29 replies to this topic

[tmueller]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to the board, but thought I'd write about my journey on spiro. Let me first tell you a bit about myself. I'm about to turn 24 and have been struggling with acne since I was 12. I've tried every pill, topical, cleanser, and accutane twice, and nothing works for good. Even the accutane only kept me clear for about 3-4 months. I finally went back to the derm and he put me on 50mgs of spiro twice a day as he thinks my acne is strictly hormone related because I seem to primarily breakout on my chin and cheeks. That was about 4 weeks ago.

 

After the first week, I thought wow, this may actually be working, but then weeks 2-4 have been MEAN. I had a bad breakout on my right cheek (like 5-6 painful cysts) that are still lingering. I know its only been a month, but I'm really down. To make matters worse, I'm getting married this September and all I can think about is how my pictures are going to be extremely photo shopped and I won't be able to go in the water on my honeymoon because my makeup will wash off (and nobody wants to see that).

 

If anyone has any advice or tips I'd really appreciate it. I really want to keep posting my journey in hopes that once I get to the second or third month things will get better. I know I can't be the only bride to be who fears how she'll cover her face on her wedding day... help a girl out!

 

 

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

I think your acne will be clear by September. From most of my reading it doesn't take 10 months to clear up. congrats on the soon-to-be marriage!

[tmueller]

Thanks BMarieWantsNoAcne...I'm definitely trying to stay positive that all will be well by September! 

 

Anyone out there have a good recommendation for a non-clogging and non-oily looking sunscreen??

[RJT623]

Hi everyone,
 
I'm new to the board, but thought I'd write about my journey on spiro. Let me first tell you a bit about myself. I'm about to turn 24 and have been struggling with acne since I was 12. I've tried every pill, topical, cleanser, and accutane twice, and nothing works for good. Even the accutane only kept me clear for about 3-4 months. I finally went back to the derm and he put me on 50mgs of spiro twice a day as he thinks my acne is strictly hormone related because I seem to primarily breakout on my chin and cheeks. That was about 4 weeks ago.
 
After the first week, I thought wow, this may actually be working, but then weeks 2-4 have been MEAN. I had a bad breakout on my right cheek (like 5-6 painful cysts) that are still lingering. I know its only been a month, but I'm really down. To make matters worse, I'm getting married this September and all I can think about is how my pictures are going to be extremely photo shopped and I won't be able to go in the water on my honeymoon because my makeup will wash off (and nobody wants to see that).
 
If anyone has any advice or tips I'd really appreciate it. I really want to keep posting my journey in hopes that once I get to the second or third month things will get better. I know I can't be the only bride to be who fears how she'll cover her face on her wedding day... help a girl out!
 
 

I feel your pain and anxiety because I was the Broken Out Bride. I have had acne all my life. It was somewhat under control around the time of my engagement in Dec. 2005. A few months later, my skin got really bad...probably due to the stress of planning my Sept. 2006 wedding. So I did the worst thing I could have done...I started switching products, which sent my skin in a downward spiral. What I should have done was try to work on stress reduction (easier said than done for a bride to be!). But no, I jumped from one product to another, convinced I would find a miracle cure. It didn't happen. On my wedding day I had a huge pimple between my eyebrows, and two cysts on my chin. I had become quite the makeup artist and I covered it all pretty well. My family insisted that no one knew the acne was there but me. But that's just it. I knew it. And to this day, when I look at our wedding photos, it's the first thing I can see. I know where each bump and mark was and how hard it was to hide them. And really, I don't think anyone was fooled. My intention is not to discourage you or bring you down. It's a plea to you to please not do what I did! My advice is to stick with the Spiro and a gentle skincare routine. Try not to let wedding stress get the best of you. It really is only one day, and it will all be beautiful. Including you! Learn from my mistake. I really think if I had stuck with the products that had been working for me and learned to relax, I would have gotten over that bad breakout that made me start changing everything...and maybe my skin would have been as clear as the blue sky on my wedding day...

