Pls Tell Me I'm Not Alone, Acne @ 29 Ughh

Welllllll, 43 here and still occasionally get the big deep ones. This product has saved my life, though ... I've been using it for 2-3 years and love it. Bonus: helps w/ fine lines, too. A little goes a long way; a bottle lasts around 6 months. Anyway, I swear by it. And I don't sell it!

http://www.amazon.com/NeoStrata-Gel-Plus-AHA-15/dp/B000RO...

I hoped that my acne would go away once I was an adult, then once I had kids, then after I hit middle age... nope. I'm 46 and still have acne. My mom is 83 and occasionally breaks out. Some of us are just genetically programmed for it. Sorry!

You are definitely not alone. I'm the same way and totally need my proactive. I've found that buying it on ebay helps with the cost. There's loads of it available there.

not alone. I'm glad noone told me at 13 that I would have acne for the rest of my life. Had they said - it usually lasts about 30 yrs, I would've probably jumped off the nearest bridge! I've finally gotten my adult acne under control. Proactive didn't help me. I had to look at the root causes - bacteria that was clogging pores, overproduction of oil due to using drying acne medication, and hormones. I haven't figured out how not to get a few whiteheads before my period. Such is life. But the rest I can handle. I use salycilic acid facial scrub, followed by salycilic acid moisturizer on any given morning and night. I occasionally use a charcoal mask to draw out all the impurities. I use the Avon Anew Clinical Peel and foundation. Also - very important - use antibacterial gel on all the phones you use. Putting dirty phones against our face leads to those jawline breakouts.

I'm 44 and I notice that when I'm not drinking enough water and having more sugar than usual, I break out. I will get a few during my cycle but the ones I get when I'm not drinking enough water and having more sugar are worse. I wash my face with noxema...third generation to use this.

I find Proactive works well too and it seems way cheaper than the alternatives as well. Could you try to use it more sparingly to make it last longer? If it works for you, I'd try to keep it in the house. I paid a fortune for another skin line and it worked for awhile and then my skin went haywire and only thing that saved it was Proactive. So if it works, look online and see if they have a cheaper way to do the program. I thought they recently cut the price...

I'm 29, and in the same boat. :) I just re-ordered Proactiv (it worked really well for me about 8 years ago) and after 4 weeks all it did was dry my skin out like crazy and my skin is no clearer. I actually just started using the Neutrogena acne line, and for me it's (so far) better than Proactiv, but it's also only been 6 days. I wish mine would just go away. It's worse after I had my son...

I am 31 and no you are not alone! I am also on ProActive but mine wasn't that bad. I originally got it for my son...but I use it every once in a while. And yes the Neutrogena Acne product works great but if you think ProActive is expensive than you won't want to buy that either. The little bottles that cost $19 from ProActive cost almost $40 from Neutrogena! I am a single unemployed mother so I feel your pain! I wish I had more suggestions for you....good luck!

Where is the acne? Could it be something that you are allergic to that is causing it. I am very prone to breakouts (in my 40s). Some toothpastes make me breakout reaaally bad on my chin and cheeks. Crest and Colgate are the WORST!!! The only two that don't break me out are Closeup gel and Aquafresh. Worth looking into.

Otherwise, if Proactive works, I say stick with that and just remember to pick some up when the supply gets low instead of waiting until its gone. Twenty minutes away isn't that far, really. My nearest grocery store is 20 minutes away.

You are not alone! I use the Neutrogena acne 3 pack kit and it does work for me.

My skin has gotten a lot better since I started drinking mostly water...occassionally a tea or coffee, but 95% water.

Still, around that time of the month I'm sure to get a few pimples! Frustrating. I am 29 also...you're not alone.

I had really horrible acne at around your age. It's weird because I hardly had any acne as a teenager. Then, at probably around 26 I had terrible breakouts. Back then there weren't any real effective products either. I am pretty sure in my case it was primarily stress-related with some underlying reaction to the various products I was using on my face.

I think when I was about 30 I stopped putting ANY products on my face and only ever used Dove soap once a day for cleaning. The acne slowly cleared up and pretty much disappeared for good. Once in a while I'll get a zit during my period, but that's it. I don't even own any acne medication.

