Have not been obsessing about my hair lately, good thing i suppose. I had an appt with my Dr ( for hair shedding) today but flaked because I wanted to sleep in. We carry Shea moisture at work ..I found one for thin/brittle hair, a mask. I'm waiting till it goes on sale to try it. I've read the ingredients and all seem organic. No harsh chemicals , etc. Thanks @GreenGable for that recommendation. My skin....well that one big ole cyst that i've had for over a month now has flattened out. I can feel a tiny zit in there somewhere but for the most part it's flat 
yay. But I did get another one to takes it's place, same area but closer to my chin, cheek area. Started out as a small one, and turned into a cyst like thing...hmmm. Oh and i just noticed I'm getting another pimple right where I had an old one before. I don't know why they keep coming back. I rarely pick, ever. The only time(s) I've ever picked are when I can see a nasty whitehead that wants to pop..and that's about it. And even that doesn't happen to often. I've been thinking of stopping the topical Clindamycin. I don't think it's doing much for my skin...or anything for that matter. It seemed that The Spiro and Epiduo were working just fine by themselves. I've read how antibiotics can make things worse when you stop taking them. I'm wondering if the same can be said for topical antibiotics. I've also heard some people say when they stop certain topicals it can make things worse as well. I have noticed bigger zits lately when I do break out, One turned into a cyst on my right side, another one turned kinda big on my left cheekbone area and before that a had a couple of big one's on my forehead..rarely get anything on my forehead.
My regimen as of late:
Morning routine :Effaclar to wash, let dry for a couple of minutes then apply 2.5% BP to active zits, sometimes all of my cheek jaw area. It depends. Then apply makeup, no heavy liquid foundation ever just powder ( skin FX (sephora) and or Bare minerals foundation) some eye makeup. Thats it's for my morning routine.
Nightly routine: Effaclar wash, let dry for a couple of minutes then apply Epiduo to zits and then acne prone area's. Afterward I'll put those little round bandaids on the active zits to cover and let heal a little better. That's it. I'm thinking I might be applying too much Epiduo, the label says pea size amount but I always use more. I have found that certain area's are more prone to irritation and are itching more now..hmmm. Oh and I've been taking selenium, B5 and B -complex every morning as well. I wash them down with Evolution juice or just plain H20...oh and Saw Palmetto pills during the day usually 2 sometimes 4.
AND finally somedays I do masks. One by Lumene( peet) and another by Say Yes To Tomatoes.
Are you still on 50mg? I would totally try bumping to 75 or 100. I went down to 50 for a month to see how my skin reacted, just cause I want to take the minimum dose possible. I didn't get a facefull of zits like I've had my whole life, but I did get a small breakout. Bumping back up to 75 has kept me clear.
yes I did bump myself up to 75 about a couple of weeks ago, maybe 3. I have noticed a difference in the reduction of oil on my face I will go ahead and say drastic difference. I still find that at the end of my day (8 hr work shift) I am a lil oily ( I can feel some the thickness) but I'm not seeing it. As far as breaking out goes....i'm still breaking out. It's hard to say exactly how much more. I think i'm not breaking out as much BUT somedays I don't see a difference. My right side is definately more of a problem. I currently have about 4 active pimples on that side. One is cyst like but not huge , another is on the verge of drying out and the other two are not so bad. My left side is pretty ''clear'' Some random cyst like one that appeared over an old one , that one is flattening out and going away slowly, the other one is ''normal'' sized and the other two are about the same...I got those two today ( seemed to grow over-nite...they were barely noticeable yesterday)
@Green gables, you are my go to girl. I hope to be clear like you..one day. Hopefully sooner then later ( wishful thinking I know). It's been almost 3 mos i would say since I went on Spiro. Today was one of those days ..well i should say yesterday was one of those days were I felt like i was losing hope. I woke up , washed my face and as many of us have come to know, acne always looks worse after washing for some reason. It was just one of those bad ''face'' days. My skin looked so red, mostly the areas where I break out, and the damn cyst on my right side seemed to stand out in certain light. All I could stare at were the bumps, redness and pigmentation marks. Honestly I think the marks are what makes it look worse then what it really is IMO. I've always ''scarred'' easily. Every irritation I get on my skin, whether big or small , there always seems to be a mark left behind. Rarely will I get a zit that doesn't leave anything behind. And for me they seem to take FOREVER to disappear let alone slightly fade. Could it be a bad predisposition to HIP in my melanin. IDK if that even makes damn sense ( it's late...i'm tired. lol) Because when I look at my face, as I obsessively do. It seems like I have more HIP then acne. When i last went to the derm, like 3 or so weeks ago, maybe even a month ago, she said my acne was mild...I disagree, but whatever.
