Hello Girls

I'm a little behind all of you, i just finished my first pack of Diane, and my skin is completely out of control even my back is a disaster.

laura.yanice point me to this log, is great that you are sharing your progress with the pill and makes you want to keep on track

ill keep enduring this pills for at least 4 more moths, this first moth so far is been horrible

so looking forward to hear success stories shortly,

Yeah I am on the 5th pack and this week my skin isn't being as nice as it usually is. I have a few spots. I think its because I switched makeup.. whoops.

First of all HELLOOO to all the newbies on this board I really really wish I could only have good things to say about Diane, but for me it isn't going well I have actually been considering switching back to Yasmin and I need everyone's opinions!

Here's the deal: Im finishing up my third pack of Diane, and have seen next to none improvements. Not only is my acne about the same, but Diane is supposed to help with oiliness, and my face is still oily as ever!! I feel like it is just seriously not working with my body or something! So the problem is...I'm from the USA, and Diane here is banned. I have to order from an online Canadian pharmacy and it takes 2-3 weeks to get delivered. It's super expensive for me to do this...so MY QUESTION IS do you think I should buy another 3 months (or maybe 1 month) of Diane and stick it out longer and hope I see improvements by then??...or should I switch back to Yasmin (when I had the clearest skin of my life, yet still not perfect) Ugh I just don't know what to do. I have about 10 days left on Pack 3 - then I take a week off, then I either need to order more Diane or talk to my gyno about switching to Yasmin! What do you guys think!?

I really am trying to stick it out here, I guess maybe I'm just getting hopeless. But I feel like I should see SOME sort of improvement by now in any shape way or form, and I have seen virtually none. Kirst (another reader on this topic) experienced a similar story to mine and quit taking Diane, and actually saw an improvement in her skin. I dunnnoooooooo

Hello g0oo0f

Im sorry to hear that Diane is not working for you, I understand how you feel, Im about to start my second pack of Diane tomorrow and this firs month have been quite horrible, I dont think i been on the pill long enough to know if it will works or not, but I think you definitely should give Diane more time, after all you had endure the worst, ive been investigating a lot and going trough all the forums here about Diane and it seems that usually it takes 3-4 moths to start working and there is even some people that start to see any improvement after month 6th. clinical studies suggest that to achieve maximum effect you should be on the pill for at least 12 cycles (a year) this is because the hormones will slowly build up in in your system, so it seems to be a rather gradual process.

i would say give Diane a couple of months more, you don't have anything to loose and it may work for you, it would be a shame that you quit when you are about to clear up, specially since you already finished 3 packs... i still have a long way to go :S...

one question, why did you quit yasmin if it was working for you? and if it was that means your acne is hormonal so Diane dhould defenitely help with that!

I think you should definitely stick to Diane for at least one more month.

When I was on them before (which was quite some time ago that I do not remember the details), I had breakouts in the third month, and I just read some of my older posts on acne.org forums and found one in which I say I cleared up in month 4. I remember I was still oily in month 3 and my oil never completely stopped, such as with Roaccutane.

I really do not remember how it all went from month 4 on, but I think I quit some time in month 9, because I was not feeling so well with Diane - gained weight and felt more anxious and depressed, and also I think I had some cysts, which was discouraging. I will definitely stick to them for at least 4 months now.

Hang in there.

Stick to it, you just need to be patient. I think if after package 5 or definitely package 6 and no improvement, go off of it. Lots of people say Diane doesn't start showing its fully effects until package 6. I am almost done package 5 and I have realized the reason why I kept breaking out was indeed because of my makeup. So I switched back to my normal stuff and my face is 98% clear except for one spot that happened yesterday from my makeup.

I don't know, it's up to you. It sucks having to wait for so long to see improvement with this drug and the sad part is sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But you've only been using it for 3 months. Things take time, right? You can do it. Just remember, no matter what you're beautiful and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If your acne is seriously stressing you out that badly, or it keeps getting worse then maybe switch to yasmin. Nobody can tell you what to do except yourself. It depends on how you feel. If possibly waiting 2-3 more months isn't an option, then there's your answer! But you'll have to wait a bit for the yasmin to start working anyway, right? And do you really want to go back to a drug that didn't keep you 100% clear? I honestly think you will start seeing improvement soon because this is where I started to see improvement. What is your skin care routine?

