Hello Haelyn,

I'm sorry to hear about yor break outs. You might be on to something with regard to hormonal acne. If you have not made any recent changes on your habits or your lifestyle then there is a possibility that you are having break outs due to changes in your hormonal levels. Pregnancy and age plays a role on our hormones. Even birth control pills can change our body's chemistry if we use it for a prolonged period of time.

Accutane should be considered a last resort when treating acne. Although it is effective, there are also some side effects that comes along with it such as hair loss, nausea, and even sleep disorders. If you are planning to have another child, this treatment may not be for you since it does cause some deformities with babies if Accutane is still in your system during pregnancy.

I would suggest that you consult with your doctor on the safest and most effective way to treat your acne.Hope this helps. Cheers!

First some background- I never had bad acne as a teen, just a few normal breakouts from poor skin care and hair products (oh those 90's bangs and all the hairspray they required). Once I hit my 20's I started getting cystic acne mostly on my chin. My derm put me on Duac and Tazorac (the brown tube, not sure if cream or gel or strength etc) and I was taking Yasmine BC continuously (to skip as many periods as possible in order to avoid severe migraines). It all worked after a few months, progressively fewer and fewer visits to get cysts injected until none for years! After about 3 years I switched from Tazorac to Retin A micro because the Tazorac was just crazy irritating. Things stayed positive. even through 2 breaks from the BC and retinols to have a couple kids (took 6 months to get pregnant the 1st time, 11 months the 2nd time so including the pregnancies the breaks were substantial, well over a year each). Now I am 34, and being a migraine with aura patient for years and years I can no longer take BC pills and I don't really want to because they totally tanked my libido (My friends and I joke that this is how they work, you cant get pregnant without doing the deed). I am still using the retin A micro, and duac but now after 1 year off the pill have started breaking out on mainly my chin again and it is just getting worse and worse. I am now at the point where I am always broken out and this past month or 2 I literally have a new pimple everyday and I am seeing cysts again. It used to be isolated to the half of the month before and during my period (so 50% of the time I was clearing up at least) but now it is constant. I am also seeing more facial hair (because I wasn't looking sexy enough being a grown up with acne? Maybe I can just cover my chin pimples with a beard?) and I was wondering if the 2 issues are related to issues with my hormones.

Now my questions- Has anyone else been through something similar? If yes, did you find anything that worked? Should I consider going back to the Tazorac or just go for the big guns and ask for Acutane? What is Accutane treatment like as an adult? Will it worsen or speed up the signs of aging? (I have been doing pretty dang good so far, people still think I am in my early 20's, I do not want to rock the boat too much there). Should I be looking at the Duac at all, maybe switch that as well? Is there a safer alternative to BC for hormonal balance for women that doesnt have the same libido crushing side effects as BC? Is there something else that I could do that I havent thought to ask here? Thanks!

Thanks! I didn't know about the nausea, that makes me think twice about it actually. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with my second pregnancy, basically vowed to avoid nausea at all costs for the rest of my life after that (picture a Scarlet O'Hara "With God as my witness...!" moment). I was aware of other side effects like dry skin and lips, hair loss, liver issues etc. No more kids for us, my husband got himself "fixed" so that is not a concern anymore (one reason accutane is even on the table). I am making an appointment with my derm, just hoping someone may have had a similar experience. Hopefully I can figure this out, I am beyond tired of dealing with acne.

Hello Haelyn,

I'm sorry to hear about yor break outs. You might be on to something with regard to hormonal acne. If you have not made any recent changes on your habits or your lifestyle then there is a possibility that you are having break outs due to changes in your hormonal levels. Pregnancy and age plays a role on our hormones. Even birth control pills can change our body's chemistry if we use it for a prolonged period of time.

Accutane should be considered a last resort when treating acne. Although it is effective, there are also some side effects that comes along with it such as hair loss, nausea, and even sleep disorders. If you are planning to have another child, this treatment may not be for you since it does cause some deformities with babies if Accutane is still in your system during pregnancy.

I would suggest that you consult with your doctor on the safest and most effective way to treat your acne.Hope this helps. Cheers!

Hello Haeleyn,

I can undertand how you feel. Acne does seem unpredictable. Some people actually have acne appear on their skin on their 50's and 60's even though they never had this condition before. Unfortunately, research has not yet been able to pinpoint the exact cause of acne yet so we only have treatments available to manage the symptoms.

I actually watched Gone with the Wind. Good movie. So I can only imagine how you feel with regard to nausea. Best of luck!

 

Thanks! I didn't know about the nausea, that makes me think twice about it actually. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with my second pregnancy, basically vowed to avoid nausea at all costs for the rest of my life after that (picture a Scarlet O'Hara "With God as my witness...!" moment). I was aware of other side effects like dry skin and lips, hair loss, liver issues etc. No more kids for us, my husband got himself "fixed" so that is not a concern anymore (one reason accutane is even on the table). I am making an appointment with my derm, just hoping someone may have had a similar experience. Hopefully I can figure this out, I am beyond tired of dealing with acne.

Hello Haelyn,

I'm sorry to hear about yor break outs. You might be on to something with regard to hormonal acne. If you have not made any recent changes on your habits or your lifestyle then there is a possibility that you are having break outs due to changes in your hormonal levels. Pregnancy and age plays a role on our hormones. Even birth control pills can change our body's chemistry if we use it for a prolonged period of time.

Accutane should be considered a last resort when treating acne. Although it is effective, there are also some side effects that comes along with it such as hair loss, nausea, and even sleep disorders. If you are planning to have another child, this treatment may not be for you since it does cause some deformities with babies if Accutane is still in your system during pregnancy.

I would suggest that you consult with your doctor on the safest and most effective way to treat your acne.Hope this helps. Cheers!