acne

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purplemile

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I am a forty year old woman who has a little bit of acne popping up on the side of face and neck by my ear. I have bad luck w/ over the counter products in the past so have just used water. That is no longer working and I am afraid to use anything on it thinking it will just make it worse. I even used proactive a couple years ago when I had flare ups. It did not work. I have terrible insurance so going to a dermatologist(as of yet) isn't an option. What can I do? What are some suggestions, maybe exfoliating but w/ what?? I have never been on a birth control pill, it has never been needed. Long story. How does one find out "WHAT THE CAUSE" is?? Blood work to see if it is hormonal? Is it food. WHat to do, what to use, where to begin? Please help. Thank you
 
I don't think I know the cause of my acne but can guess it's hormone up and downs due to menapause. I was using Neutrogena oil free acne wash with salcylitic acid. When this stopped working my dermatologist put me on antibiotics-doxycline. It seems to be clearing it up although I'm not planning to take it for a long time.

You may be able to get your primary care doctor to order you antibiotics or have him or her consult with a dermatologist and then order you treatments. Most insurances do referrals to specialists.
 
Look into your haircare products (esp if you just started using it), some can irritate and clog pores.

If you have dandruff or oily scalp try Nizoral, an OTC anti-fungal dandruff shampoo. The same fungus (yeast) that causes dandruff can cause acne-like breakouts around the hairline, neck, back and chest.
 
Try applying Oxy 5 (benzoyl peroxide) at bedtime after washing, not just to the aindividual pimples, but to all the effected areas - you should see releif in about 2 weeks
 
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