Acne? Seriously?!?

ViolaLeeBlueberry

So honestly, my experience with menopause hasn't been bad. I had hot flashes for a few months about a year ago, usually at night; sort of like a heat lamp passing over my face, prickly but not horrible. It just felt like something my body needed to do, instead of like being sick (which is what I was afraid it would be like.) Then it ended. No more periods (oh gosh why am I not sad about that, LOL?!?) and no more hot flashes. (Knock on wood.)

So I thought, "Hey great! Is this all it is? I can deal with this."

Except ... no one told me about the acne.

For real? ACNE? At 54? I didn't even have much acne as a teenager. Either that or the treatments I did back then actually worked.

Apparently it's from the hormone changes. I try all the recommended treatments (tretinoin / benzoyl peroxide), drink water, get exercise, blah blah, but it just seems like acne wants to move right in and stay. My teenager and I have a shared daily whine-fest: "Hey, how are your zits doing today? Still there, eh?"

Anyone else dealing with this?

deksgrl

Yes, I am still dealing with periods, and I get cycles of acne outbreaks too. I was prone to acne as a teen and young adult, and now it is back again. yay.... or not.

kelleybean1

Sporting a big zit on my chin this evening. Urgh. Gray hair and zits--this is just WRONG!

pbnett

54 and post menopausal. Acne since teen. No great cure yet. Open to suggestions.

libertygirlfla

Yep, but my acne has never gone away my entire life. I haven't had a period in over a year, but still have night sweats and hot flashes. I had a lot of sweats/flashes last year and then the past few months, nothing. I thought I had gotten off relatively easy, but they're back this month....When the flashes went away, so did the zits, but now they're both back, along with a case of shingles. NOT fun, especially through the holidays. It's a lot of fun using acne cream and wrinkle cream at the same time...lol

tigerblue

Pimples on my wrinkles. Yep! Some things are just not fair.

KarensCanDoIt

tigerblue wrote: »

Pimples on my wrinkles. Yep! Some things are just not fair.

That sounds like lyrics to a country song.

But, I know what you mean. I've dealt with acne all along. It's never been horrible, but at least once a month a get a breakout of some kind.

ViolaLeeBlueberry

I've been lucky and had pretty good skin all my life, so I figure it's karmic ... it's my time to find out what it's like to have a different experience so I don't get complacent!

I finally went to a dermatologist ... I thought I'd be told "daily antibiotics" which I want to avoid (since I live in a place with nasty diseases and lots of antibiotic resistance) ... teenager and I went together LOL. (Dermatologist to me: "Do you still have your monthly cycle?" Teenager: "Uh, I think I'm leaving the room now.") He's trying us both on a "pulse" of 3 days antibiotics, 4 days off, for a 6-week course ... sounds weird but I googled it and it seems legit ... along with an antibiotic cream and herbal face wash. Only difference is the type of face wash. (Son's is supposedly more drying. OK.)

Seems to be working for both son and myself, knock on wood. Dunno if it'll be a long-term solution, though ... what happens after the course is finished and they come back? Do I just scream at them?

Sabine_Stroehm

KarensCanDoIt wrote: »

tigerblue wrote: »

Pimples on my wrinkles. Yep! Some things are just not fair.

That sounds like lyrics to a country song.

But, I know what you mean. I've dealt with acne all along. It's never been horrible, but at least once a month a get a breakout of some kind.

It DOES sound like a country song.
I find I'm getting more rosacea. I asked the doc, and told her I believed that if you had acne as a child you should be exempt from rosacea. She said that actually if you had acne you're more likely to GET rosacea. sighs.

gothchiq

I am SO acne-licious. I have had a hysterectomy but kept my ovaries. I take a small dose of estrogen daily. However, I still have the occasional PMS type bloat, and I have acne all the blasted time! My hypothyroidism contributes to this as well. Right now, my facial skin actually hurts!!! I, like others here, am getting fine lines on my face, and then the zits also, and the zits are scarring as they never did when I was younger. My doctor has tried to help me find a solution, but I'm allergic to the retinoid meds so I am mostly just keeping my face clean, avoiding things I'm sensitive to (propylene glycol, for example) and sucking it up. There is a face wash that contains benzoyl peroxide that's gentler than the zit creams... PanOxyl, it's good, and there's a wash containing glycolic acid, the name of which escapes me right now. It is also good. These things cost like 15 bux for a bottle. They help me somewhat and don't cause pain to sensitive skin. Worth a try IMHO. Oh and I moisturize with Argan oil. It is noncomedogenic and non greasy. Great on the hair as well if you have that crispy dry menopause time hair like I do!

gothchiq

Oh, I found it on Amazon. Aqua Glycolic. My doctor uses it, so that's gotta be worth something lol!