I have some scarring but it's mild. I just have alot of HIP and I'm at the point where I'm starting to think it will never go away and this is something i'm just gonna have to live with. I am applying Epiduo which supposedly exfoliates but I doubt it will make ANY kind of a difference in my pigmentation. Today at work we have this HUGE mirror I happened to walk by it and glance at myself...i wanted to cry. All I could see was damage. I feel like I've f**ked myself up, haven't taken care of my body as I should have. Too many drugs/alcohol. I feel like I could have prevented this. I've been told i have PCOS...I could have prevented this
I have made minor change in my eating ( for the better) , I'll admit most of them came about cause i'm broke and can't shop for food. I'm being as patient as I can and have to be but I'm starting to feel like the Spiro won't clear me up like I want it to, as i've heard it does. I know I know BE PATIENT, WAIT AND SEE. I'm trying.
I guess for me it hurts to see my face they way it is now because I never had any kind of issues with my skin growing up. As i've mentioned before when I did ''breakout'' as a teen, it was very mild. I should post a pic as proof..hmm maybe I will. Alright off to bed I go.
way before the acne ever came into the picture...about 13 years old. Juhhhezzzzzus that hair.
Hey, hang in there! I'm been on 50mg Spironolactone a little over a month now.. I feel your frustrations.
Have you been taking pictures? I have found that it's really been helping me with this whole process. Some days I wake up and I think my skin looks horrible, but then I look back at pictures from 2 weeks ago and really see an improvement. It may help you, you don't have to show anybody the pictures but yourself.
Hang in there
By the way Epiduo may actually be making the red marks worse. I know it's not what you want to hear, it is so frustrating to treat acne and find out all the little things that derms never tell you. But anyway, Epiduo contains BP, and although BP is a great antibiotic, it also drastically SLOWS HEALING of the skin and produces free radical damage. The scars I do have are from when I was using BP regularly! Once I stopped that my scars were a lot less.
If I were in your shoes I would switch to a normal retinoid (Differin, Retin A Micro) or just go off the retinoid altogether and moisturize. Hydrated skin heals soooo much faster than dry skin. We think we need to "dry out" pimples to heal them...I dunno why, my dried out pimples would just stay on my skin forever.
I don't know why derms prescribe retinoids when you still have active acne. Retin A Micro is great now that I am clear and it can help smooth my skin texture. It was horrible when I had active acne, it always just made things worse. I see retinoids now as more of a "clean-up after acne" medication.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.
I was going to say the same...I've heard of BP doing that. I have been considering stopping the BP but I don't know what to use instead. i feel as If I have to put something on my face or else I'll make things worse. I like feeling like there is something on my face 24/7 combating the acne. I have oily skin as well, although like I said at the moment it's not like it was it's minimally oily..if that makes sense. Yeah BP has been my go to treatment the whole time I've been breaking out. I've done the SA to exfoliate and stuff and used the topical stuff the derm has prescribed from time to time but mostly it's been the BP. Would you suggest a good moisturizer? I like one by La Roche....but it's expensive. Almost 40 bucks a pop 
and i can't afford that all the time. But that one has no preservatives, parabens. it's really gentle. So you would suggest just moisturizing and the Spiro? I'm willing to try but I'm also afraid I'll get an breakout if I stop. Oh I forgot to mention that I also use clindamycin topically, in gel form, I use it every morning. I don't see it doing much, except that it supposedly fights off bacteria. I've broken out since it was prescribed to me, not badly but I've broken out. What is our opinion on Clindamycin in topical form? I kinda wanted to stop that too but IDK.
I was thinking i should let the Spiro works it's ''magic'' and that's it. Just wash with my face wash, take my vitamins, eat better and exercise..that would be it. Ughhh yeah I'm gonna try what you suggest and ditch the BP. I fear what everyone has been saying about it is true. I'll probably keep using my one and only tube until it's gone and look into other options.
