Nuva Ring - help

Hello,

I have a 3 month supply of the Nuva Ring that was given to me for free by my gynecologist. However I am wary of taking it.. I worry about the effect it will have on my acne amongst other things. Right now my acne seems to be hormonally related. The only time I ever break out is right around my period.. last month's breakout was bad but this month I only got one zit on my cheek.

Has anyone here taken it, and if so, what was your experience like? I'm not afraid of headaches, nausea, dizziness, weight gain so much as vaginal irritation, bleeding/spotting, acne, weird discharge. I was reading reviews and some women said it made their discharge gross and made them smell weird down there. I like being nice and tidy there and I want it to stay that way. Also, have you noticed increased UTI's and/or yeast infections? I've never had a yeast infection before and that's not something I wanna have to deal with on a regular basis if I take the ring.

Another concern of mine, how much does it cost without insurance? I will be losing my insurance soon because I am taking a year off from college and will no longer be a full time student. I am 21. I hope to be working soon, no later than the end of October, but I won't be making much money and if the ring is $60 a month without insurance that is too steep for me. I also know they don't make a generic version of the ring yet.. How much does Planned Parenthood charge? (I haven't called my local branch yet, I was just curious as to what your experiences have been.)

And perhaps one of the biggest concerns yet: SEX DRIVE. Has taking Nuva Ring diminished your sex drive or given you increased dryness? One thing I would hate to say goodbye to is my sex drive, I don't know if I could handle that.

Thank you so much for any advice!

Initial Breakout during second course

Has this happened to anyone? What was your IB like during your second course -- worse, better than, or equal compared to your first course?

Responses are greatly appreciated, thanks!


EDIT:
I had a 6 month course.
Months 1 - 3 30mg/day
month 4 40 mg/day
months 5 - 6 60 mg/day.

My skin started going crazy in weeks 5 - 6 of treatment.

Prescriptives Flawless Skin foundation

I use Px Flawless Skin Foundation. It's been working great (or so I thought), until I read reviews on it on MakeupAlley.com. A LOT of people are saying this foundation has broken them out. I personally can't tell if it breaks me out because I haven't had clear skin in years. I'm on Accutane (almost done with my course) and I still have some acne -- I have a few tiny little thingies, comedones or clogged pores maybe? And I have a few pimples that WON'T go away -- I think they're papules but I'm not entirely sure. Anywho, I can't tell if it's the makeup that's been breaking me out. Has anyone ever tried this stuff out before, does it make a difference in your skin?

I'm really stressed out because I shell out a total of $92 every few months on Px makeup.. I spend $40 on the foundation, $18 on the concealer, and $30 on the pressed powder (which I love). I don't want to keep using this stuff if it breaks me out.

I've messed around with mineral makeup before (EM). I wasn't too fond of it.. it didn't offer the coverage I need and it doesn't look the best on my dry skin (was oily before Accutane). It also seemed to accentuate the pitted acne scars I have in my face, which I am very insecure about.

I need a good makeup that has good coverage, a good color selection (I am a Vellum or Champagne in Prescriptives), and most importantly, doesn't cause breakouts.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Mineral Makeup - Aubrey Nicole or Everyday Minerals?

I'm considering making the switch from liquid foundation/concealer to minerals. Although I really love the makeup I currently use (Prescriptives Flawless Skin Foundation and Power), it's pricey IMO -- $40 for the foundation, $30 for the powder. Mineral makeup looks appealing 'cause it's gotten rave reviews and it's so cheap. EDM's site has an Everyday Kit where you can get 2 brushes, 2 foundations, 2 blushes, 1 concealer, and 1 finishing powder for $35. That's less than the price of my usual foundation.

Now I just need to know which brand is better for covering up red marks. I have samples of EDM that I got, but it's kind of a pain in the ass. I ordered warm foundation:

• Light Winged Butter (way too yellow) in Semi-Matte
• Warm Light in Intensive (I think this is the right one for me)
• Medium Beige in intensive (too dark for now)
• Intensive Light Concealer (I think it's too light)

All I have is the little $4 Mini Kabuki Brush for EDM. I don't have a concealer brush or anything. It just seems that it takes forever to build the coverage I need, and even then, I'm not 100% covered.. some marks still peek through, and it looks really crappy in natural light. Is this because I'm not using the right tools/colors? How is EDM's green concealer? Does it help cover red marks well without making a face looking green? Also, is there a good concealer for covering hereditary dark circles under the eyes? Mine are really bad.

Also, is the Intensive formula or Original Glo better for normal skin? I'm going to be done with Accutane in about a week. I am neither dry or oily.

I haven't tried Aubrey Nicole yet, but I wondered if their coverage is superior to EDM's.

Thanks for any responses... sorry if this post didn't make much sense.


P.S. I also have some gnarly acne scarring.. Does mineral makeup make scars more noticable?

Accutane dosage

My derm has put me on 30 mg/day. Sometimes I wonder if it's too little. Yeah, I experience side effects (dry lips, dry hair, dry skin, occasional dry eyes, occasional lower back pain) but does that mean that the drug is actually working? I will be starting week 7 on Wednesday and my skin looks horrible. It's worse than it was before. I know that for some people it gets worse before it gets better, but right now I'm bummed out and discouraged that maybe it won't work because of my dose.

But am I on too low of a dose? Would increasing my dose help? Is there a good way to talk to my derm about increasing my dose? I am only around 110 - 112 pounds or so, I am sure this has a lot to do with why I have a low dose but still.

Thanks for any help. My skin's been driving me crazy lately.