At what age does acne go away??!!

[Dave109]

Hi, I am 21 years old and I have had acne since I was 15. When I was 15 I used to use clearasil and then it got worst so I had to see a dermo. I worked my way up to Retin-A micro @ night and twice daily I use Clindamycin Phosphate lotion. My question is when (if i do) do I grow out of acne?? I think I know the cause of my acne and that being excessive oily skin. Unless it's dead winter I will have very oily skin. When I look in the mirror it almost looks like I am sweating in the "t-zone". Is there anyway I can reduce all the oil that is produced on my face?? Also my face always seems to be red. After I shave my face gets red. Is this sensitivity due to all these topical medications over the past 6 years?? Some help please!!

[Fury23]

Dave109, I also started breaking out at 15 and am now 22. My skin is also very oily, but I find that it is less oily when I use less products. My forehead is especially oily, but I rarely use any products there and it basically never breaks out. I have tried the same approach with the rest of my face and it seems to help. Your face probably seems red, as mine used too, because you are sunburned or irritated from the products you use. Even a little Benzol Peroxide can make it easier for you to get burned. Have you tried shaving with a shaving cream that is for sensitive skin? I use one with Aloe Vera, and it works great, absolutely no irritation. One last thing, if your parents grew out of it, you probably will too. It took my dad until 24, so I'm not going to worry until I'm 25.

[Dave109]

Thanx for the response. The shaving doesn't really bother me because it doesn't last too long but thanx anyway I might try that shaving gel with the Aloe in it. Acne ruined a lot for me. Acne screwed up my self-esteem and it screwed me from making an important decision in my life. I was ready to join the Marine Corps I always wanted to b/c my dad was a Marine. I chose to be scar-less using all these meds rather then go into the Marines. I would never be able to wash up every single night before bed if i was in the Marines. Imagine how much I would get from the other guys. Anyways I am rambling on and getting off-topic. My main problem with the redness occurs after I am outside for a while. It could even be a cloudy day and I'll come in and my face will get red. I miss when I used to get a nice tan from being outside. Now I can't get tan, I either get sunburned VERY badly or my face just gets red. I wish I was off the medicine so I wouldn't have to worry about applying sunscreen everytime I want to go out and then I have to worry about the sunscreen breaking me out. Ahhh, it's a vicious cycle.

[Hamer]

Be careful, because your face can still get burned even if the weather is cloudy. If you are using any topicals on your face you will burn very easily. In the morning before leaving the house, make sure you use an oil-free moisturizer with SPF so that your face will not get red.

[Fury23]

You may want to try experimenting with different sunscreens. I am currently using "Faces" made by Banan Boat. It is very light and has aloe vera and vitamin E in it.