Oh and BTW i meant to ask you about the Ultimate flora products. Can u give me feedback please 
. I've been eyeing them at work..but they are so damn expensive, lol. I was considering buying off of Amazon but am kind of weary. I was thinking a good probiotic or something to restore the good stuff in my stomach. Something gentle since I'm just starting.
I was going to say the same...I've heard of BP doing that. I have been considering stopping the BP but I don't know what to use instead. i feel as If I have to put something on my face or else I'll make things worse. I like feeling like there is something on my face 24/7 combating the acne. I have oily skin as well, although like I said at the moment it's not like it was it's minimally oily..if that makes sense. Yeah BP has been my go to treatment the whole time I've been breaking out. I've done the SA to exfoliate and stuff and used the topical stuff the derm has prescribed from time to time but mostly it's been the BP. Would you suggest a good moisturizer? I like one by La Roche....but it's expensive. Almost 40 bucks a pop
I was thinking i should let the Spiro works it's ''magic'' and that's it. Just wash with my face wash, take my vitamins, eat better and exercise..that would be it. Ughhh yeah I'm gonna try what you suggest and ditch the BP. I fear what everyone has been saying about it is true. I'll probably keep using my one and only tube until it's gone and look into other options.
Oh and BTW i meant to ask you about the Ultimate flora products. Can u give me feedback please
. I've been eyeing them at work..but they are so damn expensive, lol. I was considering buying off of Amazon but am kind of weary. I was thinking a good probiotic or something to restore the good stuff in my stomach. Something gentle since I'm just starting.
If you buy them straight from the manufacturer they are $18 (renewlife.com). I actually got my month's supply yesterday at Walgreens, they had them on sale for $20. They are more expensive compared to some probiotics...but they are the cheapest ones that contain that many cultures. I mean those TruBiotics I see advertized on TV are $30 and they only have 1 billion cultures and 3 strains. Ultimate Flora is cheaper and has 50 billion cultures and 10 strains. Since your gut is supposed to contain a trillion cultures and 100 different strains, you'd just be wasting your money getting anything less. By the way I have not had any bad side effects from Ultimate Flora. A tiny bit of gas the first three days, but nothing since. Just better digestion and more energy 
Yeah, I just ended up using spiro and cleansing once a day and moisturizing. I know what you mean about being afraid to go off topicals...but I really wanted to make sure it was the spiro that was working...you don't really know if you're putting BP on all the time. I also wanted to get my dosage right. It's hard to know if you should up your dosage if you have BP helping you. I also stopped all my supplements and vitamins once I started spiro. I'm just now starting those up again for better health.
So since I've last updated I've reduced the amount of BP i use. I only do Epiduo at night. Not the entire face like I was, just on the spots. i've been doing honey & tumeric masks like 4x's a week. And during the day I am now using Effaclar duo (instead of applying BP all over my acne prone areas). It contains salicylic acid and Lha ( both exfoliating) I bought the Effaclar duo a couple of months ago but was saving it. I really do think that the BP is what has made my HP linger around for as long as it has (forever) I am going to bump myself up to 100 mg of spiro after I finish my current bottle of pills ( which is in like 5 days or so). My right side is clearing up but my left side just got a couple of new pimples. One is on my jaw line...right w/ 2 other ones that are slowly drying :/ Has anyone ever had zits just pop up right next to other zits. No where else but right next to another zit. It's like ''connect the dots'' more like ''connect the pimples'' But despite all that I am in a pretty chipper mood. I've been okay with my skin..emotionally. Oh I take it back, earlier today I was in a piss mood because the weather out here in Calif has been dry and humid l,and my skin looked oily and crappy. Damn nasty hot weather. I hate heat, I'd rather freeze on any given day. i think it's been 3 month since I started Spiro hoping to reach that 6 month mark...where everyone talks about seeing the light. I'm being patient.
