I'm 35 and all of a sudden having a major acne breakout?
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Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:58 pm

I don't know what is causing my face to break out all of a sudden. I am 35, and never have broke out like this before. Used to get a huge pimple here and there every once in a while, but this is horrible!

My face is not that sensitive, and I use Clarisonic brush on it everyday and the cleanser I mostly used was the Alpha Hydrox Cleanser without no problems, but about a month ago, I started using Indian Healing Clay and wonder if that did it. I've stopped using it a few weeks ago, but still continue to break out in the huge red cystic pimples!

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go to a dermatologist because as soon as it looks like it's healing up, another pimple will come out.

I am only using Clearsil cleanser now, but I'm worried about SLS in it. I know it's drying. I don't know what else to do. I'm afraid it won't stop!

free skin care · Mon Nov 22, 2010 8:39 pm

I had a friend years ago who at about the same age as you had a similar experience. Hers was strictly hormonal. I would start with my doctor first and take it from there. Good luck.

Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:20 pm

Sounds like hormones...had the same happen when I turned 37. I started taking an Ayurvedic supplement called Shatavari, and it has helped dramatically. Google it and see if it's something that would help you. It really helped balance my hormones.

free skin care · Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:19 pm

I think seeing a dermatologist is your best option, I see all too often people try one remedy after another and get no better or even worse. I would be most comfortable knowing exactly what I was dealing with. JMHO Smile

Wed Nov 24, 2010 5:54 am

Yea it just keeps getting worse. I'm calling a dermatologist today.

free skin care · Wed Nov 24, 2010 5:57 am

Olivia23 wrote:

Yea it just keeps getting worse. I'm calling a dermatologist today.

Sorry Olivia!
I do think it's best to check out what the cause really is, or you can't know for sure how best to treat it. Good luck and do keep us posted? Smile

free skin care · Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:34 am

I'm in a similar boat. Happily had my (mainly T-zone) acne under control for about 10 years (I'm 39) and finding EDS helped my skin even more!

I religiously do Pretika brush/microfibre cloth/OCM and AALS but I'm getting hard, whiteheaded spots on my cheeks (very bizarre as cheeks were always untouched by acne).

Assume this might be hormones too? It retreated when I got fractional O2 (very minimal) 3 weeks ago but it's back with a vengeance Sad

free skin care · Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:43 am

DarkMoon wrote:

Sorry Olivia!
I do think it's best to check out what the cause really is, or you can't know for sure how best to treat it. Good luck and do keep us posted? Smile

DM, have you recieved my pm? Wink

free skin care · Thu Nov 25, 2010 12:36 pm

Are you having a problem with PMS or periods as well? That would confirm the hormonal link. Remedy could be as simple as using ProGest for a while to balance your hormones. However, it's always better to get a hormone test to see if your hormones are out of whack.

Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:26 pm

Olivia23 wrote:

My face is not that sensitive, and I use Clarisonic brush on it everyday and the cleanser I mostly used was the Alpha Hydrox Cleanser without no problems, but about a month ago, I started using Indian Healing Clay and wonder if that did it. I've stopped using it a few weeks ago, but still continue to break out in the huge red cystic pimples!

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go to a dermatologist because as soon as it looks like it's healing up, another pimple will come out.

Hi. I hope you were able to find a solution from your dermatologist. But just in case you're still dealing with the outbreaks I'd suggest stopping use of the Clarisonic for a while and seeing whether or not that makes a difference. I had really bad breakouts three separate times earlier this year and I suspected my Clarisonic but kept using it (making sure I'd cleaned it really well) until I read some comments online from other users who mentioned that the Normal brush head (which is what I was using at the time) also caused them to break out. People seemed to have less of a problem using the Sensitive or Delicate brush heads. Once I stopped using the Clarisonic my problem stopped (knock wood).

Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:19 pm

ljk wrote:

I'm in a similar boat. Happily had my (mainly T-zone) acne under control for about 10 years (I'm 39) and finding EDS helped my skin even more!

I religiously do Pretika brush/microfibre cloth/OCM and AALS but I'm getting hard, whiteheaded spots on my cheeks (very bizarre as cheeks were always untouched by acne).

