My skin was beautiful. I even modeled at one point. I used to get comments like; "your face is glowing" "omg your face is so clear" or just simply "wow". Needless to say, I am here so those comments don't happen anymore. Oddly enough people don't just point out the things they admire about you, they also like to remind you of your flaws. For the past 4 years I have gotten the most rude comments from "friends" and family. People now say "woah what happened to your face?" or "why do you have so many pimples" or "what did you do to your face?" or my favourite (I have gotten this one twice from two different people) "what do you see in her? her face is covered in pimples." What hurts most is that I know people see them but I assume they aren't so bad and I will probably be excused because acne isn't my fault. Or I will be actively trying not to let my acne hurt me when someone has to make a rude comment and make me feel that my face is offensive. What people really don't understand is that acne hurts on so many levels- it hurts physically, emotionally, and psychologically . It has taken away my confidence, my self esteem, and my beauty- or sense of it at least.

I have a theory about why my acne persists and why face hates me. I don't know how true it is. I tried asking my dermatologist but she was too busy ignoring me, making assumptions about my skin, and prescribing me accutane (which i rejected- like i need to be more effed up). so here is my theory.

when I was in grade 7 (about 12 years old) I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. I was given some man-made hormone pill to stabilize my thyroid gland. My skin was clear from grade 7 to grade 10. I was told my thyroid was looking normal so I stopped taking the pill. After a few months without the pill (specifically Late October- I remember cause it was around my 16th birthday) I got two large painful deep cystic pimples side by side on my chin. they literally added about 2 inches to the left side of my chin. I had never had major acne before. During puberty years I would get small pimples around my nose that would clear quite quickly. these were a whole new struggle. these planets lasted about 1 month. I was clueless. I didn't know what to use. i would google the most random things. Nothing helped. I went to shoppers drug mart and spoke to one of the pharmacists who gave me benzoyle peroxide after saying that my pimples looked almost like boyles.

After the cysts cleared up my face suddenly became very acne prone. My beautiful skin was starting the evolution towards the ugliness it has now become. My acne was mostly on my chin, and between my brows. High school became all about covering, concealing, and hiding my face. Of course this time was also filled with lots of home remedies and a bunch of failed products.

NEVER did I connect my acne to the thyroid pills I discontinued.

Anyways my skin has only gotten worse. during my second year of university I was diagnosed with PCOS- for those that don't know- poly cystic ovarian syndrome. A condition whereby your ovaries are covered with cysts, your periods are late or absent, your toes are hairy- so is your body, your head loses hair, your voice deepens, you slowly become a man-woman, oh and you get acne. everywhere. Not all PCOS sufferers share these symptoms. but I definitely got the acne.

My acne went from being just on my chin and between my brows to being all over my jawline, all over my cheeks, more severe on my chin, and everywhere else.

The type of acne I now get is worse too. I didn't ever get the boyle looking ones again, but nearly every pimple that pops up onto my face is cystic and scarring. The scars make me feel so hopeless. I don't think I will ever be beautiful.

More recently I have been diagnosed with an under-active thyroid. my thyroid now doesn't produce enough thyroxin. it switched. I don't know how or why. I wonder if it's because of the first thyroid pills I used to take, or genetics... not sure.

At this point I am just exhausted. I just want clear skin, I feel like I have earned it back. I have spent $1000's on skin care. I have purchased everything imaginable just to have my face back- to have my confidence back. I don't want to hide my face anymore.

here is what I currently use:

My mother's home made moisturizer (really good stuff!)

apple cider vinegar as a toner ( burns but I am so desperate I don't care)

olive oil soap (also my mom's product- totally natural)

pmd- personal microderm abrasion device (I cant say this has helped much I use it once a week)

DIM supplement- supposed to balance hormones. this worked so well at first

What I have tried:

Proactive

noxema

Benzoyle peroxide

dramatic diet changes (no sugar, no dairy- this just got depressing)

otc treatments

essential oils

basically everything at the pharmacy...

dermatologist (she was horrible. she literally touched my face a few times, didn't ask me about my acne and just prescribed accutane and birth control which I said no to. )

Do you think the thyroid drugs screwed me over? and do you have any suggestions? I feel defeated at this point. I really just want to be done with my acne.

-Mel

Hi, I also have an over-active thyroid. I was diagnosed 4 years ago.

I had pretty good skin all through school. Just a small spot or two every-now-and-then.

I have been on the thyroid drugs twice. I am not currently taking them though.

I have been breaking out for a year now. Wasn't too bad when it started, just a normal period breakout but it slowly progressed.

I have wondered myself whether it was being my thyroid was shot. I asked my thyroid specialist doctor it is could be causing me to breakout and she said no because my thyroid hormone levels were all fine. But I don't think those doctors consider why you're producing to much thyroid hormone. They just give you the meds which are really just a band-aid, they don't solve the problem, just cover it.

Anyway, a doctor recently said something to be about some 'toxicity' or 'imbalance' in my body caused my thyroid meds. So if this is the case, I hope she can help me fix that. I think there may be some hormone problems in there too which I hope to talk to my doctor about.

It is so shitty, too look at pictures of myself from a year ago, when my skin was fine! My skin has calmed down somewhat from what it was in Feb/March, but i have a lot of redness and some scarring. Its disheartening and shitty and I hate the look of my face! SO I totally know how you feel!!

Also it is common to go from over-active to under-active. Shitty shitty thyroid problems. While genetics to play a role, it is often triggered by environmental factors and stress etc. You can read lots about thyroids problems and auto-immune diseases online.

I have changed my diet a lot to help my auto-immunity. I am now gluten-free, mostly dairy and sugar-free and I play to adopt a paleo diet in the coming weeks. I know a lot of people would find it excessive but I do think it will help me so I'm going to do it. The current western diet is so inflammatory and disease causing. And with auto-immune diseases inflammation is a big problem!

