45 years old.. and I'm still getting zits. What. The. Hell?

[LeftinOH]

[Orsino]

1. And your skin is otherwise youthful-looking, too?

I'm there, and I'm older.

[stuntcat]

2. What. The. Hell. indeed

I'm 40 and finally figured out the way to not have zits- scrub the heck out of my face every day and then use 2 different lotions and 3 different acne creams :eyes: it's like a curse.

[elleng]

3. Regular 'zits,' or rosacea? It got me, too!

[pitohui]

9. yeah it's probably rosacea

i was told of a new laser treatment but until recently there were plenty of treatments, but all they did was take your money, they didn't actually work (antibiotics, salycylic acid, blah blah and so on and everything else, i've been under a derm's care since birth and that is not an april fool's joke, i wish it was

anyone tried the laser treatment? because the acne treatments don't work for rosacea, acne goes away, rosacea can apparently continue until you're 70 or so -- trying to remember when an older relative finally stopped having outbreaks and yeah i think it was around 70 or 75, who wants to wait that long?

washing your face w. all the special soaps only makes rosacea worse, at least for me and for most people, not to call out anyone in particular but someone in the thread mentioned using a special soap, for christ sake i wish they would figure out that if somebody is 45 and has zits they've already tried every soap ever invented EVEN PRESCRIPTION ONES -- i dearly wish the "just wash your face" crowd will come back in the next life w. rosacea

[LiberalEsto]

10. I used a prescription med

It's a clear gel called Metrogel and it comes in a small tube, like a mini-toothpaste. It was very effective.

[elleng]

14. Hey LibEst, you and I TWINS or something???

DITTO!

[LiberalEsto]

15. It sure seems that way, elleng

Don't tell me you're 3/4ths Estonian...grew up in New Jersey...majored in English...

[elleng]

16. Nope Nope Nope!

Rumanian/Russsian/Polish, NEW YORK, poli sci/English/history>>>LAW

[elleng]

13. No laser here, have a prescribed 'gel,' 2X day, no big deal.

Seems to work, and rosacea does seem to move around but controllable. Spoke w pharmacist before going to doc, and pharma said don't waste time/money with the otc stuff.

[blueamy66]

23. My fiance's son finally went and got Accutane...

I am scared about the long term effects.....

[elleng]

26. Accutane for acne, right? I have rosacea, not the same condition or drug.

[blueamy66]

28. Sorry.

I misunderstood.

[mucifer]

4. I'm 45yo and I get hives every day. It's annoying my skin sucks.

But, it's not a real disease. It's just annoying. I'm probably just too neurotic. :(

[LeftinOH]

5. Hivesa are super-annoying. I've experienced that cold air will put hives

into retreat (somewhat).

[orion007]

30. Let's talk hives

I get hives from 2 things,

cold weather, any skin that's exposed gets red/itchy and then the hives arrive.

When I now eat certain foods, carbs or wheat I'll get a hive or 2 on my face, itchy and weepy, then it eventually dries up,
Just recently found out (online) about a skin condition that's attributed to gluten and you break out with hives on face or other parts of body.
It's called dermatitis herpetiformis , it's an autoimmune something or other?
It's so dam annoying , never had skin problems when I was a teen, they began in my early 40s.
The hives from cold began when I was out having fun in the snow at night for about an hour and when I came inside my face broke out in hives and I looked about 100yrs old, it was scary and since then,about 20 yrs ago, every time I'm exposed to cold I break out, this is very limiting in the winter for outside activities.
Anything similar with your hives to this?

[mucifer]

34. I get them on my back neck shoulders and they sometimes

are in the form of scratch marks. My dermatologist calls it dermatographism. Rubbing or scratching can turn to hives. I think it's probably a tiny autoimmune problem (or me being a neurotic Jew.. Nothing worth taking any meds for. I'm going to cut out dairy and see if it helps . I'd hate to cut out gluten. I'm a vegetarian. I like my carbs. I know that compared to real diseases this is nothing just a small annoyance.

[orion007]

35. When I was a child I remember breaking out in hives from shellfish,

this also happened to my father.
He had us drinking a little apple-cider vinegar before eating shellfish and that seemed to somehow balance something(lol) and stopped the hives.
I had forgotten about the ACV and am going to start drinking some each day, have you tried this or any other natural remedy?
Thanks for your informative reply.

[mucifer]

37. I'm a vegetarian. I've decided to go vegan for a bit to see

how I feel . It be better for the animals, too. I suppose. :)

[arbusto_baboso]

6. 44 here, and same for me. Just oily skin in my case.

But I look younger than I am, so that's a plus.

[Ilsa]

7. The 2% salicylic acid liquid soaps help me a lot and

I'm older than you. I think certain foods also break out my skin.