Assume this might be hormones too? It retreated when I got fractional O2 (very minimal) 3 weeks ago but it's back with a vengeance Sad

these might be milia - milia is not acne, but keratin deposits seeded deep. they can't be squeezed out. I have a similar problem and it seems that the best solution is have them extracted by a derm.

free skin care · Thu Dec 09, 2010 4:31 pm

My adult acne started when I was 28; I've been on the bcp since age 33 and no longer have breakouts. The pill cleared it up very quickly but does have minuses. I decided the pill was the right choice for me after reading about it in a couple of books...

Unblemished by Rodan and Fields, the Pro Activ doctors
http://www.amazon.com/Unblemished-Self-Esteem-Over-Counter-Medications/dp/0743482042

also a book on ovarian function by Elizabeth Vliet

http://www.amazon.com/Ovaries-Stupid-Revised-Womans-Health/dp/1933213035/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291937495&sr=1-1

Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:07 pm

I've been tracking the whole hormonal acne thing for a while... I noticed that I just got a resurgence and found a link between foods and skin oil...
Here's my results:
1. when I drink alcohol the night before - I use much more oil blotter sheets the next day. Real oil slick results.
2. 75% of the population is dehydrated. Let that sink in for a while. Water = water, versus tea/coffee/colas/alcohols dehydrate and can also cause overproduction of sebum contributing to continued acne breakouts.
3. Stress... now is the time for stress... winter weather blues, vitamin d deficiencies, holidays, family etc..
4. (this should really be #1); --but all the research shows a link between carbohydrate consumption and PCOS, endometriosis, hormone disruption, insulin resistance, and pre-diabetes. But the key really here isn't blood sugar its FASTING insulin (which is rarely checked)! I did a stint with the Food Addicts in Recovery and the diet they put me on was 6-8oz vegetables cooked and raw with lunch and dinner and 4oz meat with lunch/dinner, and breakfast was oatbran microwaved, fruit and yogurt, or tofu. No skin problems. Once I stopped the food plan, and incrased carbs, skin problems. http://www.digitalnaturopath.com/cond/C312465.html
Use the link above to research some of the above. Other resources for this are http://ultrametabolism.com/ by Dr. Hyman the former medical director of Canyon Ranch Resort/Spa in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.
5. Hormonal acne is in the lower regions of the face. This also relates to problems in the LIVER which metabolizes the sex hormones. So liver supporting herbs, cleansing drinks, lemon and water, digestive enzymes, getting plenty of sleep, etc... taking Indol-3-carbinol which assists in steroid synthesis! http://www.netrition.com/estrogen_factor_page.html
Also realize that once you take more hormones (i.e. the pill) it won't help you process hormones any better if you are having difficulty with yours.
6. Exercise! Rebound, etc... Lymphatic stagnation is huge. Look at where the hormonal regions and cross check that with a map of the upper lymphatics. Lymph drainage massage, and COLD applications, can really assist lymphatic stagnation. I can sometime see the stagnation as I've gotten a acne line, down my jawline, and on my neck, right over lymphatic drainage channels.
7. The books The Detox Diet and Fat Flush Diet by Ann Louise Gittleman (also Fat Flush exercist book) http://www.annlouise.com/23/diet-detox/4/ have great recipes and ideas for dealing with lymphatic stagnation, toxicity and fat cleansing. She's got a great drink, with cranberry concentrate unsweetened, water and stevia and some great advice. Any book by her is worth reading.
8. Topical applications should be your last consideration, and usually irritate skin and kill the acid and moisture barriers on the skin and can perpetuate a dehydration cycle. If you skin is burning, apply Aquaphor. They use this at MGH after chemical burns, chemical peels, and procedures for ALL skin types.

free skin care · Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:59 pm

I monitored my diet very closely the last 2-3 years of my adult acne and was on the Zone; about 100 grams or less of carbs a day. I doubt very seriously that dropping my carbs below that amount would have had any effect on my skin. My acne and oily skin was out of control, after having taken Accutane not once but twice in my teens. Adult female acne is caused by a mild drop in estrogen; ie, the beginning of perimenopause. Carb intake has nothing to do with it. According to what I read in Dr. Vliet's books, ovarian decline is very common in the over 30 crowd. It causes mild fatigue, insomnia and adult acne. It is the real reason women get burn out after 30. I was never tired even one day of my 20s and never had oily skin, breakouts, or sleep problems. Of course diet and excercise are important but I don't think they are the cure for adult acne.
Dr. Vliet is an amazing doctor; her website is filled with great information.
http://www.herplace.com/

free skin care · Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:00 pm

My face has been breaking out from all the holiday treats (sugar, sugar, sugar) I've been gorging on! Everyday someone else brings more junk to the office and I have no willpower. Crying or Very sad

