62 replies to this topic

[Fedupofadultacne]

Ok I've decided to log my results here to see what the improvements are & to help others.

These are my photos taken on 12.6.2011 just before starting Spiro & Retin A.

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Edited by Fedupofadultacne, 29 June 2011 - 05:42 PM.

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 16 (29.6.2011)

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Edited by Fedupofadultacne, 29 June 2011 - 05:48 PM.

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 17 (30.6.2011) - decided to increase dose to 50mg as from today, as I'm too impatient to last the whole month on 25mg. I have heard best results are on 100mg but this may require some doctors persuasion so we shall see.

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 19 (2.7.11)

Edited by Fedupofadultacne, 02 August 2011 - 05:22 PM.

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 23 (6.7.2011)

Skin not looking so good today, i thought it was getting better but looking quite lumpy & spotty again. My period came today & I had 2 long days mon & tues (so only a short nights sleep) & it has showed on my face. These photos are quite kind.

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[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 29 (12.7.2011)

Skin looking awful today, nearly as bad as the first pic except extremely dry & burnt from the retin a which makes the spots look slightly less red compared to a burnt red background. It was soooo dry I have had to apply emu oil twice today.

No results from the spiro yet. I guess I'm just not on a high enough dose, Im tempted to self increase to 100mg until I can get back to the doctors, even though he said to wait 8 weeks.

I know everyone says to be patent with retin a, but these are testing times. My pores were looking so big this morning it was disgusting that I nearly skipped the gym as it was embarassing to go out. has anyone else had success with retin a?

[Fedupofadultacne]

Just to make myself feel better, this is a photo of me 5 years ago after 1 of my courses of roaccutane. One can only dream to have skin like this again .

Edited by Fedupofadultacne, 02 August 2011 - 05:26 PM.

[just last the year]

You will! Don't give up hope. From my research, most people do clear up on spiro eventually (and usually no results until at least month three, so hang in there). It's just a matter of frustrating time! Especially since you're on retin a, I'm sure your skin will be gorgeous in a few months!

I want to try retin a, but I am TERRIFIED of the IB.

[wicky]

be careful on 100mg of spiro. I have been on spiro for over a year and have never seen great results. In fact 100mg is very high and Im now in the process of lowering it as I think I dehydrated my skin in the last 8 months by staying on that high of a dose. I was desperate to see results and moved up in miligrams too quickly. In turn my body I believe tried producing more oil to compensate for the dryness and therefore starting plugging up and clogging my pores. Im still trying to deal with it now. good luck

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 32 (15.7.11)

Thanks for the comments guys. I went back to the doctor today who has allowed me to have 100mg of Spiro - it was a different doctor but he said he didnt know much about it's impact of acne but said as I had done my research could have it, & he would read up on it! He was obviously in a good mood lol!

Also went for a 3 mile run today which was awesome in the nice sunshine which will probably help skin abit.

Feeling more optimistic now he has agreed to up the dosage! The thought of having clear skin in the near future makes me feel so happy right now.

[Fedupofadultacne]

The retin a breakout has been pretty bad, weirdly though my skin looked alot better in the first 2 weeks judging by the above photos, but then got dramatically worse again. I have found that exfoliating very gently once every other day or so has helped with the flakes, as these can be hard to hide.

Hopefully when the spiro kicks in , wont need to use as much retin a.

whenever i wash my face i literally have gunk hanging out of every pore & they are gaping open & so many spots & whiteheads. I think the hard lumpy spots are becoming abit less though as they seem to surface quicker.

i stupidly forgot to ask for Bactrim when at the doctors (which CVD recommended on another post) to try to combat from all angles. Must remember to ask for this next month when go back!

[meowbowwow]

I think you need some encouragement. Spiro works slowly, but it eventually worked for me. Here's a close up of my skin after 3 years on Spiro (and Yasmin.)

http://i268.photobuc...may2011_2-1.png

That tiny spot on my chin is all I ever get, and I only take 50mg a day for maintenance. If I take 100mg a day, it looks twice as good. I'm not wearing any makeup on my skin, either. I wish I had before pictures, but my acne was so bad I wouldn't allow people to photograph me. My acne was worse than yours. I took two courses of Accutane before trying Spiro. I really hope it works as well for you. It takes time.

Edited by meowbowwow, 16 July 2011 - 10:43 PM.

[meowbowwow]

Also: I've tried Retin-A years ago and even before Accutane, my skin wouldn't tolerate it. We're both fair-skinned so yours may be sensitive to it, also. Anything irritating or overly drying to your skin can aggravate acne. I don't use anything on my skin now...the Spiro works so well I don't need to. The face wash I use religiously is "Purity" by the brand "Philosophy." I think you can only get it at Sephora. In the Winter when my skin gets dry I use Jojoba oil to moisturize and it doesn't break me out. The ONLY sunscreen I can put on my face without breaking out is Neutrogena BodyMist (the spray kind.) I know it is hard to go without makeup when you feel like you have a lot to cover, but even on the Spiro any sort of foundation will cause a breakout on me. I don't know if you wear makeup, but if you can go without it for a while, that might also help speed up your progress.