Honestly my skin is still oily too. It was extremely dry the first 1-2 months but it gets used to the drug and your oiliness goes back to normal, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not working.

Hey all.....

So pretty much right after I wrote that post I researched the heck out of these boards and Sam, you're right - most people say they don't see improvements until basically the 4th month. I have decided to stick with it!! and I really REALLY don't want to jinx it..but I think things might be getting better. Or, the erymythrocin or whatever the F its called the Dr. prescribed me must be kicking in. knock on wood it keeps getting better, last time I said that I jinxed it! I seem to not be getting AS MANY pimples, though I am still breaking out...it's way less than before. And I think my cheeks are finally starting to clear up. I really like the Ery gel my doc gave me though. It seems to be working well and I'm not getting dry or peely either, which is good!

@Kirst - my current regime is:

AM:

wash with cetaphil

apply cetaphil moisturizer

apply BareMinerals foundation

PM:

wash with cetaphil

apply cetaphil moisturizer

apply Erythromycin (sorry I cannot for the life of me figure out how to spell that) gel

Thanks for the encouraging words you guys!! You're all right, it would be a shame to switch right as I'm about to hopefully get clear. Even if I switched to Yasmin, it could take another 3 months of getting used to THOSE hormones, AKA 3 more months of hell! I'll stick it out another 3 on Diane and see for sure if it's working for me or not. I am praying that month 4 brings more hope and better results to me

Hellooo All!

Been a while since I wrote on here - My internet broke! Buut i'm back!

g0oo0f, I've just read through your posts and I know how frustrated you feel right now - honestly! It's literally devastating!! I felt so damn depressed, I would wake up and the first thing on my mind would be to touch my face to feel if i've got any new spots! And then I would, and there'd be huge painful ones on my cheeks or something! Then instantly I wouldnt want to get up, i'd just want to cry and hide.

It's been about 5 weeks since i started Duac i think? And it's still bringing the same results as when I started it. Less spots! My skin is alot better than when I was on Dianette... (g0oo0f don't be discouraged it might still work for you!)

I AM still getting new spots, but NOT big ones. It's giving my skin a chance to recover from when i WAS on Dianette. My skin isn't perfect at all. I still feel low about it, but that's cos I want a miracle to happen and to have flawless skin. I need to live with the fact it won't happen...

I am considering some other form of medication to help my skin. I don't know whether to try Differin with Duac, which is apparantly a watered down version of Retin-A? g0oo0f, if you feel Retin-A is too strong, perhaps try Differin? However I have read that people do suffer initial breakouts from Differin, which i'm too scared to suffer And then i'm debating antibiotics, but I'm scared it'll make my skin worse...

If I did'n't have all my red marks, I think i'd be really happy with my skin. I am happy with how it's going, but the red marks are awful...

P.s. .. To all of you that pick your spots... I know exactly how you feel, I can't stop myself.. BUT the other day I did have 2 spots on my cheek. And I nearly popped them. I was looking in the mirror about to do it and i thought NO i'll regret it. So i walked away and left it. Yes they hurt, but to be honest i'd rather have them there than a blotchy red patch from where it was, and it will go down by itself in a few days! If you feel like squeezing ,just walk away from the mirror. Trust me, I feel alot better with myself for not picking them because theres much less chance of scarring - which is causing me to feel low right now!

The moisturiser I use is Simple Kind to Skin moisturiser, which I really like. It's very gentle and has Vitamin E in it which helps the skin

To all of you on Dianette suffering through the breakouts, I really hope it kicks in soon! it's a shame I gave up, but I really couldn't cope with it...

well I feel like updating. I am 100% clear and havent gotten any new pimples this whole week, it feels good. DIANE IS AWESOME!

Im glad to hear it Laura

G0oo0f, how you getting on now?

Duac has kinda come to a stand still for me, it has helped but no where near as much as i wanted to. i thought it would get better and better but its just stayed the same now. Soo i went back to the docs and im on the antibiotics Lymecycline... One capsule a day, man i hope these work.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW i am so frustrated. I just wrote a WHOLE LONG UPDATE and then accidentally pressed the backspace button and BOOM...all gone. F$%^ i hate when that happens!!!

