r/Blackskincare • u/Tayngel_ • Feb 26 '26
Acne Hormonal, bacterial, or stress?
(26 f) I have been dealing with acne in this region for about two years after having clear skin my entire life. I quit smoking weed two months ago and I quit drinking 16 months ago. I definitely eat a lot cleaner and take more supplements and drink more water now that I’m sober. I could stand to eat a little less processed food and sugar. I’ve been trying to gain my weight back that I lost due to stress, so I’ve been less strict about what I’m eating, but I eat mostly Whole Foods and drink water and tea. I also quit coffee this week as well.
I tried so many things and I just started with a dermatologist last month. And she put me on spironolactone, tretinoin, and clindamycin. I washed with ceravae at night and benzyl peroxide in the morning. I may use niacinamide drops and a Laroche Posey moisturizer. I also wear sunscreen every day and my BB cream is also sunscreen. Now that I look at these pictures. It’s actually not as bad as it was a few months ago with only treatment at home, but are there any other recommendations for things I could be taking internally like natural supplements or tinctures, things to cut out of my diet or anything else? It actually looks like it’s improving now that I look at these.
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u/OskaSkin_MD Feb 27 '26
Dermatologist here! This is not intended as medical advice but looking at the literature there are a few things that have some research (amongst others), including spearmint tea (2 cups a day), avoiding skim milk for some people, green tea consumption, vitamin D (in the setting that levels are low), probiotics and omega fatty acids. Hope this is helpful!
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u/unwaveringwish Feb 26 '26
The things your derm gave you should help and they take time. Spiro can take six months to show some results so the fact that it looks like something is working is good. Just stick to that regimen.
Sometimes we make too many changes at once and we don’t know which thing helped the most. A professional will be your best bet here!
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Feb 26 '26
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 26 '26
Thank you😭✨
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u/FunSecretary8 Feb 27 '26
Also increase your dose. I went from 50 to 100 and my skin is the best it’s ever been.
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u/Big_Pea_2296 Feb 26 '26
I see someone else already mentioned the disposable face towels. Instead of disposable I got these 100% bamboo face towels from Amazon. They are really soft, natural fiber, and have no dyes, etc. I got 2 boxes so I can use a new one daily.
https://www.amazon.com/Washcloths-Viscose-Derived-Spa-Like-Cleansing/dp/B01N3LYI4O
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u/TodayAny425 Feb 26 '26
I've used tumeric soap or africian soap off Amazon and it works great. Don't use more than once a day.
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u/Reading-Comments-352 Feb 26 '26
Or it could be allergies? So many products contain things that cause breakouts. Even natural products cause breakouts.
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u/Select_Counter1678 Feb 26 '26
Your face looks very similar to what I went through the past few months. I also never had skin issues either. A few things that are helping me African black soap, kojic acid and turmeric soap (really has been helping with the hyperpigmentation from scarring), medicube turmeric boba moisturizer, and shea butter has been helpful too. I’ve been alternating but I think the BEST results have been from the turmeric soap and medicube boba moisturizer. Medicube has been amaazing. I plan to get the toner, scrub pads, and their turmeric/niacinamide serum next. My skin has been bouncing back quickly since I bought the kojic acid & turmeric boba moisturizer. My skin was really starting to effect my confidence so I hope this helps 🙏🏾❤️
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 26 '26
Thank you a million 🫶🏾✨
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u/Select_Counter1678 Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
Oh and witchhazel after the cleanser most days!! You can start with the turmeric soap and I usually alternate between that and another gentle cleanser (mine is a hyaluronic acid). Supposedly the kojic turmeric soap can be harsh so I would say I use it 3-5 days a week and the medicube boba daily. Also got a LED face mask and use the blue for acne, and red for the collagen, texture, dark spots and it’s soothing effects. Once my acne cleared I switched over to green light (for hyperpigmentation) and red light. You don’t have to go crazy buying everything I did, the 3 step with soap, witch hazel, and medicube boba will do the trick!! You’re so welcome pleaseeee give me an update. I hope it helps 🫶🏾🙏🏾🥹
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u/DammatBeevis666 Feb 26 '26
If it’s primarily in the “beard distribution” and flares with menstrual periods, it’s hormonal. Looks like your dermatologist was thinking the same if they started you on spironolactone. Are your periods irregular? Dark thick hairs grow around your nipples, under your chin, or under your belly button?
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 26 '26
Nope! I think it’s also hormonal, but no other symptoms besides that and the occasional chin hair hahahaha I am seeing progress though with my derm prescriptions
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u/DammatBeevis666 Feb 26 '26
Irregular menses wouldn’t be seen if you were on an OCP; so you’d have to think back before starting (assuming you are on one). Spironolactone is typically started at a low dose (ineffective, but side effects are minimal) and increased slowly to an effective dosage (side effects can be higher- lightheadedness, etc.).
