On 2018-01-17 at 9:34 PM, chell26 said:

Hello. I am on my 6th month of taking my pills which is Diane but I still have plenty of cystic acne on my cheeks. I dont know if I have to switch to Yasmin just to clear my acne. 

Hi there! 

In my experience, Yasmin has been amazing! I absolutely love it! My friend has been on Diane for years and it's cleared up her acne wonderfully!
If I were you, I would stick it out for a year on Diane. I noticed the biggest results about 10 months in. Apparently it takes 9 months to really see a huge improvement if you started out with pretty bad acne (like I did). 

Good luck! Let me know how it goes  

On 2018-01-26 at 10:43 AM, MuchoKaren said:

Your skin made an amazing improvement! Congratulations I started Yasmin about 7 weeks ago, however I have been taking only the active pills. So, while I'm on my third pack of Yasmin, I've really only been taking the birth control for about 7 weeks. For those of you who have seen improvement with Yasmin, should I be seeing results as of yet? I'm not sure if I should say that I am about 7 weeks into Yasmin, or 3 "months" (packs). I know 3 months is usually the magic number for visible results (which I am definitely not seeing..my skin has erupted into cysts!) 

If anyone else skipped the first couple placebo weeks on Yasmin (and went straight to active pills), your input would be greatly appreciated!

Hi there! 
To be perfectly honest with you, I really didn't see a "huge" difference after three months of being on Yasmin. I was still breaking out on and off throughout the first 10 months! After 10 months, my skin hardly ever breaks out into anything serious. I still get small pimples, but not full blown acne like I used to have. 

My biggest piece of advice to you would be to stick it out for a year. Apparently after 9 months, full results should be achieved. Your body is still adjusting to the change in hormones. Some people (like me) are more sensitive to hormonal shifts than others. ALSO- my placebo week is actually the week I have the clearest skin! So maybe you should think about talking to your doctor about taking the placebo week each month! 

Good luck! Keep me updated  

YEAR TWO MONTH ONE UPDATE
Hello everyone! I wanted to just give a quick update after being on Yasmin for one year!
My skin has gotten SOOO much better. I will rarely get a cystic pimple! However, I wanted to mention that I was vegan for around 6 months and when I introduced dairy back into my diet, I broke out in really tiny pimples that cleared within a few days. I'm now going back to a 95% vegan lifestyle (I might include fish or chicken every once and a while for protein), but that diet seemed to keep my skin almost perfectly clear for the 6 months I did it.

You are a brave and beautiful girl... Always remember that!!!
I too have PCOS. I was diagnosed 2014 but i think I already had it even before. I started getting severe comedonal and cystic acne in 2010. Went on several rounds of accutane in 2011 and 2012. Kept acne at bay until 2014 - all hell broke loose. I have always had irregular periods but in 2014 the longest that I didnt have my period was 3 months. Went to the OB GYN and confirmed i have PCOS. I started Dianne35 immediately. And yes it did wonders to my skin! - however just last November i tried to go off the pill to see what will happen (and also to give my body a break). I had my period in december and even january without breaking out, but then, lo and behold February came and my period was delayed for just one week - one week and Acne is back again!!! So Ive been struggling with this Acne breakout since February and its just sooo frustrating!!! I know birth control is only a band aid solution but I am at wits end! Im back on the pill, have my period right now - will be taking the 2nd pack on Saturday.

Even though Im on birth control I am eliminating dairy, sugar and even coffee... even trying to go gluten free if I can....

And for my regimen, Im using a substituted Acne.org regimen coz these things are not readily available here in the Philippines.

Im using Dans approved substitute cleanser - Johnsons top to toe baby wash, and by some miracle i got a hold of Acne.org BP treatment, and a moisturizer thats non- comedogenic no parabens and fragrances and is water based.

PCOS Acne is just sooo hard to treat and control because its our hormones that are out of whack.... I just hope that with todays knowledge and technology - there would be a cure to PCOS!

Ive researched (ehem- googled) that these following natural supplements are very helpful in normalizing hormones and are often prescribed for women dealing with PCOS
- vitex (although this cannot be taken along with birth control)
- evening primrose
- inositol

and some other supplements as well to help healp acne:
- zinc
- gluthathione

good thing theres google... I am still researching all of said supplements and will be asking my Dr about them..

Heres to us!!! - always keep on fighting!!!

