It's been about a week since I posted and my skin looks pretty great. The last three days were the clearest I've been in months! I only had one big zit on my forehead (which is normally clear, but oh well) and the rest of my face is smooth and healing.

I still have a lot of red spots, but as long as no new ones form, I'm happy to wait it out while they heal.

This morning I felt one small zit forming on my cheek but everything else is looking really good. My roommates have even complimented me (one of them started drinking ACV because this seems to be working so well!) I started using the AHA lotion as a moisturizer and then Cetaphil lotion if it still felt dry. It makes my skin feel so nice!

I'm going to keep it up and hope for even more improvement.

Here's an update on what's happenin' on my face It is looking MUCH better than it was a month ago. Although the breakouts are still coming, they are less frequent, more manageable and definitely improved.

My forehead has been totally clear for the last three weeks and my cheeks (which were horrible) are not so horrible. It's still the worst, but it mostly looks bad because of red marks left from before. My chin now only gets very small whiteheads (at most).

The main thing is that my skin feels much smoother and healthier than it did when I was on Differin. I wake up and it is so soft (from the ACV I think). I can wear liquid or powder makeup (clinique or bare minerals) without a bunch of bumps showing up, which is a huge plus since I am going on job interviews right now and don't want to look like a 14 year old.

My period is coming, so this month I am going to take the chaste tree berry/vitex extract continuously instead of stopping for that week like I did last month. Hopefully this will help even more.

A few people suggested going off dairy and red meat. I very rarely eat red meat and the only dairy I usually eat is cheese (1-2 servings/day). I switched to soy milk over a year ago and eat yogurt just occasionally with falafel or something. I will try my hardest to be even more conscious of my dairy intake and see what happens!

Inside:

Vitamin B Complex

Fish Oil

Women's multivitamin

Zinc (added this last week)

Vitex (1/2 dropperful 3x day)

Dermal Health herbal blend (1/2 dropperful 3x day)

Apple Cider Vinegar (1 T in water, 3x daily) to balance pH

Lots of water and moderate exercise

Outside:

Cetaphil wash

Apple cider vinegar as a toner diluted a little with water (night)

Tea tree oil (spot treatment AM/PM)

Cetaphil lotion (day)

Neutrogena Healthy Defense with AHA lotion (night/ sometimes day too)

i'm still keeping up this routine (above) but i added a little jojoba oil in with my AHA moisturizer. i like it but just at night. i put just a tiny bit in if my face is flaky and i need to wear makeup but otherwise night is better because it takes a while to soak in.

i'm not happy my skin right now and am feeling a bit discouraged. it seems to be improving a little but i broke out right before my period. i'm going on vacation next week (camping in a warmer climate) so we'll see what happens without makeup/modern conveniences and with a little sunshine and sea weather (salt is supposed to be great but i'm worried about sticking to my routine).

if i don't see improvement by summer, i'm going to think about going back on the pill or the patch because i can't go through this for the rest of my life. i've only been dealing with this for about six months, but it has been horrible.

i am thankful i didn't have to go through this as a teenager (i am so sorry for those who did) because my self-esteem would have been at zero. it brings out this obsessive vanity in me that i never realized i had. more than just the acne itself, i'm tired of feeling so preoccupied with my skin. the brain power devoted to my face could be used for other, more creative endeavors.

I was worried about that mid-March vacation and it turns out that I had nothing to worry about. My skin was alright on the trip and then when I got back, I changed up my products. I think I found something that works for me. Unfortunately it is mostly using products that aren't natural or eco-friendly.

I gathered up some of my old products and created a new system and I have been 99% clear for the last three weeks!!!

I now use Phisoderm face wash, Clearasil pads with salicylic acid, Mederma scar gel, cetaphil or neutragena AHA lotion with jojoba oil and tea tree oil as a spot treatment for the few zits I still get (maybe one per week).

I'm drinking a little ACV each day and taking a multivitamin, vitamin c, vitamin b, fish oil and zinc.

I see the major contributor to my acne not improving was vitex herbal supplement. As soon as I stopped taking that and the dermal health blend herbs, I started to clear up and I stopped having birth control-like side effects.

I have only one zit right now and it's on my forehead, somewhere I did not get hormonal breakouts during the past six months. It maybe a big one, but I'm totally happy to have it if it means my body is pretty much back in balance again.

I'm confident I'll see my red marks fade within a year or so (hopefully less) and the Mederma seems to be helping.

