michi31

That's interesting because they say the more the bruising, the better the results. But you seemed to have good results without much bruising. Who is your doc?

Hey there - I am so bad at knowing the different names of acne. I will tell you that I rarely had a painful deep cyst, but more painless red bumps. I used to get the kind that would have white puss come out but it became more commonly the red bumps with no head - I believe they are called pastules? I will definitely let you know how things go - especially when I stop the mino because that will be the real test. Can't wait to find out the results of your hormone test! I have had extensive testing over the past few months. My testosterone is super low, but so is my estrogen and I believe this is the problem. Everything else is normal. When do you get the results?

Hi ladies. Just wanted to say good luck to you. I am 14.5 weeks into Spiro 100mg and minocycline 50mg a day. The mino helped right away (I started it a couple weeks before Spiro) and in the last couple weeks I have been pretty much clear. I am hoping it is the spiro kicking in but I am still oily which really worries me. My endo said Spiro can take 6-9 months. Hang in there! (And I would think about going up to 100mg at least).

Thanks for updating. Don't worry about being a downer, we are all in this together. It helps to express how we feel sometimes and have people know what we are going through and be supportive. You're not crazy about the contacts thing. Sometimes when I go to the bathroom I don't look in the mirror at all or just keep the light off. Sometimes I come back out and wash my hands in the kitchen so I don't have to risk looking in the mirror. Then I think consciously about what I'm doing and thing wow I am nuts, but it just shows how bad I'm feeling. Have you opened up to your husband/sister/family/friends about how you're feeling? What do they say? How is the redness? I'm glad you have a follow up appointment to discuss your concerns. Don't give up hope - I was just reading about someone who had dermabrasiona and up until 6 months they thought they had made a mistake and then they were happy. I believe your skin will get better than it is now. Keep us posted. Thinking of you!

I agree, I am so greatful for this forum. It is the only place I have that I can come to and know other people are going through the same thing. The advice and recommendations have been priceless. I can't imagine what people must have gone through before this was available.

Well the least would be Yaz or Yasmin as that is anti-androgen. However if you had problems with Spiro you might have similar problems with those. Here is a link to a great explanation and chart. To determine the androgenicity of b.c. progestin you have to multiply the relative androgenicity by the amount of progestin used. So you could have a highly androgenic progestin such as desogestrel, but when you multiply this by the amount used in desogen - it actually comes out to be among the lowest androgenic pills. I think this is why there is so much confusion. You have to go through each one and do the math.

 

http://www.fainamd.c...est Handout.pdf

I have been on spiro for 6 weeks and minocycline 50mg for 7 weeks. I went from 50-100mg of spiro in 10 days as that was my prescribed dose. Both my endo and derm think 100mg is the minimum effective dose. I was on spiro for 1 week before and developed a deep cyst that i had never had the likes of before which lasted for 3 months. So i knew i needed help with the ib. So it is my second try and so far so good. My skin is clearer than it has been in awhile. I am scared i will break out when i stop the mino but hoping it won't be terrible until Spiro kicks in. I do think i have less oil although if anything my sex drive has gone up which i take as a bad sign. But to answer your question, yes minocycline has helped with the initial breakout.

That is so interesting that you were diagnosed with PCOS even though your testosterone is low. Even though I have acne, facial hair and irregular periods the endo sad I do not have PCOS because all my hormones are normal/low, I am thin (not insulin resistant) and do not have ovarian cysts. What other symptoms of PCOS do you have? I 100% agree about it showing up in your skin instead of your blood - that is what my endo said is happening too. My only fear is that Spiro won't work because my testosterone is so low. On a normal scale of 8-48, it is a 7. Free testosterone is a 0.2 on a normal scale of 0-2.2. Do you know what your numbers are? Because I believe the progestin in Diane works the same way as spiro - it needs a certain amount of testosterone to compete against. So if that worked for you then that is a good thing.

