Adult acne help

I'd love to recommend an esthetician who specializes in maturing skin & acne. If you're willing to drive to Alameda, Susan at Nofu Clinical Skincare can help build routines, review your current products and help you utilize correct ones - she's helped me a lot for issues that sound similar to yours (hormonal, aging, adult acne)

Hello, I recommend that you see a dermatologist, either through your health insurance and a referral from your PCP or privately. If you go the private route, NorCal Dermatology Group icecreamderm.com near Alta Bates is good! A derm can prescribe you topical Rx (e.g., tretinoin), oral Rx (e.g., isotretinoin - a miracle drug; I recommend staying away from oral antibiotics, as these can worsen acne and rosacea over time as well as cause systemic health issues), or laser therapy. If you want to try at-home OTC solutions first, I recommend using a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser like LaRochePosay Toleraine Gentle Hydrating Cleanser or Cerave, while your skin is still damp apply a light fragrance-free moisturizer and let it soak in, and then apply a thin layer of Differin overtop before bed. Admittedly this routine can be challenging for moms, but you might only need to do it 2-3 times a week to see results. Using a red-light therapy mask (e.g., CurrentBody LED) can also be helpful. "Chemical-free" products with plant and essential oils most often aggravate sensitive, reactive skins like ours. Instead opt for gentle, fragrance-free drugstore products. You'll see results. Good luck!

Ask your doctor about retinol! Best thing for acne and aging. 

I had that same problem and tried all sorts of stuff for years. Finally went to a new dermatologist who immediately asked me if I had dandruff. I said no because I’ve used a dandruff shampoo since I was a teenager. She said it was simply the same thing on my face. Seborrheic dermatitis: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seborrheic-dermatitis/sy…

the solution was simply to use dandruff shampoo on my face when showering. Within a week it was gone, after suffering for years… the important active ingredient is Ketoconazole.

I can't speak highly enough about Oakland Acne Specialists - I have worked with Arlene for two years and she is great, other staff I've met also seem very competent. After several years of pregnancy/breastfeeding/more pregnancy & breastfeeding I was breaking out a ton and she helped me determine which products I was using could be contributing and causing acne. I get regular facials now and also use some of the products they make/recommend. I now get random comments about how nice my (40 year old) skin looks! They're on Piedmont in Oakland: https://acnespecialists.com/

A good friend of mine has rosacea, and she did a deep-dive because she's an actor and can't work when it's acting up. She washes her face with Cetaphil and uses straight rosehip oil and that helps her. She says Tamanu oil also helps a lot of people. When she has flareups and her skin is super sensitive she just uses Vaseline, believe it or not.  She doesn't really get acne so no idea what it would do in that dept, but I've used rosehip oil as a healing moisturizer and it didn't break me out. 

And I've recently discovered these stickers that you put on pimples or blemishes. I used the kind with hydrocolloid, for active or just popped pimples. they really do bring them down and help heal. I think that for treating early stage pimples though there are stickers with acne-medication like salicylic acid. A lot of them are clear and really subtle, I don't mind wearing them out for errands etc. The other HUGE benefit of the stickers is that it keeps me from absently picking them.   The ones I tried from CVS are "Peach Slices Acne Spot Dots"  but I saw that brand also makes a whole patch that you could put over your cheeks.   I think that they are worth a try as a low investment before you move on to more specialized care.  There's a ton to choose from at drug stores.  

PS I am 44 y/o peri/menopausal with oily skin and get occasional acne. And- I even used the stickers on my 78 year old mom over the weekend who had a pimple that she'd scratched into a scab. it helped!  

I found my skin changed around this time, as well. The best products I’ve found are Marie Veronique; they’re pricey but so worth it and the whole routine takes me 90 seconds. Definitely make sure to get the Retinol. If you want a great facial and some recs on which specific products to buy, check out Bohemia off College in Berkeley. 

