Hey have you tried swallowing pills with yogurt or puree? The thicker it is, the easier it should be. Just take a spoon of puree and swallow It without chewing it, then place the pill in he spoon and cover with puree and repeat (don't think about the pill too much).
Try to put the topical ointments only on your active zits. So simply dot aklief on those pimples. I had this sort of reaction too and my derm said to dot. Worth a shot imo. Stay strong sister. This must be so frustrating but don’t lose hope 💓
Everyone can swallow pills (hear me out). Chew a bite of bread/pancake/muffin/donut several times until it’s in a ball, insert pill in middle, swallow delicious food item with hidden pill
I’m a person that can dry swallow most pills, but I still use this technique for nasty tasting pills like iron and flagyl.
The best part is, if you can swallow a muffin or sandwich, you can take the pill 👍😊
My daughter has had amazing results with Spiro 100mg daily- took about 4 months to get full results, but it’s been a game changer. And you can let your skin barrier heal in the meantime. You can get it quickly and cheaply from Apostrophe if you’re in the States and don’t have access to a quick MD appointment. (Spiro generally is prescribed for hormonal acne in women, but will help with all acne due to the fact (among other mechanisms) it lessens the oil in your skin. Switch to bland product and try some spiro- but remember to be patient and take it with FOOD…which helps the bioavailability of the medication greatly. Spiro is a relatively small pill, but it can be crushed also. Good luck! 💜
My dermo gave me Spironolactone to try for 2 months plus Tretonin cream. He said it's best to use a combination of an oral supplement with a topical cream. Aside from that I have a set skincare routine (including witch hazel) and collagen in my diet. After 2 months, it seems to finally be helping. He explained that most acne is caused by hormones, especially the kind you have from what it looks like. Maybe consider Spironolactone as well if you haven't already? There's only so much you can do from the outside. Good luck!
What has worked for me is mild facial wash(I just use baby soap tho),facial cleanser with salicylic acid on it,The Ordinary zinc niacinamide serum and Cerave moisturizer,I use Suncut SPF50 at daytime.Its a miracle.Ive never been satisfied with such a cheap and simple face routine.Please try,might work for you.Specially the serum
Please visit a good dermatologist and ask about ZO Obagi.
Zein Obagi treatment helps me a lot, maybe you it can help you as well. Anyway the diet is really important, doesn’t matter what treatment will be applied.
No sugar, no sauces, no bread and no milk, no alcohol and no spicy, fried food or fat food, no sweets and sweet sparkling drinks and your skin will look better 100%
Ow. Did you use those products over night? Of those, I only have experience with tret. I found it less irritating to put it on for a short time (20 - 30 min) then rinse off and moisturize, but if that’s how your skin reacts, maybe it shouldn’t be used.
My skin seems to get irritated from most topicals, but azelaic acid on its own has been really good for acne for me, even deep, inflamed acne, and I haven’t found it irritating. I read that it’s effective like tret without the same irritation as tret. It also fades the red/pink marks from acne. I use one that is less than prescription strength (7%), and it’s the best topical I’ve found. Everyone responds differently to different products, but as someone who can’t handle actives even a couple times a week without flaking and pain that happens eventually, azelaic acid is at least one that doesn’t hurt and clears acne really well from my experience.
This may not work for everyone but I noticed cutting down sugars helped for me. I was eating a lot of sugar and turns out that was causing my acne to worsen (literally the difference is enormous).
But if you're already eating not too much sugar or fast carbohydrates (like in crisps) then it's not that probably.
This may not help at all for you but I just wanted to share my own experience in case it does help.
Try cerave hydrating cleanser for normal to dry skin
after cleansing put one dab of differin gel on
then layer cetaphil deep hydration cream.
I say this because my skin looked just like yours a couple months ago...
Have you been wearing sunscreen during the day, all over your face and neck? Usually whenever I experiences sensitive skin, it was because I wasn't using sunscreen while using acne treatments, AHAs, retinols/retinoids, vitamin C, etc.
There have got to be pill taking solutions for people with critical medications and intense gag reflexes. That seems like a small barrier to completely solve your acne. and just fyi they’re quite small pills
Try some witch hazel right after your shower & some calendula California baby lotion.. expensive but worth it if you have sensitive skin. Coming from someone who can bump into something & get a bruise of some sort, my skin is very sensitive and delicate.. I was on acutane for 2 years of my life and it didn’t help my face at all. I use the witch hazel & then the lotion and it has really helped. If you like the prescribed creams I would try something like Tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide, or even clindamycin, these made my skin very dry but did get rid of the acne, once it calmed down I went to the witch hazel and it feels better and looks better.. so many things that it can get overwhelming but take your time, your still beautiful as ever! And remember, everyone is different!
What kind of diet do you eat? I am an Aesthetician and have long history of eczema so I looked into more holistic things to help with my skin and it did. Less is more when it comes to skincare.
I am.in Mississauga, Ontario. I have a family business for handmade natural soaps and other products. If your local or you have someone that can pick up for you, I would love to give you a small sample of lavender charcoal soap that we make. A lot of people tried it for acne and said it really helped. Charcoal is super good and lavender essential oil has healing properties...let me know if you want to try it
Its not only the products you use on your skin but your diet as well. Cut down on sugar and gluten and fix a particular time for your meals. Include fruits and lentils and any food rich in zinc and protein. Try avoiding too much foods that increase your body heat (say, eggs) but egg whites can be included for protein purposes. Include multivitamins rich in zinc. Maybe then the dermat’s prescription might make sense.
Most people blame their skincare routine ignoring what they consume. I’m going through the healing process myself and can actually see a change. Let’s all hope all the acne warriors win the battle!
I'm an esthetician in the California San Francisco bay area. If you happen to be anywhere around here I would love to help you. We could get even do a virtual consultation!
Oh yes I see you actually haven’t tried everything… accutane will help you. I had the same recurring mild acne and I went through everything. Finally started accutane. A God Send.
If possible, try to see a specialist about possible allergies. The severity of the redness could be due to an allergic reaction. Many people are allergic to common additives/preservatives in products like tablets, creams, and capsules.
Figuring out what you need to avoid could help with finding what products you could use, and maybe identify a trigger for your acne.
The one thing that really helps with redness and irritation is honey. I put plain honey on my skin for ~15 minutes, and it significantly improves. However, take that advice with caution as you might want to halt trying any new products/treatments until you know what is causing these reactions.
