Acne.org Products
I came to this site when Google sent me to a thread on this topic. Since it seems that thread hasn't been active for a few years, I thought it'd be useful to start a new one.
I went on Othro Tri-Cyclen Lo a little over a year ago expressly to control my acne, which was on both my face and back (and sometimes chest! Party time). I switched to Trinessa Lo about eight months in. My acne cleared up significantly and, surprisingly, my rosacea also lessened. Altogether my looks improved. The only skin problem on the pill was that whatever acne appeared seemed to scar more easily; I have white scars on my chest all of a sudden.
Because of various side effects, I decided to ditch the pill about three weeks ago. Since then, my skin has been getting steadily worse. Painful, deep zits; small white zits; acne on my back, acne on my shoulders, and my face is very dry, especially on my cheeks near my nose, where it is actually flaking. My rosacea has reappeared and I seem to flush red with greater ease.
I've made an appointment with my aesthetician - whom I trust very much and who is also a healer of various sorts - for a facial next week. Mostly I hope she can give me some insight into rebalancing my system. I'll also go to my gyno for insight, though to be honest I have rather more faith in my aesthetician.
TO SUM UP
Time on pill:
About a year
Time since stopping:
About three weeks
My treatment plans:
Clean eating
Alcohol and sugar avoidance
Facial
Gyno visit
That's it so far. If anyone's interested, I'll report back. How about you guys? I would love to follow your journeys as well. Wishing you all the best!
It's so common for acne to occur when coming off the pill. In some people it can even happen months later. It just depends on how your body responds to the change in hormones. Usually the worst breakouts happen 4-12 weeks after stopping, on average, based off posts I've read here and including my own experience.
Honestly, diet, exercise and hydration are all key to maintaining good health/skin overall, but severe hormone fluctuations from stopping the pill are usually best dealt with ASAP with a stabilizer. Some people seem to have luck on antibiotics but personally that did not help me. It's worth giving it a try to get you through the rough patch, though. You can try Spiro on a short or long term basis if your health is good [no low blood pressure]. Then there's working with a holistic doctor to use herbal blends to stabilize. If you're oily, have excess hair [even in tiny amounts, particularly on the chin], and get jawline zits it's likely androgen sensitivity. The fact you're getting zits on the back/shoulders also points to possible androgen sensitivity, since male/androgenic acne tends to present on the chest, neck, back and shoulders.
You have many different options. But I highly suggest you get it looked into ASAP since once the bad breakouts off the pill start, they can persist for months or just never let up if the pill was masking an underlying hormone balance that's free to rage war on your skin again.