Hang in there, keep a positive attitude, and stick to one simple skincare approach

[Someclearday]

Man, I totally feel ya on this one. Except my wedding is in a month and I swear if my skin looks like crap I don't know how I can possibly drag myself away from the mirror to get there. I count down the days not because I'm excited, because I can see how many "healing days" I get. It sucks because all during the planning I was clear. If I would have known this was going to happen I wouldn't have even started. I'd do anything to push it back just a month to give me more time, but everyone is already booked. Good luck!

[tracy521]

Man, I totally feel ya on this one. Except my wedding is in a month and I swear if my skin looks like crap I don't know how I can possibly drag myself away from the mirror to get there. I count down the days not because I'm excited, because I can see how many "healing days" I get. It sucks because all during the planning I was clear. If I would have known this was going to happen I wouldn't have even started. I'd do anything to push it back just a month to give me more time, but everyone is already booked. Good luck!

 

you know before i got married i broke out too so i went tanning for 2 weeks before the wedding and it cleared up pretty well and then all my red marks blended in well too. i know tanning is bad but a few weeks shouldnt really hurt. also you can schedule an appointment with the derm like the week of incase any cysts or anything pop up so that you are covered. dont worry it will be ok i promise. you should get your makeup professional done too because they can cover anything. i went to clinique and had mine done for free but MAC does it too and that MAC makeup will cover so well. i went there once feeling awful about my skin and when i left i felt like a million bucks. not sure how the lady did it but you wouldnt have known i had acne when i left there. i think it was the studio fix foundation they used on me. great stuff!!

[Someclearday]

Yeah I was actually thinking about doing that. I should get some color anyway because my dress is super white and had a cutout in the back. I'm going to the derm Monday to see if maybe I can get a round of antibiotics to calm everything down (bad I know but I really need something). I do plan to make an appointment at MAC also because, yeah, amazing at covering everything!

[tmueller]

Someclearday how did the dermatologist appointment go?? My dermatologist put me on Prednisone before my best friends wedding a few years ago when i just wanted things to calm down. You could look into it... it definitely did the trick for me in terms of not letting any more pimples appear, but unfortunately you can only be on it for like 10 days. Could be worth it for the wedding though! 

 

RJT623 thank you so much for all the advice! I've really been trying to just stick to a very basic skin care regimen so hopefully that will work out.

 

Week 5 Spiro Update: I woke up this morning with 2 cysts forming ... they don't seem to be as big as they have been in the past so fingers crossed they will subside quickly! I still feel as though my skin is pretty oily. Anyone on spiro know about how long it took for the slick look to start decreasing??

 

Thanks to everyone that's been posting on here... it's so great having a community of people going through the same stuff.

[tmueller]

So good news is the cysts both came to a head fairly quickly so I was able to extract. Now I just have a bunch of little white bumps along my cheeks and chin... not sure if this is normal, like a way of my skin purging...

 

Still pretty oily throughout the day and having to blot, but hopefully that will subside soon, heading towards summer I'd really like not to look like a grease ball, it really makes trying to cover up my acne impossible

[RJT623]

Sounds like things are going okay for you. I hope you continue to see results with Spiro. Hopefully your skin will be less oily soon and you can be carefree this summer. Makeup+oily skin+acne+summer...not a good equation! Hang in there!

[skindeepstory]

So good news is the cysts both came to a head fairly quickly so I was able to extract. Now I just have a bunch of little white bumps along my cheeks and chin... not sure if this is normal, like a way of my skin purging...

 

Still pretty oily throughout the day and having to blot, but hopefully that will subside soon, heading towards summer I'd really like not to look like a grease ball, it really makes trying to cover up my acne impossible

 

Hi TMueller,

 

I'm also just starting week 6 of spiro.  My skin is just a bit better than it was when I started, but not much.  I would be upset about but I've actually been through this process once before and I remember it took 3-4 months.  But when it worked, WOW, my skin was perfect. 

 

I have no doubt your skin will be beautiful by September.  I don't know how many mg's your taking, but if you really don't see a difference in your skin and it's been a good amount of time (3-4 months) check with your doctor about upping the dosage.  That usually does the trick.  There seems to be a magic number on this medicine.  That was the case for me and for many other women.  150mg was perfect for me.  If I went to 125mg I'd start getting breakouts.  So, trial and error is key. 

