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Last week I had a slight breakout but now things have improved so much - so stay positive, it will probably happen to you sometime quite soon as well if you haven't started seeing improvements yet. I've almost finished my second pack now and things are going great, I only have a few active spots and they seem to heal faster. Now I just need to look into getting rid of the scars I have! Luckily they're not too bad so I'm not getting too upset over them though.
As for moods...I've been a bit up and down this week but I'm putting it down to my break being next week - this happened last time before my break too too. Even before I had dianette I would always get horrible mood swings just before my period so it's really nothing new. The rest of the time my mood is generally fine (unless something bad happens obviously!)
hi ladies, i will finishing up my secound pack soon, things have been doing well this week . i currently have 2 active ones.but like you FIZGIG, I am waiting for my blemishes to be gone. I am trying to forget about my skin as much as I can. I have moisturized with complex 15 and my skin is really smooth.yesterday I dared to put my mineral makeup and it actually didn't look dry like it used to be. last night I saw my mother-in-law and she commented on my skin. "look, you have a nice tan" "your face is really immproving"..... to what I replied is the pill, She knew already I was taking diane35 since her other daughter-in-law recommended me this pill. I still have to see what happens the coming weeks since i will be on my break and well usually things improve and then some days it looks like it is not. am I right ladies? i have continued with my green smoothies, I have it early in the morning, and who knows maybe the smoothies are helping too...My mood has been fair, with some bad ones and good ones and well I was the same before diane35. When i do have bad moods I just simply control it, telling my self, oh oh is the pills, and i simply change my mood, this actually works for mee....LOL.
OMG Catty, why did it stop working.... I don't want it to stop working.... and i am guessing none of us here want that.... has anybody here researched this and why this might happen?.... ohhh do please tell us ..... my cousin has taken diane for 3-4 years and she is still supper clear.....
ladies I hope things are going well and do please continue posting your result.... best of my regards to all ......
Hi Ladies
I have mild-moderate acne, nothing thats really ever concerned me until i hit my twenties. Ive been on Dianette for 4 months now, almost done with my 4th pack. I have yet to see any significant improvements in my skin, but i do know that something is going on with my hormones because my hair growth on my legs and pits has definitely slowed and my skin is much less oily. Last month i thought i was seeing improvements, but this month has not been as successful.
I have read dianette reviews on this website but they are so completely mixed, its difficult to know if it really works.
Im not considering going off dianette, but hopefully i will start to see an improvement in my skin soon...do you ladies even think it is worth waiting this long..considering all the side effects that could happen?
also, what good concealers or foundations do you use that could be purchased for a reasonable price at the drug store?
LISSIEM: I am guessing that all of diane users think about all the side effects that could happen with diane35 but we still take it because topical medication did not work and diane is the last resort before accutane. As far as I understand diane35 is to be used when other medicines like bp, sa etc.. do not work, and the waiting too long, yes it is long.... patience is needed here....some people say that it's totaly worth the wait though ..... lets hope that it is.... 
I have bought a tinted moisturizer and will be applying it under my EM mineral make up. maybe try everyday minerals. they give you a free sample kit you only pay the shipping wich is 4 dollars.
hello, i have never posted on here before, just browsed through the forums a while back when my skin was bad! but... haing read this thread this morning out of curiosity, i think i might actually be able to help out 
firstly, STICK WITH DIANETTE! it is amazing! to explain a bit of my story, i had pretty much perfect skin until my last year of secondary school, when i started getting occasional spots around my period. Looking back now, these weren't actually a problem but i got slightly OCD about them and couldn't ignore, them, and by messing around, made them a problem through redness. also, i think i was suffering with body image disorder, i had started modelling properly, and working with all those perfect girls on photoshoots does not half make you feel rubbish if your slightly concious about your face so... in june 06, just before my prom, i went to the doctors and was prescribed dianette and duac. And here are the most important things i know about dianette, and my advice, from my own experience;
1) unfortunately, dianette is very slow to take effect. (or it was for me) for the first few months, nothing. Then a slight improvement, and getting better and better for the next year or so, but very slowly. And eventually, completely clear! Seriously, i have been on dianette constantly for nearly two years, and i would say it has only been the last three months or so i have had perfect skin. But, it will get better and better I have had one tiny spot in the last 6 weeks, and i practically cried becase it suprised me so much so be patient!