We had great sunny weather last week and my face is even clearer as a result. I know that the sun tempers my acne but does anyone know what it does for red marks?

I have heard that tanning can make them worse or last longer. I haven't noticed a difference in them from my exposure the last few days, but I have been careful about wearing SPF and was only out for a few hours maximum each time.

Still very clear but impatient with red marks. I am switching it up a bit to combat the discoloration on my cheeks. I'm going to continue with Phisoderm, walgreens brand scar gel and neutrogena AHA with jojoba but the Clearasil pads are rather harsh. Instead, I am going to order some Juice Beauty S.A. serum. I got it in a sample pack from Sephora and used it for about a week with GREAT results. It feels nice and it's all-natural/organic. I'll keep this updated with the results.

Any updates/????

Welp, it's been three years! I thought I should add an update on what my skin has gone through the past few of years so that it can (maybe) help some folks going through similar mid-20s hormonal acne. I seriously wish I had known at 24 what I know now.

The good news is that my skin is super clear at the moment. Unfortunately, it wasn't until recently. I'm doing a lot of things right now and am not quite sure exactly what's working... probably a combination of stuff. Makes me nervous about cutting anything out because I don't want it to come back, but I'm trying to cut out the scary prescriptions slowly.

Since my last post, my acne returned (though not full-force). In 2010, I was fed up and decided to finally try some real drugs. I've been on Spironolactone and Finacea for a few years now, which improved my breakouts enough that I've kept using them, but never really fully cleared it up.

About four months ago it worsened so I started seeing a new dermatologist who I like much better than my old one. We added a slow-release minocycline (antibiotic) called Solodyn and Ziana (topical). I didn't see a lot of improvement the first six weeks and my skin was SO dry and flaky from the Ziana, so we switched from Ziana to Epiduo to try one more month and see what happened. In that month, I also ended up changing a LOT of other things in my life, so I think the credit goes more to Epiduo and lifestyle changes than the antibiotics.

Other big changes are that I started seeing an acupuncturist who prescribed some Traditional Chinese herbs (liver clearing formula) and I started a strict paleo diet called the Whole 30. I've literally been recommending this way of eating to everyone I know, acne or not. I'll explain more about the diet below.

I'm currently weaning off of Solodyn now, so I'm hoping I'll stay clear. Next up will be getting off the Spironolactone and herbs, but not holding my breath on either of those yet.

Here's my current regimen...

AM:

-Spironolactone 100 mg

-Vitamin D

-Siler and Coix Clearing Formula Herbs (4 tablets, prescribed by my acupuncturist)

-BP Wash

-Finacea

-Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Lotion

-Dermalogica Ultracalming Serum (this stuff is EXCELLENT)

-Bare Minerals Makeup (I also have a lot of no makeup days since I work from home)

PM:

-Solodyn

-Clearing Herbs (4 tablets)

-Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse (it's a cleansing oil that I use if I have makeup on)

-Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel (super gentle)

-Dermalogica Microfoliant (maybe once a week)

-Epiduo (Benzoyl Peroxide + Adapalene)

-Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Lotion

-Dermalogica Ultracalming Serum

Paleo Diet:

NO: Dairy, Grains, Legumes, Alcohol, Starches, Processed Food

YES: Vegetables, Meat, Fruit, Nuts, Seeds, Healthy Fat

I now eat about 80-90% paleo after doing 30 days very strictly. I won't go into all the science of it since you can read into it on your own, but this diet definitely makes sense for people with hormonal acne and I so wish that I had tried it sooner. It's one of those things that I put off for a long time because the idea of totally cutting out pizza and bourbon seemed so terrible, but it's worth trying for so many reasons (I've also lost 13 lbs!). It helps maintain healthy hormone levels, healthy glycemic levels, gut health and all that jazz. It's what I think has helped the most of anything in my regimen.

Since I started eating this way, my skin is baby soft and clear (aside from maybe one or two quick-healing breakouts before my period and what I think my be ovulation). The first month wasn't easy because there was a point that it felt like my body was detoxing and my skin was getting worse, but I'm glad I waited it out because the results are insane. I still have red marks from old spots, but they are fading (the Epiduo, Finacea and Calming Serum help) and I feel comfortable enough to at least go to the gym without any makeup on (something that I sadly wouldn't have done earlier this year). When I do have makeup on, my skin looks flawless. It's a huge lifestyle overhaul, but it's worth it.