They do not offer Belara where I live, or Diane for that matter. My next move after Spiro is to try Ortho Cyclen. I don't really want to go on the pill again - I was on it for 12 years straight - not even realizing I was on one of the worst kinds for acne. When I came off I didn't regain a normal period. I ended up doing IVF to get pregnant. I REALLY want to try flutamide because it is a "pure" agonist so there is no chance of it having androgenic effects, but every doctor is afraid of it's side effects; liver hepotoxcity. Why won't they develop an anti-androgen for women for this purpose? They would make so much money..

I think what you say about Accutane is true. I am going to try to resolve this hormonally first. What topicals do you use? I'm glad to touch base with someone else with LOW testosterone because I think that makes a difference in what treatments will work.

hi Michi13,

I understand your pain about the acne and skin affecting you trust me, i have had days when i didn't want to leave the house (and it actually happened a few times ) and i get the cysts that hurt really bad like they are under the skin. I am 100% sure they are hormonal as i have PCOS. I decided to go back on BCP pills because they also bring down the LH level (which can also cause breakouts because of the 'surge' of hormones). You're blood tests for testosterone can come back normal. Mine came back on the very low end, and my doctor told me (and you can look this up) that although it doesn't show up in 'tests', the results of the imbalance within your body show up in your andogen receptors (such as Acne and extra hair etc).

if you get them on your chin its 100% hormonal and even if you take accutane you run the chance of them coming back. but ultmately the decision is yours.

there is BCP that really helps, for example, YAZ and Belara (not sure if its available where you are but its considered the 'beauty pill' as it helps skin and hair and doesn't affect weight). Look up studies on google, Belara and acne for eg.

i dont think they will affect your fertility either, to be honest within a few weeks off the pill you may ovulate and be able to get pregnant. My mom used to get hormonal acne, and went off the pill. when she went off them to have babies she had no isses and back on them within 3 months of delivery i think. Dont worry too much. you don't have to suffer with the acne, there are solutions but accutane is the most extreme option you know. I feel like with that drug you have to really suffer for to get the clear skin and there is no guarantee it won't come back. I even said to my doctor, I just want my acne gone and accutane can cure me . She was like "Who said it will cure you?". I then told her its the only permanent cure and she said POTENTIAL, and its NOT a cure, it provides long term remission and if you are VERY lucky it will never return but skin regains its oil producing abilities and she has patients come back up to 12-18 months later when they see acne return. if  there is underlying hormone problems its best to tackle it on that end.

Hope you have the best weekend possible, even staying in. How are the red marks doing - any fading at all?

Sorry, didn't mean to imply it would negatively impact fertility! I have no idea if it does. Just that the amount of time it takes for it to work - doesn't make sense if you are getting pregnant soon and would just have to go off of it.

Honestly, feel free to disagree with me but I don't think it takes 3 months for acne to form - at least not all acne. I have had too many times where acne popped up suddenly when I could relate it to something that just happened. For example, when I got pregnant - BOOM - cysts. They came on before I took the test even. I've also had sudden clearances when my hormones shifted. So maybe some acne takes 3 months, but i"m not sure I'm even convinced of that...

Hope today went well! Good luck with healing!

Yes it is ridiculously hard to find a doctor that does this. The nearest one I could find is 2 hours away. I wish we could compile some sort of list of doctors who perform this, and other treatments.

Gosh, really? Your skin is fine. I don't think a guy needs to have a perfect, doll-face look. A little rugged is considered more attractive by many. I don't see anything wrong with your skin.

Oh honey I totally understand waht you're going through. Except in my case it was my husband I was afraid to talk to. Ridiculous, right? Everytime I went to tell him about my skin and how I felt, it was like I was jumping off a cliff. Finally, I just said something to him in the middle of the night, in the dark bedroom and he was so sweet and supportive, and has been ever since. I'm still dealing with this anxiety, but opening up to him was a huge step forward for me. My suggestion is to just do it no matter how afraid you are. You have to ask yourself, "can I live the rest of my life like this?" If the answer is no, you just have to say something. If he is worth it, he will be understanding. The hiding makes it so much more stressful and opening up will actually feel good when you do.