29 replies to this topic

[shadows]

Ok so I am still fighting with acne. Apparently I cant take accutane because Im allergic to it. Right now I am trying desogen, Im 2 months in. I still have super oily skin and acne all over the place. I wasnt even sure if desogen will work for oil... any one have any luck on it and how long did it take?

Also, my dr in AMERICA has written me a prescription for diane 35. i havent filled it online yet because I read horror stories. Before I get into that.... I have facial hair, its genetic.. my horomone levels are normal, but for some reason im super oily and hairy. So I thought of trying diane 35.

This is my issue, I read diane 25 gives people chronic yeast infections... why is this? i dont see how a bcp can cause yeast infections, but apparently it does so Id love to know why and if there is any particular people prone to it so i know if I should even bother.

Second, my angrogens and horomones and what not are all normal. So why in holy hell do I have acne, facial hair, and super oily skin? If diane 35 has the antiandrogen in it... will it even work because Im not exactly sure what my problem is if everything inside of me is normal????

Lastly, I took an antiandrogen before, spironolactone. It did NOTHING for me and I took it for 6 months, EXCEPT that I had chronic viral infections while taking it. No clue why because I never heard of anyone having that before and I looked all over the web. the second I stopped the spiro, it all stopped. Needless to say, i worry Ill make things worse if I take another pill with an antiandrogen in it. (diane 35)

[PinkSushi]

Remember that most of the reviews and horror stories you read online are written by the people who had the worst experiences. People who had no problems with Diane are far less likely to be googling and discussing it on the net. It's possible those horror stories are only a small fraction of all the people who used it. BCP effect everyone differently though, so the only way to really see is to just give it a go. Personally I haven't experienced any side effects. I do take a B-complex and fish oil which is supposed to minimize any side effects of the pill. The main thing I would worry about is if you have a family history of blood clots.

As for androgen levels it is possible for them to be normal, but if you have a sensitivity to androgens, then even normal amounts will still cause acne, hair, oil ect. What I mean is, your androgen levels could be normal for most women yet still too high for you as an individual. Or it could be that the androgen levels listed for women are too high. It's actually biologically impossible that any antiandrogen could make acne worse long-term, since androgens/androgen sensitivity is the very cause of all acne. Although IB's can happen.

There is a risk of increased yeast infections, but what I do is I take a supplement called MSM, it prevents mould from living in your bloodstream. Since I've been taking this I have had not one yeast infection. I also make sure to eat plenty of natural yogurt.

[shadows]

Remember that most of the reviews and horror stories you read online are written by the people who had the worst experiences. People who had no problems with Diane are far less likely to be googling and discussing it on the net. It's possible those horror stories are only a small fraction of all the people who used it. BCP effect everyone differently though, so the only way to really see is to just give it a go. Personally I haven't experienced any side effects. I do take a B-complex and fish oil which is supposed to minimize any side effects of the pill. The main thing I would worry about is if you have a family history of blood clots.

As for androgen levels it is possible for them to be normal, but if you have a sensitivity to androgens, then even normal amounts will still cause acne, hair, oil ect. What I mean is, your androgen levels could be normal for most women yet still too high for you as an individual. Or it could be that the androgen levels listed for women are too high. It's actually biologically impossible that any antiandrogen could make acne worse long-term, since androgens/androgen sensitivity is the very cause of all acne. Although IB's can happen.

There is a risk of increased yeast infections, but what I do is I take a supplement called MSM, it prevents mould from living in your bloodstream. Since I've been taking this I have had not one yeast infection. I also make sure to eat plenty of natural yogurt.

