I'd say moderately severe. Definitely cystic. I'm so sorry; you are so lovely and I totally have been here. Feel free to check out my blog (with pics) about the route I personally chose (Dan's Regimen). It can take a long time but I think it's gentle overall and effective.

Some what mild to slightly moderate to me. You do have hyperpigmentation which may seem like your condition is worse. But I don't see nodules or cysts which is mor severe to me.

not mild.

moderate and definitely needs good treatment sooner than later.

whats ur diet and lifetsyle like?

what are the topicals u use?

I'd say moderate. Looks hormonal by location. Do ur notice breakout around your cycle at all

not mild.

moderate and definitely needs good treatment sooner than later.

whats ur diet and lifetsyle like?

what are the topicals u use?

i don't really watch my diet much however i do try to incorporate veggies and fruit in my daily meals. i recently started taking fish oil supplements and hair skin and nail vitamins... i havent been taking them long enough to know if they work or not. i am currently using Neutrogena oil free acne wash (orange bottle) i use it with my clarisonic once a day sometimes every two days because i feel like it irritates my skin sometimes.... i am also using clean and clear astrigent with salicyic acid (orange bottle) it has worked for me in the past i had stopped using it for a while and my skin seriously flared up... i also use Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion (note i have just started using these products together recently so don't know how effective they will be just YET) and i occasionally spot treat with Tea Tree Oil, Aloe Vera or Pure Honey...

I'd say moderate. Looks hormonal by location. Do ur notice breakout around your cycle at all

definitely . I get big huge cystic pimples around the time of the month... but i rarely get so many little red inflamed pus filled ones like the ones seen in the photo..

I'd say moderately severe. Definitely cystic. I'm so sorry; you are so lovely and I totally have been here. Feel free to check out my blog (with pics) about the route I personally chose (Dan's Regimen). It can take a long time but I think it's gentle overall and effective.

Thank you, your skin really cleared up as i've seen on your blog... i don't know if i have the patience for such a slow process... i have ALOT of scarring, is Dans Regimen using BP??

not mild.

moderate and definitely needs good treatment sooner than later.

whats ur diet and lifetsyle like?

what are the topicals u use?

i don't really watch my diet much however i do try to incorporate veggies and fruit in my daily meals. i recently started taking fish oil supplements and hair skin and nail vitamins... i havent been taking them long enough to know if they work or not. i am currently using Neutrogena oil free acne wash (orange bottle) i use it with my clarisonic once a day sometimes every two days because i feel like it irritates my skin sometimes.... i am also using clean and clear astrigent with salicyic acid (orange bottle) it has worked for me in the past i had stopped using it for a while and my skin seriously flared up... i also use Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion (note i have just started using these products together recently so don't know how effective they will be just YET) and i occasionally spot treat with Tea Tree Oil, Aloe Vera or Pure Honey...

>I'd say moderate. Looks hormonal by location. Do ur notice breakout around your cycle at all

definitely . I get big huge cystic pimples around the time of the month... but i rarely get so many little red inflamed pus filled ones like the ones seen in the photo..

I'd say moderately severe. Definitely cystic. I'm so sorry; you are so lovely and I totally have been here. Feel free to check out my blog (with pics) about the route I personally chose (Dan's Regimen). It can take a long time but I think it's gentle overall and effective.

Thank you, your skin really cleared up as i've seen on your blog... i don't know if i have the patience for such a slow process... i have ALOT of scarring, is Dans Regimen using BP??

ya, it's the BP Regimen he created. Just go to the main page of the Acne.org website and you'll see it. The thing i figured was that it was going to take a long time to heal anyways when a person is left with that amount of hyperpigmentation and [possible] actual scarring, so I decided it was worth it b/c the side effects are basicall nil. I personally was not comfortable with taking accutane or bcp's or chronic antibiotics for various reasons, but you gotta do what you feel is best for you. Just wanted to share my experience b/c ours looked kinda similar-- No pressure about Dan's BP regimen, though, just wanted to share! Good luck!

Since your acne looks hormonal and you notice that you breakout around your cycles. I would recommend spironolactone. I get mine from my obgyn but you can get it from dermatologists or obgyn or endocrinologist. Some GP will also prescribe.

Anyways look it up. It is a off market use of the medication but it stops hormonal acne. Basically it won't treat the acne you already have you will need a topical treatment for that. Like tea tree oil or witch hazel or SA or BP. Whatever your skin usually has success with. Spiro is a androgen blocker. Androgens are what causes hormonal acne in females. If the androgens are blocked then you don't get acne it is as simple as that. It can take a couple months to kick in though so patience is key. But it is a simple medication that really works wonders for hormonal acne. I did a accutane course for 7 months and broke out 3 months after my course ended. I start spiro as a last ditch effort and it's been a dream. It is a diuretic so you might find yourself using the restroom alittle more often and you will need to drink more water. The medication is used tomlowermblood pressure though and a few ladies on here have fainted while being on the mediation. Probably due to having low blood pressure anyways and then taking the spiro was just too much, that's not common though and my blood pressure hasn't changed at all and I've been on it for 8 months now. I love it and it's safe to take long term too!