This may be too much information, but I want to help. =)

[robiii]

Hey you shouldn't worry too much. I was told by my derm that it should really take a few months to notice the effects of RA and could take up to 2 for the skin to tolerate it. Besides that, if it is working you should be getting through the worst of it now. After that the texture of your skin supposedly starts to improve. Personally my skin finally got used to the RA after the 5th week. The most annoying thing is waiting for the scarring to go away but once you stop breaking out and the inflammation/irritation goes away you could start using scarzone which I hear works wonders. I'm going to be starting on that soon but I just got a few pimples that are really inflamed(much less severe than it has been on the IB though!).

[Fedupofadultacne]

I think you need some encouragement. Spiro works slowly, but it eventually worked for me. Here's a close up of my skin after 3 years on Spiro (and Yasmin.)

http://i268.photobuc...may2011_2-1.png

That tiny spot on my chin is all I ever get, and I only take 50mg a day for maintenance. If I take 100mg a day, it looks twice as good. I'm not wearing any makeup on my skin, either. I wish I had before pictures, but my acne was so bad I wouldn't allow people to photograph me. My acne was worse than yours. I took two courses of Accutane before trying Spiro. I really hope it works as well for you. It takes time.

Day 34 (17.7.11)

Skin has been very bad the last 2 days, several large & sore/scabby spots, especially on the cheeks, plus loads of smaller ones plus several whiteheads & red marks. Probably over did it last night as i put on tea tree gel, then later put abit of retin a on, then as my spots were looking very inflamed i dolloped on some sudocrem on top thinking it might calm it down! Nevermind. This is Day 3 of 100mg, & I came on my second period of this month yesterday (they are pretty sporadic anyway).

I have noticed today that my lips seem a little dryer which I read somewhere is a side effect? Not majorly dry though by any means. Havent had any other side effects, despite eating alot of fruit (high in potassium), & caning it in the gym without feeling faint or crampy, which is good.

Meowbowwow - Wow your skin looks amazing - inspiringly so! How old are you & how severe was your acne? Also how long did it take for 1) your skin to start improving/clearing & 2) to get completely clear?

PS I have been without makeup ALOT as Ive been off work for afew weeks revising for an exam at home, so have mostly got away with the occasional splodge here & there of concealer. It has kind of got past the stage of even attempting to cover it up, since its lumpy & dry so makeup doesnt sit properly. Often ive just had to go out with my head held high with acne in full show & pretend it doesnt bother me, just hate it when people get close up & look at it!

Robii - I am probably tolerating the dryness a little better, but the number of spots is just as many if now more, & they are incredibly sore & more lumps everywhere including my forehead which was clear before! Not sure whether to keep persisting with it or what! persist persist persist! where are we...nearly 6 weeks of everynight use. No sign of improvement! bah humbug

Edited by Fedupofadultacne, 17 July 2011 - 06:47 PM.

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 35 (18.7.11)

No improvement yet. Face is sore from Retin a, not sure whether to keep battling on with it or give my face a rest.

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[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 39 (22.7.11)

Since going up to 100mg i THINK ive had some dryness on my chin & around mouth area which due to the spiro (possibly, as opposed to from the retin a, as the irritation from the retin a has calmed down a little) but im not 100% sure. My skin is still gross like in the pics but Ive had afew 'flat' red marks that have kind of flaked off, instead of being a deep painful spot, abit like you get on roaccutane - when you get alot of flat red marks for ages before the eventually heal). I am hoping this will happen to all my face but its only been to afew spots. Still waking up to about 20 whiteheads every morning also (either as part of a deep spot or just little ones).

I tried just not applying any moisturiser at night for a few nights this week to see if that made a difference, so one night retin a, then the next night nothing, on alternate nights, but my skin has been very peely but also greasy in other places at the same time especially on the nose! This evening had to cave in & put some aloe moisturiser on as my skin has been peeling all day despite putting vaseline on to cover the peely bits - abit embarassing - abit like when you use a rubber & lots of bits come off.

My logic behind this was that I dont wear moisturiser anywhere else, & dont have the dryness issue, so maybe if we stopped moisturising our skin would adjust & rebalance itself.

My skin just doesnt want to heal anymore, still have dark red marks on knees, ankles from grazes etc, not like when we are kiddies & they heal up real quick.

[meowbowwow]

Meowbowwow - Wow your skin looks amazing - inspiringly so! How old are you & how severe was your acne? Also how long did it take for 1) your skin to start improving/clearing & 2) to get completely clear?

