shannongre

If it makes you feel any better (which I'm sure it won't), my face looks pretty much the same. It is difficult not to get down about this emotionally. I guess the only thing I can say, is hold on because I'm sure better times (and a clearer complexion) is down the road. Get advice from a doctor. Try out different treatments. It may take awhile to find the thing that works for you, but in my experience there is always something that works. I am in my 40's and have dealt with adult acne all my life. The treatments I have used has changed, but eventually I find something that works. I am currently going through a bad phase too - and looking for the next thing that works. Good luck!

I am in my 40's and have dealt with adult acne for more than 20 years. As a teen, surprisingly my face was pretty clear. My first discovery that helped keep me clear for about 10 years was BP. However about 5 years ago, BP just stopped working for me. Actually, it was making things worse. I started to only put BP on certain areas, and those were the areas that I would get cysts. I tried all kinds of different formulations of BP, but eventually just had to give it up. Then I found the Paula's choice products. I used a lot of the products from the anti-aging line (not the acne products). My skin never looked better in my life. Like seriously beautiful. This lasted for about 2 years. Then it all went bust. I think I started using too many of her products and just started putting something like 6 different things from her line on my skin. Then one day, I develop a serious, horrible rash. Had to go on oral predinose. Itchy and a mess. Took months for it to go away. Because I was so thrilled by how her products had made my skin, I kept trying to re-introduce them to my skin. But I only kept having the same reaction to everything I tried. I had to give up on the paula's choice line. Personally, I kind of feel that if I hadn't put so much on my face, maybe I could have kept using it. But now my body just reacts to it. So then, I did nothing. And yes, my face looked awful, cysts returned, blackheads, you name it. When I was younger, I used antibiotics, Accutane, etc. Now that I am older, now matter how bad my skin gets, I just won't used them because they really mess with my body and health. Antibiotics give me chronic yeast infections and Accutane gave me a liver problem. Anyway, my most recent thing I've tried is retin a. Tried it for about 6 months. Went through an awful purging, then thought it was getting better, then just seemed to get worse again. I had to stop retin a. Now just started on Differin. Supposed to be less irritating. We will see. All I know is that it just sucks to be in your 40's and to still be dealing with it!

Go see a dermatologist or family doctor and get professional advice. I don't know how many times I tried on my own to fix my skin, believing that cleanses, or products, or just leaving it alone, will magically heal it. Hey, you don't have to use anything they suggest if you don't want to. But if you are already at the point where you are not living your life by hiding away that believe me, force yourself to get help. You may be just waiting for that hyperpigmentation to fade, or the next cyst to heal, but more than likely you will just have another problem to deal with. I believe part of the hopelessness results in people not wanting to leave the house, even to get help from dermatologists. See it as part of the problem and get help.

I think you have to immerse yourself in other things. As much as I want to just stay home and hide when my skin looks bad, I always feel better when I'm out doing things. I do slather my face with a ton of makeup, which I hate to do, but it's the only way to get out and not feel to self-conscious. Sometimes just a ton of make up on my face makes me think about it less. I don't think it's good for my skin, but psychologically it's better for me. So if I'm really down, I just use lots of make up. When my face is clear, I won't want to use make up, so why not use it when it is bad.

I would bring her to a dermatologist. Let an expert give her advice. She will be more likely to listen. She is probably feeling hopeless and thinks nothing will ever help her. I would also make an appointment for her to see a psychologist or expert for dealing with her depression. Let the experts help you and her.