Greetings,

I am 39 year old with typically mild-to-moderate adult acne. This summer my face was nearly clear. Unfortunately, my skin has gone on a downward spiral. Due to genetics, I have somewhat pale, sensitive, white skin. In the past, I have stupidly tried to improve my appearance by going to a tanning salon. A couple of short tanning sessions combined with salicylic acid resulted in a breakout with widespread bumps.

Anyway, this summer I lived in a suburb of Las Vegas (where I am moving in a month) and I soaked up the sun, had a carefree diet, and virtually no acne. Historically, when I have gone from Minnesota to Nevada, my acne seems to recede. Sometimes I wonder if there is something about the dry desert environment that helps calm my skin. I had a very large patch of eczema on my right hand that disappeared after one month in this climate (and this patch was on my hand for five years). It is worth noting that I tend to use less acne medication (i.e. BP, SA, Retin-A) when I am in Nevada, in part due to the time I spend outdoors.

Now here is my current problem. I have wanted to maintain the tan that I cultivated (without any acne flare-ups) throughout the summer. Thus, I have spent one to two hours each day on long walks, whenever we have a sunny day. in Minnesota, we have much less sun and the opportunitiy to tan is limited. However, recently we have a string of warm and sunny days. I started to notice large numbers of small bumps and redness around my hairline, my forehead, and outer edge of my right cheek. It has gotten to the point that I have decided to seriously curtail my use of BP, trying to stick to cleansing and moisturizing On Monday, I am going to call the dermatologist and see if he has any suggestions. I have not taken oral medication for acne, but I am at my wits end. For now, I will avoid the sunlight, do mindfulness techniques, take my supplements (i.e. Zinc, B-complex, Flax Seed Oil), and maintain a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I get similar redness and irritation from Retin-A, Salicylic Acid, and just about any other topical treatment. It does not matter how carefully I follow a cleansing, application, and moisturizing protocol. My skin is just too sensitive, Treatment suggestions including OTC remedies/supplements are appreciated. Also, I have almost wondered about asking for Accutane.