10 replies to this topic

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

I turned 30 five days ago and couldn't even enjoy my party because of how insecure I felt about my acne. My face was smooth and flawless during my teenage years and then 2 years ago is when I started having a bump or 2 on my face. I would wash my face with just water but then I made the terrible choice of getting a facial that made my face so much worse. I feel like this opened a portal hole for these acne aliens to invade my face.

I've tried Finacea, Differin, Tazorac, Pacnex wash, Clindamycin pledgets, Prascion wash, Clindagel, and Aczone. I remember having good results and stopped washing my face when the tubes or bottle ran out and just started washing my face with just water hoping that things will go back to normal. However, the acne started coming back but I was in denial that my face was that bad that I had to go back to my dermatologist so I went and bought the Murad 30-Day Acne Complex which didn't help my skin. I tried this for 2 months and returned it because 1) it wasn't working and 2) it was expensive.

Lately I've just been washing my face with Cetaphil daily cleanser and use the Biore pore unclogging scrub maybe 1-2 times a week right when I get off work.

I think 3 of the contributing factors of why my acne got worse is:
1. I work a 12 hour night shift = poor sleeping habit
2. I'm in nursing school = stress!
3. I work out intensely 4-5 times a week = sweat

I made an appointment to finally see my dermatologist again after 2-3 years to see if she can prescribe me with Prascion, Differin, and Retacnyl. I've been reading a few positive things about these meds and hopefully it can clear my face up.

Here's a photo of how my face looks right now. The only sides affected are my cheeks. My nose, area around my mouth, and chin is okay (for now and hopefully it'll stay like that). I've googled "cetaphil acne purge" to see if this is what's going on but cetaphil isn't supposed to do that... am I perhaps in denial again?



I'll be back to post what the dermatologist says and share my journey with you all.

Thanks for reading! Stay awesome!

[Luv2bbroke]

Hello, I'm new to site but I also started getting horrible acne in my 30's. I was at the tail end of dental hygiene school which is very similar to nursing, so I understand, intense. My last baby was almost 2 years old. ( yes I started the program when she was 2 mo). I do not recommend that. Anyway, I tried everything I could afford. Including Murad, it also failed. I've seen about 4 different derms. All say I need Accutane. I would say my acne is mild, very similar to yours. Except mine have a hard time getting a head.
I refuse to do Accutane. So I recently got a new derm who recommended spironolactone 75mg. I have been on it for 1 month. It is a diuretic. It makes you very thirsty. Some other pleasant side effects but the do pass. Anyway, my skin oiliness has improved. Sadly, I'm still getting large pimples. So it's back to derm for me to check in. Dealing with this for over 3 years. I'm sick of being a grown women with acne. It really sucks!!

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

I just got back from my derm and she prescribed me with the following:

1) Spironolactone 25 mg - 1 pill twice a day (bid)
2) Klarol 10% topical lotion - dime size every morning (qam)
3) Differin 0.1% gel - dime size every night (qhs)

She recommended I use the Klarol and Differin after I wash my face with Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser. I hope these work for me! Me and my derm both crossed our fingers. My derm crossed not only 2 fingers on both hands but 4, I thought that was a cute gesture since she's 70+ years old.

Hello, I'm new to site but I also started getting horrible acne in my 30's. I was at the tail end of dental hygiene school which is very similar to nursing, so I understand, intense. My last baby was almost 2 years old. ( yes I started the program when she was 2 mo). I do not recommend that. Anyway, I tried everything I could afford. Including Murad, it also failed. I've seen about 4 different derms. All say I need Accutane. I would say my acne is mild, very similar to yours. Except mine have a hard time getting a head.
I refuse to do Accutane. So I recently got a new derm who recommended spironolactone 75mg. I have been on it for 1 month. It is a diuretic. It makes you very thirsty. Some other pleasant side effects but the do pass. Anyway, my skin oiliness has improved. Sadly, I'm still getting large pimples. So it's back to derm for me to check in. Dealing with this for over 3 years. I'm sick of being a grown women with acne. It really sucks!!

That is very brave of you to start dental hygiene school with a 2 month old. I'm already going banana's and I don't even have a baby. I salute you!

My derm just prescribed me with spironolactone so thank you for giving me the heads up on what to expect. I feel your pain about having adult acne, it really does suck BIG TIME!

[Luv2bbroke]

Just in from my derm:


1) Keep taking Spironolactone 75 mg ( I've been on for 1 month so far)
2) Start taking Clindamycin 2x per day for 2-3 months
3) Start Taking Sprintec BP
4) Use Retin-A 3x per week at night.

I have been using 302 skincare line. It is amazing but it works very slow to correct your skin. It is all natural and can not be used with any other products. The Retin-A equiv of this product is called Clarity. It does not take away acne but makes your skin look and feel good.