Sat Dec 11, 2010 2:08 pm

If the acne is related to PCOS/insuliin resistance, then you are incorrect.
Estrogen levels fluctuate wildly during the month and very difficult to monitor. Additionally the body's ability to process hormones is overlooked in your last analysis. But yes, there are MULTIPLE causes for hormonal acne, that have nothing to do with perimenopause and yet also strike the same demographic 30-50. There are many excellent doctors, Naturopathic MDs are pretty good with bioidentical hormone treatments. Dr. Glen Rothfeld, who wrote Hormone Balance is my primary. He has numerous books on Amazon. www.wholehealthne.com. He is the source of all my information, regarding insulin resistance and hormone disruption, as well as steroid synthesis issues.
I would definately recommend EXPERIMENTING with a lowcarb diet and low sugar (low caffeine - coffee for example causes a spike in insulin)...as wellas some of the other suggestions! Best of luck everyone!

Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:33 pm

Acne is most of all an inflammatory response.
Carbs and the like, can all trigger inflammatory responses in your body.
Sometimes the stress and horomone levels trigger major inflammatory reactions in the body, and the face is sometime the major indicator of these.

I found a great product that I am now using that addresses multiple issues with Middle-Age acne.

Acnutrol Gel 3 oz | Designs For Health

Topical gel designed to support acute skin and acne conditions. Topical Silvercillin

Acnutrol™ topical gel is a blend of ingredients designed to help support skin and acne breakouts on the face or other skin surfaces. There are various factors that cause and contribute to acne, the most common skin disease in the US, with two of the main culprits being bacteria and the inflammatory response. Acnutrol™ Gel works to target both of these factors. While many topical skin support creams, ointments, and gels often cause skin irritation and dryness, Acnutrol™ Gel is an effective and safe product without any unwanted side effects.

Acnutrol™ Gel may support:

Acute skin and acne conditions
Acne breakouts along jaw line, which many women experience right before their menstrual cycle
Chronic skin conditions related to topical infections, including viral warts such as Molluscum contagiosum
Highlights of Acnutrol™ Gel

Featuring Bakutrol™, a potent broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent that has been shown to help reduce both the bacterial activity and inflammation seen in various skin conditions. It contains bakuchiol, a natural phenol isolated from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia tree.

Bakuchiol:
fights inflammation by controlling leukocytic functions protective antioxidant characteristics due to its scavenging activity against oxidative damage to lipids and proteins helps to inhibit both the growth of acne-causing bacteria and the COX/LOX inflammatory pathways

Silvercillin™: highly effective broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory composed of pure silver complexed with purified water. Silvercillin™ supports the body’s natural process of repairing dermal and epidermal tissue by reducing any damaging bacteria and timulatingsthe production of stem cells. This helps to fight inflammation while accelerating the reconstructive phase of the healing process. By controlling unwanted pathogens, Silvercillin™ assists in decreasing the workload of the immune system. This will result in faster healing with less chance of scarring.

Zinc: essential mineral for wound healing, protecting against free radicals, and the proper functioning of the immune system. A deficiency will impair the immune response and promote systemic inflammation. Substantially high levels of zinc are found in the skin, especially in the epidermis (outer layer). It is known for helping to maintain the integrity of the skin, with many dermatologic conditions, including acne, being associated and supported with zinc.
Zinc’s effect on inflammatory cells and especially on granulocytes (white blood cells such as eosinophils or basophils) is the most significant mechanism in regards to acne. Zinc sulfate, the form found in Acnutrol™ Gel, has been shown to decrease the number of inflammatory lesions associated with acne such as papules and cysts.

There is also a pill version of this, if you wish to ingest this internally as well.

