Alpha H and adult acne..

I apologise if this has been discussed before but I'm still fairly new to QVC and it's brands, and I did a quick forum thread search and couldn't find anything specific to this.

Due to an unavoidable change in hormonal contraception I've developed patches of acne and rosacea after years of unproblematic skin. I thought I'd cracked it with Liz Earle C+P which had improved my skin over the past 3 months, but now the spots are fighting back again so I'm going to try something different.

I notice Alpha H have a show later today, and I've read on the net before about their benefits and seen people on here mention it. Could anyone tell me of their experiences? Although I have patches of acne I do generally have dry, sensitive skin so I was thinking that the balancing cleanser may be the one to try. I'm 28 so not so fussed about anti aging properties at the moment, but obviously every little helps.
This kit looks worth a try? http://www.qvcuk.com/Alpha-H-4-Piec...c=201029-SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-2-_-201029

Any advice or tips most welcome
Liz

Alpha h do some fantastic products I think the kit you have there would be a great start or try 203154. If not I use dermaquest I cant tell you how much it has helped my skin I have mild roseacha on one cheek and suffer from spots all I can say is at most I get 3-4 spots then nothing all gone

Heya Liz, I had acne from ages 13 - 26. The Great Mystery, by Philosophy was the only product my skin seemed fine with. Avoid anything harsh / stripping as they only make the skin produce more oil. The only thing that got rid of the acne for me was Roaccutane and laser treatment. Had I not had those I'm sure I would still have acne now, at almost 30 . Nowadays I do a clay mask once a week - black mud, or Neutragena Visibly Clear. I still have and oilyish face but it's much better than it was. At school people were so unkind and it almost totally destroyed my confidence. However, at a reunion event a couple of years ago I looked great, youthful and radiant whilst they all looked leathery and lined! Hahahahaha!

I like alpha-h as it does not too many irritating ingredients. the gentle cleanser is very good. no perfume and a neutral silky . if you want to try the glycolics a damp cotton wool with the liquid gold and build it up. acne skin is very sensitive, try alpha-h as a kit. use one thing at a time for a week to see what works and dosent work. be gentle and don't use lots of stuff. simple is best

Julius said:

Heya Liz, I had acne from ages 13 - 26. The Great Mystery, by Philosophy was the only product my skin seemed fine with. Avoid anything harsh / stripping as they only make the skin produce more oil. The only thing that got rid of the acne for me was Roaccutane and laser treatment. Had I not had those I'm sure I would still have acne now, at almost 30 . Nowadays I do a clay mask once a week - black mud, or Neutragena Visibly Clear. I still have and oilyish face but it's much better than it was. At school people were so unkind and it almost totally destroyed my confidence. However, at a reunion event a couple of years ago I looked great, youthful and radiant whilst they all looked leathery and lined! Hahahahaha!

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Haha I know what you mean about school reunion, interesting to see how they ended up isn't it! Teens are so unkind, but it's good to see you got through it and are now happy with your skin. My acne is nowhere near as bad as yours was, infact tbh it's pretty mild so I do feel a bit of a fraud, but it's quite upsetting when I'd always had balanced skin.
I'm wondering whether I may be aggravating it by over-doing things? I use the Liz Earle deep cleansing mask 2-3 times a week as it said, but reading your post I think that may be far too much and it's sending my pores into overdrive?

boffy said:

I like alpha-h as it does not too many irritating ingredients. the gentle cleanser is very good. no perfume and a neutral silky . if you want to try the glycolics a damp cotton wool with the liquid gold and build it up. acne skin is very sensitive, try alpha-h as a kit. use one thing at a time for a week to see what works and dosent work. be gentle and don't use lots of stuff. simple is best

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This is why I'm thinking of trying it. Re: the liquid gold, as my skin away from the acne patches is dry the glycolic acid panics me slightly, probably just because of the word acid! Where does it fit into your routine?

Okay, real question do you have acne or do you have roseaca????

Both are very very very different, even though for years is was known as acne roseaca.

Roseaca is hormonal and sensitivity and needs to be treated very differently to just acne. Have you been to the doctor? If so what did they say you have. You can get a gel or cream especially for roseaca and need to cut down and try to find which products could be causing outbreaks. I have mild roseaca and the sunny spell we had last month mine went nuts. I cannot use products with rose oil, but everyone is different.

Alpha H may be too strong for you if its roseaca, especially the liquid gold stuff.

If it is your new pill causing it, go back and get it changed. You should not have to live with acne or roseaca because of that one.

