Hormonal acne?

[Nursejayjay]

Hi all! I have struggled with acne my whole life and I’m getting pretty tired of these breakouts. I know I’ve been under a bit of increased stress lately so maybe it has something to do with it, I have also as recently as December, stopped taking the birth control pill that I was on for 7 plus years. I am currently using origins checks and balances facial cleanser but feel it’s not doing the job anymore. Any suggestions on what I can switch to? I was thinking the ordinary brand because I’ve heard great things! I’ll take any suggestions but I’m also nervous to try something new and make my acne worse!! I’ll include a picture as well!

[loveyall]

I've struggled with this over the years and am finally getting clear.  In addition to a myriad of other things, what worked for me was reducing what i put on my face and used for facial cleansing. I use Josie maran light argan oil for my moisturizer on my face and neck (too expensive for entire body!). I use skinfix for face wash or Dr. Dennis Gross alpha beta pore reducing face wash (surprisingly gentle for me) along with caudalie cleansing oil. Moreover, I am using Mostly fragrance free products, cutting dairy and forms.of. refined sugar or simple carbs(sugar is surprisingly the hardest), reducing stress, upping cardio, taking omegas, using Rx-based topical creams such as tretanoin,  and taking an oral RX prescribed by a derm.  

Finally, spironolactone is an alt to BC--regarding acne and hormones. 

I look forward to hearing what works for you!

[quspork]

@Nursejayjay With hormonal acne, I'd highly recommend visiting a dermatologist to get an evaluation and see what they suggest. You may need something more potent than a typical over-the-counter product. Aside from that, you mentioned the Origins cleanser, but what other products are in your current routine? Is your skin oily, dry, combo, normal?

[Nursejayjay]

I also moisturizer with neutrogena hydro boost. But other then that I don’t use much else.

[Nursejayjay]

I have very oily skin

[quspork]

Ok, I have oily skin too so here are a few recommendations to check out, @Nursejayjay.

For cleansers: PHILOSOPHY - Purity Made Simple Cleanser FIRST AID BEAUTY - Pure Skin Face CleanserOLEHENRIKSEN - The Clean Truth™ Foaming Cleanser  If you wear any face makeup (or even just to remove sunscreen) though, I HIGHLY recommend trying out double cleansing. Using an oil cleanser (or balm) first and then following that with one of the traditional cleansers above. You'd be amazed at how much that helped my acne. 

If you're happy with the hydro boost there's no need to change but just in case, for moisturizers: BELIF - The True Cream Aqua Bomb CAUDALIE - Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet OLEHENRIKSEN - Sheer Transformation® Perfecting Moisturizer Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream 1.7 oz/ 50 mL CosRX Oil-Free Moisturizing Lotion, Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream

Before starting an active, I'd recommend getting into the habit of wearing sunscreen daily as many of them make your skin more susceptible to sun damage. Good sunscreens for oily skin: MDSOLARSCIENCES - Mineral Crème Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UVA-UVB Sunscreen COOLA - Mineral Sun Silk Crème SPF 30

With those in place you can try exfoliating serums. BHA (salicylic acid) serums would be a good place to start for the acne. There are lots of options across a variety of price points. I've liked the CAUDALIE - Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Serum but there are cheaper options if you want to check out the Inkey List or the Ordinary. 

Regular use of clay/detox masks can also be a big help for helping contain oiliness and cleaning out pores to help with acne. Some options: Caudalie Pore Minimizing Instant Detox Mask 2.5 oz/ 75 mL Pixi Glow Mud Mask PETER THOMAS ROTH - Irish Moor Mud Purifying Black Mask EVE LOM - Rescue Mask  (if you really want to splurge!)

[Angelex]

@Nursejayjay there are beauties on here with a ton of knowledge who can give you a far more complete idea/ routine (like @WinglessOne ) but my little 2 cents is for a cleanser- I use Dermasafe No Break Out Exfoliating Cleansing Gel every day, either in the morning or in the evening, as the second step of my double cleanse.  It’s not sold at Sephora (I buy mine on Amazon, probably the only skincare item that I buy on Amazon lol).  I started using the Dermasafe no break out a few years ago and it has definitely helped me.  It’s not a cure-all, I still have break-outs around that time of the month, and I have to be very selective about what I put on my face as there are a ton of skincare products and foundations that break me out.  But this cleanser noticeably helps me, and it’s one of my holy grail items that never gets changed in my routine (along with my Foreo, SK-II, and Shiseido Ultimune).  I hope you find a routine that works well for you!