my skin has been doing pretty well for the last couple of weeks. The right side of my face seems to be clearly up quite nicely ( hoping I don't jinx it ) no new break outs in 2 weeks . maybe a lil longer
My left side has some pimples. 2 smaller ones on my jaw line towards the ear..no biggie. I also have a bigger one on my cheek area, I'm sure that one will flatten out soon. It's taking it's sweet time going away but it's slowing getting there. I've stopped going crazy on the BP as I mentioned before. I do the Epiduo only on any active zits at night, after i wash of course. In the a.m I do my salicylic acid/LHA/retinyl moisturizer serum thingy and that's about it. Oh I'll dab a teeny tiny amount of BP on any active zits. But I no longer apply it all over my face. Oh and i'm being good ... doing sunscreen everyday. I use La Roche Posay's Anthelios 50 Ultra Light sunscreen fluid. It instantly mattifies and is really light weight. No greasy at all and doesn't break me out. It's on the expensive side as far as sunblock/sunscreens go (about $29-32 dollars) but if your looking for something that's light and not heavy/greasy then this one is for you. I got it at work so i got a minor discount. The only downfall to this sunblock is that it leaves a slight whitish residue but i wear my mineral makeup over it so you can't even see it. They have other variations of this lightweight sunblock FYI
Oh and I take my supplements in the a.m as well. Selenium, B5,B6 and Vitamin D. That's it. The Spiro I do at night to avoid the stomach ache. Did i mention that on the 11th I increased my doasge, I went from 75 mg to 100 mg. I'm no longer no where nearly as greasy/oily as i once was. I seem to only get oily when it's very hot out...as it has been these past days. Over 90 degrees I think.Ugh!! On these day's i really hate my skin, it seems as if it glows all day. It looks as if i'm permanently oily and or sweaty. BUT it still isn't as bad as it would be if it weren't for the spiro. I'm really starting to feel like it's all uphill from here . I don't find myself obsessing over my skin as much anymore. Of course there are days where my face will look red after I wash or whatever. The marks are very visible then and I get sad BUT overall i am feeling good and lucky to be showing improvements. Nite nite
Face still doing pretty good. I finally experienced what it's like to get pimples after eating greasy/sugary food. Not sure if it was a coincidence or not. I had like 4 slice's of pizza the other day and the morning after had one zit on my jawline (right side) . Or maybe it was due to the fact that I just got my period. What ever the case may be ..no biggie. I do have another tiny one on my cheek ( right side) which I just got yesterday. This is SUCH a relief and change for me i'm used to getting big ole cysts 2 or 3 at a time. Not one tiny zit. I'm so happy. At the moment my skin is pretty clear. My left side is a little broken out (old zits) but my right side, which is the side I always have problems with is pretty clear. The only thing i'm experiencing right now is some minor dryness. I think it's because I've been using that salicylic acid/LHA moisturizer. IDK, I need to invest in a good moisturizer but i'm pretty broke right now so that has to wait. I'm kinda freaking out on face wash right now since i just ran out of my favorite. It's a lil more expensive and can't buy it so I'll have to use what I have at home. We'll see how that goes. Oh and i have an appt with radiology soon for an ultrasound to finally get a diagnosis for PCOS. Put my doubts to rest. Hoping it's not..fingers crossed
Hey guys, so it's been a while since i last logged on. mostly because I've been clear free and don't feel the need to post as much. My Journey with Spiro continues. As I mentioned it's been about 6 months since I started Spiro. It's keep me acne free for about 2 months now, until this past week. I have 2 cyst like zits on my right side (cheek and jaw line) and the week before that I got one on my chin and another on my cheek (left side) prior to this I had no zits whatsoever. Well I did ''breakout'' in 1 or 2 small tiny zits, but they did dry out the next day. It hasn't been such a rough journey for me as it has been for many other women who experienced horrendous breakouts through out their first 6 months/ 1 year, which is when most see a difference. I would def say that I saw the difference the 4th month , maybe a slight difference in the 3rd month. By the 4th month I def noticed i was not breaking out anymore. i can tell you it has def changed the way I look at myself. I no longer stress about my acne on a daily basis. Now that I'm on my 6 month mark i have noticed that my skin gets oiler a little more then I've been used to. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to the anti depressant/anxiety meds I'm on or what. I'm also thinking that the breakout is because of my period, although I haven't gotten it yet. IDK it's weird though because i seemed to have broken out for ''no reason''. I have been amping up my dose to 150 the days prior to my period , since those are the days when they say your hormones go all out. Another thing I've noticed with the Spiro is that it's balanced my period out for the past 3/4 months. I'm a lil overdue now, but all in all it's been on track. It's done nothing for the little tiny hairs on my chin, but at least I'm not growing an new ones. Oh and one more thing I wanna point out....I lose A LOT of hair. More then normal. I was stressing about that and need to see my derm , but to be quite honest I'd rather lose hair then have a face full of acne. IDK but that's JMHO. Well that's about it for now.
