2 replies to this topic

[lmontgom]

So here's the situation. I'm currently on my 5th month of Accutane (will be going for 6 months, 60mg/day), and I've been on Junel (a generic for Loestrin 21) for a while now. I've taken a few different kinds of birth control since I was a teenager (I'm now 23), and found that while none of them made any kind of difference where my skin was concerned (although Yaz broke me out, made me bloated, and just generally sucked), Loestrin has been the most beneficial; it never seemed to effect my skin one way or another, but it lightened and shortened my period, eliminated my cramps and backaches, and just generally allowed me to feel human whenever my period rolled around (btw, I'm 99% sure my acne is not hormonal). For the past year or so, however, I noticed that I began getting post-acne marks - red marks that would linger on my skin long after the actual pimple had disappeared. When I looked into it, I found that there may be a link between post-acne redness and prolonged use of the pill. Since I've been on some form of the pill for at least 7 years, I'm worried that it may be what's causing this relatively new reaction; I can't think of any other reason why I would be experiencing post-acne marks now, when it has never been a problem in the 10 years that I've had acne. Have any of you ever heard of this correlation before?

My main question concerns my future with the pill after I'm finished taking Accutane. This is my third round on the drug, and as such, I am very nervous about relapsing eventually (since it's already happened twice). I really want to take proactive and preventative measures once I'm done with my course - using a topical retinoid, moisturizing, cutting out dairy, exfoliating regularly, maybe starting a dermo-approved vitamin regimen - anything to ensure that my acne doesn't come back this time, but I don't know what to do about the bcp. I don't want to go off the pill altogether, but I also don't want to be taking a pill that's detrimental to my skin in any way; even if the bcp isn't causing the acne, it might be exacerbating and prolonging the inflammation. Have any of you had this problem because of your birth control? If so, how did you correct the problem? Is there a specific pill that I could switch to that perhaps won't have this kind of effect on my skin, or is this just a known side-effect of bcp's in general? I'll be sure to ask my dermo for a bcp recommendation the next time I see him, but I just wanted to get some feedback from you guys first. Sorry for the length of this post!

[tiph8uh5knee]

It could just be that ur getting older now. As we age, the skin becomes not as good at repairing itself as it used to. Not that 23 is old but its not a 15 year old skin either. Just a thought.

[SavedByGrace1]

I have noticed my marks staying behind longer too, however, I have noticed that these marks are more noticeable to only us....makeup covers them just fine, we just happen to know they are there more.

I am debating going on Accutane again for the second time. The first time, my results lasted 6 months. I guess I could have done more when I was done to help maintain my acne status, but I know people who have taken Accutane and never had to worry again...just doesn't seem fair.