I know i am only 28 but i suffer the same with the same condition. It's a nightmare and it different areas of my skin, the treatment is diiferent as i have dry skin in some areas and oily skin in others.

I'm 26 and in the same boat. :( It sounds like acne in adult women is often hormonal? Especially if you have it mostly in the lower half of the face, which I do. So my dermatologist has recommended trying Spironolactone for hormonal imbalance, and I'm considering it, but so nervous about side effects...

i am 45 and still struggle. part of my problem is large pores then i pick at them causing cyst or carbuncles on each side of my nose or chin. it's like im a "cutter" but only a picker. and the more stressed the more i pick. what an endless cycle. the large pores are hereditary.

I'm 30 and I'm in the same boat. It seemed to calm down some when I was in my early 20s. I would get occasional flare ups around that time of the month. But then I hit 28 and it started acting like I was 15 all over again, especially in the chin area. My derm said it was hormonal and that I'll have it until past age 60 since my body is sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. My best advice is the following:
1. find a good dermatologist and start a treatment. For me personally, the combination that has worked the best is Tazorac .01%, sodium sulfacetamide ( anti bacterial 2x day..topical) and salicylic acid ( otc) cleanser. Don't get me wrong, I've still got acne, and when it flares, nothing seems to help. But it does help on a day to day basis and it also helps you feel like you are doing all that is under your control to do.
2. It is cyclical for most people. Meaning, it has bad days, and it has good days. So when it's really bad, just remember that it will have better days. It might never be 100% clear, but it will be better than it is that day.
3. Admit to yourself that you might have to deal with this for a long long time. This helped me mentally. I believe it's because you stop fighting it. You begin the process of attempting to deal with and accept it.
4. Focus on the parts of your face that are NOT broken out. If you break out predominantly on your chin, focus on the upper part of your face that is not broken out. You have more skin that isn't broken out than you do that IS.
5. SLEEP. For me, this is huge. I believe it's because lack of sleep/inadequate sleep causing stress in my body ( read : increases cortisol levels... cortisol= hormone). The effects of lack of sleep on my body are immediate...on my face. Go to bed before 11. Get 7-8 hours of sleep. You will see a difference.
6. Find someone who accepts you with the acne. It will help you accept that part of yourself.
7. I totally get the picking. I was a compulsive picker ( still have a relapse here and there). It's an addiction. I believe it's the brain's way of making you feel in control of a situation that's really out of your control. What has helped me wean myself off of it is allowing myself to pick at only the obviously infected pimples. Meaning, the yellow ones. I am notorious for seeing a little red bump and going at it full force, making it into a huge red, bloody mess and then feeling awful after seeing what i've done. Don't assume that the bump you're looking at is going to turn into some sort of huge thing if you dont 'help it out' by picking at it in an attempt to get the stuff out of it. Just leave it alone and follow rule number 1 of not picking at it unless it turns yellow. You'll be surprised at how many pimples go away much much quicker if you follow this rule. Once you see that, you'll be less compelled to pick at them.
8. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to be 'beautiful'. Acne killed my self esteem because I felt so ugly and repulsive because of it. I realized that even if i felt so called 'ugly', it really didn't matter. You don't have to be beautiful. You don't have to be some gorgeous thing for someone to stare at. Just be happy with yourself. Anyone who is worth loving, will love you for that, not your perfect skin or your 'beauty'.

The above comment was really nice :) I'm going through the same thing. 29 and all of a sudden cystic acne that looks like an allergic reaction. People say 'don't think about it.' but it's not that easy. You can feel it like its a disease taking over your face. It hurts like heck!

I suffer from adult acne too and only around my cheeks area on my face...it's soo irritiating i tried a few facewashes and ointments and such...sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I just wish it goes away soon!

I just joined Daily Strength and I am in the same boat. I am a 34 year old woman who has had acne since her teens. I recently had a 2 year stretch of near perfect skin. It was fantastic!! I ended up getting on birth control because I entered into a long term relationship and my face has been covered in large cysts since a few months ago. It is all over my chin, mouth, neck and HUGE boils on my forehead. I have cancelled plans with people and have avoided going out which is why I joined this group. I am set to switch to ortho-tri-cyclen so I am hoping it helps. So frustrating!! I am lucky that my partner is so very supportive and accepts me cysts and all, but it is still affecting my self esteem so much. I wish I had more to add in ways of support but I am at a loss. I am grateful that I am not alone in this.

I suffered for over 20 years with acne and you name it, I tried it!
I even went on Accutane but that made my skin worse. It was so dry and cracked it bled.
The only thing that really worked was a brush, I know you can buy the clarisonic but I just bought it cheap version. I also started using the mario badescu range of acne products and it seems to be working so far. I get the odd breakout but nothing compared to my normal pizza face!

