Anyone experienced this (ladies)

LegacyUser

I just want to know if anyone else has experienced this and has any remedies that may help me. I am in my early twenties so I don't think I can blame my age but basically I keep breaking out in Spots on my chest, like big enough pimples. They are not attractive and it's embarrassing I keep having to cover up. I don't know if it is something I'm eating because I don't eat anything very acidic or anything. There could be just three or four big spots at any one time and they're quite tender to the touch, any advice would be greatly appreciated.....pleeeease!! I have quite oily skin and I do break out on my face too but nothing major, I do cleanse both my face and my chest daily with toner and moisturiser, so I'm not sure how else to cope with it.

Trinity

You may be just run down or need to use some special creams for oily skin

I suggest you Go to your GP

LegacyUser

It's happening years so I don't think it is because I am run down. I did say it to my GP but he just shrugged it off and said it must be something I am eating so I gave up Tomatoes but it hasn't improved. I may be lacking in something because I am a very fussy eater and I don't have a varied diet, I wish I could figure out what I am lacking in though. Does anyone have any idea how much a dermatologist would charge, I hear they are quite expensive.

spurious

A blood test will tell you if you are lacking in anything essential.

Personally, I've always found spots and pimples are more prevalent when I've eaten a lot of sugary things. The only way to check it out yourself is to keep an honest food diary for a couple of weeks and watch what triggers the pimples off. If you think you have a suspect, don't eat it for a week or so and see what happens.

Cianos

....Unreg.... wrote:

Does anyone have any idea how much a dermatologist would charge, I hear they are quite expensive.

I doubt it would be incredibly expensive and if it leads to a resolution I'm sure it'd be well worth it.

Go on the pill, afaik from experience, gives you great skin

Miss Fluff

Haven't heard of this before to be honest. I'd lay off using toner every day on your chest though, some can be quite abrasive. Some of the contraceptive pills are known to be good for acne/spots so perhaps you might want to go back to your GP and have a chat about the possiblity of going on the pill for a while until it clears up the spots.

Trinity

SOme larger health food shops or chemist do tolerance tests to see if you are allergic to anything they are not that expensive.

Also some of the chinese medicine shops are very good.

Mrs. MacGyver

I drank loads of water and cut out fizzy drinks. Dunno why people get them but it hewlps. i clean them with witch hazel each day after a shower and it reduces the discofort. they dont disappear. my mother says it has to do with a change in your 'system' every 7 years'.

The Sweeper

These can be from a hormone imbalance in your system. Sometimes they're very little to do with what you're eating/drinking - especially if you're getting them just on your chest and not breaking out on your face or back. Go to your doctor - find one that will listen - and see if you can get them to send you for a blood test to check your hormone levels.

I've had some friends who had recurring 'wimmins problems' - weight gain, pimples on the decolletage, PMT mood swings etc. It's actually kind of poor for your doctor to put you through up to two years of changing brands of contraceptive pill every three months or something, to see 'which one suits you' - a blood test can identify what your hormone levels are and give an indication of how best to balance your hormones.

You may have to create something of a fuss at the doctors to get them to not just fob you off - docs can be very intolerent of what they see as these common issues. (Kind of how prescription of the contraceptive pill is supposed to be preceded by blood pressure, a pelvic exam and possibly blood tests, but virtually never is.)

It's funny what Mrs MacGuyver says there - I used to get a spotty chest when I was around 20. It cleared up a couple of years later. I'm nearly 30 now, I'm not on the contraceptive pill but I found it's taken my system ages to settle down from being on it. And lo! The spots are back. When I came off the pill first, I found I was getting facial acne again (in my late twenties - I can't tell you how welcome that was - not!) but now that's gone and I get recurring spots across my breastbone.

I'm going to try and badger some blood tests out of my doc and see how it goes (my doc is a bloke so first I have to persuade the surgery to let me see a woman - they can be crabby about it, gotta love the NHS), to see if they can come up with a solution other than going back on the pill.

athena 2000

Make the effort to see a dermatologist. I agree that going on the contraceptive pill and changing it around every few months is a poor way to solve a skin problem, and your hormone balance and endocrine system don't need the rollercoaster ride, IMHO. Sometimes it's a matter of gentle exfoliation, especially if you have oily skin, but sometimes not. Be sure your moisturizer is oil-free. You might not need it. The dermatologist and the blood tests are the way to go. The proactiv skin care mentioned in another thread works for a lot of people. I had to go to the dermatologist while in high school, and I was fortunate I could do so. So create the fuss you need to and get your way. It's your body and you need a real solution.

Black Swan

Consult your GP or dermatologist.

LegacyUser

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have actually been on the pill for around five years and I have never changed it. I think I'll put away a few quid and go to a Dermatologist, do I have to go through my GP or can I just make an appointment off my own back.

itzii

hi, i used to get this problem.. on my back as well. solved it on my own as follows:

try avoiding all processed foods - basically anything that comes ready made in a packet; junk like crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks but also ragu, sausages, ham etc etc... basically anything that has more than two or three ingredients or "E" numbers in the listing; tins of tomatoes, beans, cheese, plain yoghurt etc are fine. eat lots of fruit and veg, fish, pasta, rice, at least 3 litres of water/tea a day (count coffee as extra). bread is ok but not too much. juice also fine but avoid too much citrus.

once your skin is clear, keep at it for another few weeks, then gradually reintroduce foods, using a food diary. introduce foods every second day only - it can take 24-36 hrs for the reaction in your skin to happen. it may turn out that you are only reacting to one artificial ingredient or one food. or you may be like me - i now avoid processed foods as much as possible but also cant eat dairy or egg (gives me wind and stomach cramps), or pork (get the most amazing boils all over my back!!)

also pay attention to any food that makes you very thirsty (orange juice does this for me), or that you get cravings for, and cut these out.

i think food intolerance tests, patch tests etc can be very unreliable in this kind of case, simply because of the low level of reaction going on. in allergies, it is more clear cut. this is my opinion anyway (am a medical doctor).

LegacyUser

toner and moisturier? christ dont do that, trust me that doesnt work
use a oil removing cleanser, then scrub 3 times a week and a mask another 3 days and use a good cream on sundays.