I have found this product extremely helpful as an adjunct to antibiotics, Retin A and AHA/BHA use.

free skin care · Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:08 pm

Olivia23,

I know what acne is like all too well, yet I doubt it is hormonal if it suddenly started after you were using an India clay. Your skin is most likely detoxifying, as clay draws toxins out of your skin and is VERY irritating, to say the least! I too have used this product called Sarada India clay's that work great for most people, yet for me I would end up with massive outbreak that would take months to clear up.

From my experience with acne, and considering your case I would recommend either getting some prescription minocycline to take internally to clear the skin, if you want the acne gone quickly and don't mind taking a light antibiotic for the skin. I am pretty much into holistic life style, yet minocycline helped my skin when nothing else did.

The second product that works better than anything I have ever tried in 13 years of skin issues is Pyto-c' product ACE Serum, you can get the small size to try it out. I guarantee it will clear up your skin and keep it that way! Apply the serum at night all over the face, than spot treat again on the acne area. In the daytime you can use whatever moisturizer you like and don't use the clarisonic to cleanse your face, its way too harsh right now!!

I hope this helps!

Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:10 am

I killed my acne at 47 with PanOxl, a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide gel. I put it all over my face for several days and my face went bright red and swollen..stopped for a few days then repeated. No more spots and much better skin, now I use it when I see a spot starting..which these days is about every 3 months, and it's a tiny one! Not like the big under the skin ones I used to get. A true miracle, I tried AHAs, blue light, IPL, retinols, hydrogen peroxide and probiotics..all ok to a point, but this? It's my HG. And I got it at my local pharmacy for less than a fiver.

Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:14 am

I never had acne until I reached the age of 35, so I feel your pain! And the treatments I used earlier in life for the occasional pms pimple only made things worse! Had to start retin a, which was an acne-inducing (purge) nightmare for the first six months, but finally got better! Adding one large carrot per day to my diet has also helped, and drinking lots of water! Just remember to be gentle to your skin! Never use anything but your hands to wash your face; washclothes are too rough and exacerbate the problem. I've had to chane my entire beauty routine over the past few years as the things I've always used contributed to my acne; now all my makeup is mineral and talc-free, my cleansers and shampoos contain no sulfates or alcohol, and I change my pillowcase nightly or sleep on a fresh towel. I've also cut down on my dairy consumption as for me personally the consumption of dairy products seemed to make my acne worse. Good luck to you!

Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:45 pm

I never had any breakouts at all as a teenage but really made up for it a few years ago. Late 30's had to have complete hyst. due to endow then my theroid function went off the cliff. It took me about 3 years to making it go away. It took adjusting estrogen and other hormones along with thyroid hormones plus a retin a product. Hang in there. It Taoism a while but if the base cause is hormonal it can be streightened out.

Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:18 am

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Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:21 am

Mandy Schneider wrote:

[ spam ] acne serum is the best way to control bad acne. This serum has also helped my teen son get his clear complexion back. He had a bad acne break out and now has a clear face. It took a few days to clear up after he started using it, but is now clear.

This serum helps clear my skin and keeping it clear Smile

Tue Dec 06, 2016 1:37 am

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Wed Apr 29, 2020 11:34 am

The most important thing to remember is that hormonal acne, represents generally a concept called "estrogen dominance". If you look at all the xenoextrogens, pesticides, fragrances, etc, that mimic estrogen in our body, we can see as women and men how easy it is for this imbalance to occurr.
What it requires is an anti-inflammatory diet, estrogen detoxing and liver cleansing herbs and supplements (DIM, calcium d-glucorate, spanish black radish), and anti-inflammatory skin products.
The best line that provides the most teaching on this seems to be 302.
As a RN, I just got an account and the company sent me products for my skin type (the aging/inflammation kit) and challenges. It was easy to research the line and add additional products for acne (sulfur tx - which is a rinse off product), and calming mist, vit a drops, vit a mist, and inflammatory cleanser/moisturizer, and oilfree cleanser/moisturizer. The products are inexpensive enough to trial almost the entire line and figure out what works best for your skin.

So, I think adding naturopathic approaches to estrogen dominance/PCOS supplements and diet, to a anti-inflammatory skin routine might be the most effective way to move forward.

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