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Blah - Noni Juice!!!! My parents drink a shot of that stuff every morning!!! They have tried on many occasions to get me hooked on it! So yucky!!! I did try it consistently for about 2 or 3 months a while back - eventually it didn't taste AS bad... I just drank it out of a little one or two ounce plastic cup and took it super quick and then drank some water after... good luck with it! What made you decide to try it?
Haha, yeah, doesn't taste so great. You should try diluting it in some juice. I couldn't taste the Noni juice in the apple juice at all.
I wanted to try it because I heard Miranda Kerr, a model ha, loved it and said it worked nicely for her skin. It wasn't that expensive. It was $15 for 32 oz. I don't think it'll do much for my skin, but maybe it'll help me avoid a cold, idk.
On Monday, I have a doctor's appointment to try and get Sprionolactone. It's known as "Spiro" for short. It is an anti androgen which is a male hormone. I hear about how women get great results from it, but my doctor is a jerk, so he probably won't give me it. Of course I don't have any active acne right now, but I'm not going to wear any makeup and I'll bring photos. This is my last chance.
I got Spiro today 
! He said I'll start on 50 mg and then up to 100 mg.
I am making sure to take it after a meal. I hope since it nixes out the male hormone that maybe I can eat fats again? Fat raise my hormones and when pms comes around, it gives me horribly cystic breakouts.
Oh and the Purity Made Simple cleanser is gone. I returned it. It made my skin get all bumpy! Their foaming version also gave me those bumps. So much for ~pure~. I tried the DDF sulfur mask. Hopefully that will get rid of the little bumps.
It has only been four days on it. I do have a cyst forming on my jawline, but that is probably from my period and birth control being out of whack before Spiro. I am knocking that out with hydrocortisone cream. No facial break outs. I haven't noticed any side effects like having to go to the bathroom a lot. Although, on the first day I took it, I felt very tired. I don't know if I still feel it.
I'll give an update if my skin breaks out like crazy, if I notice anymore side effects, or after 2 weeks of being on it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
I have been on Spiro for two weeks now. I don't think I have had a lot of side effects on it. I did feel like I had fatigue, but it has since diminished. I did feel lethargic and somewhat depressed out of the blue, so it might be from this. I'm not sure. I had no upset stomach since I took it after a meal always. Oh and I haven't had a crazy urge to go to the bathroom like everyone says happens!
I was just about to say how my skin is clear, but then I looked in the mirror and felt a zit coming up on my chin. I popped it with a pin and now it's done. Nothing major.
I don't know if it is from the Spiro or the DDF sulfur mask, but my pores look so much smaller, smoother and tighter. I wake up in the morning with less oil. Before, I would have a huge amount of oil on my face and if I didn't wake up early enough, I would get break outs from it sitting on my skin too long. It was so annoying.
I'll update again in two weeks from now or if something bad happens!
Here is a photo of skin care products I don't touch anymore. There are even like 3-4 things not shown in the photo that I don't use either. It's a mix of moisturizers, masks, serums, creams, toners, you name it. It doesn't look so bad in photos, but all I see is wasted money! Some of the stuff is barely used since my skin is so sensitive. I didn't bother returning the majority since it was bought online.
Now I just use Likas papaya soap and Neutrogena sensitive skin lotion. I wash my face with water if I'm not wearing makeup. Sounds pretty basic to me!
The pills I currently take are probiotics before meals, Orthotricyclen Lo and Spironolactone. I stopped the zinc and other vitamins when I started Spiro because I didn't want any bad reactions.
To exfoliate, I normally get the skin off from the warmth in the shower or I use a wet cotton ball and scrub my skin. I have a Clarisonic, but I think it's only good for taking makeup off, not actually getting my flakes.
Today, I spot treated my old red marks with my 15% TCA peel. I haven't used that since earlier this year. I surely won't be doing any full face peels anytime soon!
Oh and I broke out in 2-4 zits since being on Spiro. Two were on the sides of my nose, weird, one was on my chin and the other was on the side of my face, maybe by my jaw. Pretty typical. Doesn't surprise me. It could have been from my period anyways.