Annoyingly I have both. I've had rosacea for years and a really simple routine (oil of olay bog standard cleanser!) controlled it well, I had few flare ups. Then in the past 12 months I developed acne (confirmed by doctor) so balancing the 2 is proving to be a bit of a nightmare. Once the acne started I turned to Liz Earle and that seemed to control the greasy skin better, but it's just occurred to me reading your reply that products with rose oil aggravate your rosacea - I wonder if the essential oils in LE are aggravating my rosacea?

I should add that my acne really isn't bad, it's only mild and doesn't warrant any prescription creams or gels (I'm a Nurse so spoke to a dermatologist who said there's no real evidence they work anyway) but of course when you look in the mirror each spot may as well be a flashing beacon!

I think you may wish to step back on the deep cleansing. A mud / clay mask once a week should help. Don't use and cleansers that contain sodium laureth sulphate (a foaming, cleansing agent that was originally designed to clean garage floors). So many adverts for acne products focus on their antibacterial action as though acne is a condition of bad hygiene. The truth is that acne is for the most part a bad reaction in the skin to sex hormones. It's very unfair as some people go through life without a single spot while others, like I used to, like a pizza. I know not everyone takes contraceptive hormones just for the contraceptive reasons but it may be worth speaking with doctor to see if type / dosage can be adjusted. Sometimes before I do those nose pore strip treatments I will wash my face with the green Oil Clear soap from Pears. It's only about £1 in Sainsburys and a hundred times better than many harsh cleansers.

Ellaaa said:

Haha I know what you mean about school reunion, interesting to see how they ended up isn't it! Teens are so unkind, but it's good to see you got through it and are now happy with your skin. My acne is nowhere near as bad as yours was, infact tbh it's pretty mild so I do feel a bit of a fraud, but it's quite upsetting when I'd always had balanced skin.
I'm wondering whether I may be aggravating it by over-doing things? I use the Liz Earle deep cleansing mask 2-3 times a week as it said, but reading your post I think that may be far too much and it's sending my pores into overdrive?

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Great thanks, I'll reduce my mask usage and look at that pears soap! Not to go into too much detail re: contraception, but I'm happy with what I'm on now as physically and mentally I feel so much better, I would rather put up with controlling the acne with different skincares than suffer the life threatening problems caused by other contraceptives

Julius said:

I think you may wish to step back on the deep cleansing. A mud / clay mask once a week should help. Don't use and cleansers that contain sodium laureth sulphate (a foaming, cleansing agent that was originally designed to clean garage floors). So many adverts for acne products focus on their antibacterial action as though acne is a condition of bad hygiene. The truth is that acne is for the most part a bad reaction in the skin to sex hormones. It's very unfair as some people go through life without a single spot while others, like I used to, like a pizza. I know not everyone takes contraceptive hormones just for the contraceptive reasons but it may be worth speaking with doctor to see if type / dosage can be adjusted. Sometimes before I do those nose pore strip treatments I will wash my face with the green Oil Clear soap from Pears. It's only about £1 in Sainsburys and a hundred times better than many harsh cleansers.

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Id be very wary of Alpha h, from someone who suffered acne in that past it was way too strong for my skin and made the matter worse. I can highly recommend a cleansing bar from Neutrogena its recommended by dermatologists and I used it every day now, its the orange bar and you can get it from ebay for around £3.

I have combination skin maybe like you. I have some dry areas and can get the odd spot and am prone to blocked pores. I found alpha H didn't upset my sensitive skin but it did seem to give me more spots around the nose so I stopped using it. My skin responds best to a simple routine, no harsh exfoliating and no using clothes or pads on my face. I use cetaphil cleanser which you can get from boots, its very good for sensitive skin and helps against bacteria that cause acne. I use an oil free moisturiser, there are many available. I get very few spots these days but if one pops up I use 10% benzoyl peroxide gel on just that area, it clears the breakout quicker. I wouldn't use this gel daily as directed as it is too strong for non oily adult skin.

Thanks everyone for your advice. After watching the show I've decided to go for the Balancing Cleanser Duo. Even if it doesn't work wonders for my skin it'll still be a massive saving on buying another lot of LE C+P and LE Toner.
If I find it works I'll then look into some more of their products, but I think the best course of action is to try one new thing at a time I'm keen to try the Liquid Gold but been strict with myself and avoided buying it in that set as I really don't need another night or eye cream.

I have quite similar skin and Alpha H has is really under control. I'd try the balancing cleanser and balancing moisturiser and see how you get on.
I agree with changing 1 thing at a time and the balancing cleanser is fab. Not as thick or 'luxurious' feeling as C&P but way more effective.