Since I'm way too lazy to write ALL of that over again, i'm going to paraphrase basically what I said...

- I thought things were going better, but I am still continuing to break out... my skin is WAY better than it was two weeks ago, but still, I'm NO WHERE near clear. My progress seems to be going VERY slow and it's super frustrating. I JUST WANT CLEAR SKIN NOW

- I am still using the Erythromycin, which is a topical antibiotic that kills bacteria - it does good for popped pimples, but does nothing to prevent new ones from forming

- I still have tons of tiny bumps, pretty much all over my face - and in spots I never did before (on the sides of my face close to my ears, weird??) . They are in small patches, like 3-4 super tiny bumps all close together. Looking closer in the mirror, they look like blackheads - which makes them so tempting to push out. They are pesky and annoying won't seem to go away weather i pick them, pop them, or leave them alone!!

- Along with the tiny bumps, I am still getting big painful pimples. it seems as if they start as a clogged pore and then just gets angrier and angrier by the minute, until they are raised and painful! Grr

This might seem dumb, but what it seems like to me is that Diane is saying to my skin "hurry up, we need to get all this junk out of here so she can be clear!!" So literally all these tiny little bumps and pimples are all coming to the surface to be on their way. This should be the "purging process" and should have happened a LONG time ago - but it's still going. But, I finally feel like this should be the last of it and everything just needs to GO and HEAL!

I pray pray pray that month 4 brings me better and faster progressing improvements. I seriously dream of the day when I just STOP getting pimples...I'm so over this

OH - I forgot one big detail of my previous post that got deleted! I need all your advice on something...

So as you know I decided to order 3 more months of Diane - but since I order from an Online Canadian pharmacy, it takes a long time to ship. I am starting to get nervous my new pills won't be here in time for me to start a new pack. I just took my last pill of pack #3 - then I take a week off. So around this time next week I need to start taking my new pills, but what if they aren't here?! I guess I will have no choice but to go a few days without taking pills until the new ones arrive. Do you think this will mess up my progress too bad? The last thing I need is for my hormones to be even more of a whack...eeek! What do you guys think?

Thats happened to me before, its soo annoying!

well, I think it's good that you feel it's getting SLIGHTLY better? I also had bumps all over my face, i still do, but i do think they have improved. I'll recommend something.. which is Olay regenerist kit - microdermabrasion & mini peeling. I found this improved them a bit. But, i do have them still. Im waiting for lymecycline to clear them...

How long does it normally take for them to ship? If they are 2-3 days late, this shouldnt have a huge impact. i'd just worry about it when the itme comes, just try not to stress cos we all know stress doesnt help with our pimples!

Imfeeling pretty low about all the marks on my face. if i didnt have any marks i'd be pretty damn happy right now!! EUGH! g0o0f, did you try any antibiotics before Dianette?

Yes Kirst, I have tried a few antibiotics (oral), but none recently. A few years ago (back in high school) I tried tetracyclin, and monocyclin. Although I can't remember much about the process, I remember that both didn't do much for me. I am open to trying another oral antibiotic though, but my doc seemed like she didn't really want to prescribe any to me...when I asked for an oral antibiotic she kinda brushed me off and immediately prescribed the ery gel without even really consulting me. I HATE the US medical system, it's so screwed up....

I am honestly considering trying Accutane if I don't see improvements this next month. I figure at this point, it can't really hurt...I didn't want to try it before because of the drying side effects, but right now I just want to be clear!! My sister did pretty well on Accutane (she did 1 course probably 5 years ago) but she still breaks out every once in awhile (although they are minor) I'm just afraid of doing Accutane and then having the acne come back, but I guess being clear for a year is better than not being clear at all! I just don't know what to do anymore, I'm so sick of having to deal with this.... I feel like I am at such a low point of my life. I've felt like this for the past 3 months and I just can't wait for things to get better

As for an update, still continuing to break out...I've even done some lifestyle changes to see if that makes a difference, but so far, no luck.