My dear esthetician retired during Covid and I am no longer able to get the regular facials with extractions that controlled my adult acne. Luckily I discovered "pimple patches" which are hydrocolloidal bandages that are packaged / precut to use on pimples. Hydrocolloidal bandages are a wound treatment bandage with special properties. Looks them up and read about the extensive properties which I won't copy and paste here. .I wore one recently for two weeks applied for a surgery incision, so they have excellent staying power.  What I like most is that they wick away wound secretions. You can actually see the bandage turn whitish as it pulls material away. They blend into my face so well that I wear them out and about.. Some people just wear them overnight to calm an inflamed pimple or one in a conspicuous spot. They are actually meant to stay on longer to not disrupt the healing process. They are available in the bandage section of Walgreens, Target, etc. precut in little circular patches. You can also buy the product as a size meant for heel blisters / general wounds and cut them as needed. I used a hole puncher for a while to cut my own pimple patches. Johnson & Johnson sells their hydrocolloidal bandages as Hydro Seal.Also, you can used them on your kids. I find that they are helpful on splinters, blisters, bug bites, and more, and they stay on in the shower and bath for several days. .  Game changer, inexpensive and useful for the entire family! 

This sounds like it could be rosacea, which your primary care physician can help you with. 

Hi! As a mother of two, I relate so much to this as I also struggle with adult acne and hyperpigmentation. Depending on your skin type, you may not need a lot of self-care or chemicals. Sometimes less is more. With that said, I have to point out four very obvious things you should absolutely do that will not only improve your skin but are crucial to your overall health... to get more sleep, make sure you are drinking enough water daily (somewhere around 64oz), exercise, and try to lower your stress levels. I can not express how important these lifestyle changes are!!! You can try every skin treatment in the world and it will all fail if you are not getting enough sleep and water. I realize this is way easier said than done but seriously consider ways to improve these areas of your health. 

Another place to look inward is your diet. Is it possible you have a food intolerance? Are you overeating fast food, dairy, or caffeine? While studies on these foods causing acne go back and forth, we know overall they affect our health and should be limited regardless.

Have you talked with your OBGYN regarding your hormones? It may be completely hormonal, which in that case means while topical medications will help, the skin issue itself won't go away until your hormones are worked out. Also, it's possible you damaged your skin barrier when using different products OR you are not using the proper amount of face lotion.

With aging skin, adult acne, and rosacea I strongly recommend visiting a dermatologist. I can not recommend Dr. Ingrid Freeny enough. She is AMAZING and extremely knowledgeable!! Until you can see a dermatologist, I suggest cutting out everything in your current skincare routine and sticking with a simple skincare routine of just using a gentle face wash and face lotion 2x a day. La Roche Posay and CeraVe are both great brands. 

If you do use anything on your skin (lotion, wash, makeup) shoot for "clean" brands and Non-Comedogenic. Some around-the-house fixes are to change your pillow case every 1-2 days (Silk material is recommended for skin care but microfiber is okay too), try to sleep on your back, and only dry your face off with a clean towel.

And finally, remember that when it comes to skincare, it takes forever to know if a product is actually working. If you start a product that causes more breakouts in the first few weeks, that doesn't actually mean you are having a negative reaction to the product. In fact, many products cause purging and that means it's actually working for you. It can take 6-12 weeks to see changes. So you are supposed to stick with a product for a minimum of 6 weeks to know if it's helping or hurting.

Not sure if I "recommend" these, but during my journey, I did find helpful information on these two Reddit forums::

Reddit- 30+ skincare

Reddit- Skincare Addiction

Seven thirty (previously called Studio Abasi) specializes in clearing acne as well as addressing other skin issues. I go there for maintenance facials (I have dry skin, rosacea, light acne) and use their products. I’ve had two friends with severe acne that they have gotten clear. They are currently on Dwight but moving to 4th street soon. Sabrina Gascon is my go to aesthetician there. I can tell you for sure they will recommend dramatically reducing dairy and sugar consumption and dialing back the caffeine. 

I've seen really great results with Oakland Acne Specialists on Piedmont Ave. Arlene is a total professional and also really nice. I've been much happier with the attention and holistic care they give to skin than when I tried getting dermatology help from Kaiser.

i can relate. You might want to talk to a dermatologist to determine if it is caused by demodex eyelash mites (yuck, I know). if so, some products that I have used that have eliminated are: Cliradex wipes or foam, or ivermectin cream (Rx). If demodex is the issue (my eye dr told me that it increases as we age), use the cliradex to clean your eyelids and lashes in addition to your cheeks. I also noticed the redness on my cheeks lessened when i regularly used a BHA toner. I don’t know if that was just coincidence or if there’s something to it but…something to discuss with a dermatologist!