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Hi Everyone! I got acne for the FIRST time in my life when I turned 25. It changes form so much! It's very strange. Mostly it rears its ugly head as the big, painful, red, cystic ones that don't form a head and last weeks and leave marks. It's mostly been centered on jawline, around my mouth, and more recently on my cheeks for the first time. Currently its form is medium sized inflamed ones interspersed around my face along with the little tiny bumps that don't go away and don't get bigger.. they aren't inflamed and you can kinda only see them with makeup on... but they are always there threatening to become full blown pimples.
As many of you can relate, I have spent thousands trying to remedy this with no luck. My derm said that it wasn't hormonal but a result of the products that I used. I think that was total bs.. so I started taking Yaz 3 months ago and I'm finally seeing improvement. It's not going away but what I have is less severe.
TL:DR - I don't believe my dermatologist and I want to get other input on my skin situation.
My question is - for those who have gone to doctors with similar acne problems (got acne for 1st time as an adult) what have they told you? I'm no doctor but isn't it weird to have your skin suddenly change, with no prior problems, when you are well into adulthood?
Does anyone know how long it usually takes for birth control pills, specifically Yaz, to be fully effective?
Thanks for reading!!
Lauren
Hello.
No one will be exactly like you, but I will share what I have gone through that relates.
I did have some minimal acne as a teen, but, like you, the really bad cystic crap did not show up until my early twenties.
I tried everything, including Diane, which is a similar idea to Yaz (androgen blocker), with no success. I will say that I was better on the Diane, but I still had ouchy crap. Every time one would go away, another would show up to terrorize me. Pretty soon it was more than one, in part, I think, because I aggravated it so much trying to cure myself - a different cleanser every month looking for a miracle and all that BS.
Finally my derm prescribed Accutane. It was the best choice I made in all that. I was clear for several years. I was still on the Diane, and using a dab of BP nightly because if it isn't broken, don't fix it and I had always done this, even when on Accutane.
However, I will note that when I went off the pill to have a kid, I noticed my acne starting to return after about 4 months off the pill. Luckily I got pregnant, had great skin for it, and back on the pill (still Diane). Everything was super happy yay until we decided to try for another kid. We were flippy floppy about it for a year and my acne came back with force after about 8 months off the pill.
Because I learned nothing the first time, I went to the derm for a retinoid to buy time. For some reason this actually made the cysts I was starting to get A MILLION TIMES WORSE. Mother fucker. They say it makes stuff come to the surface, but it wasn't. It was forming all sorts of hell under the surface that was NOT there before. Ten weeks in I decided it was not an 'initial breakout' and ran to the derm. Live and learn.
So, back on the pill and back on the Accutane, hoping for the same results as last time. It's not as easy at 35 doing the Accutane thing, I'll tell you that.
I had no acne for about 9 years through Accutane, Diane, and BP. The occasional zit, sure, but rarely and they were 'normal people' zits. BUT, if your acne is hormonal, which mine clearly is, birth control is great maintenance therapy if used consistently for long periods of time, but you may find that your acne returns if you cease to use it. If you find it is not enough, I think that for some, like me, Accutane is a great option to get clear, and then maintain with Yaz or Diane.
Good luck!
I agree with the dermatologist it most probably could've been the products you were using- most products are too alkaline for the skin, normally the skin is acidic so when you use these products they destroy your natural acid mantle (which is a barrier on your skin that prevents acne). Also if it were hormonal acne or because of your diet wouldn't you have got it ages ago?