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Hi, I have had acne since I was a teenager, it has never gone away. I started birth control to help it and through out the years have tried everything. About two years ago i had a copper IUD inserted therefore there was nothing altering my hormones. The acne got worse and worse, cystic acne, regular pimples. Its horrible. I just recently went back on ortho tri cyclen even though i have been it in the past with some results but not fully clear. I dont consume dairy, I drink tons of water, the only person in my family who suffers like i do is my sister, I drink green tea, i use noncomedagenic moisturizer(and use it liberally) I use a glycolic acid face wash along with a non-soap face wash, sometimes i even use coconut oil as moisturizer, I eat really healthy, no junk food occasionally some fried food but who doesnt, its not on a weekly basis not even a bi-weekly basis, I eat lots of vegetables and many weeks eats a strict raw diet, I run 3 to 4 times a week i also do strength training. I just had all my hormone levels checked and they came back all normal. I use mineral make up to cover up my face as much as possible and its supposed to be one of the better ones to use. The list goes on and on and on of how i treat my face but still it persists. I am so lost as to how to get it under control. I am turning 30 this year and its embarrassing.
Any advice, anyone?
Thanks!
i would see about getting on spironolactone. that should help you for sure. i had my hormone levels tested 3 times and they all came back normal. since i am 35 and still getting cystic acne my derm believes its all hormonal. i get most of my acne on the lower part of my face. birth control pills only made my acne worse so i just take the spiro with no bcp. i am on keflex and will be stopping that soon but you could ask for that as well to help clear you up while taking the spiro since it takes at least 3 months to really kick in. good luck!
i know how you feel i eat healthy and run and do everything right yet i still get acne so i know for me its not diet related. now that doesn't mean i go nuts and eat a lot of junk but if i want some sugar i let myself have a little bit i just try to not over do it.
Hey! I am turning 30 too and still deal with embarrassing acne. When you had your hormones checked, was it blood testing or saliva? Some doctors think the blood testing is more unreliable than saliva, and since hormones fluctuate so much it's more accurate to check your hormones through saliva testing several times in your cycle. Also, did the doctors check all your hormones, or just the typical ones they test for acne, like testosterone, DHEA, and estrogen? Doctors used to only check me for those, but recently they checked my progesterone and it was low, while the common acne-related hormones were normal, so now I am trying to raise my progesterone to hopefully help regulate my endocrine system. I have done a lot of research into bioidentical hormone therapy, and for me it seems to be the least invasive route along with holistic methods. There is some good advice on the forums that led me to do more research about it because birth control and all the other standard treatments doctors are quick to recommend messed up my body even more.
If you can afford it, do a comprehensive hormone test, along with checking your insulin levels and your liver, to see what is off balance. It might be something other than the main acne triggers, and doctors usually don't check for the nontypical factors (like progesterone or liver) unless you request inclusive tests.