Any updates?
Hey guys, so it's been a while since i last logged on. mostly because I've been clear free and don't feel the need to post as much. My Journey with Spiro continues. As I mentioned it's been about 6 months since I started Spiro. It's keep me acne free for about 2 months now, until this past week. I have 2 cyst like zits on my right side (cheek and jaw line) and the week before that I got one on my chin and another on my cheek (left side) prior to this I had no zits whatsoever. Well I did ''breakout'' in 1 or 2 small tiny zits, but they did dry out the next day. It hasn't been such a rough journey for me as it has been for many other women who experienced horrendous breakouts through out their first 6 months/ 1 year, which is when most see a difference. I would def say that I saw the difference the 4th month , maybe a slight difference in the 3rd month. By the 4th month I def noticed i was not breaking out anymore. i can tell you it has def changed the way I look at myself. I no longer stress about my acne on a daily basis. Now that I'm on my 6 month mark i have noticed that my skin gets oiler a little more then I've been used to. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to the anti depressant/anxiety meds I'm on or what. I'm also thinking that the breakout is because of my period, although I haven't gotten it yet. IDK it's weird though because i seemed to have broken out for ''no reason''. I have been amping up my dose to 150 the days prior to my period , since those are the days when they say your hormones go all out. Another thing I've noticed with the Spiro is that it's balanced my period out for the past 3/4 months. I'm a lil overdue now, but all in all it's been on track. It's done nothing for the little tiny hairs on my chin, but at least I'm not growing an new ones. Oh and one more thing I wanna point out....I lose A LOT of hair. More then normal. I was stressing about that and need to see my derm , but to be quite honest I'd rather lose hair then have a face full of acne. IDK but that's JMHO. Well that's about it for now.
Any updates?
Hey guys, so it's been a while since i last logged on. mostly because I've been clear free and don't feel the need to post as much. My Journey with Spiro continues. As I mentioned it's been about 6 months since I started Spiro. It's keep me acne free for about 2 months now, until this past week. I have 2 cyst like zits on my right side (cheek and jaw line) and the week before that I got one on my chin and another on my cheek (left side) prior to this I had no zits whatsoever. Well I did ''breakout'' in 1 or 2 small tiny zits, but they did dry out the next day. It hasn't been such a rough journey for me as it has been for many other women who experienced horrendous breakouts through out their first 6 months/ 1 year, which is when most see a difference. I would def say that I saw the difference the 4th month , maybe a slight difference in the 3rd month. By the 4th month I def noticed i was not breaking out anymore. i can tell you it has def changed the way I look at myself. I no longer stress about my acne on a daily basis. Now that I'm on my 6 month mark i have noticed that my skin gets oiler a little more then I've been used to. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to the anti depressant/anxiety meds I'm on or what. I'm also thinking that the breakout is because of my period, although I haven't gotten it yet. IDK it's weird though because i seemed to have broken out for ''no reason''. I have been amping up my dose to 150 the days prior to my period , since those are the days when they say your hormones go all out. Another thing I've noticed with the Spiro is that it's balanced my period out for the past 3/4 months. I'm a lil overdue now, but all in all it's been on track. It's done nothing for the little tiny hairs on my chin, but at least I'm not growing an new ones. Oh and one more thing I wanna point out....I lose A LOT of hair. More then normal. I was stressing about that and need to see my derm , but to be quite honest I'd rather lose hair then have a face full of acne. IDK but that's JMHO. Well that's about it for now.