So this is day 1 of the listed combination, I really hope things start improving but it is my first day of taking Sprintec BP. I have not taken BP in about 2 years. I've also heard that when you start BP you can have an initial breakout. I hope the antibiotic clears this up. My only option for antibiotic is the Clindamycin because over the past three years I became alergic to Doxcycycline. : (.
As of today I have about 4 active nodules. Only one is painful and none will pop. Under the skin I can feel about 20-30 deep bumps. This is actually an improvement from the spironolactone alone. I really hope things get better so I can start working on these scars. I may sound like I'm rambling but it is because I'm exuasted from work and I'm not good with writing this all from my iPhone.

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

I started my regimen on 12/1/12 with

AM
1. Spironolactone 25 mg 1 tab every breakfast
2. Wash my face with cetaphil before heading out
3. Dime sized Klaron (generic)

PM
1. Spironolactone 25 mg 1 tab every dinner
2. Wash my face with cetaphil before hitting the sheets
3. Pea sized Differin 0.3% gel (samples from my derm)

I was prescribed the Differin 0.1% but I'm waiting on this prior authorization crap because I've exceeded the age limit. It's day 3 and I don't see any difference yet which is expected. I plan on staying consistent with this. I'm looking into buying BB cream by Dior as my only make up because I've heard good things about it. Has anyone tried BB cream? It's supposed to have sun blocking properties with 30 SPF, corrects your complexion, and evens out your tone.

So this is day 1 of the listed combination, I really hope things start improving but it is my first day of taking Sprintec BP. I have not taken BP in about 2 years. I've also heard that when you start BP you can have an initial breakout. I hope the antibiotic clears this up. My only option for antibiotic is the Clindamycin because over the past three years I became alergic to Doxcycycline. : (.
As of today I have about 4 active nodules. Only one is painful and none will pop. Under the skin I can feel about 20-30 deep bumps. This is actually an improvement from the spironolactone alone. I really hope things get better so I can start working on these scars. I may sound like I'm rambling but it is because I'm exuasted from work and I'm not good with writing this all from my iPhone.

I used Clindamycin before, the ones that come in pledgets and it worked well. I have a ton of deep bumps that I can't wait to surface and 5 nodules on my cheeks. I know what you mean by rambling from exhaustion LOL! I get the same way too so you are not alone.

Edited by SpicyCrunchRoll, 03 December 2012 - 06:21 AM.

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

I'm on my 8th day with my regimen and have no good stories to tell yet. I noticed the bumps on my left cheek settled down only to be replaced by more bumps and some bumps on the right cheek. I went to work a few nights ago and my co-worker told me that it looks like it's clearing up a little. My classmate said I look like I'm de-stressing because my face is settling down. I don't know how to feel about it because I can still feel and see the acne.

Here is an update of my left cheek:


And here is my right cheek:


I don't know how to rotate it from here but as you can see, my face is horrible

Thank you for reading. Stay awesome!

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

Last night I changed up my routine by replacing the Cetaphil Daily Cleanser with the Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash. I'll be using this from now on and hope the bumps go down a little. My cheeks and eyelids felt like they were burning the entire day yesterday. It's odd for my eyelids to feel like that since I don't even apply the Klaron and Differin around my eye area... hmmm?

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

I'm on my 2nd week of my regimen and I'm seeing slightly positive results but my face is still flawed. I stopped using the Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash because it made my face really dry and it felt like it was always burning so I'm back to using the Cetaphil Daily Cleanser. I don't use any moisturizers because I don't trust any products right now, I've been keeping away from the sun, and I've been resting a lot since I'm on a Christmas break from school.

Here are progress pictures of my face:

Left Cheek


Right Cheek


My forehead, nose, and chin are still flawless which I'm extremely happy about. My eyelids doesn't have that burning sensation as much also.

Thanks for reading! Stay awesome!

[SpicyCrunchRoll]

Week 3! My face is getting clearer! The bumps are getting less and less. I'm staying consistent regardless of how tired I am from work. I alternate between Cetaphil Daily Cleansing and the DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash depending if my face feels oily and it works. Here are progress pics just after waking up, it hasn't been washed or treated yet. I don't know if you can see my rosy complexion underneath but I am so excited that this regimen is showing results.

Left Cheek:


Right Cheek:


I was telling myself earlier after looking in the mirror that just because my face is clearing up, doesn't mean I'm going to slack around with washing and treating it. My diet if you'd like to know is full of sugary sweets for the time being. It's the holidays!

Thanks for reading! Stay awesome!

Edited by SpicyCrunchRoll, 21 December 2012 - 09:12 AM.

[Green Gables]

Skip the topicals. They don't do anything for acne like yours. Hormonal treatment is the way to go. Yaz, Yasmin, or BeYaz birth control is the easiest option. It contains drospirenone, which is anti-androgenic, meaning it helps acne, which is why derms are prescribing it left and right to adult women with acne.

Holistically though, cutting out dairy and sugar, improving your sleep and stress levels, will help acne too because they balance your hormones somewhat. See this research: http://www.huffingto...a_b_822163.html

Edited by Green Gables, 22 January 2013 - 01:49 AM.

[Battle with acne]

I got the same acne level like yours.. I see your skin getting better.. Hope it heals soon..