- I have quit smoking marijuana (I was a regular daily smoker before) although it's only been 5 days since I quit, I feel like if it was going to make a difference, it would have already...

- This next week I am going to get back into a workout routine. I'm going to start running daily, and hopefully get back into the gym. I am naturally a tiny person, so it's not like I'm trying to lose weight... (actually, I'm trying to gain it!!) but I just want to feel healthier about myself.

- I've also started trying to eat better (after watching the movie Food Inc - if you haven't watched it, I suggest you do...alarming statistics about the stuff we put into our bodies, and also the way animals are treated here in the US! :/ )

Yesterday, I came home from the mall and discovered around 3-4 hard painful bumps underneath my skin, all in the same area (the side of my cheek, close to my jawline) Earlier that same day I had been excited because that side of my face (or so I thought) was starting to clear up...but nope, once again I was wrong. SOOO freakin frustrating

When I started Diane back in August, I thought for sure I'd be clear by the holidays. But it's looking like that is not going to happen

Skin Status:

- 4-5 painful bumps on right side of face, near jawline

- 10 or so tiny bumps on forehead, 2 of which look like they are about to turn into a pimple

- 2 small bumps on left side of face near chin/jawline, but I left them alone instead of popping them and it SEEMS like they have somewhat diminished in size...

- like I said in my previous post, lots of small bumps in weird places...all along my cheek bones themselves (where i don't normally break out) and on the far sides of my face close to my ears.

- 3 or so healing spots

trying to stay positive...

http://tinypic.com/v...?pic=ndvdy9&s=5

http://tinypic.com/v...pic=24ni5pk&s=5

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=15q5gys&s=5

http://tinypic.com/v...?pic=zmfd7a&s=5

okay you guys should click on these links and you can see what my face looks like now after almost 6 months on Diane. It's clear! It's not very good pictures, it was taken on my webcam because my camera currently is missing its memory card, BUT you can still see that I am clear except for a small pimple that developed on my nose, you can kind of see it in the picture but in real life you can't see it at all, and then on the left side of my face on the 3rd link you can see the white blob I had to apply on my skin because I burnt a circle on my skin due to a reaction I had to tea tree oil. (I was showing my boyfriend because he wanted to see how silly I looked)

I know it's extremely frustrating having to wait so long to see improvement in your skin but if you wait it should show results. I remember during my 3rd month I spent 2 weeks trying to clear up my face for the fair and I got it from being 50% clear to about 80% clear. everything on my face was clear except for the sides of my face. the day I left for the fair I had absolutely no pimples on my cheeks or chin. literally when I got home I developed 3 new pimples all in a row on my cheek and basically consisted of under the skin cysts.

so it seems like while you're on Diane your skin literally goes crazy, because who the hell develops pimples in a couple hours?! I never even knew that could happen. but I don't blame you for wanting or considering going on Accutane, I did at one point while on Diane too. I will be bluntly honest your skin sounds worse then mine was. I mean I broke out pretty severely but only in certain spots and I never had multiple small pimples, only large ones. I still think Diane is a better choice because instead of only having clear skin for a year with Accutane you could have clear skin for as long as you want with Diane. also I read and did a lot of research on Accutane and I know personally for myself I could never handle the initial breakouts people encounter, mainly because your skin becomes thin and super sensitive so those large pimple outbreaks have a damn good chance of scarring if you are a picker/popper, and the emotional effects it can have on a person I wouldn't be able to handle either. I am already basically prone to depression since my mom, dad and sister all have it and it has been said that Accutane causes depression. it just sounds like a lot of risks to have clear skin. but that still doesn't mean I wouldn't support your decision to go on it! my best friend went on Accutane and she never suffered from those bad initial breakouts, or depression. she had a fairly smooth experience I'd say.

anyways, I really hope you start seeing improvement. I would love it if someone else had positive results. I love seeing people accomplish things.

ps. g0oof we have something in common, I love weed! lmao.

Girrrrl you look amazing!! And hehe, yes herb is amazing as well But fo real, your face looks absolutely flawless in your pics...congrats, I am so happy for you!!

