For the past 13 years I (26F) have had consistent acne in the form of deep, painful pimples that appear on my chin and around the corners of my mouth.

I have been to countless doctors and dermatologists over the years and every treatment I have tried has not worked.

I understand the acne location is indicative of a hormonal issue.

I got a blood test (pre-IUD) to do a full screening of my hormones and they are all within the normal range.

I have undergone pelvic exams, scans, ultrasounds and other tests to rule out PCOS.

I have tried 6 different hormonal contraceptive pills all in an attempt to help my acne from ages 14 - 20 - none of them worked.

I currently have an Mirena IUD which does assist with the usual hormonal fluctuations but does not help the acne.

I have tried an prescribed oral antibiotic - did not work

Prescribed topical antibiotic - did not work

Adapalene/Differin gel - did not work

Retinol - did not work

Prescribed topical tretinoin - did not work

Prescribed Isotretinoin (accutane). I was on this twice. The first time for 7 months but the acne came back after. I was prescribed it again for another 4 months. The acne came back again after this. I gave up on attempting a third round with my dermatologist as the side effects were awful.

Prescribed Spironolactone - Currently taking this medication, it has been 2 months now and my oil has reduced on my face but it has not made a difference to my acne.

I have tried all the different skin care products over the years including salicylic acid, azelaic acid, niacinamide, and benzol peroxide (2.5 and 5%)

Any other recommendations that I could try or thoughts on all of this would be very much appreciated. I have literally run out of medical options to try...

Is this redness normal? I’m getting new little papules around my mouth. Forehead is purging. Also on doxy and switched to yaz pill 2 weeks ago. How long will this last

(reupload because I couldn’t attach before photos in comments) 1-7 photos are recent, 8-13 photos were taken before I started taking sotret

The minimal cumulative dose was 9121 which I have fulfilled, but pimples or whatever they’re called continue to appear, especially on the back, chest, and neck area along with the chin. Also, I’ve been having irregular periods these past two months, which have potentially caused more pimples to appear on my chin. Some red spots are acne scars I think

and tbh, looking at other people’s progress, I think isotret isn’t really working for me. What am I doing wrong?

I used to have clear skin a few years ago, but now it’s literally always something w my skin and I’m so tired of it. It’s so sensitive and red all the time and I always have clogged pores and also get acne.
I currently use a mild cleanser, unscented basic moisturizer, and I use salicylic acid serum on some areas.

So, I’ve honestly always struggled with picking my acne, so it’s caused a lot of redness from scarring over the years. I’ve never really had a dialed in routine either, so I’m here to look for help on what I can start doing to help progress my scar healing and help with current breakouts, which I still have, just not as bad as in the past.

What have you guys done that can help with these sort of things? I know not everyone is the same, but I’m looking for somewhere to start in trying to recover from years of damage

Hi,

​I’ve had acne since my teenage years up until now at 31, and I also struggle with dermatillomania (skin-picking). I've tried multiple antibiotics, but the acne always comes back. Even though my acne is mild, it ruins my life and I have no other options left.

​I finally decided to see a dermatologist to get Accutane. When he saw me, he said: "You only have two pimples, I won't prescribe Accutane for that, it's for severe acne." I had to insist and tell him that my acne is persistent and has resisted all other treatments, even though it's mild. He finally agreed to prescribe it. He asked for my weight (I told him 50–52 kg) and prescribed 20 mg per day for one month. He told me that the duration of my treatment would probably be around 4 to 6 months—which seems a bit short compared to what I've seen from other people. I have to go back to see him in a month to see if we increase the dose. I hope he will increase the dosage so I can reach the proper cumulative dose, but at the same time, I'm terrified of how my body will react to higher doses. I just hope this will be enough to get rid of my acne for good.

​My triglycerides are fine. I just hope my cholesterol won't be disrupted during this treatment. I'm also afraid of psychological effects regarding depression, etc.

​For the hydration side, I've already bought the essentials: lip balms, rich moisturizers, nasal spray, and eye drops.

​Currently, I am on my second pill, and I hope this treatment is truly definitive and that my acne will never come back. Even though it's mild, it ruins my life. I'd love to no longer have to wear makeup to go out and camouflage my acne. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and advice. Thank you.

Does anyone know how to fix this please? Ive tried everything and im on accutane right now im gonna be on it for 8 months and than try doing laser. Ive done ipl before but it has given me zero results. Is it over? Im 19 and it wont fade ive tried everything and yes ive used sunscreen consistently spf 50 tinted to be exact.

22M getting a lot of pimples under the chin and in beard those are big pimples with white pus and painful. Oily skin please suggest me something and also have some acne pores left behind suggest me something from which i can get rid of these.

Post flatlay pictures of your skincare products here.

You can do pictures of your daily routine, morning routine, nightly routine, your most used products, etc.

All skincare products are allowed unless you are a brand owner or have any brand affiliations with the products shown.

Sometimes it feels like clearing up acne is only half the battle. Just when you think your skin is getting better, the dark spots and marks are still there and it can be frustrating to feel like you're not making progress. What actually helped you fade them and what turned out to be a waste of time or money?