I'm 46 now, still only use Dove and water for washing my face and will only use Oil of Olay sensitive skin moisturizer. I'm always afraid anything more than that will cause a huge breakout again.

When I was younger, I didn;t really take care of my skin and I broke out. Then as I really started to do better, I would have periods of breakouts like 4 or 5 times a year but not like before. When I was pregnant, I would have great skin. About a month or so after the babies were born, I would have a breakout session. This time though it is awful. I started breaking out about 3 months after my son was born and still 3 months later. I feel like I am 12 again. Even Proactive is not working. Very frustrating. You just want them gone.

You are not alone. Also, don't let people make you feel like you have a nasty diet and acne is your fault. The only things that I find really aggrevate my skin is a bad thyroid and constipation.
Why don't you just order it? Why do you have to go to the kiosk? I use my proactive once a day and it works to keep my skin in check. Proactive is the only thing that works really well that I have tried.

Oh my dear, I'm 39, and I have the worst skin of my life. It's these rotten hormones that are raging within me.

So proactive actually works does it?

Honey, I'm 48 and I still get an occasional zit. :( Sorry--I know that's not what you wanted to hear.
Have you tried PERSA-GEL® 10 Acne Medication by Clean & Clear?
It works very well on the odd pimple for me! At any drugstore!

Sorry, But I had acne from puberty until I was I was around 60. Nothing worked. Fortunately my acne moved from my face to my back around the time I turned 18 and that was where it stayed until I was around 60.

Good luck to you and yours.

I break out all the time. The only thing that has honestly helped me is being on birth control! I break out mostly around my periods and I've only been back on bc for a week and a half and my face, chest, and back are already looking so much clearer. So for me, I know it's a hormone thing. Have you ever gone to a dermatologist? I'd highly suggest it!

I've struggled with acne my entire life, since I was 9 years old. By age 13, I had severe, disfiguring cystic acne that was different shades of purple all over my face. It got that bad before my parents took me to the dermatologist. They prescribed me everything under the sun and none of it worked, most of it made it worse or gave me rashes.

The only thing that ever worked is accutane. That stuff literally changed my life. I took it for four years, age 13-17, and by 17, besides the acne scars, I had clear skin. I spent the first half of my twenties with relatively clear skin (except for some hormonal breakouts here and there). As I'm aproaching 30, it seems to be more aggressive.

I've heard that women have hormone peaks around 30, so acne tends to come back, comparable to teenage breakouts.

I'm not suggesting you resort to accutane by any means, but I do sympathize with you. And, I'm allergic to proactiv and anything with those ingredients.

I use a mild cleanser every day only. No makeup, nothing. It breaks me out and irritates my skin.

I suggest going to a dermatologist to see what they can do for you. I would also suggest birth control if you don't already take it. Birth control has done wonders in suppressing my breakouts.

Good luck!

Have you gone to a dermatologist? My husband is 41, has acne and he takes a prescription medicine via mouth and it helps.

Hi. I am 45 but I battle acne and wrinkles :) since i can remember :)

the best routine for me:
1. cetaphil cleanser
2. toner = something without alchol or lemon etc
3. Paula's choice 2 % BHA (cleans skin and pores )
4. prescription acne cream -- for spot treatment

and sunblock!

HTH. you are not alone!

it might be something going on on the inside and not so much the outside.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/358147-diet-to-reduce-p...

Play with some dietary changes and see what happens.

I've been battling the worst acne of my life since having my baby almost 6 months ago. I've found that acne.org is pretty useful, and have been washing my face twice daily, using either their treatment or neutrogenas on the spot treatment all over and a lotion with sunscreen in the morning and AHA every other night and neutrogenas retinol lotion at night. I've still got some scarring, but my skin is clearer than it has been in a really long time. I've been trying to really do something about the acne for about 4 months.

Please check the side effects of any meds you're taking. I couldn't understand why I was breaking out in my 50s after menopause until I did some research for a chemical dependency class I took. My anti-depressent Zolof causes breakouts (menopause and acne, what's wrong with that picture!). My doctor prescribed clindamycin phosphate topical gel 1% which cleared me up while I was taking the meds. I'm off of everything now and have clear skin (finally!). Good luck.