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I've been lurking this site off and on for a while and im at the end of my rope so I figured I'd finally post.
Heres my shpiel:
21 now, Developed acne very young, Dad has rosacea and had acne, mom had hormonal problems, inherited the worst of both worlds. Tried topicals, saw dermatologists, no one could really help. Derms kept perscribing BC, and i tried many, many kinds. some cleared me, some made it worse, but overall, I couldnt stay on any because they made me totally insane. Was already struggling with depression and they triggered it-bad. Going on and off birth control pills made skin things 10x worse. tried every diet under the sun, veganism, vegetarianism, gluten free, sugar free. nothing. Tried antibiotics, minocycline twice, it helped but not much. Have been using Duac gel for years just to minimally keep things at bay. I recently started retin a micro and its breaking me out pretty bad but im just hoping if i stay persistent it will clear things up a bit.
My acne is bad. very, very bad. considered 'severe,' cystic, all over my cheeks, chin, even my lips!
Fast foreword to the present: for some reason, the last couple of months, things have gotten out of control. I cant even move my face it hurts so bad from all the acne. i dont leave my house much and frequently cry when i talk about the issue. guh.
Ive had irregular periods for years, and recently, out of the blue, developed alopecia (great, one more thing to freak out about!) Ive had blood testing done and i dont have PCOS, waiting for more blood tests to come back.
So i cant go on BC, im fed up with antibiotics that only help short term, topicals are a lost cause, and the word acutane strikes fear into my heart
so im sure many of you ladies feel my pain.
its terrible when you wont even let your boyfriend kiss your face. Im suffering mentally and physically and I know other people are too and it just drives me nuts how unfair it all is. so here are my questions, maybe answers can help others too who are dealing with hormonal acne after the teenage years. sigh.
- has anyone had sucess with retin a on CYSTIC acne? how long did you have to wait? how to survive the IB?
- really considering spiro but a little worried of side effects and the IB. derms are hesitant to perscribe it for me and i dont know anyone whos tried it, but if sensitivity to androgens are what is causing my alopecia and acne, it might be my last chance. as much info as i could get on this would be MUCHHHH appreciated
-how did you find a good doctor and get them to listen to you? can you reccomend any reliable and professional medical sites you have found helpful in this quest?
and anything else you want to add!
Thanks so much all. Really appreciate any and all help/comments/support. Best luck to everyone going through this!!!!!!!