Also, alot of what I see on your face looks like Hyperpigmentaion not active acne. Which is a good thing. Look into aha to fade those marks. I've had a lot of success with acne.orgs aha+

Since your acne looks hormonal and you notice that you breakout around your cycles. I would recommend spironolactone. I get mine from my obgyn but you can get it from dermatologists or obgyn or endocrinologist. Some GP will also prescribe.

Anyways look it up. It is a off market use of the medication but it stops hormonal acne. Basically it won't treat the acne you already have you will need a topical treatment for that. Like tea tree oil or witch hazel or SA or BP. Whatever your skin usually has success with. Spiro is a androgen blocker. Androgens are what causes hormonal acne in females. If the androgens are blocked then you don't get acne it is as simple as that. It can take a couple months to kick in though so patience is key. But it is a simple medication that really works wonders for hormonal acne. I did a accutane course for 7 months and broke out 3 months after my course ended. I start spiro as a last ditch effort and it's been a dream. It is a diuretic so you might find yourself using the restroom alittle more often and you will need to drink more water. The medication is used tomlowermblood pressure though and a few ladies on here have fainted while being on the mediation. Probably due to having low blood pressure anyways and then taking the spiro was just too much, that's not common though and my blood pressure hasn't changed at all and I've been on it for 8 months now. I love it and it's safe to take long term too!

Also, alot of what I see on your face looks like Hyperpigmentaion not active acne. Which is a good thing. Look into aha to fade those marks. I've had a lot of success with acne.orgs aha+

Thanks so much, i will look into that. i was thinking about taking tetracycline, its an antibiotic for acne. My aunt suggested it because she had really bad acne when she was younger and she told me this would definitely work for me. Have you heard of this antibiotic? i've read many reviews and it is said you will begin seeing results in as little as 2 weeks! Also i was thinking of buying a topical medication as well to combine it with the antibiotics since i have a lot of scarring i read that Retin-A is good for this.... what do you think? any opinion will be very much appreciated!!

So I'm not a fan of antibiotics period,even more so with hormonal acne though. Antibiotics work if your acne is bacterial. If you break out during or around your cycle, your acne is not bacterial. Antibiotics will not help hormones get controlled.

Antibiotics work for a period of time. Could be a year could be 2 months no one can tell. But your body will always build a resistance to them, it's just a matter of time. Plus they do huge damage to your stomach. Which you could spend years trying to correct. Anyways once your body builds the resistance your acne will return. Once you stop the antibiotics your acne will return. It's a crappy ending senerio either was it ends. Not to mention most people's acne comes back 10 fold after antibiotics. Which Is why I recommend stopping the acne at its source. If its hormones you need to control your hormones. If its food intolerance you need to find out which foods are issues. So on and so forth.

Topicals like retin a are good. I used retin a for years and never had good success with it. All it did was irrate my skin. It never got used to it so I had to use it sparringly and therefore it was ever effective. That's what I think anyways. I was always using retin a to get rid of my Hyperpigmentaion. Im not sure if that's what you mean by scars. Or if you are talking actual indented scarring. If our talking indented then the only things you will have success with would be lasers or dermastamping or rolling. You have to injure the tissue to provide healing to the area. Topicals cannot do that for you.

If you are looking to fade your Hyperpigmentaion though retin a should be able to do that for you. Also Hydroquinone is a good opition for fading Hyperpigmentaion but I didn't have great success with that either. Insurance doesn't cover it either because it's considered cosmetic and it cost a arm and a leg too which is a bummer. I use Dans Aha+ from acne.org. I have great outcomes from this, clear skin and I use it as a spot treatment too it gives your skin a youthful glow which acne took from me years ago. Fades Hyperpigmentaion quickly too. I would say mine faded 70% in a month! You also need to make sure you are wearing a sunscreen on your face daily. Doesn't mattermifmyour outside or is cloudy and raining or if it's snowing. Just a bit of sun will darken your red marks ( Hyperpigmentaion ) and make them that much harder to fade away. Make sure your SPF is noncomodgenic also. I use neutrogena sheer skin SPF 30 on my face in the summer when it is humid because it provides a very nice matting effect which is usually the opposit effect sunscreen gives. In the winter I use CeraVe am when my skin is dryer. Both very nice products under $20.00 that will last you all season or around 6 months time.

So I'm not a fan of antibiotics period,even more so with hormonal acne though. Antibiotics work if your acne is bacterial. If you break out during or around your cycle, your acne is not bacterial. Antibiotics will not help hormones get controlled.