Hello there,

I don't want to pry, just wanted to say as a fellow nurse that they changed my contraceptive pill to Dianette and that did completely stop acne problem. However, as you know, not everyone is able to use oral contraceptives.

I use Clinique redness solutions and that has sorted my skin out a treat. Best of luck,

Inge x

Hi Inge, I wish I could take dianette but sadly I can't take combined pill. So annoying! Very envious of those who can. Ooh not heard of Clinique's redness solutions, I'll have a look next time I go debenhams

Ballerina said:

Hello there,

I don't want to pry, just wanted to say as a fellow nurse that they changed my contraceptive pill to Dianette and that did completely stop acne problem. However, as you know, not everyone is able to use oral contraceptives.

I use Clinique redness solutions and that has sorted my skin out a treat. Best of luck,

Inge x

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Ballerina said:

Hello there,

I don't want to pry, just wanted to say as a fellow nurse that they changed my contraceptive pill to Dianette and that did completely stop acne problem. However, as you know, not everyone is able to use oral contraceptives.

I use Clinique redness solutions and that has sorted my skin out a treat. Best of luck,

Inge x

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I think that's what helped me for 18 months. A very strong contraceptive I think it was Dianette. It succeeded where antibiotics failed (I had clear skin on my face but spots on my chest for some reason.)

The spots stayed away when I stopped taking them. 2 pregnancies also helped!!

You need to use a chemical skin exfoliant: BHA (salicylic acid) is more effective in treating acne/spots than AHA (Glycolic, Latic acid etc) as it's oil soluble will exfoliate inside the pores as well as the skin surface. AHA is water soluble and exfoliates the skin surface and is hydrating and so is more suited to dry, sun damaged, ageing skin, although it is beneficial to most skin types except very sensitive. I therefore suggest you use Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control Ultra-Light Spot Treatment Moisturiser (sold in Superdrug and Boots) or Paula's choice 2% BHA gel (from her uk website). They both have 2% salicylic acid and are at the correct ph to work (needs to be under 4). Can be used twice a day but I would start with once a day as this maybe all you need. Salicylic acid is also anti-inflammatory and should help with the rosacea too. If you suffer from adult acne then using a combination of BHA and AHA is a good choice.

You will also need to use a non foaming cleanser, the Alpha-H Balancing cleanser you have bought is excellent and I use this myself. You will need to double cleanse in the evening if you have been wearing makeup or sunscreen. Removing with a clean flannel will help ensure complete removal and give some gentle exfoliation. A common cause of spots is not completely removing sunscreen, which is designed to stick to the skin and so needs a double cleanse. In the evening I first cleanse with AH Balancing Cleanser and then apply and massage in Emma Hardie Moringa Balm - removing both with a clean warm wet flannel. The EH balm is suitable for all skin types. In the morning just the AH Balancing Cleanser is enough.

I think using the AH cleanser and the BHA moisturiser should be enough to banish your blemishes but should you want you could add in the AH Liquid Gold 2-3 nights a week (not consecutively). As an treatment for individual spots the Dr Nick Lowe spot gel is excellent (BHA). For more info on spots see the links below. Hope you find this useful. x

http://www.paulaschoice.com/expert-advice/acne/_/all-about-acne http://www.beautymouth.com/2012/05/acne-cheat-sheet.html

Julius said:

Heya Liz, I had acne from ages 13 - 26. The Great Mystery, by Philosophy was the only product my skin seemed fine with. Avoid anything harsh / stripping as they only make the skin produce more oil. The only thing that got rid of the acne for me was Roaccutane and laser treatment. Had I not had those I'm sure I would still have acne now, at almost 30 . Nowadays I do a clay mask once a week - black mud, or Neutragena Visibly Clear. I still have and oilyish face but it's much better than it was. At school people were so unkind and it almost totally destroyed my confidence. However, at a reunion event a couple of years ago I looked great, youthful and radiant whilst they all looked leathery and lined! Hahahahaha!

Click to expand...

I had the roaccutane treatment at the age of 36 having had acne since the age of 15. It did wonders. I had a second treatment about 18 months afterwards that knocked the acne completely though I think the second treatment has caused 2 open pores.

Hi Ellaaa! I have found a combination of ABC tea tree skinwash and SBC propolis gel has been very effective on my teenage son's acne. You may find the ABC skinwash too drying but the Propolis gel is very soothing for any kind of skin problem. We use it on the whole family, it is antibacterial thus helping with the acne but also seems effective against cold sores and dry itchy skin patches. I do believe it can help with rosacea too x