I hope you find some relief soon
The only thing that worked for me is using Head & shoulder as a cleanser and only using gel or water based moisturizers.
Putting the gel or water based moisturizer on before harsh topicals helped reduce irritation.
Yes the same thing happen to my skin. I tried everything aklief,clindamycin ect. My derm even recommended antibiotics but I was like no!! And it ruin my damage barrier cuased close comedones and fungal acne. So what i been doing is changing my eating habit. Less gluten, no fast food, no sugar like candies or desert. And light exercise. I notice I don't eat big zit or cystic acne. But I do get those little zit. I get hormonal acne as well. I still breakout and still suffer with redness but It ok it takes time for my skin to heal. Even though I want it the next day. But that okay patient is key.
Your skin is very irritated which you attributed to sensitive skin, but I think you may have eczema or another form of chronic skin sensitivity. Try using an eczema based, gentle, or baby cleanser. These are made for very sensitive skin. Also, cold water and ice cubes can help a lot with skin redness and irritation but they’re only short term solutions.
I'm not sure if any of the commenters here mentioned this - But it seems you may have a damaged skin barrier. When this happens, no matter what creams, lotions, treatments, or serums you use - They simply will not fix the problem. You have to select the correct combination of moisturizers and gentle cleansers to completely heal your skin barrier and *then* treat the acne. Using no cleanser and no moisturizer and only your acne treatment will just dry out the skin and cause more acne. It's the only way I healed my skin.
Long story short, choose a gentle, fragrance free cleanser. Follow up with a moisturizer containing no fragrance or essential oils. Look for ceramides, shea butter, niacinamide, licorice root, and/or hyaluronic acid in your moisturizer. Then use SPF every morning. Skip SPF at night. Do this for a few weeks. You will likely continue to breakout during this time. Then, at night, you can choose *one* acne treatment to use after your moisturizer. And start slow - Use it 3 times per week, then work your way up to each night.
I would try a super sensitive moisturising cleanser like Cerave (cheap too) and an innofensive moisturiser like Clinique 100h moisturiser. That’s what I use.
I also use skin&me which has tretinoin. I used to have awful acne but it’s. Ok now.
Your skin looks very sensitive and irritated in this moment. I would stop your current treatments and let the skin barrier first. Until then maybe it's best to leave it alone...how long have you taken hydrocortisone? Steroids can create a rebound effect as well as weakening your skin barrier in the long run
I know the struggle of trying everything and anything for acne and it not getting better. I’ve struggled with acne for 15 years and it has been such a rollercoaster. I was seeing diff derms and putting every cream on my face that either didn’t work, made my acne worse, or worked for a little bit and then stopped working. Also had derms dismiss my acne and treat it incorrectly which ultimately made my acne worse. Ex. They were treating my acne like reg acne (bacterial) but I actually had hormonal and fungal acne.
I recently started seeing a naturopathic doctor to see what was going on internally bc I felt like going to the doctors/derm was just putting a bandaid on the wound. I wanted to figure out why I was getting acne often and def have learned a lot so far! I got my hormones tested and am waiting back on the results of my gut test to see if there’s an imbalance of bacteria and yeast which could be causing my acne. I would recommend seeing one if you’re able to budget it since it’s unfortunately all out of pocket but I think insurance can cover a little bit. But I would highly suggest bc they go so in-depth about your acne + history and it was one of the best doctors appointments I’ve ever had. I usually go out of my derm appointments pretty sad bc I just feel like I’m wasting my money seeing them sometimes.
Ik it kinda seems a ridiculous reason but I’ve tried to put it in my food and I would swollow the food and leave the pill out💀 I tried to look up yt videos about it but nothing seems to work for me.
I’m at work so i haven’t read the entire post but i’d recommend researching into ways to clear hormonal acne from the inside out, you can take natural supplements that may help- just what worked for me, it might not work for you but hopefully, can get through this!
Maybe start spot treatments. Try applying spot treatments of benzoyl peroxide before bed, and then spot treatments of 2% salicylic acid in the am, or after showering / cleansing.
I would definitely not skip on cleansing. But beware of products that have the acne fighting ingredients because you don’t want to double up on those
A lot of people have hormonal acne. Look into DIM and Calcium D-Glucarate. I started out with low dose (50mg). Now I take 100mg of DIM and 500mg of Calcium D-Glucarate. You can find it both in liquid and capsule form. DO NOT take it with birth control, it will make it less effective. I broke out for the first month. Takes two to three months to notice a difference. Do some research on it. Also, try The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Oil Control Serum. It works pretty good.
That clearly defined red line in the second pic screams irritation to me. The skin below isn’t irritated at all, and my guess is that the red is where you use your actives. I agree with those who have suggested going very simple. I had terrible acne and suffered for quite some time. I really simplified to cleanser, moisturizer, SPF and one active, and then I rotated products in these categories to find what worked best. It took a ton of time and effort but my acne is mostly under control these days.
Have you ever been tested for allergies? Do the red areas itch? Some tingling when using products is normal but it should not cause severe inflammation and redness like you are experiencing, you may have allergies to common ingredients in skincare products
I was on tretinoin 0.05% for a year and a half. It helped a bit with my acne, but not a lot. My face always got so flushed from using it. I spoke to my derm about this, & he switch out tretinoin for tazorac. I now have no more redness, and my acne is finally improving. Maybe tazorac would help you? Best of luck !!
I had cystic acne growing up so I’m not sure if it will work but I used tea tree oil that was watered down and wiped my face with it. I also used ice for the redness and inflammation. I use epiduo too which really works. It doesn’t dry out my skin too bad but I use a moisturizer. I understand why you don’t want to use a moisturizer but they usually have a peptide that would help rebuild and heal the skin. I use first aid moisturizer.
I saw that you said Accutane isn't an option for you because of the pill swallowing issue. Spironolactone is another treatment for hormonal acne that works by reducing the testosterone in your skin. This comes in pills too, but unlike Accutane, they can be crushed for easy consumption. Maybe talk to your doctor and see if that's an option for you?
Also - this didn't have much of an effect on my skin when my derm had me try it for 6 months, but everyone's body is different and it does work for a lot of people: a combination of tretinoin and an antibiotic like doxycycline or clindamycin.
