7 replies to this topic

[LillyMay77]

Since I was twenty I would get pimples. Just normal looking pimples. It continued and was generally controlled with over the counter products. When I was 28 I got on gylcolic acne control product and it kept me basically clear, save for the monthly small pimple.
At 32 i had a problem with anorexia and lost twenty pounds. After I recovered and gained the weight back my acne went from mild to severe.
Would this cause this?
I am so frustrated.
After the attacks of the nodules and cysts, I went to a dermatologist and he prescribed me pills.
It works but I am worried about being on antibiotics for a long time, I know the side effects.
Should I ditch my retin A and precriptions, and just go back to the gylcolic acid?
I am so confused stressed beyond belief.
Anyone else go through this?

[lja08]

hi there,

i actually had the same experience as you, but about 10 years ago. i was anorexic in high school and lost a ton of weight, only to recover and gain most of it back, to be healthy. during the time i gained the weight back, my acne went from very mild/clear to bad. nothing worked for me to clear it up, antibiotics, topical creams, gels, washes etc. Basically since your hormones and stress levels are SO crazy from the changes in weight, your skin is freaking out. unless you are okay with letting your body regulate itself, you may need something stronger--accutane. i ended up taking accutane, and it worked. i am seriously considering a 2nd course in the next few months after an extremely tough year (my hormones and stress are crazy as well). i was pretty much clear for 10 years after my 1st course.

good luck...and be healthy!

[mm97]

I also went through recovery from anorexia, in a hospital that made me drink milk 4x a day plus all kinds of terrible food, and the weird thing is that I didn't have any skin problems until several years after I gained the weight back. However that could be because I was 12-13 when I was in the hospital, and I'm 20 now. I wonder if it would have been worse if I'd gone through weight loss and refeeding at a later age, because I know lots of older girls I was in the hospital with had a similar experience of their skin getting really bad during recovery. What an awful situation... to feel worse about your weight and your skin at the same time.

However, I do not think it is the weight gain that causes it... I think it's the hormones. When you're starving your body stops producing them, and when they come back they can be really imbalanced for a while and you can also be more sensitive to their effects.

[LillyMay77]

Oh thanks ladies. Yep it really was wacked. I was mild/moderate before my bought with anorexia. After I gained the twenty pounds back, Holy jesus my skin flipped, ridiculous. After dealing with the horrendous anorexia and recovering my skin was horrible. I bounced back at a terrible cost. Right now I am clear on doxy. Only been clear about a month, so we shall see if this continues praying to god, or accutane is my next option at my dermatologists recommendation.

Edited by LillyMay77, 12 November 2011 - 04:55 AM.

[muffinsydney]

Ah, this has happened to me too. After a recent bought of restriction I have gained weight back and my skin which was fine before (I have always had a few problems) has gone ballistic! Dealing with recovery and cystic acne is really getting me down. My derm is reluctant to give me accutane because of how it affects your mood....Has anyone had any luck with dealing with this problem any other way? Or got to the bottom of it?

[LillyMay77]

Yep I can't get accutane either because of my mood. I don't know what else to do.

[kidego]

Do you not see the reason why? It's all so clear to me now. When you hardly ate (got skinny) you didn't eat much food. As you ate more your acne got worse. Why? Because your allergic to something in food (like me). The more you consume, the worse the reaction.

[LillyMay77]

This is a possibility. I was consuming many dairy rich products consistently. Full fat milk, about 12 glasses a day and yogurt. I have changed my eating habits, I know I can not tolerate milk, so I stopped drinking it, and just take a tums a day, because they have a lot of calcium. I might get a test to see which foods I am sensitive to, so I can avoid them.