On 2018-03-22 at 8:09 AM, MgX said:

You are a brave and beautiful girl... Always remember that!!!
I too have PCOS. I was diagnosed 2014 but i think I already had it even before. I started getting severe comedonal and cystic acne in 2010. Went on several rounds of accutane in 2011 and 2012. Kept acne at bay until 2014 - all hell broke loose. I have always had irregular periods but in 2014 the longest that I didn™t have my period was 3 months. Went to the OB GYN and confirmed i have PCOS. I started Dianne35 immediately. And yes it did wonders to my skin! - however just last November i tried to go off the pill to see what will happen (and also to give my body a break). I had my period in december and even january without breaking out, but then, lo and behold February came and my period was delayed for just one week - one week and Acne is back again!!! So I™ve been struggling with this Acne breakout since February and it™s just sooo frustrating!!! I know birth control is only a band aid solution but I am at wit™s end! I™m back on the pill, have my period right now - will be taking the 2nd pack on Saturday. 

Even though I™m on birth control I am eliminating dairy, sugar and even coffee... even trying to go gluten free if I can....

And for my regimen, I™m using a substituted Acne.org regimen coz these things are not readily available here in the Philippines.

I™m using Dan™s approved substitute cleanser - Johnson™s top to toe baby wash, and by some miracle i got a hold of Acne.org BP treatment, and a moisturizer that™s non- comedogenic no parabens and fragrances and is water based.

PCOS Acne is just sooo hard to treat and control because it™s our hormones that are out of whack.... I just hope that with today™s knowledge and technology - there would be a cure to PCOS! 

I™ve researched  (ehem- googled) that these following natural supplements are very helpful in normalizing hormones and are often prescribed for women dealing with PCOS
- vitex (although this cannot be taken along with birth control)
- evening primrose
- inositol

and some other supplements as well to help healp acne:
- zinc
- gluthathione

good thing there™s google... I am still researching all of said supplements and will be asking my Dr about them..

Here™s to us!!! - always keep on fighting!!!

Thank you for sharing!! I hope your pill helps out with the acne! Please keep me updated  You as well are brave and beautiful! Going through acne is a really traumatizing thing for a lot of us. I don't think people with clear skin will ever truly understand how horrible it is to go through...

I've heard it a million times that birth control is only a band-aid. But when confidence is at stake, I'll take the ten years of clear skin and deal with it again later in the future. As for your diet changes, let me know how those work!! I tried cutting gluten and didn't notice a difference. BUT going vegan (I'm back vegan again after a two month break) has honestly changed everything. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone going through acne. I thought it would be the most challenging way to live my life, but it has brought me so much joy! I never have that gross, oily feeling anymore in my skin (and body), and the options are absolutely endless! I mean, Pizza Pizza has vegan cheese now haha (at least in Canada)!

Another thing I noticed is that reducing my intake of refined sugar has been vital! When I got my wisdom teeth out a month ago I was living off vegan coconut ice-cream. Super delicious. But that did break me out in tiny whiteheads for about a week. I would really recommend giving a vegan lifestyle a shot for a few months and seeing if that helps! It took me about three months to notice the full impact of it. I hardly ever break out while eating a vegan diet (and being on the pill obviously), and my skin is almost never oily.

Good luck with everything! I'm rooting for you!  

Hello there! I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to be updating more so on Instagram moving forward- I just created an account about body positivity with acne & acne related body dysmorphia disorder! [Edited promotional information out]

Hi guys! It's been 1.5 years since being on Yasmin and healing my acne...I have learned SO SO much that I want to share. First of all, I've learned a lot about obsessing over the acne and healing my mind versus what I perceived as "gross" or "ugly".

I know previously I mentioned that veganism had been helping. However, since reintroducing some healthy meats (still no dairy) into my diet, my skin has actually been the clearest ever this past month. I feel like restricting my diet because of my appearance just caused me more stress than anything. It is also worth mentioning that I was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphia Disorder. When I first got acne, it became the only thing I thought about every minute. I've been trying to let that go, and see that I'm beautiful despite any spots or scars.

I've found that the stress I put on my body obsessing over each and every red dot or cyst that popped up, caused me to get four new ones. Ever since going to speak with a therapist and really focusing on my mental health, my skin issues have both physically and mentally faded.

I also want to mention that there is no "cure" for acne. I have been on the pill for almost two years now, and just in August I had 3 cysts. I hadn't gotten cysts in ages!! But my stress levels were off the charts, I was constantly obsessing over my appearance and I hadn't taken the time to connect with myself and love myself despite the pretty-little-leopard-spot-pimples. I heard someone once call pimples unicorn kisses- and I thought that was super cute.

I'm trying to be grateful for the acne! It taught me empathy for myself. Now whenever I break out, I try to give myself a little more love that day. Instead of thinking my acne is ugly and annoying and preventing me from living my life, I'm trying to change my mindset. Acne is beautiful. I never ever ever ever want to learn that someone held back in life because they were embarrassed about their appearance. Or held back from enjoying that piece of chocolate cake on a Friday night because of the anxiety that eating it will result in another cyst.

Just live your life! Enjoy it! Be kind to your body, and be even more kind to your mind. Obviously do your best to live a healthy lifestyle for all the right reasons, but please don't hate on yourself.

