23 replies to this topic

[LillyRose7]

hi all!

Sorry i didn't repy earlier. I haven't been on for a while, i just posted a new question about accutane or spiro use. I am getting really bad cysts around my nose and chin area again. Nothing major but the ones that really hurt when you even talk/move your face. I was a bit emotional over the weekend, wondering if this will ever clear up.

I have pcos so the acne i have can pretty much pop up at any time. I take metformin (glucophage) and it seems like everytime i have sugar or something sweet, my face decides to explode. I thought metformin was supposed to stop that .

i have been on and off BCP's for the past few years, i just seem to get bad side effects but am thinking of finding one thats suitable and hopefully doesn't cause weight gain because i ALWAYS breakout mid cycle and in the last week. I also took antibiotics which i think are useless, they help while you are on them and when you go off the acne just comes back and you mess up your intestinal flora.

wondering whether to go on spiro (which my endo recommended) or going on a low dose of accutane (which derm suggested). I know accutane can help but i don't want to put my body thru hell just for the acne to come back a few months later. I don't really want to 'buy time' if you know what i mean, just being clear a few months. ALL my doctors have warned me that relapses are common and its NOT a cure for acne, just a potential cure. Hormonal problems mean you can relapse. But at this point i'm pretty desperate. Have tried EVERYTHING, from no dairy/sugar, high veg intake, with plenty of fruit, lentils and pulses etc etc and a very healthy diet full of green smoothies.

the photodynamic experience, i just had one but i dont want to do another one. Its SO painful, and you have to stay in for like, a week, and the results are okay but not amazing, still broke out. doc says you have to do 3-4.

[pmat19]

HI,
I had The PDT with levulan, Vibraderm and blu light done this past Friday. They first did the vibraderm and applied the levulan for about 1hr then I was under the blu light for about 4 mins. I haven’t had much of a reaction like vie read about. My face hasn’t turned red and I don’t see my skin peeling with this first treatment. My complexion is dark and my first thought was that because darker skin patients are not very common I was exposing to a less amount of light because of this. I call them and indeed that’s what they told me, they said they put me on less amount of time under light to see how my skin would react but that for my next treatment it would be more aggressive. Any insight on this? The original post seems very similar initial experience.

[tracy521]

i am taking spiro now and am waiting for it to start working. this is my 5th week and i don't really have any side effects but it hasn't helped my acne yet either. i know it takes time but i am losing my patience while my cystic acne just keeps getting worse. grr!! my derm doesn't want to give me accutane since they think my acne is hormonal but i am not going to wait around forever for this to work either. i already have scarring so this has been so hard to deal with on a daily basis. i tried the diet thing too and my skin is worse now so for me i dont think diet has anything to do with it. i am on 75mg per day and will go up to 100mg in a few days.

Edited by tracy521, 14 January 2013 - 02:58 PM.

[forrestgump]

Hi so I have tried everyhting and nothing worked, and i was prescribed accutane for me extremely severe cystic acne, however i will not take it because i dont likethe side effects. i was thinking about taking pdt but i have a few questions:

 

1) Will it work (I hear it works better for severe acne so i guess thats good)?

 

2) How painful is it?

 

3) Am I guaranteed an extremely red face and for how many days?