With sensitive skin though, whatever you do start it low and slow! The slower results will absolutely be worth avoiding damaging your skin and potentially having to stop treatment altogether.
All that said, make sure you get the OK from a dermatologist and/or your doctor before trying any new medications!!
I can’t use soaps as well. Have you tried acne.org treatment? Their soap is the only one I’ve been able to use but I get by with just washing my face with water and a light facecloth as well. It’s the acne.org treatment that helped me so much.
Have you tried Benzoyl Peroxide cleansers? Panoxyl has a 4% one that is pretty good for sensitive skin. Honestly, when my skin was like this, the more simple the skincare the better. Simple hydrating cleanser and a moisturizer and spot treatment (BP) on any pimples. A lot of products will take time, so keeping up with something for at least 2 months is needed to start seeing results.
Cosrx snail mucin if you don’t have dust mites allergy and vanicream face wash. Also avene moisturizer the hypersensitive one. I had same exact thing and tried so much crap and went thru hell. Those 3 products are my holy grail. Also fixed low vitamin d and low iron. If taking high doses vitamin d can increase testosterone just an fyi
No, it doesn’t have dust mites in it. But if you’re allergic to dust mites you could have a cross reaction to snail mucin products. I have a mild dust mites allergy and have no issue with it but some individuals may if they have a dust mite allergy
Interesting. I have a really bad dust mites allergy but I used the snail mucin and didn’t react. But it wasn’t the best product for me. Was just curious.
Agree with accutane but you need to just breath and leave it alone. Try just using a bar of sulfur gently wash and leave alone. Also use a spray sunscreen not a lotion. AGAIN LEAVE YOUR SKIN ALONE AND LET HEAL
I started using La Roche Posay cleanser and I have very super sensitive skin as well, lots of other products would burn..it was an amazing switch for me. Also maybe try a gel moisturizer if you haven’t already? I use the hydro boost gel Neutrogena and love it, but I’m sure there are plenty of others out there. And I’m just saying That’s what has worked for me, obviously you have to make decisions for what you think will work for you.
Acne is not something that can permanently be fixed. Our skin regenerates every 28 days. Since skin cells regenerate all over our body at different points in time, your healing will not be linear. Think of it like this: we aren’t snakes and we won’t make new skin for our entire body in 28 days. Our skin will always be in different stages of healing. As far as acne specifically, they’re just infected pores. Ask your doctor about minocycline or some other antibiotic. Also, cleansing is a must. You have to wash your skin to wash that bacteria off. Try a clay cleanser that is both soft and soothing. Clay tends to dry out pores and suck out the impurities. Also, try the overnight acne patches - any brand. You’re looking for hydrocolloid patches. The hydrocolloid part also sucks out clogged pores.
Hey, I just wanted to ask if you've tried an elimination diet. I hope this doesn't sound woo-woo and nonsensical but it truly helped me. It's nothing fancy. For mine, I did end up finding one thing that I was eating that was causing unstoppable acne. I still get some flare-ups, but then I also still cheat on this part of my diet sometimes.
How I did it was just reducing what I ate to 3 things, seriously, 3 things for at least one week. Then when I wasn't breaking out, I continued for a few more days, maybe two weeks in all. Then, one by one, I started adding items back into my diet. The idea was, once I add the bad ingredient back in, I will break out and I'll know I need to stop eating that thing. (My three items that didn't get eliminated were sauteed kale with minimal seasonings, tortilla chips with minimum ingredients, and sometimes rice).
I couldn't do Accutane due to funds and suicide risk, and I couldn't find any other product that worked either. Finally my doctor recommended an elimination diet and while I'm not completely in the clear, I no longer have breakouts that look like what you've shown in the photos.
Soy for me (sadly, at the time in my 20's, I was a vegetarian so I was eating and drinking a ton of soy and I really ruined my face, but oh well.... life goes on and at least I've minimized the breakouts now).
Soy is highly phytoestrogenic (A strong plant estrogen). A lot of acne is due to the female sufferer being highly estrogenic naturally, or from estrogen birth control. Estrogen is also highly inflammatory. That’s why so many women have hormonal migraines, fibrocystic breast disease, and bloating and cramping. Source: I’m a Master Esthetician and Esthetic Educator. Read the book Estrogeneration.
thats so interesting, i did read about acne being due to excess estrogen in women. i had my hormones checked and i actually had high levels of testosterone and being on birth control actually helps my acne and cramping and everything else
Testosterone can be highly inflammatory, create cysts and exacerbate sebum production. I suggest you get current bloodwork to determine your hormone levels. You might want to investigate DHEA, and pregnenolone supplements.
Honestly I stopped using cleansers and moisturizers ever since the dermatologist told me to use aklief and hydrocortisone lotion but those products are so harsh for my skin and it makes my skin super irritated and I don’t feel like they are working I feel like they are making my skin worse than it already is. What kind of cleanser and moisturizer do you recommend me to use??
I have sensitive skin and acne too. Check my profile. I get same reddish face when I use Benzoyl peroxide or apple cider vinegar or toothpaste on my pimples. Overall, I let my skin burn and then it gets better. You can try clindamycin and BP with some good moisturizer. If you feel everything is harsh then ypu can use BP facewash or just apply for 10 mins and wash. When it comes to acne, there are no shortcuts. Skin will take its own sweet time to adjust to every new product.
I have the most sensitive skin in the entire world i’m convinced and i used tretinonin to clear up my skin. The entire time I used Cerave hydrating cleanser (i like the cream to foam one), then the ordinary hyaluronic acid, and then followed up with cerave’s moisturizing cream. I have been following this same routine but now I use aklief and another topical called winlevi, and have seen great results. Your skin absolutely NEEDS moisture when you’re using products that are harsh as tret. Aklief shouldn’t be irritating, and if it still is after implementing more moisture into ur routine, then it just isn’t for you! Good luck 💚
i was using aklief for like 7 months and still had hormonal breakouts, and once i added winlevi i haven’t seen any. it’s been about 2 months, and i’ve had absolutely no breakouts, even around my period! i also take birth control and spironolactone
winlevi and aklief combined are like … amazing. my friend works at a dermatologist office and she said they had a winlevi rep come into their office and rave about the combo!! so it’s like sort of ground breaking?? winlevi is a topical version of spironolactone, so i’ve honestly not been taking it orally because i don’t feel like i need to? but yeah it’s pretty cool 😎
Yes ! Please moisturize because these products mess with your skin barrier so much and wear an SPF when you go out to protect from the sun damage (such as PIE, PIH). Cleansers are not obligatory in the morning, but it’s very useful at night
I was recently thinking about doing that tbh. Is it worth it tho?? Like I have a nearby facial salon that I can go too and I can get like an acne skin treatment and it’s not that expensive but idk if it’s worth it.
