Are you still using finacea? Does it help?
Yes! I'm still on Finacea and I suppose it helps. It certainly doesn't hurt. Since my acne is mostly hormonal the Finacea could only do so much. I'd say the Spiro does most of the work and the Finacea helps the surface zits and white heads. I started both around the same time so it's hard to tell what is helping with what.
Those little bumps on my cheeks seem to be doing nothing. Not really sure what they're doing. I think they might be smaller though. I also got a nice white head on the left side of my chin. Lovely. Ah well I'm still pretty pleased. Keeping my fingers crossed that time will help kick it all in the butt.
Day 64
I guess this is week 9?? Or going on to week 10 I suppose. So far still pretty good. Randomly got a white head thing on my forehead. It's not big but I rarely get them there. Probably from sweating and such. Stuff on the cheeks is going away. Never really amounted to anything. The white head on my chin is scabbed over... waiting for that to heal. Just put a little neosporin on it to help. Face isn't perfect but it's really a TON better. I don't feel embarrassed to go out with out make up on. I look better with it on, but it's not bad. I look more like the girl who has clear skin with a zit here or there than the girl who has bad acne. I have a possible contender for a gross cystic like zit on my left cheek bone. It's been there forever. I just picked at it. Fail. Hoping it doesn't get too bad. Right now you can't even see it with out make up. I really haven't been stressed or super upset about my skin in a few weeks which is a record by far. It used to be a day MAYBE if I was lucky two days. Never 3 weeks! Face is pretty consistent. I don't feel antisocial anymore. I used to come home from work and take my makeup off and never go out because I didn't want to put makeup on but I didn't want anyone to see me.
Time seems to be flying. So much to do school is going back soon. Gah! I hope the stresses don't get too bad especially for my skin. I AM looking forward to the cooler weather. I'm over this 100 degree and 70% humidity crap that has been a nightmare for acne sufferers.
I also have lost 10lbs since I've been on the medicine. Nice little bonus.
I'd say I found my answer. Knock on wood.
Harumph. That zit on my cheek I popped and white stuff came out but now it's all red and scared like. Ugh. and I feel like I'm getting one on my lip. Of all places! My cheeks seem to have a few little bumps on them... but really I think I've always had that. I dunno, I've always been so focused around my mouth I never noticed. But I do remember having little bumps as a teenager that never really did anything or never got bad. I'm thinking that isn't hormonal since it's around my nose and I've always had it. Forehead is good. The one zit thing is healing but still kinda red. No deep ones like I used to get. The one on my cheek was my worst and it wasn't THAT bad.
Skin is kinda dry. Wondering if that is causing the bumps around my nose and cheeks. I need to moisturize more. I didn't have any tonight so I used a tiny tiny bit of vaseline on the super dry spots. Hoping this wasn't an awful idea.
Mostly still clear-ish. Definitely better. Not 100 percent. I'd say 80 percent better. Plus scaring. Sooo kinda annoyed about that. Just giving it some time. It hasn't been even three months yet so I'm hopeful yet!
Well...still smooth and scared. I'm an idiot and picked at a spot on my right cheekbone. A little white sebum came out but now it's a scabby. I NEED TO STOP PICKING. Boo. Now I have 2 cankersores in my mouth which is unrelated, but man they hurt. I was so used to acne hurting. So still a lot clearer than before. I have my up and down moments. When I feel my face I'm like ahhh this is great. Then I see it and am like SCARS! But I can deal for now. Sooo I"ve just been using the mineral powder concealer with no foundation since the powder shows my dry spots and the liquid feels so heavy. Anyone have any ideas for good concealers??? I was thinking about going to Lancome to see what they have. I heard good things about it. I don't know. I wish I had found spiro before my pigmentation scaring got so bad!!!
I know how you feel about wanting to begin spiro before the scarring got so bad!! I wish I had, too. If I had started spiro years ago instead of doxy, I'd have clear skin now with far fewer scars... Ah well.
As for makeup, whats your current makeup routine? Concealers I don't have much knowledge about because I've never used one, but maybe lancome will have something...
Honestly I just moisturize and put my face meds on and add a little concealer which I really like. But it doesn't give as much coverage as I would like when I go out for special occasions and stuff. I don't mind a little scaring showing when I'm at work or whatever. But I was hoping to find a foundation that wasn't so gross and thick as the one that I use occasionally. I love lancome but it's so darn expensive!!
Maybe look into a simple powder foundation? Liquid foundation makes my face feel soooo heavy. I've been looking at stuff from everyday minerals. their prices seem great and I've heard good things. I like powder because its buildable and you can either use a tiny bit for sheer coverage or more to hide marks. Plus, it's a natural spf and stuff. (:
Plus they have powder concealer and stuff to help hide redness if you need it.