I do eat yogurt and I have never had a yeast infection from any birth control pill ever. However, diane 35 seems to be the one most people say they get yeast infections from for some reason and Im not sure why.
May I ask how long it took for you to see an improvement? im about ready to give up on desogen and just try diane 35.
Im not sure if desogen is a great pill for facial hair and acne. I keep reading mixed info on that too. Im still oily after 2 months so i dont think its done a thing as of yet and I sure as heck dont want to waste my time. But then again, maybe Im not giving it enough? And If I switch, things may become a lot worse with a new pill. Desogen and Diane are the only pills I have left to try. All the other bcps I tried for 6 months each and they made things much much worse.
I am curious as to if diane 35 will even work, since it is an antiandrogen, but I dont seem to have an excess of it. And Im worried because the last antiandrogen (spiro) that I took gave me all sorts of problems.
I guess what im saying is Im not exactly sure what is wrong with me because everything in my tests is normal. My dr says my facial hair is "idiopathic" and that hormonal treatments dont work for that sort of thing, or for acne????

[PinkSushi]

As I explained before, your androgen levels may indeed be too high. Just because androgen level x is normal for 'the average woman' does not mean it isn't too high for you. Averages are just a guideline, but we are all individuals. For you maybe just a tiny amount of testosterone is enough to trigger acne, so lowering them to below average levels will still help.

I did not get clear from Diane alone (although it helped)...I got clear from spiro + BCP. It took about 4 months to notice any significant improvement. 2 months is probably not long enough, remember it takes 5 months for a zit to form. I'd say Diane alone cleared me about 70%. I don't know anything about Destogen sorry. If I were you I'd go with the Diane since it's made especially for acne.

I personally don't buy some acne being 'hormonal' and some not, I think it basically has the same mechanism in everyone and androgens are always involved somehow. Yes, there are other factors involved like blood retiniod levels, but these things are all connected. Even Accutane has a side effect of being an antiandrogen. Of course an antiandrogen treatment may not work if it is not strong enough or not given enough time. For me, I actually did have above average androgen levels, which is probably why I needed both spiro and BC.

I haven't heard that Dianette has more risk of yeast infections...just more risk of blood clots.

[shadows]

This week the desogen seems to be making me worse. im getting acne in places I didnt use to have acne so in my mind it has to be the new birth control pill doing it. I know I havent given it much time (2 months) but I really hate to be wasting my time. I didnt think this was considered an "initial breakout" because this is my second month of taking it. Im defenately still oily as hell.
Do you think this is still an initial breakout? Sometimes I think drs like to tell people that just to make them feel better. They saids the same thing to me with the last 5 birth controls I took. And my initial breakout as they called it never went away even after months of use. So I changed pills. Now Im left with desogen or diane. After that, Ive officially tried them all.
I was reading reviews forever and ever on this site about different bcp's and dianne seemed to be the one every girl that got yeast infections complained about so I was getting the impression that it happens often. Im actually more concerned with viral infections because when I took spiro, I had that happen the entire time I took it and it stopped right away when I stopped those pills. So Im super concerned that will happen again. The spiro didnt even work, I was still oily and I got really bad migraines and I swear it GAVE me hormonal acne. I only had acne on my forehead, but when I took it, I got it all over my cheeks and jaws too... Even after 6 months of taking it.
Ive got my prescription for daine 35 from my doctor here in America, but Ill have to order it from an online canadian pharmacy. i really worried about doing that because I dont know anyone else who has done it for this pill. I guess Im worried Ill get something else or poison..... like I hear about in those horror stories about online canadian pharmacies. But I though maybe this one place i loooked into was legitamate because it said I needed to fax over my prescription so I figured it was safe?!?.... but I dont know for sure. I havent done it yet

sorry I had to add one more thing about the blood clots......... I read desogen was just as bad for blood clots as diane? Is that true? if so , then I guess it wouldnt matter which one I took if I was worried about blood clots.

[PinkSushi]

On spiro + BC (started on Yaz, swapped to Diane) I was still getting an initial breakout into the fourth month, my bad breakouts stopped really quite suddenly around the end of the fourth month/beginning of the fifth month. For the first few months my acne was much worse than before. At times I was sure it wasn't going to work. I'm still getting small breakouts, but my skin is improving by the day. The getting acne in weird places thing is typical IB, I was getting bacne which I usually NEVER get. I don't think doctors are saying that just to make you feel better, acne seriously does take a long time to resolve. I read after a year 90% of women get clear on Diane, compared with like 30% on Alesse or Ortho. If you are still oily I would wonder wheter Destogen is working for you, one of the things I noticed after only a couple of weeks on antiandrogens was drier skin (although I don't have oily skin to begin with so...)

