Spot Treatment for Hormonal Acne - Seeking recommendations

Hello! In my experience spot treating hormonal acne is not very effective. Long term acne prevention and proactively regulating your skin's oil and sebum production can be more helpful. It also can depend on what type of acne you have, specifically Cystic type hormonal acne is best treated by a Dermatologist. For reference my skin: Formally oily and acne prone, including hormonal acne. Now I would classify my skin as normal and I no longer get many acne spots, perhaps one or two during that time of the month, if any. The two things I believe were the most helpful for me is using a topical retinoid and another product (serum in my case) containing Niacinamide. Both of these active ingredients (if you can tolerate them) can help regulate oil production in the skin leading to less clogged pores over time. Retinoids increase cell turnover which can help keep pores clear, Niacinamide also helps with inflammation and redness that often accompany acne. You mentioned you have sensitive skin so adding actives of course must be done slowly and strategically to mitigate any irritation. There are many different retinoids and even more products that contain them. A Dermatologist can recommend or even prescribe a good treatment option for your skin such as Adapalene, which is particularly known among the retinoids as being good at managing acne. In the US, Adapalene is available over the counter in a gel formula like Differin (Brand name), but as you live in Ireland, it is unfortunately prescription only there. If you'd rather start on your own my recommendation would be to find a low strength, moisturizing product containing Retinol. While Retinol can benefit all of the skin but if you just want to apply it to your lower face where you tend to get acne would probably be at least somewhat beneficial too. Sorry that this isn't a straightforward answer or perhaps is just unhelpful to you in general. 😅 You of course know your skin best. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any further questions or need clarification on anything I mentioned. Happy skin journey! 🩵💜💛

I completely understand what you mean about not wanting to layer too many products, especially with oily and sensitive skin. I’m also acne-prone, and I live in the hot and humid Caribbean, so I’ve learned that a lightweight, soothing routine works much better for me than piling on heavy products. Since azelaic acid is already helping with your redness, I definitely wouldn’t give up on it. I personally use The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%, and it has been helpful for acne-related redness and post-acne marks. If 10% works for you but you feel you need something stronger, a dermatologist can advise you about higher prescription concentrations. These are some products I’ve personally used and how I incorporate them: 1. FOR ACTIVE ACNE — BENZOYL PEROXIDE OR SULFUR I’ve used Amazon Basics Daily Acne Control Cleanser — 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication. It’s a wash-off cleanser, not a leave-on spot treatment. Benzoyl peroxide helps reduce acne-causing bacteria and inflammatory breakouts, but 10% can be drying, so I would introduce it carefully if your skin is sensitive. PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash — 4% Benzoyl Peroxide is another option you could look into if you want a lower concentration in a creamier cleanser. I haven’t personally tried PanOxyl yet, though, so I can’t speak from experience with that one. As an alternative, I’ve used De La Cruz Maximum Strength Acne Treatment with 10% Sulfur directly on active pimples. Sulfur can help with excess oil and breakouts and works well as a targeted treatment. I wouldn’t use the 10% benzoyl peroxide cleanser and sulfur treatment in the same routine. I prefer choosing one or alternating them, especially with sensitive skin. I’m also careful about combining either one with The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% in the same routine. With strong acne treatments, more isn’t necessarily better. 2. LIGHTWEIGHT HYDRATION + SOOTHING This is extremely important for me because acne treatments can be drying, and oily skin still needs hydration. In the hot and humid Caribbean, I prefer watery toners, lightweight serums and ampoules, and gel or gel-cream moisturizers. I generally avoid heavy creams unless I’m in a cold or very dry climate. For toners, I’ve used ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner and MEDITHERAPY Mugwort Super Calming Toner. Both are lightweight options, so I would simply choose one rather than layer both. For the serum/ampoule step, SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule is one of my staples. I always keep it in my routine because it’s lightweight, soothing, and hydrating, especially when I’m using stronger actives. I’ve also used BRINGGREEN Zinc Teca Blemish Serum as another lightweight option for blemish-prone skin. If I need a little more moisture, I use numbuzin No.1 Pantothenic B5 Active Soothing Cream. I prefer this type of lightweight soothing cream rather than something very rich or heavy. Again, these are alternatives — you definitely don’t need to use all of them at once. 3. FOR POST-ACNE MARKS I’ve had a really good experience with numbuzin No.5+ Glutathione Vitamin Concentrated Serum. I use this for the discoloration left behind after a breakout rather than as a treatment for an active pimple. It’s an antioxidant serum, it has helped fade my post-acne marks, and I personally haven’t found it irritating. 4. SUNSCREEN EVERY MORNING This is essential when treating acne and post-acne marks. Two I personally use and really like are ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Serum SPF 50 Broad Spectrum and Dr.G R.E.D Blemish Soothing Up Sun SPF 50+ PA++++. I especially like the ROUND LAB Sun Serum because of its very lightweight, serum-like texture. It works beautifully for me in hot and humid weather without feeling like another heavy layer on my skin. Just keep in mind that chemical/organic UV filters can sometimes sting sensitive or already irritated skin, particularly if stronger acne treatments have compromised your skin barrier. If a sunscreen consistently burns or irritates your skin, I wouldn’t push through it. SO MY APPROACH IS BASICALLY: Acne treatment → lightweight watery hydration (optional) → soothing serum/ampoule (optional) → lightweight gel or soothing cream (if needed) → sunscreen every morning (soothing or hydrating recommended). The important thing is to choose between the alternatives rather than use everything at once, and introduce stronger actives according to your skin’s tolerance. Most of these products are also easy to find on Amazon or Olive Young. And because you specifically mentioned hormonal acne around your period, skincare can help control the breakouts, inflammation, and post-acne marks, but it may not address the hormonal cause itself. A dermatologist will always be the best person to guide your acne treatment, and an endocrinologist may also be worth seeing if your breakouts follow a strong hormonal pattern or you have other hormonal symptoms. For me, the goal is to treat the acne without damaging my skin barrier, keep my skin lightly hydrated and calm, prevent post-acne marks from getting darker, and address what may be triggering the breakouts in the first place. I hope this helps! 🩵