You're right, it does seem like my skin is worse than yours was. I am really at a loss for what to do. Upon just talking to my sister (who did Accutane) the first thing she said was "eeeeek..i dunno..." Apparently she is really frustrated with her skin right now too, which means even after 2 rounds of Accutane she is still breaking out. She also said she totally got depressed when taking it, which makes me think I probably would too. Not to mention, I think I'm already depressed at the moment just because of how fugly my skin looks :/ She brought up laser treatment, and we're going to talk to my parents about it soon. I hear it's super expensive, but I guess I have my parents to thank for giving me these stupid acne genes anyways...!! The least they could do is help me freakin get rid of this ISH!! I'm going to research laser treatment right after I write this post, so I'll have a little more info on it later...

So yeah, I really don't know what to do. I e-mailed my doctor and asked to go on some oral antibiotics before resorting to Accutane (which I am now very hesitant to even try at all) I am still waiting for my shipment of Diane, pretty sure it won't get here by the time I am supposed to start. Oh well, nothing I can really do about that anyways so no point stressing over it. If I don't see any results next month, I may switch back to Yasmin. I figure I must see SOME kind of results during month 4, or it Diane just may not be for me.

I feel so bummed every time I post because I feel like it's the same sob story every time... I wish I could finally have something good to report back to you guys. But I am still breaking out every day, it seems like it will never end. I've never prayed so hard for anything in my life!! Then I feel so vain, that I'm praying for my skin to clear up when there are like, way bigger issues out there in the world right now. But the effect it's having on me psychologically is honestly devastating

I'm also feeling really guilty at the moment because I just had a huge popping episode I noticed it happens the most when I get stressed...I know it's bad but I seriously just can't stop. I just want all that crap OUT!! ughhhhhh so my skin looks horrible at the moment, I have a honey mask on right now to hopefully bring down the inflammation and anti-bacterialize. Does anyone have any remedies that they do after they pop too much? Like, any masks or anything? I dunno, just talking out of my ass now. I'm gonna go research laser treatment, i'll let ya'll know what I find.

ah thanks! my skin looks pretty decent, I will admit. I switched back to light powder foundation today because I've been tanning and my current foundation is too light. have you ever tanned? I know that whenever I tan in a tanning booth it helps my skin stay clear and it looks 1000x better too.

man, I always feel so mad at myself whenever I pop or basically force my pimples to pop because realistically it just makes it worse and it makes your face HURT. I did that to the one on my face, and like you can see in the pictures, left with a BURN MARK! it hurts like a bitch & makeup does not completely cover the redness.

don't feel like your posts are sob stories! this is acne.org, this website is specifically made for people who need to vent out their issues, nobody is judging you or thinking, "ugh, she's complaining again."

for your post popping issue, I remember as a kid whenever I had breakouts on my skin I would take SUPER long hot baths and it seemed to help soothe my face and help soften my skin too. I don't know if that is something you'd like to do, but I know it helps. I hope you see some kind of improvement in month 4, I really want this to work for you like it's been working for me! being depressed over acne is the worst, and I mean WORST feeling in the world because it's something you cannot control, so I definitely sympathize.

at least you have someone like your sister to talk to about your acne problem. I have 3 sisters and 1 of them has gorgeous skin, like porcelain skin basically. my other sister used to have pretty amazing skin but for the past couple of months she's starting to get acne breakouts for the first time, I think it's hormonal or the fact that she doesn't take care of her skin at all. I fricken' envy her though because she doesn't let it bother her and she wears 0 makeup and feels perfectly fine. LIKE WTF, why can't I be that stress free?! and honestly, even though she has red marks or red pimples sometimes on her face you don't even notice them because she doesn't let it bug her. my youngest sister, who is 11, is starting to get small pimples. unfortunately I think she's going to take after me and I feel so bad! I hope she doesn't go through the things I went through as a kid and now. it's heartbreaking to see someone you love go through basically what you did but there is nothing you can do.

anyways, I hope you find relief g0oo0f.

I just found old pictures of myself when I would get bad acne breakouts

http://tinypic.com/v...pic=23tiedx&s=5

http://tinypic.com/v...p?pic=5wd9k&s=5

bleh. I used to wear WAY to much makeup and blonde was not my color. man the difference from the way I used to look to the way I look now is seriously insane. I don't even look like the same person.

