acne, menopause, facial hair

I am 50, going through menopause and suddenly am having a terrible time with acne.  There seem to be two things going on, acne on my chin area associated with my periods, these are cystic and seem to take forever to heal.  My lymph glands even swell when I have these.  I also have breakouts on my upper lip and chin a few days after facial waxing .  These are smaller, less tender, but annoying as well.  My skin is also dry, and living in a harsh winter climate I use fairly heavy moisturizers. Can this contribute to the acne problems?  It is hard to feel my gorgeous mid-life sexy self with wrinkles AND zits to deal with!!  So what do I do?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I'm not sure whether you have adult acne, rosacea, folliculitis from waxing, or some cobination.  I can't explain the lymph glands on the basis of acne.  

In any case, you are likely to need antibiotics, most likely both oral and topical.  I siggest you hold off on waxing, plucking, or squeezing, and show the pristine picture to a dermatologist.  I am confident he or she will be able to help you deal with this problem, which isn't as rare as you might think.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[petey1959]

A related discussion, post menopause acne and accutane was started.