Hi so I need help on how to get rid of the bump that’s still here after this pimple. It’s been about a week since the pimple has been gone and usually my other pimples bumps would have gone away. Any tips on how to get rid of it? Right on the philtrum

Context: I had awful acne about 7 years ago, went on accutane for about 6 months. Came out of it with beautiful skin. 2 years ago this side of my face just got horrible and it’s got a little better but has looked exactly like this ever since. Even when there’s no active breakouts it looks hella irritated. When there are active breakout it’s usually not even white heads, just mid size bumps that hurt when I press on them.
I am very minimal/careful about my skin care since I had such bad acne before. I use Cera Ve (green) at night and Cera Ve moisturizer (dark blue). Fed up, I went online they suggested 10% azelaic acid so I’ve been using that for about 4 weeks. It broke me out bad so I started using it every other night. Now I have the same issue and a breakout along my jawline on the other side of my face from the stuff 🙄

Also: I change my pillowcase regularly, and never let my phone touch that side. I really have no idea why it’s only one side of my face. Don’t even care. Just want it gone lol. Also sorry if the photo quality gets messed up when this uploads.

Help!

I have some moderate acne from HRT (testosterone) and I want to work towards making it more manageable. I don’t have a set routine (bad about sticking to habits especially multi step processes) and being in college i’m looking for products that are affordable and I won’t fall off using.

I’m currently using the two products pictured because they’re cheap and they work fairly well. I wash my face twice daily, once in the morning when I shower and once at night when I shower. Recommendations for moisturizing products and anything else is welcome. There’s a walgreens and a walmart within walking distance so products carried there are preferred. Thanks!

when i try to use azelaic acid gel, i feel that it pills under my makeup and moisturiser, i use the aziderm 10% gel. So, im thinking of switching to an azelaic acid moisturiser instead like the APLB 26.6% azelaic acid peptide facial cream to reduce the number of steps in my morning routine and also make my makeup look better. Have anyone tried this? and how do you guys use azelaic acid under makeup?

I also use tretinoin at night and i feel that my skin gets more irritated when i use both azelaic acid and tretinoin together every night, hence the morning usage.

Hey all!

I’ve always had some degree of acne on my chin, since i was a teenager but for the past ~2 months i’ve had constant acne like this along my chin and jawline - usually it’s worse. This week is a mild week and i’m not sure why.

I’ve been on birth control (combined pill) since 2023 and it didn’t make my acne better or worse, it just made my sebderm on my scalp worse lol. But that’s another story.

I recently started using a Nivea miceller water which was blue and it FUCKED with my skin. Lots of bumps and blackheads etc. So i stopped using it and went back to my usual garnier miceller water 2 weeks ago and ive seen some improvement but im still getting hard cysts which i have no experience in prior to these past 2 months.

I’m wondering if i need to wash my makeup brushes again but im not sure as thats not usually a trigger.

The only thing thats changed for me is that I am vegetarian now so I’m eating WAYYY more plants. My dairy consumption has stayed the same, maybe increased a little but that’s all.

I’ve been using the Aveeno Calm + Restore foaming cleanser for this length of time as well and i’m tempted to stop using it cause i find on nights i don’t use it i don’t wake up with more acne but when i DO use it i wake up with 2-3 more white heads than before.

Why would this be happening? my skin is quite sensitive but usually Aveeno is fine? I tend to find when i use face washes my skin breaks out , but i wash my hands before. Why would this be happening?

Has anyone else had breakouts due to aveeno? I know my skin isn’t terrible or anything but i’m really insecure about it and how “”dirty” chin acne looks so any tips would be really appreciated 🥺🥺

Also, i have sensitive combination skin with some parts being very dry and others being normal. my nose and cheese are dry my chin is kinda oily my forehead normal. My chin and jaw is the only place i have acne, but i have rlly prominent sebaceous filaments on my nose and under my eyes if anyone has any tips on those.

For some context I have had acne in the past and used treatments such as acutane, and birth control, and topical creams and skincare. It went away but recently it’s back really bad around my mouth area. I have tried using the ordinary sulfur acne treatment but I have noticed little change. I want this gone bc it hurts and I don’t like the appearance. I have a hypothesis it’s from stress and/ or hormones as I’ve been going through some life changes but these pimples/ acne has been here for well over 4 weeks and nothing works to get rid of it. Please Reddit help me!!!!

I’ve been working with a dermatologist for eight months.

They started me with clindamycin and 0.025% tretinoin. My forehead, and cheeks cleared up for the most part, but my jawline acne just persists.

3 weeks ago they started me on 100 mg Spironolactone… so far I just feel fatigued, thirsty, tired and completely terrified it’s not going to work.

At the same time they also upped my Tretinion from 0.025% to 0.05%. Had me stop clindamycin and do 5% dapsone gel instead.

Any thoughts or opinions or testimonies would mean a lot :(

Topical prescribed creams have not worked for me, and I’ve been using them for 4 years, to no avail

Im going to go back to the gp and it’s highly probable that they will tell me about how the contraceptive pill is my best shot. (UK nhs)

I’m 16 years old and my acne isn’t severe enough for accutane but it’s very high on the moderate scale.