Hi...sorry It took me a while to respond. All has been good so far. I broke out with a couple of zits , but thats only because of my cycle. Other then that i've been acne free for months now. It'll be almost a yr since i started the Spiro. I would say it's been about a good 4 months since I've had any breakouts. Maybe a zit here and there ..usually before my period but NOTHING like before For any women out there looking to try something to hormonal acne, I would say try Spiro. It's done wonders for me. It will take a good 3 months to see a difference. Maybe a lil longer. I am now dealing with pigmentation and some scarring. Indentations on my right cheek and very minor scarring on my left side. No biggie. I'm probably gonna start doing peels to take care of that. This is my daily routine.
Morning : Wash face with Vichy foaming cleanser.
Effaclar K ( contains SA)
NYX matte powder and some concealer under eyes and acne marks. Thats it.
Night routine: Wash my face with Vichy foaming cleanser (for acneic skin)
Epiduo (spot treatment..only on problem areas, or on stubborn little zits)
Effaclar Serum (contains Alpha hydroxy and glycolic acid) helps with exfoliation /turnover of old skin cells
Vichy ProEven (contains LHA +Vitamin C ) i think about 5% Vitamin C. This is a dark spot corrector, revels radiant glow helps even skin tone, and finally last but not least helps reduce dark spots. It says you may use 2x's a day but i use only at night. It does exfoliate , so it may flake off during the day. Oh I do want to add that you have to wait a least a couple of minutes or so in between apps. This helps the products absorb into the skin. I would say it's best to wait 5 minutes in between. That is it. All the products I mentioned are a little costly. The serum and lotion (ProEven) run about 40-50 bucks and the wash about 22 dollars. The Epiduo was prescribed but it was expensiv,e my insurance sucks and covers practically nothing. Oh and i also do masks every other day, different ones. These are my go two masks. Clearasil (misspell) acne wash/mask. This mask contains SA in 2.5 % smells fresh and a little goes a long way. NOW red Moraccan clay mask. I got this one about a wk and a half ago at a vitamin store. Costs about 6 dollars. This comes in a little tub , in a powder form that you mix with water. Because of concentrated mud properties, it will leave your skin a little red after you wash out. But this mask I can tell draws out all the gunk out of your skin. Que Bella Detoxifying Dead Sea mask. Comes in a blue little packet. You can buy this one at Target, costs about 2 dollars. You can get about 3 or 4 uses out of the packet if you seal it and place in a zippy bag. This mask is mostly organic, and smells good. Like lemons Salma Hayek Ageless Clarity White Clay treatment mask. Her products again are organic. This mask contains Tepezcphuite and lemon extract to lift away dead skin cells and improve tone. It also contains Calendula to help soothe skin. This masks feels more like a thick cream. Smell is also pleasant. Not too harsh. Again I rotate with my masks, depending on my mood and what my face is going through.
Is the Vichy pro even helping fade your red marks noticeably?
Any updates?
Hey guys, so it's been a while since i last logged on. mostly because I've been clear free and don't feel the need to post as much. My Journey with Spiro continues. As I mentioned it's been about 6 months since I started Spiro. It's keep me acne free for about 2 months now, until this past week. I have 2 cyst like zits on my right side (cheek and jaw line) and the week before that I got one on my chin and another on my cheek (left side) prior to this I had no zits whatsoever. Well I did ''breakout'' in 1 or 2 small tiny zits, but they did dry out the next day. It hasn't been such a rough journey for me as it has been for many other women who experienced horrendous breakouts through out their first 6 months/ 1 year, which is when most see a difference. I would def say that I saw the difference the 4th month , maybe a slight difference in the 3rd month. By the 4th month I def noticed i was not breaking out anymore. i can tell you it has def changed the way I look at myself. I no longer stress about my acne on a daily basis. Now that I'm on my 6 month mark i have noticed that my skin gets oiler a little more then I've been used to. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to the anti depressant/anxiety meds I'm on or what. I'm also thinking that the breakout is because of my period, although I haven't gotten it yet. IDK it's weird though because i seemed to have broken out for ''no reason''. I have been amping up my dose to 150 the days prior to my period , since those are the days when they say your hormones go all out. Another thing I've noticed with the Spiro is that it's balanced my period out for the past 3/4 months. I'm a lil overdue now, but all in all it's been on track. It's done nothing for the little tiny hairs on my chin, but at least I'm not growing an new ones. Oh and one more thing I wanna point out....I lose A LOT of hair. More then normal. I was stressing about that and need to see my derm , but to be quite honest I'd rather lose hair then have a face full of acne. IDK but that's JMHO. Well that's about it for now.