I think you actually look very pretty as a blonde! you're lucky, you can pull off both colors, like me I'm blonde now but I've gone dark before, and have been considering going back to the dark side for awhile! But I need to get my skin in control first before I even think about doing that, I need all the confidence I can get right now!

So I REALLY don't want to speak too soon, because I have before and things got worse again......but I'm excited so I feel I need to update and tell you guys what's up I think, I think the Diane may finally be kicking in! The first thing I noticed was that my skin is not getting as oily as usual, I came home from work today and normally I would be an oil slick by the end of the day, but my makeup actually still looked pretty good! Also, the number of breakouts each day has definitely decreased...although I did have a HUGE breakout last week (which is unusual on my period, most of the time I clear up during that week) it is starting to clear up now and I FEEL like my skin is finally saying .. "okay!! I'm done! let's just be clear now" My new pills FINALLY came (YAY!! just in time) so i am due to start taking the first pill of pack #4 tomorrow. I really, REALLY hope that when I start taking pills again, I don't start breaking out all over again, and things just start getting better from here on out pleasepleaseplease!

Skin Status:

- As of right now, I only have 3 active pimples, which is pretty damn good for me!

- Still have a mess of scabs healing on the right side of my cheek from that awful breakout last week, but they are flaking off pretty nicely, and there's only one now

- still lots of little bumps, but they seem to be slowly diminishing and decreasing in number with time

I PRAY PRAY PRAY that this is the real deal this time, and I am finally starting to clear up. I hope I don't jinx myself. Say a few good words for me everyone! I really need this

FOR ONCE I HAVE GOOD NEWSI still don't want to get too ahead of myself.....but I think it is finally safe to say that the Diane has kicked in!! My skin looks 10x better than it did a few weeks ago...I will upload pics soon because I finally have the confidence to actually post a picture ...i only have a few, so maybe I will make a comparison chart with the pics I took in month 2 to the pics I will take in month 4. Finally I can actually see a difference!!!! My skin is feeling smoother and healthier by the day, it's awesome. I finally went a whole day without coming home to a new breakout. My skin is noticeably not as oily as usual. I am still KNOCKING ON WOOD that I don't jinx this, but I THINK i may be out of the woods for the most part Right now I only have 2 active pimples, and weirdly they are both on my forehead. The breakouts I do get seem to be smaller than usual, and heal rather quickly (even if I don't pop them) I've found the Ery gel to be REALLY good on pimples just popped. Totally kills the bacteria and if I keep applying it after I pop one, it's usually gone to a scab and peels off in 2 days. But my tube already ran out its only been a month and alreadyy time to refill my prescrip! Grrr, hate that. Anyways, thanking that I think my time has finally come to be clear. After 3 LONG months of this I really hope this is going to make it worth it! Will keep you updated this week, I am hoping hoping I don't break out again over Thanksgiving break )

Skin Status:

- NO cysts (yay!)

- 2 small pimples on forehead, near hairline (they are the painful ones, but are somewhat small)

- 3 recovering scabs waiting to flake and peel off

- much smaller amount of tiny bumps, they are stilll there, but much less in number

aww yay I am so happy it's working for you! I'm in a foul mood right now. I think this week has been the worst skin week I've had in like 2 months. I broke out into massive pimples on the right side of my face all within a period of like 3 days! thankfully they all (3) are almost gone and the right side of my face looks normal again. I got home from school feeling confident and happy that my face was once again 100% clear, but once I had a glass of iced tea and a bagel with cream cheese on it I developed a new fucking BIG under the skin pimple on the LEFT side of my face. I haven`t gotten a pimple there in like 2 months! I am getting so pissed off and frustrated. either the things I keep eating are causing these random pimples, or the pills are not working as good, which seems weird since I`ve finished my 6th package. out of anger I attempted to pop that sucker and NOTHING. wow I am angry lol. after I discovered this new pimple I changed into my pjays, washed off all my makeup and I just feel like going to bed. thank god tomorrow is friday.. maybe I will skip school tomorrow since I feel like such SHIT.

ah wow, okay I am done venting. anywho, I hope you keep seeing improvement! I am almost tempted to go onto an antibiotic while on diane because (even though) it`s rare that I breakout, I don`t want to breakout AT ALL, soo an antibiotic might help with that. or I might order Dan`s skin regimen. I don`t know. I will see how next week goes and decide on what to do.

