. What helped my papular acne was a salicylic acid cleanser every 2-3x days and a 15% azelaic acid gel nightly. I never broke out from these, and they’re pretty gentle if you gradually introduce the azelaic acid. They never destroyed my confidence and made me as desperate as I was while using retinoids.
I struggled with very bad adult hormonal acne that started in 2020. It progressively got worse during dry months. I learned a lot more about diet when I saw a natural path that showed me a list of foods that I am allergic to. (Gluten, dairy, white sugar, and seed oils, etc.)
I have to start by letting you know that over time it can get better. Follow Clear Skin Chronicles to learn about cutting out inflammatory foods.
Also, soak your nuts, legumes, beans, and rice before eating because lectins can irritate the gut
I eat very healthily and use the most natural skincare on my face along with filtered water.
It’s tough to find the root cause … it takes time but the healing journey must begin