2) you probably will purge 
i had totally forgotten about this until i read this thread, if someone had asked me if you did before, i would have said no, but now i remember, unfortunately! for the first three months, i had the worst skin of my life. i would go to work in the morning with no spots at all, and when i looked i the mirror when i got home there would be three large whiteheads, yuck! the worst was when i went on holiday, i got off the plane and went to the toilet, and in the stuffy plane cabin, i had sprouted about 15 spots. I was absolutely devastated, i just wanted to cry (i think i did!) BUT... it will stop!
3) you will probably gain some weight, whether this is good or bad! personally it turned out to be good for me, i was incredibly skinny, and the extra weight was needed, but at the time i was distraught! you also might need new bras i went up two, nearly three cup sizes! this came before the weight gain, and it was so extreme, a rumour went around my college i had had implants - seriously. but, over time this will also stablise, the weight gain will stop, your boobs will also probably go down, but still be bigger than when you started. i lost almost all the weight again, without trying, its just your homones.
4) if it makes you depressed, it might not be for you dianette can make you depressed... luckily it hasn't affected me at all, but i recommended it to my best friend and she had to give it up, because her moods were all over the place almost straight away. she cried all the time. yelled at people, you get the idea... so unfortunately if it affects you like this, then you may need to consider what is worse - your acne, or being miserable? i would give it three cycles, if its still making you depressed, from my experiences, that isn't going to go away!
5) doctors have very different views about dianette. mine has never suggested that i need to come off it, thank god, whereas from reading your posts, i can see that many will only recommend a 6 month course. personally, a six month course would have been almost useless to me. dianette works by acting on your endocrine glands to inhibit the production of excess testosterone, which stimulates the production of sebum which eventually causes spots. Therefore, all of the sebum which has already been produced and has accumulated in your pores must be purged (unfortunately generally as new spots - which is why many people suffer from an initial bad breakout) before any effect can be seen. Dianette does not work on exsting spots - fact! they must go away on there own. Topical treatments work from the outside, dianette work from the inside to out. For this reason, you may be prescribed a topical treatment too - I was given Duac. I have read some very good reviews of duac, but it was not for me. It increased the redness, dried out my skin and made my spots more inflammed. So I stopped using it, and the effect was instant. I have never touched it since. So, trust yourself, you know your own skin better than your doctor, i imagine duac would have eventually worked and really cleared me up, but i decided i would prefer not to suffer from the notieable inflammation and redness along the way, which made my skin look 10x worse than it was.
okay, they are my warnings lol, but here are some tips for getting the best out of your dianette (please do not take my advice if you are unsure, I am by no means i doctor - i am a medical student now though lol) and these are just a few suggestions which have really worked for me and my friends!
1) At first i took dianette exactly as prescribed, three weeks on, one week off etc. But as a medical student, i decided that as dianette worked on hormone inhibition, i might see a better result with a constant, low dose in my system, to avoid 'time of the month' breakouts. I did this, with a break every three months, for 6 months or so. This is not harmful - the monthly period is actually only for our own phsycological reassurance. It is not a real period, it just mimics the natural period as the manufacturers thought it was a form of 'emotional release' for women. It really kickstarted the effects, for me personally.
2) About a year and a half into taking dianette (about three months ago) i noticed that the only time i was getting any spots any more (although they were tiny) was the week before my period (obviously due to my hormones being unsettled). So, I decided to try a new method. I take my dianette as normal for the first two weeks, and then in the third and final week, I take it at 12 hour intervals rather than 24.This means the last week is actually only three and a half days, so the gap is longer befor you start your next pack, but the result is incredible ( and i did check with my doctor if this was ok! apparently every 12 hours in nowhere near often enough to be 'overdosing' the body) it really seems to boost my protection against these spots (I won't bore you with the science as to why but honestly, the effect is huge!
I saw that some people had mentioned that they couldn't be sure if the positive changes they had seen were a result of dianette, but mine are 100% thanks to it, so please give it a try. I use no topicals or antibiotics, a simple cleanser and exfoliater every evening (just wipe with a cotton pad in warm water in the morning) and i now drink a lot of water, and that is it! The only product I wouldn't hesistate to recommend is bio oil - i use it as my moisturiser, and it clears up redness, scars, dry patches, and doesn't clog pores, my sister converted me and it is brilliant!