I ordered Yaz from an online pharmacy (can't get it in Australia) and it seemed to be fine. Maybe ask your dr what sites are legit?

All BC have some increased risk of blood clots, however, this risk is still less than if you were pregnant, even for Diane. Same with yeast infections. You can make dietary changes to lower both these risks. You just have to weigh up the risks vs benefits when you decide to take any drug.

[shadows]

The acne Im getting around my mouth, jaw and cheeks is really weird. No head really, just red and angry. Its really annoying. It doesnt even look like the acne Ive got on the rest of me.
Im not sure if the desogen is working either since Im still oily. The dr says I havent given it a chance to work, but I figured if it was making me break out more it must be doing something right? ... well something being probably a bad thing. And Im still oily. Diane seemed to be the only thing I read about reducing the oil. Im still mortified about things getting any worse than they are if I change pills again. i already put off my wedding. I didnt know initial breakouts could take so long

[PinkSushi]

Yeah, it sucks how long initial breakouts can last My IB was just like you are describing, the spots were kinda angrier than the ones I usually got, and the first month on spiro my face exploded in cysts . One thing that can help you during the IB is asking your dr for some oral antibiotics. I realize they are not the healthiest thing, but I know how depressing the IB can be. Looking back I wish I started them at the beginning instead of about 3 months in.

I definantly think Diane can help with oil. It is worth trying. I tried loads of different BCP, the only ones that ever made any difference were Diane and Yaz. Ortho did NOTHING.

[shadows]

Now you got me thinking. Most drs tell you to wait 3 months to see if you get any better and if you dont then switch pills, but I keep reading that many people dont get better until 4 or 5 months later?? So this makes it difficult for me to figure out if I have even waited long enough or not. I honestly figured Id see something improving. i do see a change... more acne and oil And glorious migraines.
You know, I didnt have this problem until I STOPPED birthcontrol. years ago I stopped and I broke out for the first time ever. Prior to that, I had switched birth control for years to see which one wouldnt give me migraines. I never broke out once. Then I stopped bcp's completely and I started to break out. And I now try bcps that didnt used to break me out and I break out worse. I swear it makes no sense. I never ever thought this would happen. If I had known stopping bcps years ago would have done this to me, I never would have stopped.
I tried yaz... I was allergic to it. i got a rash all over my body. Spiro gave me viral infections... so again Im still worried about something weird happening if I try Diane
My dr wont let me take antibiotics... the "cycline drugs" arent safe for me because I have some interesting drug allergies. yay I guess Im complicated.
So, Im guessing you stopped diane because you werent 100 percent, and went to yas and finally cleared after a few months of hell? So if I switch to diane. how long should I give it? When you took it, how long did it take for you to notice an oil reduction? Im really leaning towards diane because I have facial hair out of no where and oil from hell, and Im not sure if desogen is for that. But again, those other antiandrogens were not my friend so I am mortified this drug wont like me either. And I also keep reading about that diane is the worst bcp to get off of because apparently it is so strong it makes things a thousand times worse when you quit it?!?!?!

[PinkSushi]

I agree the three months thing is not long enough. i've done quite a bit of my own research around the web and the general consensus is:

first 3-4 months - IB/skin same as before
4 month mark - noticeable improvement
6-8 months - clear skin/full effect

I don't have oily skin, but even drier skin was one of the first effects I noticed, in only a few weeks.

What I did is a bit of a long story since I've battled acne twice in my life. The first time (years ago) I started on Diane for 10 months and got 70% clear, then Yasmine came out, so I tried that, then got totally clear! I'd been on, maybe 3 or 4 other brands of pill before this, for a couple of years, purely for BC purposes, but I had the same acne the whole time. What I did when I quit Yasmin was I got straight onto a topical regimen of AHA's and Differin, and this way I was able to keep my skin clear for several years w/o any birth control. But then last year I developed cystic acne after taking Adderall at college. After I quit the Adderall I actually think it got WORSE. I also noticed my voice seemed deeper and I'd lost some hair around my temples...went and got my androgen levels checked and they were high. Got my ovaries checked for cysts and nothing. The Dr's deny Adderall could have had this masculinizing effect on me, but I don't believe them I think they tried to tell me it was something 'ideopathic' lol. So I started on Spiro and Yaz to bring my levels back down.