@Viivihnogueira I’m so glad it helped! 🩵 And yes, I completely understand skipping moisturizer and going straight to sunscreen on those hot, humid days. If your sunscreen is moisturizing enough for your skin, another layer can feel unnecessary. That’s one of the reasons I love lightweight sunscreens too. One thing I forgot to mention about the numbuzin No.5+ Glutathione Vitamin Concentrated Serum: it can feel a little sticky, especially if you layer it with several other products. So if you hate that feeling, definitely keep that in mind. I still really like it because of the antioxidant ingredients, including glutathione and vitamin C derivatives, and I’ve personally noticed that when I’m consistent with my whole routine, my breakouts are much less likely to leave noticeable marks behind. I wouldn’t give all the credit to one serum because it’s really the combination of everything, but it has become one of my favorite products for post-acne discoloration. And yes, The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is creamy! The texture is actually one of the reasons people seem to either love it or hate it 😂 It can also be irritating or cause some dryness/flaking if your skin isn’t used to it, so I introduced it gradually and used it on alternate days at first. But honestly, if the Boots azelaic acid is cheaper, works faster for you, leaves almost no residue AND your skin likes it... I wouldn’t change it just because another product is more popular. If it works, it works! I also completely forgot to mention salicylic acid. A 2% salicylic acid product can be really useful for oily and clogged skin because it’s oil-soluble and can work inside the pores. But since your skin is sensitive, there are gentler exfoliating options too. I wouldn’t force exfoliation on a strict schedule, especially while using other actives, but occasional exfoliation can be useful if your skin tolerates it. I personally also use a pharmacy retinoic acid/tretinoin product. It’s surprisingly inexpensive where I live — under US$6 😂 — but this is where I’d be much more cautious. Retinoids can help with acne, clogged pores, texture and pigmentation, but they can also be very irritating and drying. This is definitely something I’d introduce very slowly and preferably with guidance from a dermatologist. When I use stronger retinoids, I also need considerably more barrier support and moisture than my usual watery/gel routine. And, of course, sunscreen becomes non-negotiable. The other part of my approach is looking beyond skincare. What we eat, exercise, sleep, and correcting genuine nutritional deficiencies can all affect our overall health, and that can show up in our skin and hair too. I try to limit added sugars and ultra-processed foods, eat a nutrient-dense diet, stay active, and correct deficiencies when they’re actually identified rather than taking random supplements. I’m starting to think about beauty much more holistically now — not just “what product can fix this?”, but what I can do for my body and skin from the inside and outside. Skincare is still a big part of it, of course, but long-term lifestyle habits matter too. Funny enough, I’m about to get my own climate experiment 😂 I’m moving to the coldest city in my country, up in the mountains, so it’ll be completely different from the hot Caribbean weather I’m used to. The average temperature is around 18°C, warmer days are usually in the mid-20s, and winter nights can drop to around 4°C in the city. Higher in the mountains, temperatures can reach 0°C and even below freezing. So I’ll probably have to rethink some of my hydration too — watery and gel textures when it’s warmer or humid, and more barrier-supportive, richer moisturizers when temperatures drop. Your experience in Ireland actually gives me a good reference point for that. It’ll be interesting to see how some of the same products behave in two very different humid climates. 😅🩵

In addition to the great recommendations that everyone left, sulfur spot treatments helped me when I was dealing with hormonal acne. Innbeauty Project pimple paste applied with a q tip helped as an overnight treatment and it smelled nice too! At the time, my dermatologist had me use Differin gel and benzoyl peroxide face wash. I also learned that fat free dairy was making my acne worse. I hope your skin feels better soon!

Hi! I use tea tree products for my hormonal breakouts with pretty good results. I use bringgreen zinc teca serum on the spots or skin 1004 Madagascar centella tea-trica spot cream. Neither one doesn’t smell that great because of the tea tree but it does work for me and is worth a try. Good luck. I have very sensitive skin and am combo leaning oily in the summer😊