Went to the doctor yesterday. He increased my Spiro dosage to 100 mg instead of 50 mg. He also prescribed me antibiotics because I still have these open wounds on my face that aren't healing. It is really crazy. I hope it clears that up.
I tried Bare Minerals makeup last week for only one day and I broke out! I wore Bare Minerals years ago, but stopped because I swore it was breaking me out. Obviously stopped it for good reason. I think I broke out in like 5 zits for wearing it for a couple hours. Horrible. I was trying to find an alternative for Everyday Minerals since that makeup turns orange on me! Ugh. I am so lost on makeup.
Yuck! The antibiotic made me so sick for two days straight. I thought it was from my new glasses giving me a headache, but it was going on for too long and was more than just a headache. I wanted to puke for days and had a bad headache. Thankfully, it is quieting down since I stopped taking it. I would say I tried taking it after a meal to see if no food is the reason I felt bad, but it wasn't. I'm sure I will try it again in the near future.
I have been trying to Atopalm face cream for a couple days now on parts of my face. I haven't experienced any break outs and it doesn't feel that greasy. It says it works well under makeup, but I haven't tried it yet. It says it can help with redness, but it takes weeks. Hopefully this works for me.
I was getting sick because of my new glasses, go figure. I am taking both meds now. I have been straying off my diet intentionally to see if the medicine helps with break outs. It does. In the past, I would have gotten cystic pimples all over. I do however have a giant cystic pimple on the side of my nose!! I don't know why I keep breaking out there. I think it could be from my sleeping mask, but why a huge, cystic zit? Ugh. Those are really painful too.
I need to start looking for a new face wash. I only use more than water when removing makeup. My Likas papaya soap is too harsh for my skin now. I am wondering about oil based cleansers, but I would hate to get a crazy break out from it. Some people don't react well.
I am thinking about trying to Metazene gel again. It has niacinamide in it. I think I stopped it because it was giving me very tiny bumps where I applied it.
I still have broken out other than the zit I had on my nose, which is great.
My doctor prescribed my Vitamin D again. I never picked up last time because I really didn't want to be seen in public. Back then, my skin was really gross and the last thing I wanted to do was go into a store and wait for medication. I am taking the Spironolactone, Minocycline, Orthotricyclen Lo and Vitamin D in total. He said he wants me on the antibiotic for 6 months. I thought that was a long time, but he says it isn't and is against doing long term antibiotics.
I did a derma roller session on my temples and my left cheek. I was noticing the pock marks and rippling effects were showing more, so I felt desperate to try and do something. Last time I stopped was because I felt my skin was too irritated to keep doing it. I won't be doing it all over my face like before.
My doctor prescribed my Vitamin D again. I never picked up last time because I really didn't want to be seen in public. Back then, my skin was really gross and the last thing I wanted to do was go into a store and wait for medication. I am taking the Spironolactone, Minocycline, Orthotricyclen Lo and Vitamin D in total. He said he wants me on the antibiotic for 6 months. I thought that was a long time, but he says it isn't and is against doing long term antibiotics.I did a derma roller session on my temples and my left cheek. I was noticing the pock marks and rippling effects were showing more, so I felt desperate to try and do something. Last time I stopped was because I felt my skin was too irritated to keep doing it. I won't be doing it all over my face like before.
AcneJean, what was your final verdict on the sunbutter? OK or do you think it was bad?
My doctor prescribed my Vitamin D again. I never picked up last time because I really didn't want to be seen in public. Back then, my skin was really gross and the last thing I wanted to do was go into a store and wait for medication. I am taking the Spironolactone, Minocycline, Orthotricyclen Lo and Vitamin D in total. He said he wants me on the antibiotic for 6 months. I thought that was a long time, but he says it isn't and is against doing long term antibiotics.I did a derma roller session on my temples and my left cheek. I was noticing the pock marks and rippling effects were showing more, so I felt desperate to try and do something. Last time I stopped was because I felt my skin was too irritated to keep doing it. I won't be doing it all over my face like before.
