Adult acne and diet

I HEART natural soaps like Aloe, Aloe, Aloe bar by Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve. http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/

AMAZING so long as I remember to wash my face every night.

I believe that acne is mostly hormonal, and a very small percentage, if any diet related. The exception being drinking enough water- hydration can be a significant factor in skin problems. I have read some articles that suggest antioxidants like vitamin C can benefit the skin, too.

Anyway, I have had great success using a 10% benzoyl peroxide bar soap, followed by a solution that I make of which hazel and a little bit of tea tree oil. The benzoyl peroxide can be harsh for people, but I highly recommend trying a toner of which hazel and tea tree oil- it's been like a miracle solution for my skin. Tea tree oil is not water soluble, so I keep them in a little bottle that I shake vigorously before applying. I buy the tea tree oil online (because it costs like 1/10 as much as in my local stores) and witch hazel you can buy anywhere.

Have you tried going dairy free? I went dairy free for acne about 6 months ago, but that was also the time where I started to eat better overall, and my skin cleared up completely. Now I eat some dairy (only Greek yogurt and cheese, I switched to almond milk) and my acne still hasn't come back.

Oily skin and hair run in my family, I have struggled with acne since I was about 10-11 years old. My acne actually got worse now that I'm loosing weight. I don't think its because of diet and more from exercising and sweating and whatnot. I even drink mostly water now too. I've just accepted I'm always going to have acne issues. My mom, whom is in her 50's, is still fighting with her acne.

I don't know if this will help, but I've had acne mostly on my chin for as long as I can remember. I didn't even think anything of it because it has always been there and my make-up covered it up so it wasn't really an issue.

I decided to cut down on dairy over the past few months, and currently only eat dairy once in a blue moon, like if it's an ingredient in a baked good or something. My acne is now completely gone. A month or two ago I messed up and ate some dairy at a party (chocolate I think) and the next day my face was a mess. It took about 3-4 days for it to go away. Maybe try giving it up for 1 week and see what happens... what have you got to lose?

I had this problem, tried everything. I stopped drinking diet soda and drank nothing but water for a couple months and I think that's what finally made it clear up.

I have hormonal acne and eczema that were cleared up by a combined oral contraceptive. I had to come off this as I got migraines and can't have a progesterone alternative due to horrible side effects. My skin got worse. I started taking soya isoflavones from my local health food shop, these are like natures oestrogen apparently. It helped quite a bit but not totally. I then discovered a skin care range called Avene Thermal. It's made from spring water in France and all I can say is OMG AMAZING. My skin has cleared up completely in 6 weeks of use. I would highly recommend though some of the range are a bit pricey! X

I went to the dr about mine, nothing would get rid of it. I got put on doxycycline, which is a low dose antibiotic. You can tell the second I stop taking it. It has worked wonders. And in nz I only pay $3 for a 3 month supply

Ah k

I was considering the ProActiv but they seem aimed at teen acne caused from hormonal oiliness - all salycylic acid does is dry things out. My skin is dry already and breaking out, so that will really just cause more problems as you've experienced.

What is the neutrogena stuff? I'm looking for things without harsh chemicals as you say it just creates problems!

Like now it's weekend so no make-up or anything (only wear it if I've got a meeting at work) but I can still feel my skin throb. Not reall"

Go see a dermatologist. You might be a candidate for a quick fix with a mild steroid cream, or it could be systemic and diet related, hormonal. I am not qualified to say of course but he or she might be. Why continue to agonize, get a professional opinion.

Whenever I start to get breakouts, my makeup brushes are dirty.
Once I wash everything my skin clears up again.

I'm 32 and I've suffered with acne since about the age of 11. At school my nick name was "pizza face" and of course that huge impacts on my confidence.

I've heard that spots focused around the chin and jaw can be sign of hormonal and ovary problems (maybe be worth getting your levels checked).

I use a range of products called Johnsons Clean and clear. My skin is really oily and ensuring it's clean is really important. I use a face wash and a skin toner/cleanser from the range and it seems to help control the oil. I also go make up free as much as possible, soon as I get home from work it comes off!

I also wash my pillow cases frequently (every 2-3 days) as the oils from your skin can linger on the pillow case.

I've not noticed any link to what I eat, but after reading everyone else's comments I may try reducing my dairy, although I don;t eat lots normally.

Best of luck with your skin....hopefully someone will come up with a miracle cure one day!

I get breakouts on my chin from aspartame. Things like, diet soda and juice, light yogurt, sugarless gum, and flavoring packets for water all have aspartame so I have to avoid them.

I think it could be due to hormonal changes, skin products, or diet.

I think your break out is most likely caused by you getting off birth control. Unless you're trying to get pregnant or health problems, maybe you could try getting back on bc? Otherwise, you will have to try to just treat it with products.

Skin products: this was something that made me break out a lot when I was younger. I thought that I could prevent acne by washing my face consistently, but I broke out b/c my skin was sensitive. After my brother's suggestion, I stopped washing my face w/ product all together for a while & my skin cleared up. Try some hypoallergenic products--I think Cetaphil is a good one. And contrary to what many people think, I believe washing your face frequently may irritate your skin and make it worse.

Food sensitivities could be the cause (as others have suggested). However, I think this is the least likely of the three. Have you changed your diet recently? This is also something that you can develop at around your age. E.g., I developed a mild lactose intolerance around age 27 (this did not cause me to break out, though). But note that food allergies can be tested w/ skin pricks, but sensitivities cannot. So to check for this, you'd have to try eliminating the food completely from your diet, then trying it again to see if you get a reaction. Also, if you do have a food sensitivity, you'd likely experience stomach problems. Common sensitivities are caused by lactose, gluten, and sweeteners.

If your skin does not do well with salicylic acid, maybe you could try benzoyl peroxide. The "magic" ingredient in Proactiv is benzoyl peroxide, so you could get the same results using a different product. This site has a lot of tips and a cheaper product: http://www.acne.org/

I've been off BC for 10 years and have had acne ever since then. I can't use harsh products on my face like proactive as it dries my skin so bad it starts peeling and flaking. I use only simple soaps that do not contain any oils/creams/anti-aging in them or I break out from that too. I have tried recently to cut out most of the dairy in my diet and so far I am noticing less acne. I should get tested for lactose intolerance as it runs in the family and I have tummy issues. Chocolate is a no-no. I have noticed that tea tree containing soaps help.