15 replies to this topic

[kitkat123345]

I had very clear skin up until I turned 18
I started getting cysts around my mouth
I'm now 20 and wondering if it is hormonal when will they go away for good?

And if I decide to get on spironolactone wont it just come back soon as I get off it?

I just want clear skin again with out having to do the regimen for the rest of my life
my self esteem has gone down so much I've become so anti social because I hate how I look

Did anyone have any luck with natural remedies? Or a specific birth control?

[audreyjade]

A lot of people thing acne around the mouth is caused by a food allergy/intolerance. Do you have acne anywhere else?

[kitkat123345]

A lot of people thing acne around the mouth is caused by a food allergy/intolerance. Do you have acne anywhere else?

No I usually just get them around my mouth area it's extremely rare if I get them somewhere else my fore head and my cheeks are usually extremely clear.

[EWWpimples]

I have hormonal acne, and have taken spiro, and people say that once you get off of it, your acne does come back, and for me this is true, but my acne came back so much lighter than before I took it. Before spiro I would always have about 3 or 4 pimples in my chin area (sometimes more), but afterwards, I would have maybe like maybe 2 or 3 a month, and that didn't happen until like a year after i stopped taking it, and I went straight back to the derm the second I had more than one pimple on my face, and got vitamins, and I've been good since

[audreyjade]

I have hormonal acne, and have taken spiro, and people say that once you get off of it, your acne does come back, and for me this is true, but my acne came back so much lighter than before I took it. Before spiro I would always have about 3 or 4 pimples in my chin area (sometimes more), but afterwards, I would have maybe like maybe 2 or 3 a month, and that didn't happen until like a year after i stopped taking it, and I went straight back to the derm the second I had more than one pimple on my face, and got vitamins, and I've been good since

What exactly is spiro for? Did your derm prescribe it for you? And what kind of vitamins do you take? (Lots of questions! Sorry)

A lot of people thing acne around the mouth is caused by a food allergy/intolerance. Do you have acne anywhere else?

No I usually just get them around my mouth area it's extremely rare if I get them somewhere else my fore head and my cheeks are usually extremely clear.

Acne around the mouth can be really painful. I don't know if yours is hormonal or caused by a food intolerance. I also get some acne around my mouth. Recently I've cut down on gluten and it seems to be helping. I also do not eat any dairy.

[EWWpimples]

Spiro is spironolactone and yes it's prescribed. It's actually a blood pressure medication but it blocks androgens and helps with hormonal acne. And the vitamins I take are niocinmide (something like that ), the ones I take though also have folic and cupric acid in them as well as zinc.

[Jkay]

Check lipstick, lip gloss, lip balm, make up, certain greasy foods you may eat, basically anything you put around your mouth.
Eliminate each one and see if that's causing the problem.
But there is a possibility that you are breaking out in a new area. I have gone through that. Now i get some around my neck, stub and mouth area. Definitely hormonal for me. How that applies to girls? I have no clue,

[Baller55]

I didn't have acne around the mouth but i highly recommend Oxy 10 percent Maximum strength BP found almost anywhere it will clear your face. Use it daily you can wash it off after 30 mins or let it dry and keep it there all day it doesn't matter. This stuff destroys acne. It has worked for me for 1 year and if i dont use it within 2 days i break out. I am still trying to eat better and excersice more but right now I work 50+ hours a week and am in college full time. PM me if you have any further questions. you should be clear in 2 weeks to 1 month and it might get worse before it gets better because all the pimples that havent surfaced yet will surface (these typically go away faster than normal though). For some reason Dan's BP didn't help me (if you have tried this). Good luck!

Edited by Baller55, 05 November 2012 - 03:44 AM.

[Rawhide]

For me painful acne around mouth is absolutely connected to consumption of gluten. Avoiding it at all costs keeps that problem away.

[Spotthedifference]

Apparently a few people in my family got acne at 19 and it went away by itself at 23. I can't say this will be the case for you, but it does sometimes happen that way. Do be careful what things you put near your mouth - even if they don't cause the acne, they might aggrevate it.