 

Don't get discouraged.  I promise results are around the corner!! 

 

And by the way, I am a stress case, but when I was on spiro, it didn't matter how stressed I was.  I never broke out.  I'm telling you, my skin was perfect!  It's such a miracle.

 

Sending lots of support your way.  Glad I have a spiro buddy

 

Sierra

skindeepstory.wordpress.com

[Someclearday]

My derm appt was pretty good! I got a round of antibiotics to calm everything down and I'm on the 30 day waiting to possibly start Accutane (not sure if you saw my other thread)
Wedding is in two weeks:/ all I can hope is that I don't have any new breakouts so the ones I have can subside. I'm committing to leaving my hand off my face as much as possible until then

[tmueller]

So good news is the cysts both came to a head fairly quickly so I was able to extract. Now I just have a bunch of little white bumps along my cheeks and chin... not sure if this is normal, like a way of my skin purging...

 

Still pretty oily throughout the day and having to blot, but hopefully that will subside soon, heading towards summer I'd really like not to look like a grease ball, it really makes trying to cover up my acne impossible

 

Hi TMueller,

 

I'm also just starting week 6 of spiro.  My skin is just a bit better than it was when I started, but not much.  I would be upset about but I've actually been through this process once before and I remember it took 3-4 months.  But when it worked, WOW, my skin was perfect. 

 

I have no doubt your skin will be beautiful by September.  I don't know how many mg's your taking, but if you really don't see a difference in your skin and it's been a good amount of time (3-4 months) check with your doctor about upping the dosage.  That usually does the trick.  There seems to be a magic number on this medicine.  That was the case for me and for many other women.  150mg was perfect for me.  If I went to 125mg I'd start getting breakouts.  So, trial and error is key. 

 

Don't get discouraged.  I promise results are around the corner!! 

 

And by the way, I am a stress case, but when I was on spiro, it didn't matter how stressed I was.  I never broke out.  I'm telling you, my skin was perfect!  It's such a miracle.

 

Sending lots of support your way.  Glad I have a spiro buddy

 

Sierra

skindeepstory.wordpress.com

Did you get little white bumps on your chin/cheeks when you went through it the first time? It's like they're little whiteheads, but stuff doesn't come out... it's so strange.  I keep waiting to get to that third month and really see a difference, so if course I'm stressing out even more when I think I see improvement and then it gets worse again... but I trust that it will get better, everyone who's been on it loves it. I love that there is someone on it and in the same part of the process as I am. Great to compare notes!

[skindeepstory]

Did you get little white bumps on your chin/cheeks when you went through it the first time? It's like they're little whiteheads, but stuff doesn't come out... it's so strange.  I keep waiting to get to that third month and really see a difference, so if course I'm stressing out even more when I think I see improvement and then it gets worse again... but I trust that it will get better, everyone who's been on it loves it. I love that there is someone on it and in the same part of the process as I am. Great to compare notes!

 

Hmm...I didn't get exactly what you are describing.  I have little bumps with no head.  They are small and skin colored and luckily they are starting to disappear.  I feel like your skin is just purging, as you wrote.  Hang in there!!  Every day I wake up I think "yes, another day closer to clear skin!"  That really has been helping me get through this spiro process.

 

It's definitely nice to have someone to compare notes to!  My skin is improving very slowly but surely.  Today I don't have any cysts!  I do have a few whiteheads, plenty of those skin colored bumps, and a few healing pimples that are impossible to cover up. 

 

Okay, this might be gross, but here goes anyway.  I try so hard not to pop my pimples, but when they get to be so big, they basically pop themselves.  Sometimes it happens when I wash my face (no matter how gentle), sometimes if they are on my cheek then they pop when I smile (yeah, those are fun ones...) and sometimes when I wake up in the morning they've popped in the middle of the night.  Then I have a half-popped pimple and there's kind of no choice but to get the rest of the goo out.  Ugh, this is such a gross topic, sorry.  Does anyone else have this problem? 