I'm 27 and have suffer from acne breakouts mostly on my forehead and chin. I have found proactive works well for me but the biggest difference was cutting out sweets (unfortunately, chocolate)

Hello,
I didn't have a problem with acne in my teen years. But I did have a lot of trouble in my 20s and 30s. Oh my! I would get the regular acne, then the 1-2 cystic acne once a month. Then, not too long ago, I would get a pimple rash all over my pretty face...Oh God!
So I found a good dermatologist and she suggested that I try Accutane. I was so ready to!
I've been on it for- going on almost 3 months. ( I also had very oily skin-I had to blot my face EVERY HOUR.) So the first thing I noticed was that it started to dry up my facial skin. How nice! I didn't have to blot every hour or reapply makeup as often. Whew!
Then I noticed that my facial skin was flaking. Yeay- it was flaking away the acne! :)
Then...I had my initial break out. Whoa. I had like 5 cystic pimples on my face at basically the same time. Oh goodness..... Then it went away.
The next month I had 4 cystic pimples :(...but then they are going away now. And now I don't even have to blot my face anymore! I have (besides my chin area where the cystic acne is clearing up) BEAUTIFUL SKIN everywhere else on my face. I SMILE at myself in the mirror and think.."Whoa-you're gorgeous!"
So after these breakouts stop...then I will be completely happy with this process.

I do recommend Accutane for serious acne problems. There is no depression issue with taking this medicine. It's a high concentration of vitamin A. The thing that happens while your taking this medicine is that your thinking "yeay!-it's working....and then you get the initial breakout. Then your sad. Then your face clears up again and you're happy again. Then you get your second break out, and your sad about it again. But Accutane itself does not cause acne. It's the actual process that you go through while taking it.

I had the same problem till last year, but now I didn't have those problems. Tea tree oil is a renowned anti-fungal and antibacterial herbal remedy, making it great for mild to moderate acne and I used this same method to treat my acne. Also, I drink a plenty of water as well that helps make my skin hydrated.

I would like to send all of you hugs, I understand, I am 43, and felt awful about my self, I am a picker and my skin gets hyperpigmentation ,so I get the dark /black spots ,I also squeeze.Yea what a circle. and they I cry for hours, I have tried everything, a friend of mine said to Tazorac like someone else mentioned, I first went and got a chemical peel to make it clean, waited then started, what a difference ,I stared Nov.26,2013, A HUGE DIFFERENCE, my husband who is very supportive, has noticed a difference , I still shy away from pictures, don't give up, do the research, ask questions, the derm .that gave me the medicine,i heard her say , I'll give it to her, but I doubt it will work, " It has worked, I am going back to her just to prove her wrong,then I will find someone else, but I will tell you theTazorac is VERY EXPENSIVE.400.00 with insurance, without 700.00.but a little goes a long way, best wishes, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on a side note, the person that I go to see about my chemical peels said that picking ,squeezing and digging can cause the oil to go back into the skin and it can also cause a staph infection . if your hands are dirty. she also said exfoliating should be done once a week,too much strips the PH from the face,I use ACCENT daily cleaner and moisturizing lotion, I got this at CVS, about 40.00. hope this helps.

Do you get it around your chin area? I used to have "regular" acne and it went away, then now in my late 20's and now still into my early 30's I have this acne that is hormonal. I would get these HUGE painful bumps on my face and as soon as one would heal two more would come until eventually my face looked lumpy all over. It was on my back and my upper arms and face. I tried EVERYTHING. I did finally take Spironolactone and it has worked wonders! It took a few months of taking it and doing the face creams but finally it worked. I have only had one breakout the whole 5-6 months I have been on it. And that one breakout wasn't nearly as bad as it was before.

Aure - you mentioned side effects? The only side effect I noticed was that I need to urinate more and drink more water. You will need to commit to taking it for several months to see a result but it is worth it! I hope you try it! You do have to stay away from high potassium foods, but to me it is worth it. I have only two months left on the prescription and then I have to see what happens then. I will report back then!

I'm the same. Spironolactone worked for me with no side effects, other than extra peeing in the first week or so. It did take some months to really take affect. I had to come off of it for a while and now I have a different dermatologist. He seems reluctant to put me back on it for some reason.
I am currently using Avar-E cream on my trouble areas and it has worked wonderfully. It does not totally clear me up, but if I start to get a breakout it keeps it at a minimum and helps prevent new ones. I can apply it every day with no side affects. The only downside is that is pretty expensive.