19 replies to this topic

[sushi]

I'm pretty sure my acne is hormonal, so I've decided to try BCP to get it under control. I'm almost 20 years old, and have been struggling with acne since I was 12. I think when I started college my complexion turned from teenage-spotty to female-hormone-related.

Taking Yasmin, first pack.

Today is day 2:

When I started on Sunday, I had about half a dozen active pimples along with a slew of dark marks, clogged pores and blackheads. I take it with lunch at 12:30 PM. So far, active pimples are starting to dry up, and my skin texture is a little rougher than usual. I have slight stomach discomfort, but nothing major. I am also bloated as hell, which I hope will subside. No other perceptible body or mood changes.


I just wanted to get this log started, so unless anything substantial changes within the next few days, I'll update on a weekly-ish basis.

Oh yeah, and here are the other products I'm using, in case anyone is curious. All very basic stuff.
Nelsons Acne Gel for spot treatment
Cetaphil cleanser
Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel / Kiss My Face Alpha and Aloe Moisturizer (I alternate the two)

[acidburnkate]

I've been on yasmin for like...3 years now. Keeps the kids from using my womb as a crib, AND helps with PCOS-related acne and water weight gain. As long as you keep your horomones in balance by taking those little yellow fellas daily, your breakouts should occur less and less. I never had bad acne, just a few breakouts once in a while. I've heard that Yasmin might not be exceptionally effective for severe acne, but who cares! Now you can rock and roll in the bedroom all ya want, babe!

P.S: You probably know this, but i'm going to let you in on this well-known secret anyway. So, those little white pills at the bottom of the pack--sugar pills. Don't do shit. You're just supposed to take them to help you remember when to take your pill, but that's what cell phone alarms are for. Take them if you want, but remember that theyre "sugar" pills...they might contain a carb or two!! Ohhhhh....

[sushi]

Day 6:

Feeling slightly depressed and very fatigued. Argh. It could be a result of various factors, though (I am horribly unprepared for finals that start on Monday), so hopefully I'll be OK once spring break rolls around.

Acne-wise: All except 3 active pimples have dried up and disappeared, and the remaining ones are pretty small. Overall skin texture has been smoother as of late. I don't know if I can attribute this to the Yasmin or to the fact that it's the week after my period (when my skin usually clears up for a glorious, but very brief time).

[sushi]

Day 7:

Haha I know I said I would update about once a week, but I'm procrastinating
I'm convinced this pill makes me sleepy. I took it at 12:30 today and about an hour and a half later, I could not keep my eyes open. I ended up taking a 30 min nap, even though I got 9 hours of sleep last night! Because this could seriously detract from my cramming for finals this weekend, I will switch to taking the pill about an hour before I go to sleep. Also, slight feeling of depression is gone.

Ance: No pimples! LOTS of red marks, LOTS of blackheads, and LOTS of small cloged-pore type bumps (some red, some uncolored), which means my skin is not looking great, but better than before. I don't think I mentioned before that I also have bacne. Now I have 3 active pimples, along with lots of red marks and overall crappy skin texture.

[sushi]

Week 2
I spoke too soon. A few small bumps have erupted into real pimples. Probably related to stress and lack of sleep. Started taking the pill at 10PM, my stomach felt a teeny bit queesy. Nothing else new. Perhaps I should stop obsessively updating.

[sushi]

Wednesday, Week 2

Skin is getting progressively worse, just as if I weren't on this pill at all. Oily skin really kicking in, small, hard pimpled forming on cheeks, chin and forehead, clogged pores central. Moodwise- I've been kind of irritated with my roommate lately. I have no idea if it's related to the Yasmin. I know it's still way early, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[nurlaj]

Im not sure if you are aware of this, but Yasim actually takes 3 months to take effect on Acne.

Yes, thats right 3 months, 3 packets, 3 cycles.

But when you hit that 3 month mark you will notice a massive difference, I went from having pretty moderate acne to perfectly clear skin.

Stick with it, its worth it.

[BEACHDREAMER]

i took yasmin for over a year and never saw any results....everyone is different!!!

[RoxyG]

I would agree with the 3 month rule. It takes three months for everything to regulate on the pill, hormones and all. I have been on ortho-tricyclen lo for 4 months now and going on y fifth and I have finally noticed the "good" side effects. No acne, very regular short periods, no bloating, no PMS, no fatigue, no weight gain, etc. So just give it time. Try not to worry about it our count the days. It will fly by in no time, trust me. I feel like I was just at the doctor last month getting these things.

