hi everyone.. i'm 16, and i haven't gone to my first endocrinologist appointment yet.. i was just wondering, how many of you all get dark patches? i get them inbetween my thighs, and i get them on my knees too? and under my arms.. does that REALLY like, definitely mean i'm IR? another thing, my hair seems to be falling out.. like, i used to have LONG thick hair.. and now it's medium length, to my shoulders.. and very thin.. and never growing, but always losing hair when i shower and brush my hair? does anyone get that? and i have cystic acne, major scarring from it.. does metformin help that? or should i stick with the accutane? thanks! happy holidays to you all
hi everyone.. i'm 16, and i haven't gone to my first endocrinologist appointment yet.. i was just wondering, how many of you all get dark patches? i get them inbetween my thighs, and i get them on my knees too? and under my arms.. does that REALLY like, definitely mean i'm IR? another thing, my hair seems to be falling out.. like, i used to have LONG thick hair.. and now it's medium length, to my shoulders.. and very thin.. and never growing, but always losing hair when i shower and brush my hair? does anyone get that? and i have cystic acne, major scarring from it.. does metformin help that? or should i stick with the accutane? thanks! happy holidays to you all
Amy, those dark patches are called acanthosis nigricans, and yes, they probably mean you insulin levels are out of control. The good news is, they will go away, IF you get your PCOS under control and get your insulin levels normal.
Amy, it sure sounds like you probably DO have PCOS. The hairloss and acne are a big part of it too. I hope you have an appointment with an endocrinologist. There is SSSOOOOOOOOO much you can do to get this syndrome under control, and stay healthy the rest of your life.
Metformin should help you with this. If you have PCOS and you have insulin resistance, the metformin is one of the really big ways in which you can straighten out the way your hormones work. I don't know much about accutane, but isn't that a good acne drug? But you have to be careful not to get pregnant while on it, right?
Good luck sweetie, and please DO get on this with a doc and start getting yourself healthy!
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
thanks for the reply! i appreciate it a lot. i've got a endocrinologist appointment on january 31.. she's booked solid, but she's supposibly really good. yeah, accutane you can't get pregnant while on it. i'm not on it now, but thinking about going back on it. metformin is always suggested, but theres some people who say teens arent allowed on it.. i hope i am! i need to get this under control so muccch.
metformin is always suggested, but theres some people who say teens arent allowed on it.. i hope i am! i need to get this under control so muccch.
Unless there's something important I'm missing about Metformin, I just don't understand why they wouldn't let teens take it. You're a woman physically, an adult, you might have a hormonal imbalance that the drug would affectively treat. It's a safe drug, been used for years and years. I think it would be NUTS for you not to be able to use this drug to help get your health on the right track while you are young, before PCOS really messes with you.
Sheesh, accutane is more dangerous for your demographic, and they let you take it. If you have PCOS, they could treat the root cause of your acne by addressing the hormonal imbalance, rather than just treating the cosmetic symptom of acne. Why not metformin? But whadda I know anyway?
Sweetie, I'm glad you have an appointment. You are going to need to be agressive about making sure your health is addressed for the rest of your life! I'm happy your taking charge of it now. You'll never regret that you did. Good luck!
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
yeah, i know but a lot of other people say metformin is not an option for teens but others were on it at a fairly young age. i dont think it'll be a problem, i hope not or i'll get totally straight forward with this doctor lol.
yeah the accutane drives me crazy, it dries me out so bad i cry. thanks so much for responding.
another thing, will metformin help with the hair? help with the acne? i know it'll help with the dark patches cuz of the IR.. but i'm worried about those things too, hell i'm worried about everything.. thanks again!!
While you're waiting for your appointment-- my dark patches disappeared after a month or two of taking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before meals and cutting sugar and "white" carbohydrates out of my diet (so no white bread, only whole wheat, no normal pasta, only whole grain, no white rice, only brown and red, no white potatoes, only sweet potatoes and so on). I also lost a bunch of weight.
another thing, will metformin help with the hair? help with the acne? i know it'll help with the dark patches cuz of the IR.. but i'm worried about those things too, hell i'm worried about everything.. thanks again!!
It certainly ought to help with the acne. If you're insulin resistant, and it helps you get your hormones back into proper balance. Keeping in mind of course, that you're still in your teens, and you might be acne prone anyway, especially if you are dealing with oily skin. But you ought to see an improvement.
About hair loss. You really need to push the endocrinologist on this issue. Hair loss and thinning is one of the absolutely toughest PCOS issues to correct, and if you let it go too long, it can get bad. The metformin can help, and you might also consider spironolactone, which helps some women. There are some other choices of meds that help some people, and you can read about them in the "hair" section here. But be forewarned, this is a hard issue to deal with. Excellent diet, and some supplements can help with hair too.
And be prepared for the doctor to look at the gorgeous hair you still have, and not believe you have a problem. Docs tend to minimize hairloss, or not really respond to it, because honestly, there's not really a lot they can do to help it.
As for worrying about everything.....these are the things you can do. Educate yourself. Find a good doc you can work with, and don't slack off in your treatment program. Find and stick with a healthy diet. And exercise. And after that........you have to let it go, don't obsess, and get on with being 16 and have some fun!!! This is true about most everything in life, you'll find. There's only so much you can control.
Plus, you are so much more than your PCOS symptoms. Your health issues, and the cosmetic issues, don't define you as a woman!!!! You are your spirit. You are your interests and your talents. You are the friends you have, and the people you love. You are what you give back to the community. You are your laughter, your pain. When people get to know you, they don't see you as a list of symptoms. Remember, PCOS can't do anything nasty to your unique soul, unless you let it!