I swapped back to Diane because I had a script for it, I had to get Yaz over the net, and my gyno refused to prescribe Yaz/Yasmin since I was on spiro. I suppose I could have kept myself on Yaz but I just wanted to compare the pills also - I think I have less mood swings on Diane.

Anyhow, my advice for comming off Diane and maintaining your clear skin is to get straight onto some topical regime such as Dan's regimen or Retin A. It's much easier to maintain clear skin than to get rid of acne.

[pinkshoeaddict]

I also have problems with migraines and would stay away from Diane. I get aura from time to time, and the higher the estrogen level, the higher the risk of stroke. If you get estrogen withdrawal migraines, it's going to be a whole lot worse with a higher dose of estrogen. I think some people are more prone to yeast infections on BCPs than others. I know at least one person who gets them directly related to her BCPs, but I am on NuvaRing which obviously creates a higher risk for that and have no problems.

I tried Desogen and it was awful. I am surprised you don't have headaches all the time since both my friend and I who have problems with headaches were fairly miserable with Desogen and it did not help our acne at all.

[shadows]

I also have problems with migraines and would stay away from Diane. I get aura from time to time, and the higher the estrogen level, the higher the risk of stroke. If you get estrogen withdrawal migraines, it's going to be a whole lot worse with a higher dose of estrogen. I think some people are more prone to yeast infections on BCPs than others. I know at least one person who gets them directly related to her BCPs, but I am on NuvaRing which obviously creates a higher risk for that and have no problems.

I tried Desogen and it was awful. I am surprised you don't have headaches all the time since both my friend and I who have problems with headaches were fairly miserable with Desogen and it did not help our acne at all.

I get migraines when i take my break for my "period" and I got a migraine for 4 days when i first switched to desogen. I did notice Im a bit lethargic and thats kind of odd because Im usually a high energy person. I was guessing it was the desogen but I cant know for sure.

And I still am confused on if i should keep giving desogen more time. I havent noticed a difference in the acne., Id say it is worse. And I can say that my acne gets a million times worse when I start the new pack of desogen (twice now) after my period. So Im curious as to if that is a good or a bad sign.

Isnt the estrogen in diane just as high as it is in most pills? I was pretty sure it was . I think its 35 in diane, and desogen is 30. I took ortho novum and that was 35. And ortho tri cyclen is 35??? So I didnt think the estogen part would be any different. I was more worried about the progestin part. I read desogen has a strong and large amount of progestin that to me sounded worse, but suppossedly it is less androgenic that ortho tri cyclen and ortho novum. ( I think I read too much ) ANd Diane is suppossed to be even less androgenic than desogen. In fact, it is suppossed to be the least androgenic of all BCP's, so I wonder why it doesnt work for some girls???

My androgens were normal, but yes it may be too much for me. My sex binding horomone was high and the dr said that was thanks to the bcps and that that hormone was suppossed to be the one that blocks the androgens. So Im wondering if that is the case then why do I still have horrid acne?? And if androgens are what makes one oily, then why am I so oily if I have all this stuff in my system that is suppossed to stop all that??? Blasted drs confuse me.

You know, like all of us on here I could care less about all that so long as one of these bcp's works and clears me. But so far, none of them work and I have the choice of sticking with desogen a few more months. Or saying screw it and try diane because that literally is all that is left for me to try. Suggestions?

I did email my dr and she never gets back to me. She keeps telling me to go for an IUD but I am not worried about bcp for pregnancy, its for acne and an IUD isnt going to do a thing for that.