[sushi]

thanks for the advice, everyone
when i first started i committed to sticking through it for at least six months, barring some major, major acne forming. i started my third pack this past sunday, and i think i'm noticing some small changes:

-less oil production on days of active pills (but still require blotting sheets)
-could be a tiny bit happier/more hyper on inactive days. this i'm not sure if i can attribute to coincidence or the pills. i should also note that i don't feel particularly down when i am taking the active pills
-my boobs are significantly bigger
-acne improved a tiny bit? *crosses fingers* it could be my imagination

i haven't noticed any change in my weight, which is kind of frustrating because i've been working out for the past month, 5 times a week. again, don't know if i can attribute that to yasmin.

alrighty, i just thought i'd update. i hope the next few months really mark an improvement!

[sushi]

update
haha probably more for my sake than for any of yours, since i don't think anyone was really reading this.

anyhow. i'm at the end of my 6th pack of yasmin, and i think the following changes can be attributed mostly to the pill:

1) acne on back has cleared up almost 100%. lots of dark spots remain, but i've had only 1-2 active pimples in the last month or so. i don't do anything else special for my back, just soap, water, loofah.
2) acne on face significantly better, but not anywhere near to completely gone. still have lots of stubbornly clogged pores, and i never know when i am going to wake up with a new pimple. that said, however, new zits have become a rarer occurance than before (about 4 months ago, i had at least one new blemish every two days).
3) weight gain. i guess it's not fair to blame it entirely on yasmin, but i honestly have not changed my eating or exercising habits in the past 6 months and have put on about 7-8 lbs.
4) somewhat related, my boobs are much bigger. went from a B/C cup to a full C

i would like to try a natural hormone balancing alternative to BCP, but i have 3 more packs of yasmin left so i might as well stick with it. i'm just not comfortable with the idea of taking artificial hormones for an extended period of time. i think the only thing that has yasmin has really helped is my back. as for the improvement on my face, it could be the new topical regimen i have been using (cetaphil gentle cleanser with clarisonic facial brush, desert essence blemish touch stick to treat existing acne, and the occasional dab of neosporin cream to help heal those red spots when i pick at zits/scabs).

*goes off to research vitex, evening primrose oil, and borage oil*

[jess2005grl]

update
haha probably more for my sake than for any of yours, since i don't think anyone was really reading this.

anyhow. i'm at the end of my 6th pack of yasmin, and i think the following changes can be attributed mostly to the pill:

1) acne on back has cleared up almost 100%. lots of dark spots remain, but i've had only 1-2 active pimples in the last month or so. i don't do anything else special for my back, just soap, water, loofah.
2) acne on face significantly better, but not anywhere near to completely gone. still have lots of stubbornly clogged pores, and i never know when i am going to wake up with a new pimple. that said, however, new zits have become a rarer occurance than before (about 4 months ago, i had at least one new blemish every two days).
3) weight gain. i guess it's not fair to blame it entirely on yasmin, but i honestly have not changed my eating or exercising habits in the past 6 months and have put on about 7-8 lbs.
4) somewhat related, my boobs are much bigger. went from a B/C cup to a full C

i would like to try a natural hormone balancing alternative to BCP, but i have 3 more packs of yasmin left so i might as well stick with it. i'm just not comfortable with the idea of taking artificial hormones for an extended period of time. i think the only thing that has yasmin has really helped is my back. as for the improvement on my face, it could be the new topical regimen i have been using (cetaphil gentle cleanser with clarisonic facial brush, desert essence blemish touch stick to treat existing acne, and the occasional dab of neosporin cream to help heal those red spots when i pick at zits/scabs).

*goes off to research vitex, evening primrose oil, and borage oil*

Thanks for updating! I am halfway through my second pack of Yasmin. I had been taking Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for a few years, and my acne got progressively worse. I finally switched to Yasmin, and as of yet-I havent noticed a huge difference, but I'm waiting a few more months before I move on to a different method. I was also recently diagnosed with PCOS and I was prescribed Metformin to regulate my hormones. But I was going to tell you that maybe you could try a better topical regimen for your few breakouts that you get. Like maybe a benzoyl peroxide overnight and lots of moisturizer in the morning. It really does help. And lots of water!!!

And I know what you mean about the weight gain...it happened to me too, but I dont stress about it! Keep up with the updating with the last 3 packs of your yasmin-id love to see how it works for you. Our stories seem pretty similar.

[Siouxsie]

I've been on Yasmin for 2 years now and my face cleared a bit after the first few monthes, then abot 6 months into it I broke out just as bad again. Yazmin is either one of the lowest or the lowest hormones of birth control pills. I am thinking of asking for a "stronger" pill now....maybe one that skips periods since I have a lot of pain too...
Anyways, back to you: about feeling fatigued, my gynocologist says that can be a sign of dehydration. She says to drink a lot more water (just like someone else in this thread said). Drinking a lot of water is great for you in many ways. It makes the oil on my face less sticky & gross even if I still break out. I think it helped clear my skin for awhile too...but then I broke out again (it's all a mystery!).