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
While you're waiting for your appointment-- my dark patches disappeared after a month or two of taking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before meals and cutting sugar and "white" carbohydrates out of my diet (so no white bread, only whole wheat, no normal pasta, only whole grain, no white rice, only brown and red, no white potatoes, only sweet potatoes and so on). I also lost a bunch of weight.
Right on, Nicole!
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
thanks so much starmaiden! i'm definitely going to go on a diet, but i'm on ritalin now for my ADD.. and i never eat really anyways, but i lose weight, and it comes right back.. so it's going to be hard to actually DIET DIET when my boyfriend and i are always eating junk ugh.. lol, thanks hun!
Hi Amy! Sorry to hear about your troubles at an age where you should be carefree and healthy.
I hate cystic acne. Not only is it unsightly and embarassing, but it hurts and it takes weeks for a blemish to go away, if it goes away at all. I didn't really have too much acne during my teen years, but in the past few years mine has gotten worse (nothing bad enough for Accutane, but still a big nuisance!) and I hate it. I use Prescriptives makeup and cosmetics like a face wash, toner, anti-acne cream etc. It's kind of pricey but I don't use too much so it lasts a long time. They have a formulation for oily skin and it has really helped me feel more confident because the makeup covers up my scars and evens out my skin tone, but it's not too heavy and doesn't make me feel like I'm too made up. Maybe if you go to a store that has it (Belk, Nordstrom etc.) and get your colors matched you can see a difference.
I have a few dark patches of skin, but I don't wear a lot of revealing clothes (I'm about 40 lbs too heavy for my liking!) so I don't worry too much about them because they don't show. But I used to feel so dirty before I found out what they were. I hope you get yours resolved soon.
My hair is okay so far, but my mom has thinning hair and it's really hard for her. I feel bad when I complain about my straight hair (I want curls!) because she'll usually joke and say "I wish I had hair!" when I say "I wish I had curly hair!" But hopefully you can stop the thinning before it gets worse and get healthy again. It is really unfair to have unwanted hair everywhere, but no hair where you really need it!
Good luck and keep us posted about your dr's appointment.
Hey sweetie. Reading your post brought me back 12 years. I remember being your age and experiencing the same things. The cystic acne, the dark patches, the hair loss and some other things too. I remember the devestation of waking up to hair on my pillow and taking a shower and literally handfuls coming out. Unfortunatly for me, no one ever took my complaint seriously. Partly because I was so young and was an athlete who got lots of exercise, so I was "healthy". They always just said I was too stressed and took on too much responsibility for a 16 year old. School, a job, after school sports, studying, etc....it was always the same answer. Don't get so stressed out and you'll be fine. I wasn't fine. Then there is also the fact that nearly 15 years ago, not a whole lot was known about this condition. So, I had to deal with it until just very recently. I still hold out hope that my hair might come back and that those dark spots will disappear, but after this many years ... who knows. You however have many more opportunities. DO NOT let any doc. just tell you you're stressed or use your age as an excuse for not knowing what you are talking about. Push them for your own good and for your own health. Ask any questions you have and get an answer that you are comfortable with, don't let them make you think it's silly or stupid. I just let it all slide and never really pushed anyone for my own health and wish I would have now.
A tip for the acne. Rubbing alchohol. I would, actually still do, wash my face with Noxema or Clean and Clear, what ever your choice is and then with a cotton ball use 91 percent rubbing alcohol as an astringent. I would use it until the cotton ball comes back clean. Then just make sure to use a good moisterizer because the alcohol can be very drying. I use it for face and back where my acne gets the worst.
thanks so much for your replies. im sorry mustangsally about what you had to go through, atleast things are better for you now i hope. and glitterstar, thanks! i will definitely try the rubbing alcohol. sometimes cortisone cream helps with my cysts too.
Get rid of the junk food diet is a good place to start. It's full of carbs., fats, sugars, etc. Give up the sodas even the diet as they have sugar in them too. I rarely eat fast food or junk food. I know I need to cut more of the junk food out as ice cream's the last thing I allow myself that's sweet. I find some candy bars too sweet for me now because I don't eat them that much anymore.
My endrocrinologist told me that diet and exercise work better than taking the metaformin (I think this is the right medication) in trial studies. I ride my bike daily to work and work it as hard as I can to/from plus we ride our bikes to shop too for the most part. We ride to the hockey games, etc. I've lost about 23 pounds so far but I've got about 40 lbs. left. UGH! It's hard losing what I've lost as I've been at it since it's about March.
As far as hair loss you might consider trying Rogaine for men extra strength to help regrow your hair. My dermatologist recommended this and by jolly it's working. I'm growing hair back in my bald area. It's still thin in this area but thicker than what it was. I almost was getting to the point on putting a hat on because I was getting so thin on top and it was getting to be embarrassing.
You're lucky that at age 16 you know or suspect that you have PCOS. I never knew this was the cause of my irregular periods, being overweight, etc. I didn't find out until I was 37 and I'm 38 now! If you also exercise regularly then you'll reduce your chances for developing high blood pressure and other risks of this crappy disease as well.
does rogaine help with just like, losing hair all the time and thin hair? i never tried it.. but, i mean i don't have bald spots, just my hair is always falling out..i'm glad for you jeannette that you could do that, i cant just cut out all the junk food.. i mean, i used to get so fed up that i'd just not eat at all for days at a time.
dark patches, cystic acne, and hair loss 
