Adult acne

[Guest Posts]

Guest post on behalf of FH Brighton

'Hi, I'm 34 and recently been told I have adult acne (doctor gave me diagnosis 2 months ago). I am finding the sight of my skin horrible to look at as I've never had acne before and I don't know what to do about it. My doctor has told me to think about taking the pill but i'm not sure I want to do that as I've had bad experiences on it before. They also gave me a cream (acnecide) but it's not really working. Can you give me some advice to get rid of spots please. Thanks'

[saritasingh@doctors.org.uk]

Hello

I am sorry to hear about the problems you are having with acne - it sounds as if it is really affecting your self-esteem. Acne should be treated with a combination of a retinoid cream AND topical antibiotic lotion/ cream. If this doesn't control things, then a low dose antibiotic (usually from the tetracycline family) should be added in. Your GP can start this treatment but if things don't improve within 3 months, you should be referred to a dermatologist to discuss other treatment options (of which there are a few depending on the severity). I agree that the pill is not necessarily a good or long-term treatment option and would certainly recommend that you start with the above treatments. I hope this advice helps.