I think we can beat this acne! I had pretty much 100% completely clear skin for 21 years! And I believe I can get back to that. Just sucks that now I have scarring which I will have to deal with over the coming years.

May I ask how old you are? I'm 22.

Does DIM no longer work? It is something I have read a lot about and was hoping to try at some point.

Thanks for replying!

I am so grateful that I have another thyroid victim giving me some perspective! I think looking at old pictures is really what makes this struggle harder so I totally get what your saying! As for DIM- this stuff was probably the best thing for me I would post a picture of a before and after but I really want to keep my identity concealed just because of how self conscious acne has made me. I started DIM about a year ago. I saw improvement a week or 2 after using it and once my skin cleared I was ecstatic. It did get to expensive for me ( I was an unemployed student) so I stopped. Once I stopped my acne came back with a vengeance- because my hormones went out of whack again. My cheeks suffered the most. About 2 months ago I found DIM online for much less than what I was paying (I can link you if you are interested- I get the 120 capsules for about $20.00 instead of $55). After going back to this stuff my cheeks are clear and the scars have been fading! I love DIM and I did a lot of research and found that it doesn't harm people with thyroid either I was even able to go without makeup because of DIM. More recently my skin has worsened because that time of month came around and I was really stressed- not to mention my sleep has been off and so has my water in-take. If those factors weren't at play I'm sure things would still be great. I still take DIM faithfully, it is the only thing keeping most of my hormonal acne at bay.

I think the scarring is my biggest concern these days. I have some shallow but still pitted scars on my cheeks and my chin. I have considered laser but the price is almost scarier than the procedure! but I have found that the pure organic apple cider vinegar (not diluted) applied on my face has really faded the scarring- better than the creams I tried!

oh and I'm 20

Thanks for replying!

I am so grateful that I have another thyroid victim giving me some perspective! I think looking at old pictures is really what makes this struggle harder so I totally get what your saying! As for DIM- this stuff was probably the best thing for me I would post a picture of a before and after but I really want to keep my identity concealed just because of how self conscious acne has made me. I started DIM about a year ago. I saw improvement a week or 2 after using it and once my skin cleared I was ecstatic. It did get to expensive for me ( I was an unemployed student) so I stopped. Once I stopped my acne came back with a vengeance- because my hormones went out of whack again. My cheeks suffered the most. About 2 months ago I found DIM online for much less than what I was paying (I can link you if you are interested- I get the 120 capsules for about $20.00 instead of $55). After going back to this stuff my cheeks are clear and the scars have been fading! I love DIM and I did a lot of research and found that it doesn't harm people with thyroid either I was even able to go without makeup because of DIM. More recently my skin has worsened because that time of month came around and I was really stressed- not to mention my sleep has been off and so has my water in-take. If those factors weren't at play I'm sure things would still be great. I still take DIM faithfully, it is the only thing keeping most of my hormonal acne at bay.

I think the scarring is my biggest concern these days. I have some shallow but still pitted scars on my cheeks and my chin. I have considered laser but the price is almost scarier than the procedure! but I have found that the pure organic apple cider vinegar (not diluted) applied on my face has really faded the scarring- better than the creams I tried!

oh and I'm 20

I was grateful for finding you also! I know what you mean about the pictures thing. I uploaded some but blacked out everything else but my cheeks so I could show my acne.

I wish I had started taking DIM when I first heard about it 6 months ago! I could be clear by now! I have found a doctor that mentioned something that detoxes estrogens, so she was probably talking about DIM. I'll definitely ask more about what she thinks when I see her next. I would like that link too 🙂

Scarring is so shitty. I have some shallow dents on my cheeks too a quite a bit of redness, I am so pale that everything stands out! I only noticed the dented scarring less than 3 months ago, I think it was from when my skin was at its worst in March. I try to remain positive, telling myself that my skin is obviously still healing and the scarring my heal too, and if not treatments such as needling look quite promising and inexpensive.

But my skin is so sensitive and easily irritated right now that I think I just have to give it a chance to heal before I put it though anything else.

That's a good idea! I will try and find some pictures of my reallly bad and good skin days I hope I haven't deleted the ones that can help lol. I think looking at pictures of my bad skin days is also very saddening. I only took them because I thought they would help me move on.

I have tried needling- I have seen some great results for others but it didn't work for me. But I will say I bought a really cheap needling device off of ebay and I heard that those things basically never work. so if you do give it a try buy the authentic one

This is the link for DIM- and It's on sale right now! http://www.vitacost.com/natures-way-dim-plus-120-capsules-5

I bought 2 and I plan on buying 1 each time 1 of mine runs out

Good luck and I hope and pray that this gives you great results!

Mel

That's a good idea! I will try and find some pictures of my reallly bad and good skin days I hope I haven't deleted the ones that can help lol. I think looking at pictures of my bad skin days is also very saddening. I only took them because I thought they would help me move on.

I have tried needling- I have seen some great results for others but it didn't work for me. But I will say I bought a really cheap needling device off of ebay and I heard that those things basically never work. so if you do give it a try buy the authentic one

This is the link for DIM- and It's on sale right now! http://www.vitacost.com/natures-way-dim-plus-120-capsules-5

I bought 2 and I plan on buying 1 each time 1 of mine runs out

Good luck and I hope and pray that this gives you great results!

Mel

Yeah I have read a lot about needling and those who do it home usually have been doing it a year or so to see the results. Its a slow process but I am not keen on lasers so it'll be needling and maybe some chemical peels when I am ready to work on my scarring.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to have a chat about DIM with my doctor.

Thank you very much! 🙂 I am hoping that this is what works for me too.

All the best