I'll have to check it out. I guess I just have had a bad experience with powder because it was orange and made my dry skin look horrible. I think I just need to find another powder. I did have the Lancome stuff that I liked. But I ill check out your recommendation esp since it'll probably be cheaper!! Thanks!!
What up guys?? Hope everyone is doing well. My face is still freakishly clear. I did get a zit by my lower right lip which sucks but I can deal. Everywhere else is clear. It was one of those zits that has clear fluid inside and just oozes ya know? Super gross.
I did want to mention that my period is super irregular. I really need to start documenting it. I had like 4 days where I was spotting and then I was done. I used to have a regular pattern. I'd have the period and I'd notice the ovulation and I could tell when I was about to start again when I got all the PMS symptoms. So far I really don't have any of that. Not sure what my vagina is doing. I'm always just to lazy to document my period shenanigans. I'll let you know if this is a problem. Honestly I don't feel bad or feel like my hormones are crazy. I feel actually more stabilized.
I just started school again and I"m super stressed so we'll see how my face holds up. I have sooo much to do it's ridiculous. Other than the weird period though I don't really have any other side effects. I guess I might have to pee a bit more often than I used to but it's not unmanageable. If anyone else is reading this and is struggling with acne I'd like to hear from you!! I've been on this almost three months and I can try to answer any questions!
Love lots 
So I'm 21 and I like to have a drink occasionally but I've noticed now that with the Spironolactone in addition with the Fluoxetine I'm taking that I really can't drink anymore. Both of these drugs have adverse effects with alcohol and I'm pretty bummed about it. I had a few recently and was completely drunk after an amount that wouldn't have been a big deal before. I also feel so dehydrated in the morning and dizzy and lightheaded. I'm guessing this is partly from the spiro. No more drinking for me. I guess I'll stick to just Coke.
Ugh 2 zits around my lip. Well one is like ON my upper lip. It kinda looks like a cold sore except white stuff came out. The bottom one is still healing but not bad. Just in that phase where it's scabbing and kinda gross.Hoping it disappears soonish. I've been putting neosporin on it and it seems to be helping. Still no big drastic acne. I think those days are behind me. My cheeks are finally starting to really show improvement. LIke they were smooth before but now the scaring is minimalized and the scabs are all healed. They say it takes three months to really see results and well I'm almost there and I think I'm seeing them!!!
I'm hoping this works. So ya'll can see what kind of clearing up I've had in a little under three months. This is me without makeup one and my topical on ready to go to bed.
Thanks!! I'm pulling for you!!! I definitely had my ups and downs. Cystic acne is the worst. Try and keep your spirits up!!! Let me know how it goes!
Whoa! Just realized I"m 86 days in!! Guess this stuff is working. I almost don't need to topical anymore. I still like washing my face twice a day. I use clean and clear with 10% BP since that what my derm told me to use. I also bought a baby brush since people said that was good for exfoliating the skin. It could be a total sham but it was like 2.50 so... whatever. I did try it and it seemed to be ok. I just gotta make sure I clean it inbetween uses. Anyone else heard of the baby brush thing??
wow, your skin looks absolutely amazing!! Mine isn't doing as well, but it's improving! I'm also having horribly horribley irregular periods. I'm gonna go on birth control (finally switching docs!) to regulate this stupidness. ): So frustrating! I usually can tell when I will get it but the past few months its been two weeks early or a week early all the time, now it's like a week late. I had two in august, nothing in september and nothing yet. I really hope I start it soon because otherwise, I'm gonna get a little freaked out lol.
My hair is still just as oily...I did get dehydrated today though. I had to make a late-night run to the gas station for ice cold water!!
Wow Ladies...I just caught up on your posts...Your face looks amazing! The spiro dose is kinda high....Your blood work all well? Just curious. My daughter is on like 25 mg...and BC, and the dr wants her to keep up with blood testing (freaks her little body out!) But, I am so hoping this works for her...Really trying not to have her take accutane. She is just under a month of what the dr is a good dose...Do you know when you started to notice anything...Her zits do seem to "pop" different. And those darn cysts are so painful for my daughter. Mom of Girl
after about a month and a half to two months I noticed that if I got a zit it was much smaller and healed faster. I haven't had a cyst in about two months now. My blood results came back a little high in some are, so I'm getting retested nov 1st. I'm just hoping I can stay on it.
Minor flare up right now. Not sure what's up. I've been really clear for a while. I'm thinking I've been really stressed. It's still nothing like it was before. I just have two zits on my upper lip that are poorly placed. They just seem super noticeable. I also accidentally forgot to take 75 mgs for three days in a row. Whoops. I'm thinking I'm fine. I also picked. I have some spots that are smooth but I picked at them and now they're red. My own damn fault. It's still loads better than it used to be.