So I'm currently 41 and dealing with the worst skin since I was probably early 20s. I for years used Simple moisturizing face wash and spot treated with BP. Never moisturized and rarely exfoliated or did masks. Other than a few monthly pimples I had nice skin. About 5 months ago I started getting tons and tons of closed comedones on my cheeks and a few blackheads and also more pimples through out the month. Also my normal skin turned very very oily. My dr. insists it's not hormonal as my cycles are still perfect and keeps saying it's stress, but I've always had stress and never had skin this bad. It's been so bad I've been picking a ton and now have lots of dark marks from that. I switched to an all natural cleanser by Alaffia, started using very diluted ACV toner or Cocokind raspberry vinegar toner, and cut way back on the BP and use tea tree oil to spot treat. I've also been using cocokind sea moss exfoliator and chlorophyll mask. The new face wash, toner, and mask help a bit with drying up comedones but it's not preventing them. I rarely wear makeup and check everything against cosdna to make sure nothing is clogging my pores. I thought maybe my older skin was getting dehydrated (even though I drink tons of water) so I tried a few face lotions, again making sure nothing was pore clogging. Every single one made my skin worse! It's like I just can't use lotion, my skin hates it. My dr. suggested a script for a retinol but I prefer not to ruin my skin or make it dependent on something so strong. Is this just pre menapause skin and I'm stuck with it or anyone have any ideas to help me! At times it's so bad I don't leave my house and I have two young kids that this is starting to affect. So basically my routine is wash, tone, spot treat and 3 times a week I exfoliate and mask. I also use pure aloe from the leaf at night on the pimples I picked to help them heal quicker. I forgot to add I did use salicyclic acid for a few months but didn't feel it helped them at all. BP and tea tree seem to help the most. I don't think my skin likes moisturizer or acids.
You most likely have fungal acne NOT ordinary acne (which is why the tea tree oil helps, and the moisturisers make it worse). The organic oils in moisturisers FEED fungal acne. Malsezzia fungal acne (which you most likely have) lives on organic oils.
Fungal acne is caused by taking antibiotics, birth control pills and a few other meds.
The treatment for fungal acne is to apply antifungal creams and to wash hair in antidandruff shampoos. The problem should clear in one-two weeks by applying this regime.
Start by applying clotrimazole (canesten) antifungal cream, which you can buy without a prescription. If you answer the questions below, I can provide more targeted information about which antifungal cream to use for your particular problem. Also, use an antidandruff shampoo on your hair, and on the afected areas of your skin, if it does not cause irritation.
Keep you skin VERY dry - do not use moisturisers or organic oils - these feed the fungus and fungus LOVES moisture. You can dust the affected areas of your skin with antifungal powder at night.
Do you have dandruff, dry skin, seborhheic dermatitis ? Do you have a white tongue, sinus problems, unexplained tiredness or headaches ? Have you taken antibiotics and/or birth conytro pills ?
Be aware that doctors know NOTHING about fungal acne and they will deny its existence in otherwise healthy people.
Which country do you live in ? - so I can provide targeted advice about which antifungal creams to use.
I look forward to hearing back from you. I think your problem will be solved fairly readily..... by using antifungal cream etc.
On 5/21/2019 at 7:24 PM, Aussie Scientist said:You most likely have fungal acne NOT ordinary acne (which is why the tea tree oil helps, and the moisturisers make it worse). The organic oils in moisturisers FEED fungal acne. Malsezzia fungal acne (which you most likely have) lives on organic oils.
Fungal acne is caused by taking antibiotics, birth control pills and a few other meds.
The treatment for fungal acne is to apply antifungal creams and to wash hair in antidandruff shampoos. The problem should clear in one-two weeks by applying this regime.
Start by applying clotrimazole (canesten) antifungal cream, which you can buy without a prescription. If you answer the questions below, I can provide more targeted information about which antifungal cream to use for your particular problem. Also, use an antidandruff shampoo on your hair, and on the afected areas of your skin, if it does not cause irritation.
Keep you skin VERY dry - do not use moisturisers or organic oils - these feed the fungus and fungus LOVES moisture. You can dust the affected areas of your skin with antifungal powder at night.
Do you have dandruff, dry skin, seborhheic dermatitis ? Do you have a white tongue, sinus problems, unexplained tiredness or headaches ? Have you taken antibiotics and/or birth conytro pills ?
Be aware that doctors know NOTHING about fungal acne and they will deny its existence in otherwise healthy people.
Which country do you live in ? - so I can provide targeted advice about which antifungal creams to use.
I look forward to hearing back from you. I think your problem will be solved fairly readily..... by using antifungal cream etc.
I'm not on birth control and the only med I take is synthyroid. I don't think it's fungal, I don't have dandruff, white tongue or anything else you listed. I bought a silicone face brush and it seems to be clearing them up. I'm still getting a lot of normal pimples, more than usual, but that could be age related and hormonal.
Strange that your doctorsays its not hormonal.. I mean a drop in estrogen and a rise in androgens would probably affect acne prone post menopausal skin. Ive had comedonal acne since my early twenties, and time has not done me any favors.Im 33 now and Im probably the most oily Ive ever been and the comedonal acne is thriving. My theory is that the estrogen slowly goes downhill from early twenties,combined withslower turnover of skin cells, this would mean that it only gets oilier and cloggier..
welp...btw got differin from my doctor and it did nothingto clear it up the congestion or reduce the sebum. Found out through research that BP is a potent keratolytic -gotso fed up that I bought BP 10% and smeared all over my t zones one night, and then the magic happened - it cleared the congestions slowly but steadily and for the first time in then years my t zone is not a pool of thousands of filled up blackheads waiting to be whiteheads or worse.
So I guess Ill be smearing BP 10% on my face till Im 80and every morning use ten sheets of toilet paper to remove the oil spill on my face, cheers
