[acne] Adults with acne: Help

Hello!

I have very sensitive, very acne prone, combo skin. Whiteheads, blackheads, pores, bumpy forehead, big cystic acne, redness, irritation, itchiness, you name it. I am allergic to salicylic acid so it’s very difficult to find products that target acne w/o it.

I’ve been dealing w pretty bad acne since high school. In 2022 during college, my dermatologist cleared my skin almost completely by having me use a topical cream called clindamycin 1% and benzoyl peroxide gel 5%. I was so confident in my skin I didn’t feel like I needed to wear makeup, something I’d never experienced before. I was also using all cerave products:

• Foaming Facial Cleanser
• Resurfacing Retinol Cream for scaring
• Facial Mosturizer w/ SPF 30 in the morning
• Facial mosturizer PM at night

Something dried me out and gave me red patches all around my face and the corners of my lips. After a year of no issues with the topical cream, the dermo took me off of it and suggested I use vanicream instead of cerave. The acne slowly came back within 2 years.

I also have GERD and digestive issues, which i’ve read can cause hormonal acne.

I’m now 22 without a dermatologist and my skin is getting as bad as it was in high school. I wash my face twice daily and I just keep getting new acne, along with groups that won’t go away for months. Small bruises also randomly appear under the acne groups.

Currently, I use :

-Byoma Jelly Cleanser (morning)

• Curology Hydro+ Foaming Gel Cleanser (morning/night)
• Cocokind rose water toner (morning)
• Vanicream moisturizing lotion (morning/night)
• Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 50 (morning -mixed w vanicream)

I don’t know what I’m doing and need help. Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!