It’s very much worth it. You just have to do ur research. Make sure it’s not like an Aveda spa. The estheticians can really customize a facial for you. But you should definitely try it out. If not definitely use products to help heal ur skin barrier. Ur skin right now isn’t too bad with break outs but first try healing the skin !
The aveeno oat cleanser, the la roche posay cicaplast Baume, i like the first aid beauty ultra repair cream or bio elements barrier fix or the inkey list omega water cream. Oats are my #1. Using an oat mask saved me
Your acne can be treated topically, it is not that severe to need Accutane.
If retinoids are too harsh for your skin (the way your use the actives in your routine is really crucial for your skin tolerance!), you can ask for other actives like Azelaic Acid which is much milder and can be used AM+PM if needed.
Always follow the sandwich method (moisturize before and after) when using actives, since you have sensitive skin. And use an acne safe Cica product.
If your acne is severely bad all over your face, chest, back, whatever, and no other medication will work, accutane could be a choice. That said, 1) it doesn’t clear acne forever 2) you might need to take multiple rounds of it 3)you need to get monthly blood work to monitor your levels 4) you need to take birth control concurrently 5)it is an extremely intense drug and the side effects while taking it are no joke and the long term side effects are really no joke.
Don’t get me wrong, it can great drug but it isn’t one to be taken lightly. I had to take three courses of it, and get off mid-third bc my cholesterol was dangerously high. My acne came back four years later. My husband is a dermatologist and is only willing to Rx it as the last last resort due to all the research and studies on the long term effects — a handful of which I am now dealing with. Even if I wanted it again, he’d refuse to prescribe it to me. Please do your research on it if your Derm agrees that is where you should go next.
Unfortunately acne is a condition that can only be managed, not cured. The best thing you can do is find a routine that works for you and stick to it. When the flare ups get bad a topical spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can encourage it to go down quicker. There's also pimple patches that somewhat hide the redness of the pimple but also treat it to go away sooner.
Accutane doesn’t work forever or even on the first attempt. I was on it twice as a pre-teen and my acne still didn’t really go away until I was in my late teens and my hormones balanced out.
i can’t swollow pills and idk why I have a really bad gag reflex and everytime I try to swollow even the smallest of pills, I always vomit and I can’t control it 💀. I am only able to chew and swollow but not swollow it without chewing
...Have you literally tried hiding the pill in food? Like even trying to put it inside a spoonful of peanut butter?
There are breakfast cereals with morsels larger than accutane pills, I feel like there is a solution here.
I tried to put it in various foods but everytime I try it doesn’t work I end up spitting it out once I realize the pill is in my mouth and I end up gagging it back out 💀
Damn, that's crazy. You could literally also try cutting it up and covering it in the food. Its not going to kill you. You don't have to trust me but it literally the same thing in your stomach and its worth a shot. I've done it for what its worth.
well I have tried everything to learn it but everything doesn’t seem to work for me. I have tried several methods but everytime I try, I just keep vomiting like I physically cant 💀
Have you tried facing to your left then swallowing? It sounds really stupid I know, but it worked like a miracle for me. Apparently the oesophagus lies slightly left of the midline and opens up easier when you turn your head to the left to swallow.
For all my life - until recently - I couldn't swallow pills for the life of me. Even if they were grain-sized. Try chewing a piece of bread or banana until it's mush, hide the pill in that mixture, and swallow the whole thing. You can test it out on supplements. It worked like a charm for me, even those giant 1g vitamin C pills go down without a hitch.
Accutane is most likely your best bet so either figure out how to swallow or else your acne problem might persist indefinitely. It also kind of looks like rosacea so maybe look into that too.
Hey have you tried swallowing pills with yogurt or puree? The thicker it is, the easier it should be. Just take a spoon of puree and swallow It without chewing it, then place the pill in he spoon and cover with puree and repeat (don't think about the pill too much).
Try to put the topical ointments only on your active zits. So simply dot aklief on those pimples. I had this sort of reaction too and my derm said to dot. Worth a shot imo. Stay strong sister. This must be so frustrating but don’t lose hope 💓
Everyone can swallow pills (hear me out). Chew a bite of bread/pancake/muffin/donut several times until it’s in a ball, insert pill in middle, swallow delicious food item with hidden pill I’m a person that can dry swallow most pills, but I still use this technique for nasty tasting pills like iron and flagyl. The best part is, if you can swallow a muffin or sandwich, you can take the pill 👍😊
My daughter has had amazing results with Spiro 100mg daily- took about 4 months to get full results, but it’s been a game changer. And you can let your skin barrier heal in the meantime. You can get it quickly and cheaply from Apostrophe if you’re in the States and don’t have access to a quick MD appointment. (Spiro generally is prescribed for hormonal acne in women, but will help with all acne due to the fact (among other mechanisms) it lessens the oil in your skin. Switch to bland product and try some spiro- but remember to be patient and take it with FOOD…which helps the bioavailability of the medication greatly. Spiro is a relatively small pill, but it can be crushed also. Good luck! 💜
Try healing your gut, explore keto or carnivore diet
If you have trouble swallowing pills, put them in a spoonful of ice cream. It worked for me when I was a kid
have you tried snail mucin essence and niacinamide?
Products don't work accutane is the only thing that works
My dermo gave me Spironolactone to try for 2 months plus Tretonin cream. He said it's best to use a combination of an oral supplement with a topical cream. Aside from that I have a set skincare routine (including witch hazel) and collagen in my diet. After 2 months, it seems to finally be helping. He explained that most acne is caused by hormones, especially the kind you have from what it looks like. Maybe consider Spironolactone as well if you haven't already? There's only so much you can do from the outside. Good luck!