[sushi]

alrighty, i am now on pack 9 and my skin has calmed down a lot. last month was the first time i got my period without a significant breakout. after about month 4~5, breakouts between periods pretty much stopped, but my skin would flare up when i was on the inactive pills

my back is also almost completely clear. one or two small active pimples. otherwise there is just a slew of fading red marks.

also using:
cetaphil facial cleanser for normal to oily skin
clarisonic facial brush (expensive, but it seems to be helping)
desert essence blemish touch stick (this is great for my skin, yasmin alone would definitely not give me skin like this)

[molotov cocktail]

If you don't mind my suggesting it, the ultimate birth control pill to get rid of acne is Estrostep. It not only does it's job as a contraceptive, but is made specifically for people with hormonal acne. I just got on it again after about a year, but when I used to take it, my skin cleared completely within a month and the acne never came back while I was taking it. If Yasmin doesn't clear you up completely, you should look into Estrostep.

[beentheredonethat]

Yazmin is either one of the lowest or the lowest hormones of birth control pills. I am thinking of asking for a "stronger" pill now....maybe one that skips periods since I have a lot of pain too...

Naw, it's a moderate dose pill. Low dose is 20mg, Yasmin is 30mg. And you can use Yasmin to skip your period by simply not taking the placebo pills and beginning a new pack (but check to make sure you gyn is OK with you doing that). I'm taking Yasmin on the Seasonale schedule (3 months continuous - 4 packs discarding placebos) and it works great. I got a wee litttle bit of spotting a couple days before i was ready to take the week off, and a little breast tenderness as i got used to the schedule, but that was it as far as side effects from the schedule change.

[sushi]

wow i haven't been to this log in a while.

i have been taking yasmin for a little over a year now, and all is going well. i still think the most significant improvement has been my back. very few new blemishes, smooth to the touch but not nice to look at because of all the dark spots

my face can be quite clear during the active pills, but i still break out during the last week of the pack. the breakouts vary in degree of severity-- sometimes i'm back to normal within a few days, sometimes almost a month. they occur enough such that i always have some combination of a few blemishes and dark spots, but with makeup i'd say my complexion looks pretty good. my skin is much better than it was pre-yasmin, and having regular periods is also a plus.

i never ended up pursuing more natural ways to balance my hormones, i guess i'm just too scared to stray from what is working. and, of course, my doctor insists there is no problem taking birth control pills for several year stretches.

i still use the same products (cetaphil gentle cleanser for normal to oily skin with clarisonic facial brush, desert essence blemish touch stick to treat existing acne, and the occasional dab of neosporin cream (not ointment) to help heal those red spots when i pick at zits/scabs).

after trying many, many OTC and Rx products, i am convinced that natural and/or simple products are the way to go when it comes to topicals. i love the cetaphil/clarisonic combination for cleansing, and the desert essence blemish touch stick has all organic ingredients, the two main ones being witch hazel and tea tree oil. tea tree oil has never bode well with my skin for some reason, so i'm trying witch hazel toners. i'm crossing my fingers that these toners (either dickinson's or thayer's) have similar effects, because it would help me save some $$.

whew. long update. in sum- i give yasmin a thumbs up for helping control my acne.

[hollaynia]

I've been on OTC-lo for a year now and the mood swings are just becoming too much to bare so Im looking into other pbcs. Thanks so much for updating this log, especially after being on Yasmin for so long.

[sushi]

so after about 2 years of using yasmin with success, i stopped taking it in april of 2008. i just didn't want to be dependent on artificial hormones.

my skin was pretty dang clear while on yasmin so i'm sad that my skin has started breaking out again. about one month after i stopped, my skin started getting oily again, and another month or two after that my acne came back. thankfully, it's not one of those horror stories where the acne comes back with a vengeance after stopping birth control pills... but it's not pretty. blackheads more pronounced, congested pores, and small but deep and long-lasting cysts along my jaw and lower cheeks. all of this can be decently hidden with makeup, but while on yasmin i barely even needed makeup. a few spots on my back have shown up, but it also thankfully is not too bad. exfoliation helps a lot in this regard.

i also gained 5-10 lbs (which is a lot on my frame). of course, it could be attributable to something else, but i also gained 5-10 lbs when back when i started yasmin, so i think it was the fluctuating hormones that did it. i have since leveled out to a normal (although not ideal) weight.

with that, i'm ending my yasmin log. i currently use mario badescu products, and especially like the buffering lotion to deal with those cysts. i tried mama lotion but it broke me out so i'm returning it. i ordered green cream samples and will probably start a new log when those arrive.

i hope this log was useful to some people

[Ceej]

Thanks this thread is v useful to me - just about to start Yasmin and it has given me hope! Good luck x