I've had acne since I was 11 and it turned into severe cystic acne at age 12. I went through round after round of oral antibiotics (mainly tetracyclines) and topical antibiotics. This was way back in the mid 80's, so that was about it as far as treatments went and I then went through my first round of Accutane at 15. I was on the highest safe dosage for my weight and my skin didn't even dry up at all! It was as oily as ever. It of course didn't touch my acne. My derm was puzzled, but after a four month break he put me on another six month course of Accutane...
And that about killed me. Literally! I permanently lost half of my hair volume (luckily it was thick to start with), my 16 year old body was so wracked with pain I could barely move, my triglycerides skyrocketed despite a very healthy diet, my eyes ended up permanently damaged (I still have little night vision 16 years later), and the worst thing IMHO... my first episode of clinical depression w/panic attacks. I knew little about clinical depression and ended up trying to commit suicide before my parents finally took me to a psychologist for help. I was a great student and had been planning on pre-med, med school, and a career as either a psychiatrist (how ironic!) or a pathologist.
I had to quit highschool in my junior year due to my poor mental and physical health. I did get my GED, but there went med school for sure! I never did even make it to undergrad.
The depression then came back every fall and winter hence. Then came the anti-depressants, which brought hypomania and a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder Type II. I will never know if the Accutane caused this to manifest or if it was just coincidence. It happened so suddenly, however, that I certainly have my suspicions.
And to add insult to injury, my acne never did clear up. My skin never even dried up in the least. It had NO positive effects for me. In fact, it caused my acne to suddenly start scarring and I also ended up with some bad scars from a car accident that occured during my second course. Normally I rarely scar, even from surgery or severe injuries.
If Accutane works for you... great! I do understand that everyone has different experiences with drugs and that mine was probably extreme. Just please be careful ladies! Get your monthly blood tests and keep an eye out for depressive symptoms. It can sneak up on you and lay you low before you realize it. Baby your skin while you are on it and for about a year afterwards as it is now acknowledged that it is more likely to scar or injure easily during this time.
On a more pleasant note, I have finally at age 32 cleared my acne to the point that I only get one tiny zit each month before AF. I actually had one month with
no zits at all. Even my scars and post inflammatory pigmentation are improving wonderfully. I have to be very strict in my regimen to maintain this level, but at least it's working!
1)Wash morning and late afternoon (to remove sunscreen) with Olay Total Effects cleansing cloths
2)Tone with my homemade 50/50 apple cider vinegar and distilled water toner
3)Every third night do an aspirin mask made with uncoated aspirin and aloe vera
4)On the nights I don't do an aspirin mask, I wash before bed with Olay Thermal Skin Polisher. On mask nights I just use another cleansing cloth to avoid irritation. If I've worn makeup that day, it is removed with Shiseido's Cleansing Oil and then I follow that up with the Olay Polisher.
5)Once a week, or as needed, I use a clay mask to sop up the oil. I like both Queen Helene Mint Julep mask and Olay's blue clay mask.
6)Shiseido SPF 55 lotion every morning
7)Olay Regenerist Serum after my afternoon wash
8)Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle, Anti-Blemish cream before bed
**Spot treat any zits with Clean & Clear Persagel 10% daily and a blob of the Mint Julep mask left on overnight. I can often keep a zit from fully forming with this method.
**If the zit pops, keep Polysporin antibiotic ointment on it as much as possible (helps avoid red spots!)
**DON'T PICK! If you must pick at a blackhead, clogged pore, or zit get a tool called an "extractor" (Tweezerman makes a great one) and use that. Less chance of scarring or accidentally popping something downwards instead of out, thus creating a bigger problem, with this tool
I've tried high end and drugstore products by the barrel and this is what my picky skin likes. At least it's cheap! For me the key seems to be an insane amount of daily exfoliation. Back when I was getting facials, my aesthetician explained that very oily skin tends to "glue" dead skin cells to the surface of your face, thus clogging pores. I'm not sure about that, but it works in practice for me when all else failed. It's helping me look younger as well, as people cannot seem to believe I'm a day over 22 at best.
Internally, I feel these supplements help with my hormones and thus acne:
-Saw Palmetto (2250 mgs. whole berry daily)
-One A Day "Weight Smart" multi-vitamin (with 200 mcgs. chromium piconolate)
-An additional 200mcgs. Chromium Piconolate with breakfast
-2000mgs. Vitamin C
-B Complex Vitamin
-Lots and lots of soy in my diet. I have Hidradenitis Suppurativa and I've definitely noticed that this, and the acne, behave more when I eat/drink lots of soy products
-High-ish protein, low-ish carbohydrate diet (Zone type) also helps greatly
My hair and nails have been growing like nobody's business since I have been taking these supplements as well. Not sure which one is responsible or if it's a synergistic effect of them all. My hair has reached my upper thighs (after being stuck at butt length for about a year) and I have to touch up my manicure every other day as my nails "outgrow" the polish. It's crazy! I've also finally broken my weight loss plateau
Sadly, my BCP Seasonale makes my skin
worse. Especially the oil and the HS. This is no surprise as it is very high in androgens. I'm having this changed ASAP! In the past, Demulen was the best BCP for my skin and I hope to try Yasmin soon.
Hope all this mess helps someone out there! Keep your chin up ladies and don't ever lose hope or give up. Just a year ago I would have never dreamed my skin could look this good. And for this little money! TTC cysters may want to try the apple cider vinegar toner as I found that
very helpful at getting the acne under control when it was still bad and I would think it pretty safe. Always check with your OB/GYN on these matters though, of course.
Best of luck to you all!