What to do about zits that won't go away on the face of a 50+ yo guy?

Have you tried extracting them?

This is a cheap tool that I use (and my husband, too, who is 46 and still gets the occasional zit).

Stress can cause acne. Hormones can too. I don’t get them too often but if I do, I’ll put rubbing alcohol on it. I had one about a year ago and it wasn’t going away, and the doctor used a little scalpel-like thing on it and then pushed on it really hard. He said it seemed to have something in it, like maybe dirt.

Oh, I wish that they were blackheads, @Seek. I’m the pro-master at those. I’m pretty good with boils, too, having had them a number of times when I was younger. It’s these noticable-red-bump weepy little bastages that have me stumped.

I’ve put rubbing alcohol on them, @jca. I’ve tried squeezing them. I’ve tried leaving them untouched for days. I stopped shaving because I was hoping it was ingrown hair or the like.
Hormones, I think there would be more of them, but I dunno.

Maybe you’re having testosterone surges, man-o-pause. lol
They should clear up on their own if not infected. maybe see a dermatologist if not.

Try a toner with glycolic or salycilic acid.
I’ve also had good luck with Nutrogena On The Spot acne treatment. Seems to make the booger go away in less than a day.

I did find a tube with salycilic acid in it, @Judi, and applied.

It may be adult acne. While it’s more common with women, men can develop it as well. It’s worth reading up on it to see if this might be the cause.

Rosacea is my go to suggestion for spots on non teenagers. The spots can be cleared up with medication

I wonder. How much sleep do you get and how much water do you drink?

It’s probably not acne but rosecea. Get your doctor to put you on a low dose of doxycycline. Use salicylic acid as mentioned or benzoil peroxide extra strength. The most important one is to do the antibiotic it’s a subclinical infection. You don’t need to have skin you’re not happy with now go out there and be hot.

PS DONT squeeze or attempt any form of extraction. Get the antibiotic, and nutrogena wash. Take a good probiotic opposite schedule of the antibiotic.

When I googled “adult acne images”, that was pretty damned close, @Pied_Pfeffer.
I’ll look into that more.

They seem too spread out to me, to be rosecea, @Stinley & @trailsillustrated. If it’s adult acne, will doxycycline help for that too?

I drink a fair amount of liquid, @Pandora. But it’s pop in the a.m., carbonated water past noon. If poor sleep could cause it, you might have nailed it, there.

I’m no longer squeezing anything, @trailsillustrated. I do drain obvious whiteheads.

Oops.
I just read a bit on adult acne and hale hormones (check), chocolate (check), and stress (check!) are all triggers.

The treatment Prevention recommended didn’t seem too bad, though.

@ibstubro Drop the soda and drink 64 oz of water instead and of course some can be juice (not artificially sweeten) instead of water and work on getting 8 hours of sleep.
Your ph balance is probably off and you need to make it right again and sugar and caffeine are no friend. If you don’t like water then add some fresh lemon squeeze to your water and drink that instead. The lemon will help cleanse your body of impurities. In the beginning you may pee more but once your body gets use to it, you will pee normally.

People always try to fix the surface of the skin without thinking that it all starts internally. Cleaning your face, and using medications is like putting a band aide on a bullet wound.
Your body needs water and sleep more than anything to function correctly and to reduce stresses of the day.

As for topical care for your face there are several things you can try. But be careful. You can over do cleaning and disturb the ph balance.
Use water and a mild soap (like dove original) at least twice a day. Especially before bed. Always use cold water to rinse. Do not take hot baths that will just open your pores. If you must use some sort of astringent use Witch Hazel. It will calm the irritated acne and help tighten your pores a bit without drying your skin.

I read an article recently that said that all these over the counter acne medicines only makes your skin more dependent on them because they really don’t balance the ph on your skin.
But I will say as someone who has had this problem for years, that when I am drinking a proper amount of water and sleeping enough, that my skin has no issue. I also drink soda but I have reduced that habit to only 8 oz a day. When I slip back into my old habits for 2 or 3 days a zit gladly shows up to remind me that it was a dumb move.

@ibstubro rosecea can present looking like acne. Yes doxycycline will help both. Point is, you do not need to have either. Go to your doctor and get doxycycline and don’t fuck around with this or that. It’s very treatable.