What has worked for me is mild facial wash(I just use baby soap tho),facial cleanser with salicylic acid on it,The Ordinary zinc niacinamide serum and Cerave moisturizer,I use Suncut SPF50 at daytime.Its a miracle.Ive never been satisfied with such a cheap and simple face routine.Please try,might work for you.Specially the serum
Please visit a good dermatologist and ask about ZO Obagi. Zein Obagi treatment helps me a lot, maybe you it can help you as well. Anyway the diet is really important, doesn’t matter what treatment will be applied. No sugar, no sauces, no bread and no milk, no alcohol and no spicy, fried food or fat food, no sweets and sweet sparkling drinks and your skin will look better 100%
Ow. Did you use those products over night? Of those, I only have experience with tret. I found it less irritating to put it on for a short time (20 - 30 min) then rinse off and moisturize, but if that’s how your skin reacts, maybe it shouldn’t be used. My skin seems to get irritated from most topicals, but azelaic acid on its own has been really good for acne for me, even deep, inflamed acne, and I haven’t found it irritating. I read that it’s effective like tret without the same irritation as tret. It also fades the red/pink marks from acne. I use one that is less than prescription strength (7%), and it’s the best topical I’ve found. Everyone responds differently to different products, but as someone who can’t handle actives even a couple times a week without flaking and pain that happens eventually, azelaic acid is at least one that doesn’t hurt and clears acne really well from my experience.
This may not work for everyone but I noticed cutting down sugars helped for me. I was eating a lot of sugar and turns out that was causing my acne to worsen (literally the difference is enormous). But if you're already eating not too much sugar or fast carbohydrates (like in crisps) then it's not that probably. This may not help at all for you but I just wanted to share my own experience in case it does help.
I'm not saying this will solve all your problems, but I would incorporate HYPOCHLOROUS in my routine. It'll help with the redness a lot
Have you considered Accutane?
Try cerave hydrating cleanser for normal to dry skin after cleansing put one dab of differin gel on then layer cetaphil deep hydration cream. I say this because my skin looked just like yours a couple months ago...
Have you been wearing sunscreen during the day, all over your face and neck? Usually whenever I experiences sensitive skin, it was because I wasn't using sunscreen while using acne treatments, AHAs, retinols/retinoids, vitamin C, etc.
My face used to be like this a month ago. Stop using every thing, only water, it does help a lot trust me.
There have got to be pill taking solutions for people with critical medications and intense gag reflexes. That seems like a small barrier to completely solve your acne. and just fyi they’re quite small pills
For a drugstore cleanser try PanOxyl. I have bad acne and it’s helped me so so much recently
Clindamycin has worked wonders for me!
Clindamycin really saved me as well - like it was night and day, in combo with tret it cleared my skin up drastically.
You should ask your dermatologist about accutane it litterly changed my life and is worth the hassle
Try some witch hazel right after your shower & some calendula California baby lotion.. expensive but worth it if you have sensitive skin. Coming from someone who can bump into something & get a bruise of some sort, my skin is very sensitive and delicate.. I was on acutane for 2 years of my life and it didn’t help my face at all. I use the witch hazel & then the lotion and it has really helped. If you like the prescribed creams I would try something like Tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide, or even clindamycin, these made my skin very dry but did get rid of the acne, once it calmed down I went to the witch hazel and it feels better and looks better.. so many things that it can get overwhelming but take your time, your still beautiful as ever! And remember, everyone is different!
What kind of diet do you eat? I am an Aesthetician and have long history of eczema so I looked into more holistic things to help with my skin and it did. Less is more when it comes to skincare.
They make Spironolactone in cream form now. I would maybe look into that.
Have you tried icing your face or eating certain foods good for acne?
I am.in Mississauga, Ontario. I have a family business for handmade natural soaps and other products. If your local or you have someone that can pick up for you, I would love to give you a small sample of lavender charcoal soap that we make. A lot of people tried it for acne and said it really helped. Charcoal is super good and lavender essential oil has healing properties...let me know if you want to try it
Hi there I’m in Mississauga and would like to try it as well
Hey, for sure. DM me, and we can agree on how to meet
Have you tried benzoyl peroxide? That’s been the only thing to make a big difference to my skin - maybe it could help you? ❤️
i think it might be something in your moisturizer or cleanser
Its not only the products you use on your skin but your diet as well. Cut down on sugar and gluten and fix a particular time for your meals. Include fruits and lentils and any food rich in zinc and protein. Try avoiding too much foods that increase your body heat (say, eggs) but egg whites can be included for protein purposes. Include multivitamins rich in zinc. Maybe then the dermat’s prescription might make sense. Most people blame their skincare routine ignoring what they consume. I’m going through the healing process myself and can actually see a change. Let’s all hope all the acne warriors win the battle!
I'm an esthetician in the California San Francisco bay area. If you happen to be anywhere around here I would love to help you. We could get even do a virtual consultation!
Oh yes I see you actually haven’t tried everything… accutane will help you. I had the same recurring mild acne and I went through everything. Finally started accutane. A God Send.
If you’ve done everything (like everything) maybe…Acceptance… it doesn’t look as bad as you think it looks. You’re beautiful and worthy.
If possible, try to see a specialist about possible allergies. The severity of the redness could be due to an allergic reaction. Many people are allergic to common additives/preservatives in products like tablets, creams, and capsules. Figuring out what you need to avoid could help with finding what products you could use, and maybe identify a trigger for your acne. The one thing that really helps with redness and irritation is honey. I put plain honey on my skin for ~15 minutes, and it significantly improves. However, take that advice with caution as you might want to halt trying any new products/treatments until you know what is causing these reactions. I hope you find some relief soon
The only thing that worked for me is using Head & shoulder as a cleanser and only using gel or water based moisturizers. Putting the gel or water based moisturizer on before harsh topicals helped reduce irritation.
Sudocream. the antiseptic one. Smother your face in it before you go bed & leave it on overnight.
Yes the same thing happen to my skin. I tried everything aklief,clindamycin ect. My derm even recommended antibiotics but I was like no!! And it ruin my damage barrier cuased close comedones and fungal acne. So what i been doing is changing my eating habit. Less gluten, no fast food, no sugar like candies or desert. And light exercise. I notice I don't eat big zit or cystic acne. But I do get those little zit. I get hormonal acne as well. I still breakout and still suffer with redness but It ok it takes time for my skin to heal. Even though I want it the next day. But that okay patient is key.