[PinkSushi]

It's possible the Desogen is working and your skin is just purging. Once a microcomedo has formed in your skin it actually can't desolve and has to take it's natural course, ie become an acne lesion. This can take up to 5 months. OR it could be that Desogen is not strong enough and you are forming new microcomedos. Since you say you are still oily after 2 months, I would start to suspect the latter. I just realized I HAVE taken Desogen, but here in Australia it's called Marvelon. I took it for six months and it never improved my acne or my skin oil at all...when I started Diane I noticed how dry my skin had become in only a few weeks. Same with YAZ.

Your options are you can keep taking Desogen for another 4 months and see what happens, or you can start Diane at the end of your current pack of Desogen. My advice (take it or leave it ) is to go with the Diane. It's more likely to work, and unlike Desogen there are actual scientific studies proving that it works. If Diane works, you'll wish you started it sooner rather than later. I can't guarantee you won't have any problems with Diane, but the only way you'll ever know is to try it, right? If you do experience troubles like migranes, you can always go back to Desogen.

[shadows]

I blot my skin with a blot pad every certain amount of hours (derm suggestted it) to see if the oil ever reduces. And the answer is of course NO. My face is so oily within one hour after a shower. I have to blot it a million times a day just to keep it not looking so blah. I mean you can literally see it oozing out which is really weird because I have never had that problem before. I am guessing my acne is due to the oil, so Im guessing if the oil stops, so will the acne. Honeslty, I look more oily which is weird. Ive also noticed Im redder and sensitive to things more easily, like shower water. but this has been gong on ever since I initially stoppped bcps a few years ago and it has never improved after 4 years of trying different pills.

If you took diane and you got less oily withen a few weeks, Im wondering why you still broke out for a while? I mean if you werent as oily, wouldnt there be less acne? Im breaking out all over, but again red and angry and no pussy heads. Its so weird. I wouldnt guess that it is improving because if it was, id think id see improvement... not more oil.

I didnt know purging and acne formation lasted months?!?! Blah! I thought it was only a couple of weeks?!?! I wonder if the desogen is making me break out more or if it is purging??? Would it still purge aftert 2 months? I know Im oiler than ever so Im not sure if that is "purging" or if its just acne saying haha its won over me

I think I will try diane. I dont think I can possibly get any worse. My biggest concern is that the other antiandrogens I took honestly gave me all the RARE side effects and Im super worried that diane will do the same to me. Im still waiitng for my stupid dr to get back to me about it. I swear american drs are the worst some times.

I did read diane is actually for treating acne, but I wonder why it doesnt work for some people. And I still dont understand why a pill causes an initial breakout, or can make one break out indefinately??? I really dont get it. I mean I used to take and switch pills all the time years ago to see if one wouldnt give me migraines. And I didnt break out once. Now I have a break out indefinately no matter what I take, its just some seem to make it even worse.

I read ortho tri and yaz also are proven for acne. Well I took ortho tri for a full year recnetly to no avail with spiro. And I took yaz and I had to stop due to a rash and cysts all over my body . So my only "clinically proven" method left to try is is diane. My derm and gyno all say all bcp's can be effective for acne. And I suppose they used to work for me, until I quit taking them. Id say i quit for about 3 months and then myu face was a nightmare. i got back on them right away to no avail. i guess your body ends up relying on them.. My only question now is, how come when I stopped... i broke out, but I got right back on those pills for years and the breakouts never went away again? Why dont the BCP's work anymore??? Im so nervous about the diane

[PinkSushi]

If you took diane and you got less oily withen a few weeks, Im wondering why you still broke out for a while? I mean if you werent as oily, wouldnt there be less acne? Im breaking out all over, but again red and angry and no pussy heads. Its so weird. I wouldnt guess that it is improving because if it was, id think id see improvement... not more oil.

I've read all about this...

Because all acne starts with a microscopic blockage in the pore called a microcomedo. It's caused by a combination of excess oil, oil that is too sticky, and incorrect production/shedding of skin cells. To get acne you have to be genetically prone to all these factors to some extent...not just oil. All three of these things require a certain level of androgens to occur. This microcomedo grows over months to form a 'mature' clogged pore, which, if it gets infected becomes a zit. Just say you suddenly turn off your androgens - bang! - say using Diane. What happens to all the microcomedos/clogged pores that are already in your skin from before you turned off the androgens? Unfortunantly they can't just dissolve or dissappear into thin air. Microcomedos are like cement, and the whole process is a kind of one way street, and even if Diane is preventing new ones, the ones you already have are going to follow the process they would have anyway, perhaps speeded up. Plus I think antiandrogens somehow makes you more prone to inflammation, making the clogged pores you have more likely to become zits.

