Hey, hun. I know EXACTLY what you are going through. I went my whole life without being touched by acne...then all of the sudden, at the age of 25, I started to get breakouts...what gives???

Late-onset acne is what it's called, and it is extremely common. It is also believed to be completely hormonal by professionals, and I have gone through 3 dermatologists; they all agree that it's hormonal.

There are a number of prescription treatments that your doctor/derm may prescribe you...but before spending money on that, you may want to look into a few OTC remedies that have been working for me.

I have been mixing 1-2 drops of 100% natural Tea Tree Essential Oil (you want to make sure it is PURELY tea tree oil, not extract) with my daily moisturizer. Tea Tree oil is a natural antiseptic, feels cool when it touches your skin, and can be used for many things, including acne and burns. I simply love this stuff.

You should never apply it DIRECTLY to your skin, as the oil is quite strong, and can burn your face. However, when mixing a couple of drops in with a moisturizer, that dilutes the oil, and allows it to gently absorb into your skin with your moisturizer. You will love the "minty" feeling it gives your face after applying. It just feels clean.

Some people say they notice results immediately, others say more realistically about a month or so. It all depends on the person. But I would definitely give this a shot, because it works well for me and countless others.

It's not as harsh as benzoyl peroxide or other treatments that can irritate your skin, provided you dilute it with your moisturizer. There are also ways to make toners with just Tea Tree Oil and water. I would Google that for further details.

I have also heard great things about Grape Seed Essential Oil, specifically for hormonal acne, though I have yet to try it. I've read that it's a more moisturizing oil compared to other essential oils, such as tea tree, which can be drying if not coupled with a good moisturizer.

Lavender Essential Oil would be my last suggesstion. I have tried this, and though it does not break me out, I still haven't found the perfect solution to properly dilute it for my skin so I don't irritate it. Lavender is also an anti-septic, has anti-inflamatory and anti-bacterial properties. It is SO STRONG!

So read up on it thoroughly before putting this stuff on your face...though I've read it works miracles when you find the right way to use it.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you!!

meee too

Life sucks with acne.. (modertly severe)

i started breaking out at the end of sophmore year just one big pimple ( but every year it keeps getting worse) BUT I HAVE HOPE!!

i will have clear skin I will will i will iwill i will have clear skin

IM in college now &Ego killer...? shxt i have no confidence anymore

i havent seen my highschool friends in forever parly bcus of other depressing things im deealing with but also becuase of my acne

but its mostly the red marks i have that are annoying A'F.i dont want my friends to be like wow you use to have nice skin what happen

but like i said i will have clear skin feel like things will get better soon i feel it and i feel you BEST LUCK & goooood viiiibessss tooo yoooooooouuuuuuu!

Starting around the mouth indicates perioral dermatitis. From what I gather you're recovering now, but in addition to what you're doing, you could try switching out your toothpaste for something all-natural and fluoride free. And if you use mouthwash, you should probably stop that too.

If you were using products on your face before this happened, they could be the cause of this acne. Acne can't happen without the bacteria on your face, but the bacteria are rarely a cause. The fact that your treatments are working suggests that you are killing the bacteria, thus not allowing acne to happen. However, it may be only a bandaid fix; once the bacteria come back, you would have acne again.. But again, I think this would only be the case if you were using products on your face before the breakout. It's possible that this could extend to face washes, soaps, etc.

lizzyyard: Iknow what you mean I usually avoid people I havnt seen in awhile for that specific reason.My acne usually gets irritated by the end of the day so it becomes red. If its not red such as in the morning it isnt really visible. Ive been using the Hydrogen Peroxide regiment from acne.org and ive really been clearing up. But like I said before sometimes this is false hope. The whole acne thing is new to me so im just trying to tame it as much as possible. Hopfuly theres something out there that can staalize hormones because I feel like that is the problem

quetzlcoatl: Thanks for the info. I didnt really use anything on my face just washed it once a week. When I first broke out there was no sure cause of why it was happening. With the regiment im really clearing up and im hopeful

omg duude same here Excatly my face gets red like in the afternoon and you can see my spots (left by acne) i have breakouts like it will be clear for one week With hyperpigmentation and red marks but then i''ll breakout for month with big nasty p's and then clear and then breakoput its anooyinnng Af' yeah i deleted my facebook&everything but like i said for others stuff too wanting to be on my own but for acne tooo

And i know what you mean all i can do is like think and think and think about how i fix my acne but sometimes i thinkmaybe this is how im suppose to be and let life happen and destiny or may i should fight it & keep trying but i just wish things were like beforree....

tommorow im going to the docs to set in appointment with the derm becuase i already spended like ALOT of money on BS

i hope your skin clears like mine will i have hope!! (i say that now but later on im probally gonna be like ughhh this is never going away and then again i have hoope)

Have you tried the regiment Lizz? Because im a few weeks in and my skin is almost clear. Highly recommend it if you haven't tried it. Thinks like fish oil and other vitamins can also be that extra push for hormonal balance which is what we are suffering from I believe Trust me try it out its really helping me. Hope this helps

You poor thing. Sweetie it's stress, straight up. Drop whatever things in your life that you can drop. Take adrenal supplements!

Yeah i actually did but ithink im allergic becuase my eyes swell up and get teary also i get a rash but only on my chin where i am clear but im trying it again this time only im cheecks thats where i have my acne hopefully it gets better i also went to the doc & i was a bit suprised becuase she had more acne than me it was akward but she prescribed me antibiotics which im thinking if should take em or not cuz they dont work but she saids i have to if i want medi-cal to pay for a derm.so good luck to us all..

On 4/15/2013 at 2:45 PM, lads17 said:

Have you tried the regiment Lizz? Because im a few weeks in and my skin is almost clear. Highly recommend it if you haven't tried it. Thinks like fish oil and other vitamins can also be that extra push for hormonal balance which is what we are suffering from I believe Trust me try it out its really helping me. Hope this helps

WOW. oh wow. this post is so old but yeah i did end up sticking with it along with fish oils such as VIT A. recently tried to stop Dan's regimen during quarantine (did it the wrong way by using dr. bronners & jojoba oil got the idea from cassandra banks I think the other Problem i have is hard water) overall getting off the regimen irritated my face. All hell broke loose once I coldly stopped the BP. Now Im back & getting better. Again there is HOPE! if anyone sees this .  keep pushing