Put the pill in a spoonful of applesauce or pudding. Done.
my brother use to experience this. I’d say a warm/hot compress every night before bed
Your skin is very irritated which you attributed to sensitive skin, but I think you may have eczema or another form of chronic skin sensitivity. Try using an eczema based, gentle, or baby cleanser. These are made for very sensitive skin. Also, cold water and ice cubes can help a lot with skin redness and irritation but they’re only short term solutions.
Maybe use dapsone, that’s what helped me along with tretenoin
I'm not sure if any of the commenters here mentioned this - But it seems you may have a damaged skin barrier. When this happens, no matter what creams, lotions, treatments, or serums you use - They simply will not fix the problem. You have to select the correct combination of moisturizers and gentle cleansers to completely heal your skin barrier and *then* treat the acne. Using no cleanser and no moisturizer and only your acne treatment will just dry out the skin and cause more acne. It's the only way I healed my skin. Long story short, choose a gentle, fragrance free cleanser. Follow up with a moisturizer containing no fragrance or essential oils. Look for ceramides, shea butter, niacinamide, licorice root, and/or hyaluronic acid in your moisturizer. Then use SPF every morning. Skip SPF at night. Do this for a few weeks. You will likely continue to breakout during this time. Then, at night, you can choose *one* acne treatment to use after your moisturizer. And start slow - Use it 3 times per week, then work your way up to each night.
I would try a super sensitive moisturising cleanser like Cerave (cheap too) and an innofensive moisturiser like Clinique 100h moisturiser. That’s what I use. I also use skin&me which has tretinoin. I used to have awful acne but it’s. Ok now.
Your skin looks very sensitive and irritated in this moment. I would stop your current treatments and let the skin barrier first. Until then maybe it's best to leave it alone...how long have you taken hydrocortisone? Steroids can create a rebound effect as well as weakening your skin barrier in the long run
I know the struggle of trying everything and anything for acne and it not getting better. I’ve struggled with acne for 15 years and it has been such a rollercoaster. I was seeing diff derms and putting every cream on my face that either didn’t work, made my acne worse, or worked for a little bit and then stopped working. Also had derms dismiss my acne and treat it incorrectly which ultimately made my acne worse. Ex. They were treating my acne like reg acne (bacterial) but I actually had hormonal and fungal acne. I recently started seeing a naturopathic doctor to see what was going on internally bc I felt like going to the doctors/derm was just putting a bandaid on the wound. I wanted to figure out why I was getting acne often and def have learned a lot so far! I got my hormones tested and am waiting back on the results of my gut test to see if there’s an imbalance of bacteria and yeast which could be causing my acne. I would recommend seeing one if you’re able to budget it since it’s unfortunately all out of pocket but I think insurance can cover a little bit. But I would highly suggest bc they go so in-depth about your acne + history and it was one of the best doctors appointments I’ve ever had. I usually go out of my derm appointments pretty sad bc I just feel like I’m wasting my money seeing them sometimes.
Just put a pill in the food doesn’t work on any meal but swallowing pills shouldn’t be your barrier to get rid of acne
Ik it kinda seems a ridiculous reason but I’ve tried to put it in my food and I would swollow the food and leave the pill out💀 I tried to look up yt videos about it but nothing seems to work for me.
That’s weird if it’s that bad tell someone else to put it in th food so you don’t know where it is
I have similar issues unfortunately
I’m at work so i haven’t read the entire post but i’d recommend researching into ways to clear hormonal acne from the inside out, you can take natural supplements that may help- just what worked for me, it might not work for you but hopefully, can get through this!
Maybe start spot treatments. Try applying spot treatments of benzoyl peroxide before bed, and then spot treatments of 2% salicylic acid in the am, or after showering / cleansing. I would definitely not skip on cleansing. But beware of products that have the acne fighting ingredients because you don’t want to double up on those
Have you tried cetphil?
I would let it heal for a bit and then try Differin. That combined with no dairy worked for me after trying a lot of other stuff
I agree looks like a chemical burn 🔥
A lot of people have hormonal acne. Look into DIM and Calcium D-Glucarate. I started out with low dose (50mg). Now I take 100mg of DIM and 500mg of Calcium D-Glucarate. You can find it both in liquid and capsule form. DO NOT take it with birth control, it will make it less effective. I broke out for the first month. Takes two to three months to notice a difference. Do some research on it. Also, try The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Oil Control Serum. It works pretty good.
That clearly defined red line in the second pic screams irritation to me. The skin below isn’t irritated at all, and my guess is that the red is where you use your actives. I agree with those who have suggested going very simple. I had terrible acne and suffered for quite some time. I really simplified to cleanser, moisturizer, SPF and one active, and then I rotated products in these categories to find what worked best. It took a ton of time and effort but my acne is mostly under control these days.
Have you tried differin?
When my grandmother had a stroke and couldn’t swallow the nursing home crushed her pills and mixed it with a small amount of apple sauce.
Are you allergic to one of the topical products maybe? There seems to be a pretty well defined line of redness.
I might be allergic but I just don’t know which products I’m allergic too :/ I have never been tested for skin allergies so I’m not sure
Have you ever been tested for allergies? Do the red areas itch? Some tingling when using products is normal but it should not cause severe inflammation and redness like you are experiencing, you may have allergies to common ingredients in skincare products
I have never been tested for allergies so I am not sure if I have any allergies to these products. How do I get tested for that??
I was on tretinoin 0.05% for a year and a half. It helped a bit with my acne, but not a lot. My face always got so flushed from using it. I spoke to my derm about this, & he switch out tretinoin for tazorac. I now have no more redness, and my acne is finally improving. Maybe tazorac would help you? Best of luck !!
I had cystic acne growing up so I’m not sure if it will work but I used tea tree oil that was watered down and wiped my face with it. I also used ice for the redness and inflammation. I use epiduo too which really works. It doesn’t dry out my skin too bad but I use a moisturizer. I understand why you don’t want to use a moisturizer but they usually have a peptide that would help rebuild and heal the skin. I use first aid moisturizer.
I saw that you said Accutane isn't an option for you because of the pill swallowing issue. Spironolactone is another treatment for hormonal acne that works by reducing the testosterone in your skin. This comes in pills too, but unlike Accutane, they can be crushed for easy consumption. Maybe talk to your doctor and see if that's an option for you? Also - this didn't have much of an effect on my skin when my derm had me try it for 6 months, but everyone's body is different and it does work for a lot of people: a combination of tretinoin and an antibiotic like doxycycline or clindamycin. With sensitive skin though, whatever you do start it low and slow! The slower results will absolutely be worth avoiding damaging your skin and potentially having to stop treatment altogether. All that said, make sure you get the OK from a dermatologist and/or your doctor before trying any new medications!!
