110 replies to this topic

[Green Gables]

How did you not scar???

I do have some shallow indented scars on my chin and icepick scars on my cheeks.

I'm guessing the reason I did not scar too bad is

1) Did not use BP long-term (BP causes free radical damage, slows healing, and can increase scarring). Most of my indented scars are from the time when I was using BP a lot.
2) Tried to keep my face moisturized. Dehydrated skin can't heal. I don't wash my face more than once a day, sometimes less.
3) On-and-off use of retinoids may have helped some.
4) Avoided sugar and refined carbs like the plague. Sugar reduces collagen.

At blame is a natural process that's known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (or, appropriately, AGEs for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop. "As AGEs accumulate, they damage adjacent proteins in a domino-like fashion," explains Fredric Brandt, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Miami and New York City and author of "10 Minutes 10 Years." Most vulnerable to damage: collagen and elastin, the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic. In fact, collagen is the most prevalent protein in the body. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging. These aging effects start at about age 35 and increase rapidly after that, according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Besides damaging collagen, a high-sugar diet also affects what type of collagen you have — another factor in how resistant skin is to wrinkling, says Brandt. The most abundant collagens in the skin are types I, II, and III, with type III being the most stable and longest lasting. Glycation transforms type III collagen into type I, which is more fragile. "When that happens, the skin looks and feels less supple," says Brandt. The final blow: AGEs deactivate your body's natural antioxidant enzymes, leaving you more vulnerable to sun damage — still the main cause of skin aging.

and of course

5) Luck.

Edited by Green Gables, 31 August 2012 - 12:15 PM.

[Brarei200]

Luck, I'd say. Mine didn't look that bad but I have so much more scarring than you... guess it was the BP

[Green Gables]

Luck, I'd say. Mine didn't look that bad but I have so much more scarring than you... guess it was the BP

While I don't think BP is the worst thing in the world, I really don't think it was ever intended to be used every day. I think it can be more damaging than people realize especially when your skin is trying to heal from tons of acne.

[Sasch83]

Can spiro be used on all acne. I ask because i am questioning whether my acne is 'hormonal' or not. It's always there. The worsening doesn't happen in a pattern (my cycle). I have it mostly on chin, sides of mouth, some jaw and lip -inflamed clusters that start as undergrounders and get sore.

Should i ask for a hormone test?

[Green Gables]

Can spiro be used on all acne. I ask because i am questioning whether my acne is 'hormonal' or not. It's always there. The worsening doesn't happen in a pattern (my cycle). I have it mostly on chin, sides of mouth, some jaw and lip -inflamed clusters that start as undergrounders and get sore.

Should i ask for a hormone test?

I didn't get a hormone test. Hormone tests can be helpful or they can be completely inconclusive. It was also going to be super expensive with my insurance, so I opted to just try spiro, which costs me about $10 a month.

Spiro mutes your androgen activity. It does not change anything permanently about your androgens. Think of it like this. If it is outside raining, spiro is an umbrella. It protects you from the rain but it doesn't reduce the number of raindrops. As soon as you close the umbrella, you get wet.

So if you're worried about spiro changing something permanently about your body, it won't. You can dance in your acne rain as much as you want just by closing the spiro umbrella. I would JUST TRY IT because it's so dang cheap and mild as far as drugs go.

If excess androgen activity is your problem, then in 4-6 months you should see a dramatic clearing of the skin. If it's not the problem, then you won't see any changes. If you stop taking the spiro, the umbrella is closed, and everything is back the way it was.

I am 125lbs and cleared on 100mg. If you weigh significantly less, dose at 50-75. If you weight significantly more, dose at 150-200.

Please just try it already I only say this because I never dreamed that I could solve my acne problems by taking a pill twice a day. I don't have to worry about BP bleaching my sheets, or getting sunburned from acids, or looking red and irritated from retinoids, or going through some complicated face washing regimen, or taking 200 supplements a day, or eating some crazy raw diet for fear of triggering another breakout. My skin is now "normal." I can touch it, not wash it, sleep on a dirty pillowcase, eat a dessert, or whatever, and it is completely fine!!!

Edited by Green Gables, 01 September 2012 - 11:00 AM.

[Sasch83]

Thanks for the quick response. I guess i am afraid of making it worse - which i have by trying all these natural products so.......Will talk to my derm about ti Friday, thanks!

[Green Gables]

Thanks for the quick response. I guess i am afraid of making it worse - which i have by trying all these natural products so.......Will talk to my derm about ti Friday, thanks!

You may want to print this out and bring it to your visit: http://acne.about.co...ronolactone.htm

In explains in clear language, but also with medical citations, why spironolactone is a good choice for acne. Note that right underneath the title it says "About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board". So another plus.

I only suggest this because, from my experience, spironolactone is not on the top of most derms list for acne. I went into a derm that I knew prescribed spiro. All of my previous derms had pushed me on more antibiotics, birth control, or Accutane. So it would be helpful to just have that list printed out if they try to brush you off.

Edited by Green Gables, 01 September 2012 - 11:26 AM.