Awww so bummed to hear that Laura Vent all you want though, you got me through my tough times, I'm here to get you through yours it definitely could have something to do with your diet though. Or maybe you've been stressed out? I know that stress plays a BIG role in my acne. Whenever I'm stressed, I can tell because I break out like crazy!! About the antibiotics - it may be something to look into. I've really appreciated the Erythromycin gel my doctor prescribed, and I actually just spoke to my dermatologist and she prescribed me the oral version of Erythromycin as well. I've looked up the reviews on here, and it gets pretty good ratings with being able to clear up breakouts quickly, since it's an antibiotic. I'm picking it up tomorrow so I will keep you updated with how that goes!

I think I can finally do my happy dance, now! I haven't gotten a big cyst in over a week!! still somewhat breaking out, but the pimples I do get are very small - more like whiteheads. They are easy to pop and I just apply some Ery gel on them before I go to sleep and in the morning, they're practically gone!! I still have about 3-4 spots on my face right now, but like I said, they are small and easily covered with makeup (unlike those damn cysts that physically pop out of your face) My face is getting smoother by the day. When I wash my face I run my hands over my skin and for once it doesn't feel like sandpaper! The small under the skin bumps are finally coming to the surface and disappearing.

Don't get me wrong - without makeup my face is still a mess. I have tons of scars to deal with now from the hell that I have endured...but I think soon it will be worth it. With makeup on I actually feel pretty again and feel like people don't notice my acne as much as they used to. I was able to relax during thanksgiving break and not have to worry about waking up with a huge cyst to deal with. Knock on wood, it continues to get better and better!

I have been in such a better mood now that my skin is clearing up, it's amazing. I feel like I can actually live again. My confidence is slowly returning. Crazy that I let something as stupid as acne get me down these past months, but really, that shit can drive anyone crazy!! No one should have to go through this, I wish there were a cure! But I am very thankful for this website and the people that have gotten me through the most difficult months of my life

*MONTH 4, WEEK 2 Skin Status:

- NO cysts

- 3-4 small pimples

- some small under the skin bumps, but they are either disappearing or coming up into small zits and making their way out. Yay!

Cannot WAIT until I have no pimples whatsoever on my face. I hope that day comes soon

SEEEE what did I tell you? Month 4 is like when everything starts working! I love it when I am right.

my face has cleared up once again and I am 100% cleaaarrrr, and it's staying that way for the most part. my scars are almost all gone, I still have them but they are so easy to cover with a little makeup now, where as before I had to put a shit ton on, NOT.FUN.

life is good right now lol. I am still debating whether or not I want to go onto antibiotics. I hate the process of actually going to the doctor and getting them prescribed, and then waiting for them to come. it's such a long irritating process. but maybe I will because I need to see a doctor soon anyways for different problems. I've been having extremely persistent pains in my ovaries and I think something is wrong, plus today at school my feet swelled up so big I couldn't put my shoes on! it kind of freaked me out. my health has been off and on for a while now, and even though I really don't want to, I need to see a doctor. if I don't I think my boyfriend will kill me haha.

I hope Diane keeps working for you! but you need to remember that even if you do breakout in a cyst or a big pimple, don't get discouraged, because chances are you will still get those once and a while. right now it's super rare for me to get big painful pimples. I get them maybe, once a month, but it keeps getting better. I haven't gotten a big painful pimple (except for last week) on the left side of my face in like 2 months. for some reason my right side of my face is a lot more prone to acne, I wonder why. :/ and it's always been that way too. aaanywaaays, keep up the awesome updates!!

Hey girls! So I just spent the last little while staying up late reading your posts. I live in canada and I am also on diane...well actually the generic version cyestra 35 (supposed to be the same thing).

I am supposed to start my #4 pack of pills tomorrow, and I have to admit, I am very nervous, because I am afraid I will not see results.

@goof...I have been following your posts closely since we're practically at the same stage..and girl let me tell you my first 3 months sound just about as bad as yours has been. It's beyond frustrating.