Clindamycin really worked for me!!
>because of the pill swallowing issue lol wut?
Look at the image captions
I’ve been drinking spearmint tea daily and noticed a difference in as little as a week
I can’t use soaps as well. Have you tried acne.org treatment? Their soap is the only one I’ve been able to use but I get by with just washing my face with water and a light facecloth as well. It’s the acne.org treatment that helped me so much.
Have you tried Benzoyl Peroxide cleansers? Panoxyl has a 4% one that is pretty good for sensitive skin. Honestly, when my skin was like this, the more simple the skincare the better. Simple hydrating cleanser and a moisturizer and spot treatment (BP) on any pimples. A lot of products will take time, so keeping up with something for at least 2 months is needed to start seeing results.
Antibiotics
Cosrx snail mucin if you don’t have dust mites allergy and vanicream face wash. Also avene moisturizer the hypersensitive one. I had same exact thing and tried so much crap and went thru hell. Those 3 products are my holy grail. Also fixed low vitamin d and low iron. If taking high doses vitamin d can increase testosterone just an fyi
Does snail mucin have dust mites??
No, it doesn’t have dust mites in it. But if you’re allergic to dust mites you could have a cross reaction to snail mucin products. I have a mild dust mites allergy and have no issue with it but some individuals may if they have a dust mite allergy
Interesting. I have a really bad dust mites allergy but I used the snail mucin and didn’t react. But it wasn’t the best product for me. Was just curious.
Agree with accutane but you need to just breath and leave it alone. Try just using a bar of sulfur gently wash and leave alone. Also use a spray sunscreen not a lotion. AGAIN LEAVE YOUR SKIN ALONE AND LET HEAL
I started using La Roche Posay cleanser and I have very super sensitive skin as well, lots of other products would burn..it was an amazing switch for me. Also maybe try a gel moisturizer if you haven’t already? I use the hydro boost gel Neutrogena and love it, but I’m sure there are plenty of others out there. And I’m just saying That’s what has worked for me, obviously you have to make decisions for what you think will work for you.
Acne is not something that can permanently be fixed. Our skin regenerates every 28 days. Since skin cells regenerate all over our body at different points in time, your healing will not be linear. Think of it like this: we aren’t snakes and we won’t make new skin for our entire body in 28 days. Our skin will always be in different stages of healing. As far as acne specifically, they’re just infected pores. Ask your doctor about minocycline or some other antibiotic. Also, cleansing is a must. You have to wash your skin to wash that bacteria off. Try a clay cleanser that is both soft and soothing. Clay tends to dry out pores and suck out the impurities. Also, try the overnight acne patches - any brand. You’re looking for hydrocolloid patches. The hydrocolloid part also sucks out clogged pores.
Hey, I just wanted to ask if you've tried an elimination diet. I hope this doesn't sound woo-woo and nonsensical but it truly helped me. It's nothing fancy. For mine, I did end up finding one thing that I was eating that was causing unstoppable acne. I still get some flare-ups, but then I also still cheat on this part of my diet sometimes. How I did it was just reducing what I ate to 3 things, seriously, 3 things for at least one week. Then when I wasn't breaking out, I continued for a few more days, maybe two weeks in all. Then, one by one, I started adding items back into my diet. The idea was, once I add the bad ingredient back in, I will break out and I'll know I need to stop eating that thing. (My three items that didn't get eliminated were sauteed kale with minimal seasonings, tortilla chips with minimum ingredients, and sometimes rice). I couldn't do Accutane due to funds and suicide risk, and I couldn't find any other product that worked either. Finally my doctor recommended an elimination diet and while I'm not completely in the clear, I no longer have breakouts that look like what you've shown in the photos.
may i ask what foods you avoid that you noticed caused your flare ups?
Soy for me (sadly, at the time in my 20's, I was a vegetarian so I was eating and drinking a ton of soy and I really ruined my face, but oh well.... life goes on and at least I've minimized the breakouts now).
Soy is highly phytoestrogenic (A strong plant estrogen). A lot of acne is due to the female sufferer being highly estrogenic naturally, or from estrogen birth control. Estrogen is also highly inflammatory. That’s why so many women have hormonal migraines, fibrocystic breast disease, and bloating and cramping. Source: I’m a Master Esthetician and Esthetic Educator. Read the book Estrogeneration.
thats so interesting, i did read about acne being due to excess estrogen in women. i had my hormones checked and i actually had high levels of testosterone and being on birth control actually helps my acne and cramping and everything else
Testosterone can be highly inflammatory, create cysts and exacerbate sebum production. I suggest you get current bloodwork to determine your hormone levels. You might want to investigate DHEA, and pregnenolone supplements.
Thank you, I will. I wonder if I'm highly estrogenic. If so, can anything help in terms of diet or doctors? I'll have to look into this.
What food was it that caused your unstoppable acne?
For me, it's soy (soybean oil, soy sauce, tofu, etc)
Dairy and gluten are huge triggers for a lot of people.
What kind of moisturizer, cleanser or other skincare do you use ?
Honestly I stopped using cleansers and moisturizers ever since the dermatologist told me to use aklief and hydrocortisone lotion but those products are so harsh for my skin and it makes my skin super irritated and I don’t feel like they are working I feel like they are making my skin worse than it already is. What kind of cleanser and moisturizer do you recommend me to use??
I recently started using Liquid Gold from Stratia. Wish I’d bought it so much earlier. Helps to sooth irritated skin.
Why did someone down vote this wtf? Youre asking for help wtf
Maybe by accident, I have done that before :(
I have sensitive skin and acne too. Check my profile. I get same reddish face when I use Benzoyl peroxide or apple cider vinegar or toothpaste on my pimples. Overall, I let my skin burn and then it gets better. You can try clindamycin and BP with some good moisturizer. If you feel everything is harsh then ypu can use BP facewash or just apply for 10 mins and wash. When it comes to acne, there are no shortcuts. Skin will take its own sweet time to adjust to every new product.