Antibiotics work for a period of time. Could be a year could be 2 months no one can tell. But your body will always build a resistance to them, it's just a matter of time. Plus they do huge damage to your stomach. Which you could spend years trying to correct. Anyways once your body builds the resistance your acne will return. Once you stop the antibiotics your acne will return. It's a crappy ending senerio either was it ends. Not to mention most people's acne comes back 10 fold after antibiotics. Which Is why I recommend stopping the acne at its source. If its hormones you need to control your hormones. If its food intolerance you need to find out which foods are issues. So on and so forth.

Topicals like retin a are good. I used retin a for years and never had good success with it. All it did was irrate my skin. It never got used to it so I had to use it sparringly and therefore it was ever effective. That's what I think anyways. I was always using retin a to get rid of my Hyperpigmentaion. Im not sure if that's what you mean by scars. Or if you are talking actual indented scarring. If our talking indented then the only things you will have success with would be lasers or dermastamping or rolling. You have to injure the tissue to provide healing to the area. Topicals cannot do that for you.

If you are looking to fade your Hyperpigmentaion though retin a should be able to do that for you. Also Hydroquinone is a good opition for fading Hyperpigmentaion but I didn't have great success with that either. Insurance doesn't cover it either because it's considered cosmetic and it cost a arm and a leg too which is a bummer. I use Dans Aha+ from acne.org. I have great outcomes from this, clear skin and I use it as a spot treatment too it gives your skin a youthful glow which acne took from me years ago. Fades Hyperpigmentaion quickly too. I would say mine faded 70% in a month! You also need to make sure you are wearing a sunscreen on your face daily. Doesn't mattermifmyour outside or is cloudy and raining or if it's snowing. Just a bit of sun will darken your red marks ( Hyperpigmentaion ) and make them that much harder to fade away. Make sure your SPF is noncomodgenic also. I use neutrogena sheer skin SPF 30 on my face in the summer when it is humid because it provides a very nice matting effect which is usually the opposit effect sunscreen gives. In the winter I use CeraVe am when my skin is dryer. Both very nice products under $20.00 that will last you all season or around 6 months time.

Thank you so much your feedback is helping me tons! i think i will try the antibiotics for a short period just to make sure my acne is not the cause of any type of infection and then i'll go to my local derm to get prescribed Spiro , i am so positive alot of my acne is due to hormone issues!!

And yes by scarring i mean hyperpigmentation , i do not have dents or any thing of that sort. just dark marks from old acne flare ups. i was using a hydroquinone by Murad, it was working wonders, it is very effective but yes it cost a leg and a arm!! i discontinued my use of this due to the fact that i kept getting pimples that would leave scars and it was like a backward and foward process so i decided to focus on eliminating my acne first once and for all!!! and then treat my hyperpigmentation. i will look into dans aha i really don't know how my skin will react to the retin-A i have oily skin but i heard this can dry out even the olliest of skins

i do use sunscreen everyday !! i also use neutrogena sheer spf 55 i am terrified of what the sun can do to my skin this is really my first year dealing with acne so i don't know how my skin will be during the winter time..thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me.

xoxo

Yea, I think everyone on here has ran through all the antibiotics you probably should give that a shot too. The typical visit to a derm or GP when your visit is about acne usually ends up with a topical treatment usually clindamycin which can be effective. It is a topical antibiotic. Or retin a or differin and then a antibiotic of some sort. If your family has had success from a certain one I am sure you could request that first. Be sure to take good care of your stomach while taking antibiotics, taking a probiotic at the same time or eating yogurt daily will help support a healthy digestive system so you don't need to worry a out leaky gut syndrome or gut flora issues.

Retin a I honestly blame for causing my acne to get out of control years ago. I was actually seeing my dermatologist for another skin issue for a couple of years and she mentioned that I had a few zits and she asked me if I was interested in getting rid of them. I was like yea sure why not. She gave me retin a and put me on a antibiotic not sure which one was first. And I broke out terribly once I started the retin a. Then I needed a higher dosage of antibiocs then I built resistance to them then I got put on stronger retin a and more antibiotics and the cycle began. Eventually I got put on accutane to clear my skin which it did. The results weren't long term at all though. Everyone talks about accutane like its a cure. Which its not, I was cler for 3 months and then my forehead started getting little bumps everywhere. Then next thing you know I ended up with sits on my chin and I freaked and went to my obgyn to see if she thought my acne was hormonal. She agreed to treat it hormonally and it's working. I never figured my acne was hormonal but as it turns out it is. Results don't lie!

Anyways I'm glad I could be helpful

yes,u can test u hormone levels(under doctor for best) and see look into pills/med.

dan's regimen is good as well.

the AHA will help ur PIH.

Seems like it's your age. I have had it like that but not recently.