AcneJean, what was your final verdict on the sunbutter? OK or do you think it was bad?
As in tasting bad or something? It tastes fine. However, I don't get that brand anymore. There was a cheaper brand with that, but then that price increased too, so I went to almond butter instead.
I just meant in terms of breakouts. Way earlier in the thread you said you weren't sure if it was causing anything and I was just wondering.
Oh, I'm not sure. It might have because I am easily affected by fats. You would know if you were because if you ate anything high in fats, even healthy fats, you would get cystic pimples from it. When I would try fish oils, 2-3 days after taking them I would get a cystic pimple the size of a dime every time.
Saw my dad last night. When we were talking, he asked if I was wearing makeup. My doctor said that too. Surprising.
I am so shocked at how the medicine stops all the break outs. I have eaten so bad. Fast food, pizza, you name it, yet no break outs. However, I have to admit that I never feel good after I eat junk food. You feel sluggish, have a stomach ache and just off. It's not something I would want to go back to doing all the time.
Used DHC cleansing oil on the upper part of my face to take off my makeup. The other half was the normal Likas papaya soap. DHC cleansing oil is a tricky thing because some people react badly to it.. Hope I don't break out from it. It would be great to use it since it is gentle.
Oh and I should add that I wore my mineral makeup for 8 hours and it was not greasy at all. Normally I am a butterball, but thanks to Spiro, I'm not. However, because I wore Bare Minerals, it did look splotchy or have a "separated" look to it. It might have been my application, from using the mineral veil or not having a lotion underneath. I am not sure. :/ I wonder if BM will break me out still since I am on meds.
Didn't break out from the BM or DHC cleansing oil. I normally get a zit when washing off the Bare Minerals. That is how fast my skin reacts to it. I only wear it unless I want to look good since EDM turns orange on me..
Took photos today. Uploaded them in my gallery.
(You can see the bottom part is slimy. That's the antibiotic gel I was prescribed. Didnt wipe it all off.)
It's 2 am. I'm tired and irritated, but I need to get this off my chest.
It really irritates me when people tell me, "Oh, guess you finally grew out of your severe cystic acne." "Oh, guess your hormones calmed down now with age." "Oh, guess birth control cleared up your skin."
Do you know how badly I wished those three things were true? In 2007, I remember believing that what I ate had nothing to do with my skin and it was all my hormones. I thought that as I scarfed down a drum stix ice cream cone and a can of soda. I remember that moment because a girl on another website was making fun of my "complexion" and I felt so hopeless because I seriously thought I was doing everything I could for my skin by taking birth control. I started taking birth control at the end of 2006. By the end of 2007, I still had severe cystic acne. Don't you think if birth control was the reason I am clear now, I would have had clear skin a year into it? Birth control helped, but if I ate foods that were bad for me, I flared up like nobody's business.
Photos don't lie! Blood tests don't lie! I got my hormones checked in January 2009 and my test came back "normal". Normal and I was still breaking out. The birth control was supposed to level out my hormones. Maybe it did, but that just proves that my hormones were not the entire cause of my cystic acne.
I am 22 years old and had cystic acne since I was 13. It will soon be a DECADE of cystic acne. A decade of wondering why everyone else could eat pizza and junk food and have glowing skin. Wondering why people could wear thick foundation and other makeup while never breaking out. Wondering why people's faces didn't look like a grease ball at the end of the day.
You think I am finally growing out of it? I have done too many experiments like a lab rat on myself to prove I am not out of the clear yet. I remember November 2009, I stupidly ate an entire pizza and a couple days later, I broke out 5 cystic pimples on my chin after having relatively clear skin around that time. I remember it because I had planned a date with a guy, but then bailed last minute because the acne brought me down too much.
I do think Spironolactone will be a big help in the long run. I have only been on it since September! However, I have gotten very bad flare ups from stupid mistakes like bad cosmetics or messing with herbs that interacted with my birth control. Crazy things like that that can set you back for months and leave post hyperpigmenation for years.
I had to get it off my chest. Bye.