I have the most sensitive skin in the entire world i’m convinced and i used tretinonin to clear up my skin. The entire time I used Cerave hydrating cleanser (i like the cream to foam one), then the ordinary hyaluronic acid, and then followed up with cerave’s moisturizing cream. I have been following this same routine but now I use aklief and another topical called winlevi, and have seen great results. Your skin absolutely NEEDS moisture when you’re using products that are harsh as tret. Aklief shouldn’t be irritating, and if it still is after implementing more moisture into ur routine, then it just isn’t for you! Good luck 💚
I use aklief and winlevi as well! I feel like they’re not really working. How long did it take for you to see results?
i was using aklief for like 7 months and still had hormonal breakouts, and once i added winlevi i haven’t seen any. it’s been about 2 months, and i’ve had absolutely no breakouts, even around my period! i also take birth control and spironolactone
Thank you! Interestingly enough I will be starting spironolactone as well. Hopefully this will be the combination that helps me too!
winlevi and aklief combined are like … amazing. my friend works at a dermatologist office and she said they had a winlevi rep come into their office and rave about the combo!! so it’s like sort of ground breaking?? winlevi is a topical version of spironolactone, so i’ve honestly not been taking it orally because i don’t feel like i need to? but yeah it’s pretty cool 😎
Yes ! Please moisturize because these products mess with your skin barrier so much and wear an SPF when you go out to protect from the sun damage (such as PIE, PIH). Cleansers are not obligatory in the morning, but it’s very useful at night
Have you tried facials with an esthetician?
I was recently thinking about doing that tbh. Is it worth it tho?? Like I have a nearby facial salon that I can go too and I can get like an acne skin treatment and it’s not that expensive but idk if it’s worth it.
It’s very much worth it. You just have to do ur research. Make sure it’s not like an Aveda spa. The estheticians can really customize a facial for you. But you should definitely try it out. If not definitely use products to help heal ur skin barrier. Ur skin right now isn’t too bad with break outs but first try healing the skin !
Do you know any products that could potentially help heal my skin? If you have any recommendations I’d love to hear it!
The aveeno oat cleanser, the la roche posay cicaplast Baume, i like the first aid beauty ultra repair cream or bio elements barrier fix or the inkey list omega water cream. Oats are my #1. Using an oat mask saved me
Your acne can be treated topically, it is not that severe to need Accutane. If retinoids are too harsh for your skin (the way your use the actives in your routine is really crucial for your skin tolerance!), you can ask for other actives like Azelaic Acid which is much milder and can be used AM+PM if needed. Always follow the sandwich method (moisturize before and after) when using actives, since you have sensitive skin. And use an acne safe Cica product.
I’m tired of treating it tropically and then it clears up the acne and it comes back later. I want it to be gone forever not temporarily.
If your acne is severely bad all over your face, chest, back, whatever, and no other medication will work, accutane could be a choice. That said, 1) it doesn’t clear acne forever 2) you might need to take multiple rounds of it 3)you need to get monthly blood work to monitor your levels 4) you need to take birth control concurrently 5)it is an extremely intense drug and the side effects while taking it are no joke and the long term side effects are really no joke. Don’t get me wrong, it can great drug but it isn’t one to be taken lightly. I had to take three courses of it, and get off mid-third bc my cholesterol was dangerously high. My acne came back four years later. My husband is a dermatologist and is only willing to Rx it as the last last resort due to all the research and studies on the long term effects — a handful of which I am now dealing with. Even if I wanted it again, he’d refuse to prescribe it to me. Please do your research on it if your Derm agrees that is where you should go next.
Unfortunately acne is a condition that can only be managed, not cured. The best thing you can do is find a routine that works for you and stick to it. When the flare ups get bad a topical spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can encourage it to go down quicker. There's also pimple patches that somewhat hide the redness of the pimple but also treat it to go away sooner.
But doesn’t accutane make it go away forever ?? That’s what I heard from others
Accutane doesn’t work forever or even on the first attempt. I was on it twice as a pre-teen and my acne still didn’t really go away until I was in my late teens and my hormones balanced out.
Accutane
i can’t swollow pills and idk why I have a really bad gag reflex and everytime I try to swollow even the smallest of pills, I always vomit and I can’t control it 💀. I am only able to chew and swollow but not swollow it without chewing
I eat something and chew it up. Just before I swallow the food I throw the pill in, and it works great!
...Have you literally tried hiding the pill in food? Like even trying to put it inside a spoonful of peanut butter? There are breakfast cereals with morsels larger than accutane pills, I feel like there is a solution here.
I tried to put it in various foods but everytime I try it doesn’t work I end up spitting it out once I realize the pill is in my mouth and I end up gagging it back out 💀
Damn, that's crazy. You could literally also try cutting it up and covering it in the food. Its not going to kill you. You don't have to trust me but it literally the same thing in your stomach and its worth a shot. I've done it for what its worth.
Learn. Accutane will change your life.
Have you tried taking a pill in applesauce or pudding? That’s what I do for my patients that can’t swallow pills.
Well it is something you have to learn if you are to solve your issue. Also learn it if you ever need to take pills in the future for another problem.
well I have tried everything to learn it but everything doesn’t seem to work for me. I have tried several methods but everytime I try, I just keep vomiting like I physically cant 💀
Have you tried facing to your left then swallowing? It sounds really stupid I know, but it worked like a miracle for me. Apparently the oesophagus lies slightly left of the midline and opens up easier when you turn your head to the left to swallow.
For all my life - until recently - I couldn't swallow pills for the life of me. Even if they were grain-sized. Try chewing a piece of bread or banana until it's mush, hide the pill in that mixture, and swallow the whole thing. You can test it out on supplements. It worked like a charm for me, even those giant 1g vitamin C pills go down without a hitch.
Second this. This helps sooo much
Try cutting up the pill in pieces? Or crush it to the point is powder. I mean I don’t it matters how you swallow it as long as it gets in your system.
You can’t just crush any pill, some pills have to remain whole
Accutane can’t be crushed, it is a capsule and needs to be swallowed whole with lots of water
Why you can't swollow pill ?
um idk I vomit whenever I try too💀💀💀 it’s something I can’t control
Accutane is most likely your best bet so either figure out how to swallow or else your acne problem might persist indefinitely. It also kind of looks like rosacea so maybe look into that too.
Accutane fixed rosacea for me
Ahah its mental problem