A little bit about me. I am 21...only started having acne problems for a little over a year now. Things I've tried:

Yasmine: made my skin soooooo much worse

Doxycycline: seemed to work, but could also be Becase I stopped yasmine at the same time

Stievamyin & benzamycin: didn't seem to do much

Now on diane: completed 3 full months.

Skin is not good! I keep getting break outs around my chin and some under the skin ones on my cheeks. And about those annoying little under the skin bumps..i used to have a lot on my chin..they turned into pimples and went away. I have a lot on my forehead that I dont know what to do about.

Well it's after 2am now and I should be getting to sleep, but if u girls could keep sharing updates, that would be helpful. Or even some encouragement or motivation to make me keep taking these pills in hopes it will get better. It's been a rough ride so far!

I'm going to continue to update for any other fellow Diane people out there.

Update: I started my 4th pack! 3 days in. Nothing got worse yet. Except the little under the skin bumps on my forehead seem to be getting more noticeable and some are turning into pimples. Hopefully it all clears up soon! As for everything else, the breakouts on my cheeks are still recovering. People who see me say "hey your face looks like its getting better" but for the last 3 months I often had a week of a baddddd breakout than it would start to get better/recover. Then I'd break out again.it's been an ongoing cycle. I pray it gets better SOON!

I really hope this 4th month starts working for me! I'll continue to update!!

Good luck to everyone else, and I hope that for those of you who are having luck, continue to see great results:)

Ferrara! Welcome!! I'm so happy to see another newbie join and post updates as well ) our story and skin sounds SOO similiar - to a T! I know exactly what you mean about thinking it's getting better, than you start to break out again...so frustrating. So don't hesitate to vent if you need to, I sure did and it helped a lot. You're right about the first 3 months being hell. Month 4 was where I've seen the most improvements, by far. So stick with it, you can do it!! I think in the next two weeks you should hopefully see some improvement. BUT, like Laura said...still be prepared to break out occasionally. I have recently had another breakout (right on time, a week before my period like always!!) which I was really hoping wouldn't happen. I thought "hey, since the Diane has kicked in and i'm starting to clear up, maybe I won't break out before my period this month!" nope. wrong So it is true, you have to be okay with the fact that you will still break out on occasion. BUT, i can tell you that the pimples I do get are way less painful and go away much faster once the Diane starts kicking in.

Update - Middle of Month 4

Skin Status:

- breaking out more than usual, probably due to starting my period next week

- Although, skin is feeling smoother and smoother still, the breakouts have now completely moved to the sides of my face, which is weird! Like on my high cheekbones, next to my ears, and jawline and neck seems to be the spots i'm breaking out in. Very strange

- 3 incoming small pimples (they are painful, though!) on right side of face, in those very spots previously mentioned

- about 3 on the left side as well, 2 of them on my jawline though, one upper left cheekbone

Definitely still breaking out...which is frustrating, since I thought the antibiotics were supposed to be helping!! maybe it's an initial breakout from the ery tablets? I dunnooo but I can't wait until I finally have NO active pimples on my face!!

Hey guys!

Just thought i'd join in on the progress with diane 35 ( actually i'm on the generic version of it known as Brenda 35). Im 3 pills away from ending my third pack and Im praying that the 4th pack will do the trick. Im soooo happy that your skin is getting better gooof, it gives me hope. I had a really bad breakout a few days ago and it was such a smack in the face because i thought once you passed the two month point you wouldn't suffer from a kind of initial breakout.

It was my 21st birthday yesterday and i managed to have a good day by just ignoring the mean things i think about my skin and focusing on the rad people i have in my life. I am my own worst enemy and theres no need for it. I just get so tired of the preparation it takes for me to go out, i have a work party tonight and i just cant be bothered dealing with it. On the upside my skin is slowing clearing from the other day but it still looks pretty awful.

Skin status-

Small pimples on my forehead, dont know if its going to clear or get worse.

Fading marks on my checks, looks like a new one might be coming but not sure.

Couple of small pimples on my chin.

Its not like any of them are particularly bad but overall its a bit of a mess. sigh*

Keep updating girls, it makes a huge difference knowing im not alone and hearing about people getting better )