Is the Vichy pro even helping fade your red marks noticeably?
Any updates?
Hey guys, so it's been a while since i last logged on. mostly because I've been clear free and don't feel the need to post as much. My Journey with Spiro continues. As I mentioned it's been about 6 months since I started Spiro. It's keep me acne free for about 2 months now, until this past week. I have 2 cyst like zits on my right side (cheek and jaw line) and the week before that I got one on my chin and another on my cheek (left side) prior to this I had no zits whatsoever. Well I did ''breakout'' in 1 or 2 small tiny zits, but they did dry out the next day. It hasn't been such a rough journey for me as it has been for many other women who experienced horrendous breakouts through out their first 6 months/ 1 year, which is when most see a difference. I would def say that I saw the difference the 4th month , maybe a slight difference in the 3rd month. By the 4th month I def noticed i was not breaking out anymore. i can tell you it has def changed the way I look at myself. I no longer stress about my acne on a daily basis. Now that I'm on my 6 month mark i have noticed that my skin gets oiler a little more then I've been used to. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to the anti depressant/anxiety meds I'm on or what. I'm also thinking that the breakout is because of my period, although I haven't gotten it yet. IDK it's weird though because i seemed to have broken out for ''no reason''. I have been amping up my dose to 150 the days prior to my period , since those are the days when they say your hormones go all out. Another thing I've noticed with the Spiro is that it's balanced my period out for the past 3/4 months. I'm a lil overdue now, but all in all it's been on track. It's done nothing for the little tiny hairs on my chin, but at least I'm not growing an new ones. Oh and one more thing I wanna point out....I lose A LOT of hair. More then normal. I was stressing about that and need to see my derm , but to be quite honest I'd rather lose hair then have a face full of acne. IDK but that's JMHO. Well that's about it for now.
Hi...sorry It took me a while to respond. All has been good so far. I broke out with a couple of zits , but thats only because of my cycle. Other then that i've been acne free for months now. It'll be almost a yr since i started the Spiro. I would say it's been about a good 4 months since I've had any breakouts. Maybe a zit here and there ..usually before my period but NOTHING like before
Morning : Wash face with Vichy foaming cleanser.
Effaclar K ( contains SA)
NYX matte powder and some concealer under eyes and acne marks. Thats it.
Night routine: Wash my face with Vichy foaming cleanser (for acneic skin)
Epiduo (spot treatment..only on problem areas, or on stubborn little zits)
Effaclar Serum (contains Alpha hydroxy and glycolic acid) helps with exfoliation /turnover of old skin cells
Vichy ProEven (contains LHA +Vitamin C ) i think about 5% Vitamin C. This is a dark spot corrector, revels radiant glow helps even skin tone, and finally last but not least helps reduce dark spots. It says you may use 2x's a day but i use only at night. It does exfoliate , so it may flake off during the day. Oh I do want to add that you have to wait a least a couple of minutes or so in between apps. This helps the products absorb into the skin. I would say it's best to wait 5 minutes in between. That is it. All the products I mentioned are a little costly. The serum and lotion (ProEven) run about 40-50 bucks and the wash about 22 dollars. The Epiduo was prescribed but it was expensiv,e my insurance sucks and covers practically nothing. Oh and i also do masks every other day, different ones. These are my go two masks. Clearasil (misspell) acne wash/mask. This mask contains SA in 2.5 % smells fresh and a little goes a long way. NOW red Moraccan clay mask. I got this one about a wk and a half ago at a vitamin store. Costs about 6 dollars. This comes in a little tub , in a powder form that you mix with water. Because of concentrated mud properties, it will leave your skin a little red after you wash out. But this mask I can tell draws out all the gunk out of your skin. Que Bella Detoxifying Dead Sea mask. Comes in a blue little packet. You can buy this one at Target, costs about 2 dollars. You can get about 3 or 4 uses out of the packet if you seal it and place in a zippy bag. This mask is mostly organic, and smells good. Like lemons
Hey....It's a gradual process but I have seen some improvement. My skin feels smoother and some marks that were really red , are now minimal. Still there but not as big and red as before.