My granddaughter has post-adolescent acne (she is 26) which I had at her age.

[CTyankee]

She has tried everything that her dermatologist prescribed and still has it. I told her that in my case nothing but time made it go away, which was hard for her to hear. I wonder though if perhaps this condition is inheritable to her (and just her since her two sisters don't have it).

Is there nothing but age that gets rid of this condition? She is well off enough to get the best that medicine or cosmetics can offer.

I am very sad for her. Perhaps someone here can make suggestions...

[SheltieLover]

1. Try Face DrX soap.

[CTyankee]

3. I will pass that info along (altho I will bet she tried it).

Have you or someone you know had success with it?

[SheltieLover]

8. Yes, but 20 yrs ago

[dhol82]

2. Sounds like a really tough thing to treat.

Sorry for your daughter.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22648217/

[Scrivener7]

4. I found Retin-A helped me.

[yellowdogintexas]

5. I think there may be a genetic factor. Two sisters that I grew up with

both had some of the worse acne I have ever seen. Their youngest sister also had above average acne but nothing like the older women.

The oldest sister in particular had serious scarring and suffered breakouts up into her 20s.

These days a good derm would have an arsenal of things to help. There were so many things we all did back in mid 20th century that were really not so good for us. She would do well to see a dermatologist with a good track record in treating it.

My face settled down in my early 20s but the backne hung around until my mid 30s. It finally went away after my daughter's birth.

[Sanity Claws]

6. Try an anti-inflammatory diet

Diet really does make a difference.
There was the fallacy that acne was tied to chocolate. Actually it is tied to foods that cause blood sugar to spike.

[peppertree]

16. +1

I can attest to what you're saying.

As they say: food is medicine.

[rso]

7. Acne

Acne is directly caused by bacteria, so a regimen of initially high dose oral antibiotics subsequently tapered down to a low maintenance dose usually works well for the more difficult cases. Minocin and doxycycline are considered the best choices. No one wants to take antibiotics when not necessary, but they are the best therapy for intractable cases.

[Quakerfriend]

9. So sorry for your granddaughter- Has she tried milk of magnesia?

Several people I know have been helped by this.

https://www.viewpoints.com/Phillips-Milk-of-Magnesia-uses-for-Acne-reviews

My understanding is that it creates the correct pH on the skin-i.e., not favorable for bacteria.

[womanofthehills]

10. Sounds weird but my granddaughter said washing her face

With Dawn dishwashing detergent helped her big time.

[SWBTATTReg]

11. Even time won't necessarily help either. The two of us still suffer from it even though

we're in our upper 50s and 60s. BUT it does taper away to only one or so, so it does taper down drastically in frequency.

And worrying about it doesn't do any good, only time and ignoring the occasional pimple (touch up maybe w/ hide a cream or something) works. It seems like if one fuses w/ it, it gets worse. After a couple of days (if less) it'll be gone. My best to you and your grandD...

[Cracklin Charlie]

12. If I feel a pimple coming on...

I smash up an aspirin, and make a paste of it with a little water. I apply the paste to the area, leave it on for a while. Takes away any related pain, and pimple usually goes away without an eruption. May have to reapply occasionally for a couple of days.

A friend taught the process to me long ago. She even used it to ward off cold sores, which I didn’t suffer from, thank goodness. My daughter also does it, but she adds a drop of honey to the paste, to make the applied paste stay on longer.

[applegrove]

13. I would get these cysts in my early adulthood to 35. They were not common but

I would end up with a scab on my face somewhere around my mouth.

[leighbythesea2]

14. Accutane

Is a heavy duty player for this. Prescription. Have to get tested monthly. But it does work.
I did a round.
However, i had issues my entire adult life. So heres my list:
Proactive (3 steps, pretty good)
Obagi products. Very expensive but they are good. Might need just 1 or 2)
A dermatologist that will inject into a cystic spot coming on. I dont know the solution, but i had this option while living in Pasadena. It was a life saver.
That derm recommended the pill, as it can be hormonally related. I resisted this, as i react to that too w a side effect, not skin related, but enough to make me avoid. I finally relented, & bc it was such a big time gap since id last tried it, no side effect! My skin did improve a lot.
Medical grade facials. Big help.

None of this is cheap. But, i was always worried about scarring. It's a big deal. The only upside, is w this skin type, you age better. That meant nothing to me while young though.
Good luck to her!

[phylny]

15. I used Retin-A for this and it worked well.

I had cystic pimples mostly on my jawline, and I'm sure it was testosterone related (I'm a woman).

Our daughter had to use Accutane. Very effective, though she'll need to be on two forms of birth control, IIRC (for our daughter, who was young, she "used" abstinence and birth control pills).