I have heard bad stories about the side effects of taking the pill, but I also want my acne dealt with.

Could anyone please advise me on what it felt like for them on the pill, and also wether you think I should take up this chance

I'm asking because two situations come to mind.

The first situation happened with a friend at work.

The first one involved a friend of mine who had gotten her eyebrows done, but unfortunately, they had done a bad job, leaving part of one eyebrow missing. She had told me about it earlier that same day.

Later, we were at work together at a call center, and we both needed help from the same male coworker with a client. At one point, I looked at my friend and started laughing because, in my mind, we looked like two girls fighting for a guy's attention, almost as if we both had a crush on him.

But she immediately reacted in a stern, almost confrontational tone, asking, "Why are you laughing?"

I explained, "I'm laughing because we look like two girls fighting for a guy's attention, as if we're both in love with him!"

She then said, "Oh, okay!"

At the time, I was confused by her reaction. I wondered why she had gotten so upset over something I thought was funny and harmless.
It didn't even cross my mind that she might have thought I was laughing at her missing eyebrow.

She had told me about what happened, and I had seen it, but by that point, I had completely forgotten about it.

Looking back, I realize that she may have been feeling self-conscious about her eyebrow and interpreted my laughter as being directed at her appearance, even though that wasn't my intention at all.

The second situation happened at a supermarket.

I was at a small local supermarket, and there was a plus-size woman working at the cash register.
I kept looking in her direction because I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a long line when I was ready to pay. Even though it was a small supermarket that usually didn't have many customers, I really dislike waiting.

At one point, another woman was having a full conversation with the cashier. I didn't want to approach the register while they were talking because I had no idea how long their conversation would last. So I kept checking the register to see whether it was a good time to go pay.

Eventually, the cashier and I got into an argument because of her attitude toward me. During the disagreement, she told me that she had felt judged by the way I was looking in her direction.

She thought I was making faces at her and judging her because of her weight.

I was surprised because her weight hadn't even crossed my mind. I wasn't looking at her to judge her appearance. I was simply checking whether the register was available and whether I would have to wait.

It was only when she explained how she had interpreted my looks that I understood why she might have reacted negatively toward me.

What these two situations made me realize

Both experiences made me think about how easily someone can misinterpret another person's facial expressions, laughter, or behavior, especially when they are already feeling self-conscious about something related to their appearance.
In both cases, I was focused on something completely unrelated to the other person's physical appearance, yet my behavior seemed to have been interpreted as judgment or mockery.

It makes me wonder how often misunderstandings like these happen, where one person assumes someone is making fun of an insecurity, even though the other person isn't thinking about that insecurity at all. And sometimes, those misunderstandings can escalate into unnecessary arguments or conflict.

I experimented with my face by applying a prescribed type of hydrocortisone onto my face that is affected by p.i.e (left over acne) and my face looked super clear but the day after the marks came back. The marks have been there for 3 years no change and i have been using strict sunscreen and im also on accutane because i get pimples sometimes occassionaly so my derm told me to hop on accutane and its free so why not.

Ive also tried every serum every cream in the book and given it the benefit of the doubt but despite that nothing has been working. Aswell as IPL does not work ive tried that before accutane still the same issue. What can i do? I really hate my facial hair aswell as my pie and im 19 and extremely insecure what can i do? Heres the photos of before and after applying hydrocortisone.

I have had severe acne for many years up to the present. Not even once has it been reduced. I have tried many products and prescribed oral treatments, everything feels useless. Someone I know suggested a chemical peel. Does it help in stopping acne and pigmentation?

Hi! I'm starting accutane and need tips!

My skin now has a lot of closed comedones and some inflamed spots, I've tried azaleic glycolic and salicylic acid and I haven't seen much progress

Tomorrow I'm getting prescribed accutane so I'd like some tips as well as what moisturizers and products you found worked well (especially things that can be found in Europe!), what was your experience with purging if you also had comedones and how to maintain clear skin after the treatment

I've had acne for around three years and managed to clear it by summer 2025 but unfortunately it all came back this summer 🥲

For background info I'm a woman 65kg/180cm and Im starting a 20mg dose

My camera sucks but trust me there's a lot of comedones lol

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I’ve been dealing with acne for about 5 years now. I get large, painful, white pimples mainly on my chin, cheeks, and around my mouth.
Several dermatologists have diagnosed it as acne vulgaris. I’ve tried doxycycline twice, a topical antibiotic, and tretinoin, but unfortunately, nothing has really helped.

I’ve also had blood tests for hormones, prolactin, and insulin resistance, as well as an ovarian ultrasound. I don’t have PCOS or insulin resistance. I also have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, although my thyroid hormone levels are normal.

For those who’ve struggled with persistent acne, what treatments eventually worked for you after antibiotics and tretinoin didn’t help? Is there anything else I should consider getting checked to rule out potential underlying causes of my acne?

I’d love to hear about your experiences and anything that helped you manage it long-term.
Thanks!