Terrible acne

CK1 · 09-15-2003, 03:14 PM

Hi, I'm new here and just felt like posting, hoping to meet someone in similar circumstances. I have terrible, terrible skin and seeing as I'm nearly 30 years old I am very fed up with it. It is all hormonal, because of my PCOS and it flares up the week before I get my period and when I have it. I have been trying to conceive for 3 years with no luck and it has really taken it's toll on me emotionally.

I went to the doctor yesterday and have been very down and upset, my skin was terrible and I had called into work the day before sick- though I was fine my skin was awful and I was too embarrased to go to work, makeup only made it look worse. My doctor has put me back on Estelle 35 (old Diane 35) the pill to help me with my skin as this is the only thing that makes it better.

I am pleased because I feel like I need a break from the whole 'baby' thing though at the same time it seems silly as I really want to have a baby and now i'm back on contraception this is obviously not going to happen. Maybe a few months out will do me some good?

I have tried every skin care product known to man, I spend a fortune on facials and I have a very good diet with limited sugar, anyone any suggestions on improving my skin?

I was up at 4am this morning as I can't sleep, this whole thing is stressing me out.

Any advice anyone?

Thanks
CK

zelda · 09-15-2003, 06:41 PM

i don't have any advice, but i can tell you that i'm in the same boat.

i controlled my cystic acne with antibiotics for years, and then they stopped working sometime last year and the cysts kept coming. the pill also helped a bit. but, two or three months after i stopped taking the pill in january, all hell broke loose and my skin is a million times worse than it has ever been. sometimes makeup helps, but it often doesn't anymore.

my dermatologist recommended accutane, but since we're ttc, that's out for now. she also told me that my skin would never be good until i dealt with my hormone problems. so, i tried to treat skin/hormones homeopathically, with so-so results. my main plan of action at the moment is to let my endo work on my hormone levels, hopefully improving my skin somewhat in the process. i'm beginning a treatment this week, and i will let you know if it helps. also, that thread here on smoothbeam lasering sounds really interesting...

ideally, i'd want a baby as soon as possible so that i could deal with my skin that much quicker afterwards, but i'm getting to the point where my skin is so bad that i might end up delaying ttc anyways. which depresses me like you wouldn't believe. i mean, SKIN.

a q for you: are you taking meds other than bcp?

CK1 · 09-16-2003, 02:30 AM

Hi, thanks for your reply. No I'm not taking any other meds than the pill though to be honest I've only taken two in this cycle and I'm already thinking I may stop. My skin is terrible but I'm like you so confused, obviously the sooner I get pg the sooner I can start taking it again and deal to the acne.

I'm not sure whether to delay TTC for a year to take the pill or just keep on going and hope something happens soon. I've been trying to get pg for so long and wanted it so bad it feels bizarre to give up now.

Hmmmmmmmm, not sure what to do. Have been on Roaccutane twice, use Ella Bache skin care (very expensive), eat well, take viatmins and still get zits. I've spent $300 at the Dermatologist to be told if I'm TTC there is nothing I can do.

God it's soooooooooooooooo frustrating !!

zelda · 09-16-2003, 04:14 PM

it's exactly the same for me. i eat well (almost no sugar, now low-carbing) and take good care of my skin ($b. b.$, products from dermatologist, special treatments, _everything_), and my skin is still. getting. worse. to the point where people come up to me and ask what's happened to me. (grr)

i'm hoping that i'll get met so that i can start attacking the root of the problem instead of the symptoms. bc helped reduce the amount of cysts for me in the past, but not really to the degreee where i could say that my skin was good.

it sounds like you need something to bring your testosterone down even further. have you considered met or drilling (if your ovaries are big)? most importantly, do you see an endo?

btw, one interesting thing that derm told me was that vitamin b12 is just evil for acne. another tip is neostrata 15, an acid gel that keeps the ph of your skin up. it doesn't do jack for cysts, but it controls the little ones and keeps your skin regenerating so that it heals faster.

i'm still researching the smoothbeam, a lot of the women here are really excited about it. hopefully they do it here in germany...

you're in my thoughts.

angeltears · 09-16-2003, 04:28 PM

I sure know what you are going through with the acne thing. I really don't have any advice for you. My skin started to get better when I started drinking lots and lots of water. Also, I have heard that some women have better luck getting pregnant if they go on the birth control pill for a few months. Apparently, since the pill suppresses ovulation, it gives your ovaries a rest and when you come back off the pill, you are more likely to ovulate. Now this is just something I have read. Maybe some of the other ladies can explain it better.

God Bless,

ScrapbookChick · 09-22-2003, 03:05 AM

CK,

I'm so sorry. I understand 100% about feeling so self conscious about your face you stay inside. Somehow especially with cystic acne, I think make up makes them look 10x worse. The thin layers of skin that peel off mine show up like crazy if I try and cover them up.

Since you're not going to be TTC for a few months on Diane 35, have you though of trying Spironolactone (Aldactone is another brand name for it)? It is anti-androgen and has really helped my skin (except for the bugger cyst I have this month.) It's not like Accutaine where it dries you out. But perhaps you can do a search and talk with your doctor and see if it's right for you. If you are TTC though it's dangerous for developing baby boys and their sex organs.

Take care and I hope you find some relief and success.