So to conclude my enormous essay - i do apologize for the length - do not be disheartened, and stick with it. My agency tried to put me on accutane because i was seeing no results at first, but im so glad i resisted Dianette gave me back my confidence, if you give it time it can work miracles! Hope this helps somebody, even if just one person
Cathypoo: Thanx for the info is great to hear good news you have given me hope, and i bet all here feel the same way. I will be sticking with diane35.... I have taken my last pill of my secound pack and this week will be my 7 day break..... I was wondering for a while if it was ok to skip the break and just continue with my following pack and you have answered my question.... Now another ques. can I skip my 7 day break on the secound pack or should I wait for my third month and then skip?
LizzieM: No d35 is not available in the states but you can visit your gyn and ask for d35 before you travel. maybe later when yu need more order them online or ask someone to ship them out to you. Yes I heard that yaz is similiar to diane35 there made by the same manufacture if am not wrong. It dependes on the individual, some people react differently to both eventhough they say there the same.... do tell us what you decide...
ceej: It depends on the individual, I read that some women stay with the increased size and others don't. But once you stop d35 they go back to what it used to be before taking d35....
Helpme: I had back acne but i think it was mainly becuase of all the stress I was having.(stress cause by my acne on the face) I actually did not noticed that I had it on my back but once i did it got worse and worse. Once I stopped thinking about my back it completely cleared ... ohhh how i wish my face would have been the one to clear ..... i say give it some timee..........
Fizgig: Yes I have noticed that my overall skin is softer, i had dry patches on my face and recently there are none. I am not saying am clear, I do have some active ones and well maybe is because am on the break. I was thinking to skip the break but I will take it as they say one should .....maybe next month I do it just like cathypoo did. yes we need to give it some time but is just so frustrating .
what i have noticed is that I am cold all the time and I defenely sleep more. I get sleepy during the day and I don't struggle to fall aleep like I used to at night, not that am complaining just that I have noticed this. have you?
rainydays: I don't skip the break but like you I'm thinking of it and my doctor assured me that it's fine to do that, it's not harmful at all and you will still be protected against pregnancy.
darkviolet31: I don't think I've noticed much, if any, change in my sleeping pattern. I've always struggled to get to sleep and been tired during the day... I have a breakout on one side of my face at the moment but I think it's more stress related than anything else because of recent circumstances. Things can only get better though!
ok am freaking out, I have been on my 5th day of my secound pack of d35 and I haven't had my period. On my first pack I did but this month nothing..... should I worry. Pregnant I can't because i have used protection... so that's out of the question..... Has any of you ladies heard of this or experienced this.....please advicee.
Sorry Darkviolet31 I dont know Im only on my 3rd pack and have had my period each time..
Let me know ok??
Has anyone else experiend much weight gain?if so...how long does it take for the weight gain and does it go back down again?
Im so worried about this even though it might sound stupid , i'm going on holidays soon and I dont want to be bloated etc esp when Im with all my mates...
coffeejunkie:thanx for the reply....I got my period 2 days ago and will begin my third pack today...will see how things go this coming month on the pill... Gain weight, personaly i haven't. I am the same maybe with more curves. I weight my self last night while visiting my mom and the weight is the same..... I actually would have loved to gain a bit of weight because I am pretty slim.... good luck to you,
Hi,
Not posted for a while. I'm on my break of my third pack. I've not had any MAJOR breakouts for about 2 weeks now. I am still getting the odd one or two but they are not too bad. Someone at work commented today that my skin is looking better.
I have not put on any weight, and although my boobs got bigger as soon as I took my first pack, I would say that they have remained the same, and not got any bigger than at the start. I thought that they might continue to grow!
Hoping things will get even better on month 4!
Rachel x x
RachelS: great news!!!!!!!! Glad to hear that things are working out with you . I have started my third pack and right now i have 3 active ones... hope things get better this month......Like you my boobs haven't grown since the first pack and haven't gained weight...
hope things get better for all of us....
Im on my third pack now and I see an improvement, I'm soo happy My friends and family complimeted me this week....my skin feels so much smoother and clear in places , it's great! Hopefully by my 4th pack it will be even better...
Good to hear all you ladies are feeling good on it too...xxxx:)
I am starting Diane today, I was prescribed it by a specialist. I had originally started Alesse in the begining of the month and broke out within a week.. It seriously gave me the most severe acne I have EVER had. I had thought intially breaking out was normal and just the horomones.. My doctor said this is untrue and if you are breaking out badly you are on the wrong BC/acne medication. Plus, you shouldnt take Diane if your acne is not severe because you will not get the results you want in the long run..