[wicky]

spiro did nothing for me. I am perimenopausal and therefore have not much estrogen left. my testosterone was low also. I really thought this would be the answer to my comedogenic acne but after a year it was still plugging up.

[Sasch83]

Hi Green Gables.....so i went to my derm today and she said no to Spiro - especially because i did not want to take birth control. She also said she suspected i had rosacea and prescribed a cream that just my luck has pore clogging ingredients in it - not gonna use it. Not sure what to do now

[Green Gables]

Hi Green Gables.....so i went to my derm today and she said no to Spiro - especially because i did not want to take birth control. She also said she suspected i had rosacea and prescribed a cream that just my luck has pore clogging ingredients in it - not gonna use it. Not sure what to do now

What the hell? I have rosacea and acne and spiro obviously was a miracle drug. I'm not on BC.

There are even studies about it and rosacea:

Spironolactone at 50 mg/day was orally administered for four weeks to 13 male patients with rosacea in order to observe its clinical effectiveness. Serum estradiol (E2), 17OH-progesterone (17OH-P4), testosterone (T), androstenedione (delta 4 A), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydro-epiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) were measured prior to and after treatment. Although there were no significant changes in T, delta 4A, DHT, or DHEA-S, the serum levels of 17OH-P4 increased significantly. E2 tended to increase, although the change was not significant. Two of the 13 patients discontinued spironolactone treatment because of general malaise, but seven of the remaining eleven patients exhibited an improvement in their rosacea. These findings demonstrate that a low dose of spironolactone is effective in the treatment of rosacea in some male patients and suggest that it is possible that changes in the metabolism of sex steroid hormones such as cytochrome p-450 isozymes have some bearing on the etiology of rosacea.

Can you switch derms? There is no reason that you can't go on spiro unless it's been proven that you have some potassium retention problem, which is like 0% of the population. What reason did she give? She just sounds like she's a bit of a control freak and can't stand to actually have a specific medication requested...she wants it to be her idea.

You can go the natural route with saw palmetto + stinging nettle anti-androgens, but you're playing more roulette with that route because you have to find a good brand that has great standardized extract, and play with the dosages since there's not really a defined dosage range...

Edited by Green Gables, 08 September 2012 - 06:40 PM.

[Sasch83]

i agree! Not sure where to go next. So much money and time wasted.

[Green Gables]

Here is another suggestion. If you can afford to go see Dr. Redmond (which I mentioned in your other posts), he definitely prescribes spiro, he talks a lot about how great it is on his website.

If that isn't possible right now, you can try an online consultation with a doctor. I'm not talking buying meds from some sketchy pharmacy in India. It is perfectly legal to get a consultation with a doctor online or over the phone and have him prescribe certain medications. You can't get controlled substances like Accutane from this, but you may be able to get meds like spiro. I haven't tried it myself, but I know that spiro is not a controlled substance.

Online Doctor Care Anywhere, run by Blue Cross & Blue Shield (does not require Blue Cross insurance): http://www.onlinecareanywheremn.com/

Common symptoms and conditions we treat


Get medical advice for any symptoms that concern you or a family member. Here are some symptoms an online doctor can treat:

1. Cough, cold & flu
2. Sinus, ear & eye infections
3. Headaches
4. Bronchitis
5. Acne, skin conditions
6. Stomach ache
7. Allergies
8. Urinary tract infections

Our doctors can write and/or refill prescriptions.

MeMD: http://www.memd.me/

Quick Rx Refills: http://www.quickrxrefills.com/

Edited by Green Gables, 08 September 2012 - 06:49 PM.

[Arlen886]

I have severe cystic acne they stick around for like a year before they are gone, I have tried everything on the market and then some. When I saw this product I was like why not I need to be able to say I tried it. Usually the products work for me for a few days I will feel some relief but then it starts to wear off.

I felt results in the first time using it, I still have a cyst on my chin that looks like it going to be around but I have been putting extra treatment on it I am not sure if that is ok.

[Green Gables]

Still clear. May post some pictures soon as proof

Edited by Green Gables, 15 September 2012 - 01:00 AM.

[jaydeec]

I agree with Green gables. I am not on BCP and i was prescribed Spiro, not by a derm but my Endocrinologist but what difference does it make whether your on BC or not. I don't know about that derm. I would switch. I had one who was so old school and did not care about what I had to say so I said ''screw you'' and 2 weeks later I got a new one. lol

Edited by jaydeec, 15 September 2012 - 01:19 AM.

[Arlen886]

So far the Cyst are putting up a pretty good fight, I am putting extra treatment on and one new one was gone in 2 days.

[knarfia]

Awesome results! Congratulations!

[acnelove]

Did you experience any problems with blood pressure on spiro? How do you monitor yours?

[Green Gables]

Did you experience any problems with blood pressure on spiro? How do you monitor yours?

I haven't had any blood pressure problems. I don't monitor it, but then I haven't had any side effects that would point to low blood pressure.

If spiro didn't work for you, you could try Flutamide, which is a prescription anti-androgen similar to spiro than doesn't lower blood pressure.

[acnelove]

I will look into it!