Thank you! I'm 24. I started getting acne when I was 12 and it was moderate on my face and severe on my back and chest. I took accutane at 16 which got rid of the back acne forever but it came back on my chest and face. I took accutane again at 18 and it cleared me for prom but again it came back on my chest and face...this time, however, it was different. I now had "adult acne"--deep cysts on my chin that flared up during PMS (along with all my other pimples...I get lots of tiny ones on my forehead.) It slowly built back up to a severe case until I went on Yasmin birth control at 19. It took the Yasmin about 6 months to have any effect of my skin...when it finally did, it cleared me for two weeks out of the month. I'd still have a severe PMS breakout, and it was funny--I could literally point to the day on my pill pack when it would come. It was obvious my acne was hormonal, so I started researching hormonal treatments, learned about Spiro, and demanded it from my doctor. I started at 25mg and increased my dose gradually to 100mg. I didn't see a difference until about two months, when my acne suddenly vanished. I still take both Yasmin and Spiro and it keeps my skin looking like this if I remember to take it every day. I know I'd still have bad acne if I stopped the meds.

So, to answer your question without my life history: I had to take Yasmin for 6 months before I saw improvement, and after adding Spiro it took 2 months to clear completely. If I weren't already on Yasmin (which I read contains a small dose of Spiro) it probably would have taken longer. I'd give any hormonal treatment 6 months to work. I don't know the exact mechanism behind it (something about reducing the level of androgenic hormones) but it is something your body has to take time to get accustomed to.

Also: take Spiro with food! Your body absorbs a lot more of the medication if you take it with food.

[Fedupofadultacne]

Meowbowwow - Wow your skin looks amazing - inspiringly so! How old are you & how severe was your acne? Also how long did it take for 1) your skin to start improving/clearing & 2) to get completely clear?

Thank you! I'm 24. I started getting acne when I was 12 and it was moderate on my face and severe on my back and chest. I took accutane at 16 which got rid of the back acne forever but it came back on my chest and face. I took accutane again at 18 and it cleared me for prom but again it came back on my chest and face...this time, however, it was different. I now had "adult acne"--deep cysts on my chin that flared up during PMS (along with all my other pimples...I get lots of tiny ones on my forehead.) It slowly built back up to a severe case until I went on Yasmin birth control at 19. It took the Yasmin about 6 months to have any effect of my skin...when it finally did, it cleared me for two weeks out of the month. I'd still have a severe PMS breakout, and it was funny--I could literally point to the day on my pill pack when it would come. It was obvious my acne was hormonal, so I started researching hormonal treatments, learned about Spiro, and demanded it from my doctor. I started at 25mg and increased my dose gradually to 100mg. I didn't see a difference until about two months, when my acne suddenly vanished. I still take both Yasmin and Spiro and it keeps my skin looking like this if I remember to take it every day. I know I'd still have bad acne if I stopped the meds.

So, to answer your question without my life history: I had to take Yasmin for 6 months before I saw improvement, and after adding Spiro it took 2 months to clear completely. If I weren't already on Yasmin (which I read contains a small dose of Spiro) it probably would have taken longer. I'd give any hormonal treatment 6 months to work. I don't know the exact mechanism behind it (something about reducing the level of androgenic hormones) but it is something your body has to take time to get accustomed to.

Also: take Spiro with food! Your body absorbs a lot more of the medication if you take it with food.

Wow that's so good that your acne suddenly vanished!! hope mine does too! aside from the current acne, all along & under the jaw there are still alot of lumps under the skin that i know are waiting to surface. seems to be never ending at the moment! I think it is about 6 weeks now. I am wondering if I should ask for the brand name Aldactone as some people seem to think this is more effective than the generic. Also do you think 100mg dose is definitely enough? I would love to have skin as clear as yours! Do you think you will stay on it forever?

[Fedupofadultacne]

Day 45 (29.7.11)

Hi all I thought it was worth updating that today my skin looks like its trying to improve. My left side still has loads of spots but the right side seems to have calmed down & it is kind of drying out abit. The biggest improvement was this morning - i actually put aha lotion on my skin the night before, then put retin a on top of that just before going to bed - yet this morning my numerous red acne marks did not seem as inflamed & red as normal! also my skin wasnt a sore red & flakey like it usually is with retin a. this is good news....things are starting to go in the right direction! i had stopped using aha until now as i thought it would be too harsh to use as well as retin a, but given how much better my face looked this morning, ive put the same on this evening, so we will see how things turn out! i am thinking the spiro is starting to work. i just hope it works enough to clear all the spots & lumps & bumps cos my skin texture is kind of gross right now.

in terms of side effects not really had any other than i think i am gaining fat around my lower waist just below my belly button - so going to have to work out extra hard & see if that shifts it. i dont seem to need to pee that much - when i increased from 25 to 50mg i noticed peeing alot, but the increase to 100mg made no difference, infact i think the effect is wearing off. there is some muscle weakness when working out but i think that is due to the muscles being dehydrated - so best not to take shortly before working out!