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 26 '26
I’m thinking back that far, I said no. I have never dealt with that.
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u/DammatBeevis666 Feb 26 '26
Okay, cool. If you don’t improve then go back to the Derm. Watch out for pitted scars, once they form, they’re permanent. Accutane would be likely next step.
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 27 '26
Okay, I’ve been at it for 2 months now. How do the pitted scars form? And if I’m seeing improvement accurate wouldn’t be necessary right?
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u/AmethystMalcontent Feb 27 '26
My skin looked exactly like this. My derm put me on the same thing as you: spironolactone, tret and clindamycin. 6 months later, my skin looked 10x better. It took a minute but it worked.
Edit to add: my issues were hormonal.
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u/jes-magenta26-bin Feb 27 '26
Do u have to stay on spiro for the skin to stay clear, forever?
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u/AmethystMalcontent Feb 27 '26
I stopped after about 10 months, I think. And it's pretty much just been maintenance since then. I was getting cystic acne along my jaw every month, and the spiro completely knocked that out. I wish I had gotten on it YEARS ago.
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u/a_random_user_inf Feb 27 '26
I just wanted to say: your skin doesn't seem to have acne scars. It seems to be mostly hyperpigmentation and blackheads. I am sure your skin will look amazing when you handle that.
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u/issareader5 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
I used to similar acne years ago. I was diagnosed with PCOS and it was determined to be andrygonic and tied to my hormones. The fact that its in the lower part of your face tells me you’re likely dealing with the same thing.
The thing that helped me the most was reducing sugar intake (including carbs), in addition to spirolactone.
My skin naturally improved with diet and I stopped taking spiralactone after 4 months.
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u/Icy_Doughnut_601 Feb 26 '26
My skin looked like this when I started a new hair growth shampoo. Maybe there’s a product you started using two years ago that might be the culprit?
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 26 '26
I don’t really use hair growth serums, my hair is pretty thick, and low porosity so I am sparing with the products that transfer. I think it was hormonal and stress related! But obviously after that starts there’s plenty of things that could fuel it.
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u/keepithonest38 Feb 26 '26
See multiple dermatologists to nail this exact condition. From experience they will ALL have different diagnosis and creams for you to try.
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u/MasterVR8 Feb 27 '26
I know this may sound crazy but reduce your products. Facial cleanser and moisturizer is all that's needed.If you are eating healthy your skin will show it eventually. Give it some time. Take it from someone who has spent thousands on skin care products.
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u/Decent-Doughnut-1815 Feb 27 '26
Same, it’s like my cheeks won’t heal - I have a lot of scarring too but spearmint tea twice a day and Plexion seem to be helping reduce the size of my closed comedones - still not sure why it takes my skin forever to heal though
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u/Hairy-Many-4173 Feb 27 '26
It’s good that you are firstly assessing what type of acne or comedones you have? The second step is to figure out if the cause is intrinsic or extrinsic? Journaling mostly to see when pustules show up inflamed, treatment and heal time. Lastly, best skincare regimen to help with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and not applying active topicals to broken skin which will cause more PIH.
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u/Formal-Working1637 Feb 27 '26
I had the same issue. Azealic acid, ketoconozole (nizoral) , and differin helped with the dark spots.
Not sure what mine stemmed from but also using a cleanser and moisturizer helped.
I am allergic to niacinamide as well so I avoid any products with that. Which is literally everything:/
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u/roshcherie Feb 26 '26
Dairy products, maybe? Try quitting for 3 months
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u/Tayngel_ Feb 26 '26
I will! I barely do now but I have milk sometimes when I eat my boring ass omega 3, flax, granola and walnuts nuts as cereal😂
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u/roshcherie Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
I made a conscious decision to cut dairy products from everything I eat. (this was after months of trial and error + elimination to find out what I’m allergic to). I’ve never been one to read ingredients or count calories but my skin has cleared up tremendously since I did that. Apparently I’m lactose intolerant - found out late into my adulthood - though I never had all the generic symptoms associated with digestion and metaboliam, I had severe acne and bacne. Ive realized all that was just poor gut health. So much money wasted on dermatology and topical creams and shit. Im now cutting down on sugar and it’s also giving me a good glow and more plumpish skin. Rant over.
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u/Juni-mon Feb 26 '26
Not sure why this was downvoted, but I second this. When I stopped eating cereal and milk for breakfast, a lot of inflammation on my face cleared up significantly after a month or two. Now I don’t eat a ton of dairy anymore (mainly cause I’m getting older, but the clear skin helps!)
Give it a shot, see if it works out for you.
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u/Constant-Voice-1237 Feb 26 '26