It's not so much that Diane takes a long time to work on your skin, it's more that the screwed up pores you already had take a while to resolve. That's why if you have not noticed any difference in oil on Desogen, I'd wonder if it was working.

The two weeks for zit formation is only from clogged pore - zit. If you count the entire time it takes from microcomedo - zit it's like at least 8 weeks, and average is 5 months.

Also, Ortho is proven to have an effect, but less so than diane. It's like 30% effective compared with 90% for Diane.

[shadows]

That all makes sense. Stupid acne. I suppose then the last thing I am wondering is why do people start to break out worse and in more or different places than they used to on birth control? If it is supposed to help, then why do you get it in new places if nothing was ever there before unless if it is making things worse?

I never ever broke out around my mouth and jaw. But now I am. Its like the BCP gave me hormonal acne or something And Like I said, the acne is different, no heads, just red and angry as hell. Well except for my forehead, I still have the same acne there, just more of it. yay I wonder if the birth control made it all come out at once.. or if it jsut is making things worse. Thats why Im confused. You see I tried all pills for a few months and things never got any better, usually worse. So in my mind I think that means that the pills made it worse and werent doing their job. hence it makes it hard for me to figure out if anything is ever working.

As for the oil from hell.... that never happened to me until I quit BCPs years ago. I was never oily. Now Im always oily. Its so annoying because I swear stopping bcp's did this to me. My family has no history of acne or oily skin. Its just me. but they never took bcp in the past either. I think all these pills screwed me up and now I have to take a pill to correct it. I read about all sorts of girls that had the same thing happen to them too when they quit bcp's .. and I cant find one that ever said they got back to being clear.

Once again, my blasted dr still hasnt called me back about the BCP so I am waiting on her. Its been like a week.

[PinkSushi]

That all makes sense. Stupid acne. I suppose then the last thing I am wondering is why do people start to break out worse and in more or different places than they used to on birth control? If it is supposed to help, then why do you get it in new places if nothing was ever there before unless if it is making things worse?

I wish I knew ... perhaps the pill alters your body chemistry to make your skin more prone to inflammation and infection? So unless all your pores are totally empty you are gonna break out. Or else it makes the pore walls rupture more easily? I think the reason Dr's are so confusing is that they do not really understand acne themselves. I do remember that when I first started Diane, practically the first day I took it I started really breaking out...my skin would start to clear on the placebo pills, and breakout the exact day I started the yellow pills, but eventually my skin improved to only occasional breakouts that I could deal with, and I managed to achieve 100% clear skin with Yaz. Damn Adderall!

As for the breaking out in weird places I can only guess that the gunk has been just sitting in your pores for ages 'innocently' until the birth control pill comes along. Even in those areas you think you are not breakout prone. Gross story - I'd had this big cyst about a year ago, and it had kinda left a small painless lump in my skin which I thought was a scar. I couldn't see or feel anthing unless I pressed really hard on my skin, and I'd actually forgotten about it. Anyhow, about 2 weeks after I'd started spiro/yaz I noticed a white lump on the surface in the exact same position. I squeezed it, and it was the 'core' of the cyst I'd had - a whole year ago I turned into an ugly scab for about a week but then the lump was gone. All my 'ex cysts' did this one by one - I looked like a leper! If that wasn't enough, I also got a whole bunch of new cysts on my forehead and chin, which are usually my least breakout prone areas! Today though all I have is a couple of tiny, un-noticable spots - yay!