Good luck.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lunatica]

11. It can be treated

As you can see with younger people having very little acne. I'd go to a dematologist.

[OhioChick]

12. Retin A works wonders for oily skin....

Not to mention the anti-aging effects. ;)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. Retin-A is good for your wrinkles.

However, I have been using it for several months and it makes your skin worse before it gets better. It increases the turnover rate of your skin cells and so I now have a ton of zits coming to the surface that I did not know were there. It looks horrible but it's not contagious.

[OhioChick]

19. I've been using it for so many years that I forgot about that....

Thinking back, I do remember it making your skin much worse before it got better.
It really does hold back aging, though.

[marzipanni]

17. Milk of Magnesia for your skin

I'm going to buy some original Milk of Magnesia and we'll give it a try. My 16 year old son has acne, and I think I may have rosacea (oily but flaky skin on my face, kinda red patch on my cheek)
Quite a few of these people had good results- and they aren't advertising a product, just trying to help others-
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2008/04/14/milk-of-magnesi-3/
http://rosacea-support.org/epsom-salts-or-milk-of-magnesia-actually-works.html

I told my brother about a People's Pharmacy recommended home remedy for a plantar's wart on his foot- smothering it by applying a piece of of duct tape on it for two or three weeks- and it worked!

[orion007]

31. Milk of Magnesia was used by a friends older sister, this was

back in the early 60s.
I guess it was popular for skin or any break outs.
I'm going to get some,
Thanks for the memory!

[orion007]

32. Wow, what great comments on the MOM article,thanks..n/t

[applegrove]

20. You are not alone. I get them around my mouth every once in a while. And I am your age.

[hedgehog]

25. Toothpaste will do that to you - be sure to wipe with a wet wash cloth

every time.

[lildreamer316]

21. This will help.

http://www.drugstore.com/neutrogena-oil-free-acne-stress-control-3-in-1-hydrating-acne-treatment/qxp163358

and if you feel like adding this:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-alpha-hydroxy-face-cream/ID=prod5822041-product

it will help more. Also fades acne scars.

And I second the Retin-A recommendation; it helps acne as well as wrinkles. However, if you are sensitive-skinned; start with a retinol product - you can find these also in your local drug stores. Example:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/neutrogena-ageless-intensives-anti-wrinkle-deep-wrinkle-daily-moisturizer-spf-20/ID=prod5484008-product

..there are lots of other retinol products out there. I know as a man you don't want to have a ton of product to have to put on your face, but at least use the first one and maybe the last one.
I am 37 and my acne has calmed down 90% from using things like these.

[JCMach1]

22. Me too and I am 44

[MiddleFingerMom]

24. kick

[trud]

27. gender/retin-a

Are you female? Makeup can raise hob with skin.

I find Retin-A helpful for rosacea, but I only put it on actual breakouts. It's too harsh to use on "just" red skin, for me. MetroGel was basically a no-op.

Some years ago I did have a laser treatment. There are a bunch of different types of lasers, and I don't remember which was used. After looking like I'd been punched out for a few weeks, my skin did clear up and stayed that way for several years.

[udbcrzy2]

29. That just means you got good stuff. LOL

You have oily skin which is good because you will not wrinkle as quickly.

I have the same problem. A dermatologist might be able to help, but it could also help the wrinkles too.

[Curmudgeoness]

33. Damned horomones again! nt

[XanaDUer]

36. Are they mostly on your chin?

do you lean your chin on your hands? Also, toothpaste, esp the tartar-control ones, can cause breakouts.

[RedCloud]

38. My momma done told me it was from thinking about girls all day.

She was only half right!

She forgot I also thought about them during the night! :blush::blush::blush::blush:

[gimama]

39. no justice in a World

where ya get zits AND wrinkles! ;)

[Codeine]

40. I feel your pain. Nose and forehead. 41 years old. nt

[chollybocker]

41. It's not complicated.

Trust me, I know.


1) Stop eating all dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) for one week, and you'll see an immediate improvement.

2) Use a moisturizing lotion (esp. non-greasy aloe) head-to-toe after each shower.


You will be gorgeous in no time. :)

[Arugula Latte]

42. 45 here, too. I get one on occasion.

What helps me is good old antibacterial cream like Neosporin. (What is a zit if not a mini bacterial infection?)

[GoCubsGo]

43. Have you tried tea tree oil?

It's wonderful stuff. It's an antiseptic, so you can also use it on cuts and scrapes. There are several facial washes out there that contain it. My favorite is from The Body Shop. I even use it on my cat, who has feline acne--with my vet's permission. Clears it right up.

[geardaddy]

44. 46 and I still get 'em.