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Many times I have considered birth control. I only took birth control once in my life, for accutane, and I haven't gone on it since.

Ladies birth control is a steady stream of hormones. I'm excited this forum is open to this kind of discussion, because in another setting I would probably be met with blank stares.

So...I would guess you do not have a genetic hormone disregulatory disorder or syndrome that is incurable. If it is "hormones" causing your acne, lifestyle and diet play the biggest role in hormone control. Before any kind of birth control, first hypothesize that something in your lifestyle, unbeknownst to you, is causing your acne. Then try to sort that out.

You could seek out an endocrinologist, or try listening to Alisa Vitti. I have yet to put all her advice into my own practice, but from her talks I would confidently say her protocols are worth a shot.

Last thing...acne has set a lot of people on the path to seeking better health. You could consider it a blessing, as others could have similar hormonal problems but not know it. You have a chance because your body is telling you something. Birth control is a quick fix to ONE symptom and not helping the cause. Birth control is a lazy fix. Sorry to be harsh. I'm not speaking for every woman taking bc, but for an acne issue, then I will call a spade a spade. Lazy fix.

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I know what you mean. I used to love putting on makeup on special occasions, but now it's more of a chore than anything else. I have to wake up early in the morning to pile it on before going to work, and it's exhausting. On the weekends, I give my skin a break by not putting on makeup and it feels really good.

And I agree with Vanbelle that birth control and synthetic drugs are just a short term solution, they don't fix the problem in a natural way and your body becomes reliant on these methods. Eventually, you'll have to come off the meds, and your body will freak out. I spent YEARS taking whatever crap doctors prescribed in hopes of solving my problems, but all they did was address the superficial symptoms like acne. In the meantime, I was messing up my digestion, immune system, and nervous system with all this crap. Even endocrinologists would prescribe hormonal treatments or antibiotics before even testing my hormones.

In my opinion, you have to work hard to figure out how your body works, what your triggers are, and how to change your lifestyle to achieve overall health. In that sense, popping a pill is a lazy fix...and a fix that is temporary. Finding natural alternatives is a LONG road, and consists of some trial and error, but it can be done. You just have to be consistent.

You don't have to starve yourself to achieve clear skin, you just need to find the right diet and skincare routine that works for you. Maybe you need some supplements too, depending on deficiencies you might have. But yes, you have to do some detective work to figure all this out. In the end, your body will thank you. This past year, my acne was the worst it ever was and I was getting scars for the first time. This caused me to really look at my overall health and assess my stress levels, because acne is your body's way of warning you that something is wrong. So I did a lot of research and right now my acne has gone from mod-severe, to mild and I'm still working on it. I don't want a quick fix for just the acne, I want my whole body to be healthy and no matter what your doctors say, it's not healthy to be taking meds for the rest of your life. You may fix your skin problem, but you'll cause more serious issues down the line. I am dealing with the aftermath of years on bcp, antibiotics, harsh topicals, and I wish I could have known all this years ago. When we're desperate we'll take anything to fix one issue, but the underlying issues still remain unsolved.

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I'm not even sure where this thread is going.

I don't participate in fights. I made my point and I don't see it being untrue.

Makeup used to be so much fun....I can't say that I hate it....but I used to LOVE it! I guess I shouldnt complain becasue at least girls can pack all that stuff on to cover up But does anyone feel like this???? I mean, I have to wake up extra early ever since my skin started freaking out. Searching for the best concealers and exfoliating all the dry flakes away! very frustrating!!!!! I just want to wake up and have nice skin! I know its hormonal because it was post birth control pills ....been off for 5 months now...and I am getting so tired of it. My bf said "well just find other ways to control it, you wont be on bc forever?" I agree, but I also think...why not go back on for now....better to save my skin the scarring and damage right? .....Physical on monday...considering going back on....

I 100% agree. My acne isn't hormonal, but I don't enjoy makeup as much as I used to. I like the finished look as it makes me feel more confident (it always has even before I developed acne), but now by foundation/concealer routine takes me almost twice as long as it used to that I don't even wanna finish the rest of my face. I also hate being limited to the foundations I can wear without them breaking me out! I used to be able to wear any foundation I wanted, but now I've only found one that doesn't cause any irritation or breakouts whatsoever. (Crossing my fingers that the samples of a mineral line I ordered works out!)

It would do well to remember that people have been doing "artificial" things for thousands of years. If you think about it, the only truly natural things we do are eat, sleep, breed, and poop.

We have been making fires and cooking food for...thousands of years. That's not "natural". Other animals eat their food raw.

We have had witch doctors or herbalists or medicine men digging up plants, crushing them into extracts, and making tonics or poultices since the druids. Do any other animals do that?

Making detailed plans about what we can and can't eat, when or when not to eat, is not natural either. What do animals do? They eat when food is available. They hunt or scavenge when it's not.

Modern medicine is built upon this same idea that we use our brains to do things that other animals do not. Crushing up a plant into a poultice or creating an extract in a science lab aren't that much different. Some plants are far more dangerous than some drugs, and we figured that out when someone ate a plant and then died. You can't avoid bad consequences by being "natural." Even if you believe in some sort of benevolent god who created plants for us, clearly he/she still created many poisonous and otherwise fatal substances.

Applying progesterone cream is a big "naturalist" thing that is actually pretty unnatural. It's made from diosgenin extracted from soy or yam. We weren't even able to extract the diosgenin until the 1950s...which we did because of UNNATURAL SCIENCE.

Yes, we can be our own undoing because of our wonderful brains. With our brains we created more efficient ways to make food. But that didn't remove our primal instinct to hoard food because there might not be any tomorrow, hence the reason that, throughout the ages, humans become fat gluttons as soon as they become prosperous.

We can also be really silly and proclaim that buying a face wash crushed up from plants in a lab and then distributed on trucks to Whole Foods is really "natural." If you think the ingredients are better, fine. If you just like the face wash better, fine. But to say that, BY DEFAULT, you are superior or "not lazy" than anybody else is a bit of a wild claim. You want to be natural? Throw away your computer you're posting on these boards with, dump all your belongings, and go live in Motou or Bouvet (which are pretty much untouched by humans).

There are good and bad solutions for acne. There are good "natural" solutions, and bad ones. There are good "synthetic" solutions, and bad ones. You need to use your amazing brain to figure out what works for you.