[shadows]

Thats exactly what im doing. I have acne in places that Im not oily too and I never used to have acne there. And of course I ahve acne where Im oily and Im all red for some reason. I noticed Im MORE oily too when taking the desogen... or any other bcp for that mattter. I read that oil is caused by the adrenal glands and androgens. So what I dont get is if BCP's are suppossed to slow or block androgens, then shouldnt they be slowing or stopping the oil? Not causing more? I swear Im less oily on my period break. Which of course makes absoultely no sense. And my pores are visable so i am sure that is adding to the issue.
Once again I have called my dr wondering why she hasnt responded so I can either change pills to diane from Canada or keep going with the desogen. Shes been in her office but hasnt responded to any messages. What great service. Anyways, my health plans member services told me I have to file a complaint because Im paying for the insurance and my dr is being a b*#@!. They actually told me to complain! And they said I need to switch drs because mine isnt doing what she is suppossed to do. i guess they can see that she reads her messages and never responds. I have kaiser health insurance in America... we cant literally contact our dr. We have to send as message and then wait for them to call back. Its really dumb. But my dr never responds and Ive been waiting over a week and Im about out of pills. SO I guess I have to get a new dr and explain all this bcp nonsense all over again.
Honestly Id rather this acne thing just stop so I never have to deal with the drs again.

[shadows]

I had to add this other tidbit. Today I woke up and my acne is probably the worst it has been all year. Im not too happy about it. I was just thinking about something said earlier that this acne has been there under the skin hiding...., I cannot possibly see how this "new acne in new places" was just sitting there all this time waiting to come out. There is no way. ive never looked this bad and I have never had acne here before I just dont get it. I mean if that was the case, wouldnt the "hiding" acne be gone after all the years of birth control Ive been taking? I cant possibly be purging still?!?!?! Im about to cry because this stuff never ends. I cant even look forward to anything because this incessant cycle of acne and trying a new pill goes on and on and never improves. Maybe Im just stuck like this

I am so red and this stuff comes out of no where so fast. I do get better on the period break... so am I still getting used to this bcp or is it not going to like me ever??? I dont want to wait 6 months just to see if it fails or not. And stupid drs keep telling me to only wait 3 months but no one on this site says 3 months is long enough... so how the heck can I tell if this pill isnt for me? Im so oily

Anyways, my dr still never called me back so i changed drs and got a new one, a guy...he actually called me. He told me to give desogen one more month. He said if Im not better by month 3 then switch to diane. He said he sees "some" girls get worse the first two months and then a dramatic improvement or none at all by the third. i told him he should go to acne.org because there are lots of gals that would not agree with that time frame then he said he's the dr and has been for years. He obviously hasnt dealt with difficult cases before.

Anyways I told him my history and he said yup desogen and diane are all thats left for me to try. he also said maybe the birth control is making things worse and that maybe I should stop completely because perhaps me and the progestin dont get along and that its the estrogen that gets rid of the acne. Damn these drs sure like to contradict eachother.

So, I asked him well if the estrogen is suppossed to be making the acne better then why cant I go on a straight estrogen therapy because I want the BCP for ACNE, not birth control. He doesnt seem to agree. I also told him I dont want to NOT take birth control like he suggests because STOPPING bcp's years ago is what started this acne mess to begin with. I also told him I am fearful of an allergy to the diane or a bad reaction because of what happened to me on the yaz. He said Im weird because he's rarely seen a bad reaction to horomones in BCP's. Once again, no straight answers, just more circles form the drs. Doesn't really solve my problem dr

What do I do??? Im going broke from all these damn dr visits and pill changes and such

[shadows]

ok a final update. Im in my last week of desogen pack 3 and I look a tad better, but that was after a massive hideous breakout. So now Im wondering, is desogen working... or is this going to happen again next month. Because last month and the month prior, I started to get better at the end of my pack and then it went to all hell again when I started the next one.

My new dr has prescribed me zovia to start if I wish. But Im being a chicken because I havent tried that horomone before, and when I tried that fancy new horomone in yaz, I got a rash all over my body and had to go to the hospital. So once again, Im mortified of trying anything new.

And... my new dr said that desogen is a progestin dominant bcp and he says he thinks it isnt the best for acne, even though online there are many sites that list it better for androgency over many other pills... whcih makes no sense at all because it has the strongest progestin of any of them??? Im confused.