There was a point a month ago (when I started eating meat again), when I got a new pimple, cried, and then completely cracked. I just had a moment where I was so SO SO over this crap. I was done crying over my skin, I was done letting it isolate me, I was done letting it hold me back from foods that I used to love eating. I was done letting acne control every aspect of my life.

I was a huge moment for me, and I have honestly felt so much happier since having that revelation. It took many many years to get there, but I feel like I'm finally living MY life for ME. Give yourself a big hug today if you're struggling. Give yourself a bigger hug if you're struggling with acne.

Hi guys! Just wanted to give another quick update...my skin has been incredible the past month. The best it has been in over 3 years! I've been eating meat and tons of protein (like I had prior to cystic acne), working out, and feeling awesome. I think a lot of the stress I was putting on my body was from dietary restrictions. I was very obsessive and paranoid about everything I was eating, so just experimenting with re-introducing lean meats into my diet has been hugely beneficial to my mental health, physical health and SKIN! Like I said, my skin has been getting better and better. PLUS I've been working out again (I was previously too nervous to workout-- I thought the sweat would break me out). So my body has been feeling awesome inside and out. 

One more update...I've actually started consuming dairy again!!!! What!? I never thought I'd eat a piece of milk chocolate again...and guess what? No break outs. My skin actually got even BETTER after bringing dairy back into my diet. I was dairy free for so many years, and it never actually helped my acne. So I guess the dairy wasn't the issue for me. It was hormones, which have now totally stabilized on Yasmin, and stress!! It feels so good to not put restrictions on my life. I feel so freaking free! I never knew I was restricting my mind and body so much until I finally broke out of it. 

Of course, I promote healthy lifestyles, and I would never suggest just eating a bunch of crap all the time. But in moderation, it's important to treat yourself! Just make sure you're living a balanced lifestyle...ie. working out, taking care of your mind and body, but never letting a pimple impact whether or not you have a slice of cake on someone's birthday. 

I want to also really highlight that this healing journey did NOT happen over night. I have been on Yasmin for almost 2 years, and it took about a full year for my hormones to stabilize after starting the pill. I may have to battle acne again when coming off the pill, but for now I'll enjoy the clear skin

As for scarring- the emotional scars have really been helped through therapy for body dysmorphia. I've been so much happier in my skin these past few months than I ever have before. Talking to a professional about your struggles is the best tool in healing and practicing self-love. The physical scars are still present, but they have been fading each month. I've actually been using the derma-roller (with a professional aesthetician) once a month. I've noticed such an amazing difference already. 

I've also found that stepping away from toxic friendships and relationships has been a huge source of releasing stress. I only surround myself with people that accept me for who I am and support me no matter what. Those people would never laugh at me when I've got a cyst between my eyebrows, they'd remind me how beautiful I am. I've unfortunately made the mistake of keeping people around that made fun of me in the past, but finally eliminating them from my life has been a huge stress reliever. 

I'll keep this page updated whenever... feel free to DM me on this site, if you need an acne pep talk <3 Sending you tons of love!! [Edited promotional information out]

2 YEAR UPDATE!

Hey guys! Still on Yasmin...still living life, trying not to care about my skin anymore. The past month or so I've broken out a bit...a scattering of annoying pimples, sorta under the skin, but sorta not. I'm not going to lie- it's still really hard to look in the mirror and see a little breakout. To me it symbolizes so much more, it reminds me of a dark time in my life where I didn't feel beautiful or worthy or happy.

But I've been trying to look past the breakout and see all the things in my life that are so much better BECAUSE of my experience with acne. I'm not letting pimples hold me back from eating a cupcake if I want dessert, and I'm not letting it stop me from hanging out with a friend. In fact...one of the days I was breaking out, I had plans to see a good guy friend of mine. I almost cancelled because I was embarrassed of my face. But NO. I decided to not even wear foundation and just own the way I looked that day. I'm trying to be proud of my body and face and skin no matter what!

It's interesting for me to look back when I first started this blog 2 years ago. I've come so far...in my mindset more than anything. Back then, all I wanted was perfect skin. Now, I'm doing everything tofeel grateful for the acne. Without it, I wouldn't be as empathetic and understanding as I am today. I've grown so so so much because of it. I wouldn't change it for the world. Try to remember that our scars make us beautiful.

Thanks so much to anyone who has reached out on social media to chat. I'm alwaaaaays there if anyone wants to talk about acne stuff, vent, anything. I did make my instagram private...but just send me a DM and I'll add you, or you can always DM me on here if you'd prefer.

ALSO wanted to mention a side-effect that I've had on Yasmin- just went to the doctor today and talked to her about it, she says its normal...I've had lots of digestion issues over the past year and a half due to the pill. Anyone else experience that?

[Edited promotional content out]

xoxox

Hayley <3