[armadillo]

If you're 20 and it started at 18, I would be inclined to say that if it doesn't clear within 5 years, you have to look at treating the root cause, i.e. your hormones, because if you still have acne by then, there's a 99% chance that it's hormonal. For now, you could look at allergy tests, a very thorough one, as it's around your mouth, you can't rule out food allergies.

If you indeed have hormonal acne, it's very unlikely that it will clear by itself once you've reached 25-26 and you're still battling with it...most often in those cases, acne only goes away once you hit menopause.

[jarrit]

This is a food allergy. The irritation is causing nerve endings to come to a head, likely.

Sometimes, I can literally feel the pimple growing with a persistent tingling feeling on my skin.


Try cutting out bread, or anything involving flour or wheat. Lower your carbs to less than 200 a day. No dairy. See where that takes you.

You actually said your acne isn't too bad - but is it worth changing your entire diet for? For me it was.

[CNA7]

Hey there --

I thought this might be interesting for some folks (especially girls). After years of battling hormonal acne, using many products, eating certain foods, etc. I found out what has been "wrong" all these years. It was about a year ago my health started to deplete in an awfully weird way... I was tired all the time, achy, un-motivated, gaining weight (without ever over eating, and eating a VERY healthy diet). I went to numerous doctors (not just for the acne), but to figure out these symptoms. Finally I decided to see a naturopath doctor; I got my blood taken and found out i was hyper-sensitive to gluten and dairy; an easy fix since I had already cut these things out of my diet for the most part (for healthful reasons)... however, the acne was still sticking around and I wasn't feeling any more than maybe 20% better. I went in again for another blood test; one that would test my hormones (estrogen and progesterone). I come to find out that my body does not produce ANY progesterone. Progesterone is extremely important to have because it allows us ladies to carry a baby, and it also helps with our energy levels, weight distribution, etc. I am now on a high dose progesterone based BC pill and I have never felt better... I am more alert, have lost 10lbs without changing anything, and my acne is virtually gone (except for the 1 of 2 small zits around my time of the month).

I highly suggest some of you ladies get your blood drawn for hormone levels, you got nothing left to loose. I too, think this goes for men -- having too much testosterone may be an issue as well and there may be some natural ways to decrease the high production.

Best of luck,
CNA7

[jarrit]

Hey CNA7, what's your diet like, if you don't mind me asking? I'm just conducting some personal research is all, and would like as much data as possible

[sallysa]

I am 34 and I've had hormonal acne for years. At times during the month my skin will be perfectly clear. And for about 2 weeks out of the month I have mild-moderate breakouts. I'm so tired of it and I've tried everything. If I go off birth control pills it will get worse. I was debating between trying spironalactone or accutane. I decided to do accutane for a couple of reasons. Usually with spironalactone they have you take birth control pills with it. I have 2 children and I think we're finished so my husband is going to get a vasectomy and I don't want to have to take birth control pills anymore- I don't think it's healthy to be on them for so long. So I decided to go the accutane route. I have heard that accutane has less positive results with hormonal acne. But I decided I want to give it a try anyway, as I see it might be my only hope to "cure" my acne and not have to take bcp and/or spironalactone for the rest of my life. (just my 2 cents) Good luck!!

[CNA7]

Jaritt -- Sorry I have not been on for some time... The birth control was really helping until I hit a major stress cluster f*** in my life. Anyways, besides that, my skin has been a monster since end of November. I am starting a Panthothenic Acid by Solaray regime tonight after getting two nickel sized cysts over night.

It requires you to take a lot of capsules.

2 weeks: 8 grams daily (16 capsules per day
Weeks 2-4: 6 grams daily ( 12 capsules per day )
If unresolved keep at 6 grams daily (for 2-3 more weeks )

Hopefully this will help.

But to answer your question -- I do not eat Gluten or Dairy products, and only on occasion red meat. This is not for cosmetic reasons though, I don't eat dairy or gluten because of stomach issue (hypersensitive) and I don't care for red meat.

Hope it helps with your research.
CNA7