 

Good ole acne.org, where I can talk about literally anything!  Haha...

 

Sierra

skindeepstory.wordpress.com

Edited by skindeepstory, 17 February 2013 - 08:31 PM.

[tmueller]

Did you get little white bumps on your chin/cheeks when you went through it the first time? It's like they're little whiteheads, but stuff doesn't come out... it's so strange.  I keep waiting to get to that third month and really see a difference, so if course I'm stressing out even more when I think I see improvement and then it gets worse again... but I trust that it will get better, everyone who's been on it loves it. I love that there is someone on it and in the same part of the process as I am. Great to compare notes!

 

Hmm...I didn't get exactly what you are describing.  I have little bumps with no head.  They are small and skin colored and luckily they are starting to disappear.  I feel like your skin is just purging, as you wrote.  Hang in there!!  Every day I wake up I think "yes, another day closer to clear skin!"  That really has been helping me get through this spiro process.

 

It's definitely nice to have someone to compare notes to!  My skin is improving very slowly but surely.  Today I don't have any cysts!  I do have a few whiteheads, plenty of those skin colored bumps, and a few healing pimples that are impossible to cover up. 

 

Okay, this might be gross, but here goes anyway.  I try so hard not to pop my pimples, but when they get to be so big, they basically pop themselves.  Sometimes it happens when I wash my face (no matter how gentle), sometimes if they are on my cheek then they pop when I smile (yeah, those are fun ones...) and sometimes when I wake up in the morning they've popped in the middle of the night.  Then I have a half-popped pimple and there's kind of no choice but to get the rest of the goo out.  Ugh, this is such a gross topic, sorry.  Does anyone else have this problem? 

 

Good ole acne.org, where I can talk about literally anything!  Haha...

 

Sierra

skindeepstory.wordpress.com

Yes the lovely "purging" lol. yay for no cysts though... that is a good sign! I totally hear you about having the healing ones that you can't cover up, sometime I feel like those are worse than my actual pimples... is that crazy?! I've thought about tanning (terrible I know) to help them fade a little bit faster.. bad idea?

 

I feel if you're getting pimples that are popping on their own then it's probably fine to get the last little bit out. I try not to pop any until there is a head, but I've also had some pop while washing my face. Hopefully all of this will stop for us soon.

 

Question: I love getting facials... does anyone on Spiro know/think this can help or hurt the process??

[tracy521]

i got a facial a few weeks ago and i am on spiro and i think it helped some of my clogged pores from turning into cysts. also they are nice to get because they can squeeze all the crap out of your pores without leaving red marks.

[tmueller]

uhhh... woke up this morning with 3 new cysts. Granted they are small (hopefully they will stay that way), but I thought I was starting to take the turn towards clear skin. 6 weeks is obviously too soon to tell....staying positive!

[tmueller]

Two of the cysts came to a head so hopefully they will heal fast. The other is just sitting there taunting me.

 

Confession Time: I live with my fiance and sometimes I make up excuses to go to bed before him or after him so he doesn't have to see me without my makeup. Obviously he knows I have acne.. the make up isn't magic, but for some reason I hate him seeing me with red marks all over. I know he loves me, I mean my gosh he asked me to marry him, and he always tells me he doesn't care about my skin, but I know he's just being nice. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and him tell me I'b beautiful before I bolt to the bathroom and put on my mask...  insecure moment 500 sorry all 

[Jessie09]

I completely understand. I feel the exact same way. My biggest dream is to wake up with no makeup on and feel confident that my skin looks good. It's natural to want your fiance to think you are beautiful, in and out. I hope the Spiro works for you! I'm trying it again after using it on and off for the last year...

[RJT623]

In regards to your confession...I think a lot of us can relate. I've been with my husband for 13 years and when my skin is bad, I dread for him to see me without my makeup. But he reminds me that my skin needs a break from the makeup and it needs to breathe, especially when it's bad. So we usually compromise...I wash my face, but keep the lights dim