Acne – its just not fair!

OK, so I am 35 (ouch) and have suffered from acne since I was 11. That is just plain mean! I eat my fruit and veg (sometimes), go to bed early (in the morning) exercise regularly (that’s true) and have a “glass half full” attitude to life but that doesn’t seem to help.  My skin is still intent on making me feel sad 😦 but I will not give in. I am just going to ignor it!

Let me tell you a little story…

As soon as puberty started knocking on my door the spots started. I shouldn’t have been that surprised as my parents had had a few spots in their time but I was to go where none of our family had gone before – into the purple zone.  Having suffered from eczema since birth I was no stranger to skin ache and took the first few spots in my stride. In fact I quite enjoyed popping them (and still do).

Anyway, it was when I was about 14 that things went pretty badly downhill.  I started to get some awful pimples that just wouldn’t go away. My mum took me along to my GP for some therapy!

I was put on antibiotics and things got better. For a while….

After a year or so my spots started to come back and I was put on the combined oral contraceptive pill alongside my antibiotics (the dose of which was increased).

And things got better again. For a while….

Then when I was 17 things crashed. My liver started to fail and I got a wicked orange tan because of the build up of bile in my system. I felt terrible and looked like the Tango woman.  I only had a few spots but I did have lots of itchy skin, a terrible headache and the inability to digest anything fatty.  I lost a lot of weight and started to feel like I was going to die. Things were not good!

My body had started to reject the drugs that I had been taking to make my skin better. I had become allergic to the antibiotics and the pill and would never be able to use either again! Oh dear.  Oh, and my skin was still rubbish.

So, I decided that having spots was just my destiny. I tried to go back on the pill later in life and ended up with tango tan again. They were binned and I gave up.

You see, acne is one of those things for which there is no “cure”. There are many ways of treating it and lots of ways that it can be brought under control but a magic bullet? There isn’t one.   My acne has changed over the years due to the fact that in my case it seems to be caused by hormones (skin was great during pregnancy but awful after the babies stopped feeding), a genetic defect (eczema means that my skin renewal process is a bit whacked out) and a bit of an adrenaline addiction (mountain bike racing).

Due to my bad reaction to previous hormone treatments I have decided to wait that one out until mentalpause, the eczema part can be controlled by a good diet BUT I am lazy AND a bad cook. The adrenaline / stress part can be controlled by meditation and a bit more “me” time, but guess what? I am not that good at doing any of that. I am a little bit lazy in the “me” department and what’s more, I don’t really mind!

Yes I would LOVE better skin, I would love to not have the pigmentation problems that have come on in the last 5 years and yes I would love to rid myself of the feeling that spots leave you with so what little steps can I take to improve my lot in life without breaking my stride too much?

Retinol creams – Retinol (Vitamin A) is great. It has been clinically proven to improve the appearance and severity of acne outbreaks and can be used on and off for long term treatment.  While retinol is available in over the counter anti-ageing creams you will need to see a dermatologist for something strong enough to treat stubborn acne.

Microdermabrasion – This extreme exfoliation can help to reduce scarring and bring forth great looking skin. The process also stimulates the skins collagen production which can help it rebuild.  However, this treatment can be quite harsh so should only be undertaken when acne eruptions have been brought under control.

Multi-Vitamin Moisturisers – Anyone who has had or has got Acne will know that moisturisers can sometimes feel like they are smothering the skin. A lightweight formulation based on silicones or natural oils such as Jojoba or macadamia enriched with vitamin’s A, C and E help to nourish the skin from the outside and keep the barrier functioning.

Water – Drinking plenty of water is always a good idea as it helps the body to flush out the unwanted toxins that build up.

And keep up the healthy eating and plenty of sleep routine!

There are lots of ways to manage adult acne but as with everything, it takes time and effort. Ongoing time and effort.  In the meantime I have found it really helpful to make the mental decision not to let acne scar my life, a state of mind that took many years to come to terms with and that also needs constant work. I have my good days and my bad days but now they are less determined by my skin and more determined by my bank balance. I haven’t found a cream to fix that yet but I keep looking.

For more acne info check out this web site. Stay beautiful X

Amanda Foxon-Hill