Ask The Doctor

Dear Ask The Doctor: I have suffered from acne for more than 10 years. I used to get small spots but now I seem to get large bumps (mainly on my forehead and cheeks) they appear every two to three weeks and come up all of a sudden. I thought it might be an allergic reaction at first, but I still seem to get them. They are usually itchy at first and quite hard then they become full of pus, and then go away. Sometimes they are just like large hard bumps they stay on my face for weeks. It has become continuous when one goes another will appear. Sometimes I have two or three bumps at one time. I have tried numerous lotions but none seem to work.

Dear Martin: This certainly sounds like acne not an allergy. Now that you are 25 you would have hoped that any acne would be on the way out but it seems that, unfortunately, you are in the minority who continue to get acne into adulthood. It is worthwhile trying to get a good treatment for this so that you minimise the scarring. By good treatment I don't mean anything you can buy in the drug store. I mean get a Skin Specialist (dermatologist) opinion so go along and ask your GP to refer you.