Hey.. I haven't responded in this topic in a while mainly because I've been busy, but my skin has also been the clearest it has been in the past year and a half, so I haven't been seeking advice. ) But I have lately had an unusually large amount of free time, so I thought I'd stop by. I've been on Spiro and Ortho Tri Cyclen for several months now.. I still get a few zits, but it's NO CYSTS in MONTHS! It's amazing. I still am having no trouble with oiliness on my face, and the excessive scalp dryness got a lot better a few weeks after I mentioned it on here. There are a couple things I read on here that bothered me though.. Someone said something about Spiro CAUSING excessive hair growth - that's way off. It is often prescribed to treat hirsutism and actually reduces excessive hair growth in women. Also, I noticed a lot of you are taking Yasmin in addition to the spiro. Are you taking Yasmin just because you're supposed to take birth control with the Spiro or did you specifically choose Yasmin because it is supposed to help with acne? I only ask because I was told that the ingredient in Yasmin that fights acne is very similar to Spiro, so I didn't think it would have an additional effect on acne. But if it does, this might be something worth looking into for me just because I do still get some acne. Now.. until today I never read anything about spiro making your boobs bigger, but something is definitely happening to mine and I had actually thought it was the Ortho Tri Cyclen even though I took it before without that effect. Oh, if only I could fill out a B cup! ) Hehe.. But yeah, Spiro is awesome. For those of you who are still in the beginning, stick it out. It's well worth it!

Hey surfergirl we have the same regimine almost!AA I have been taking 100mg Sprio for almost 2 weeks and Yasmin for about 3 or 4 months.AA And I just started usinAA Neutragena Oil free moisture w/ sunscreen, I think I like it so far, does it ever give you any probs? However I dont like bp, it makes my face red (but works well!) I like this reduction in oil alot I used to have to wash my face 3x per day and now i dont so that's wonderful. However, ever since I started Yasmin months ago, I get a 1 big inflamed whitehead on my chin once a week, no joke!AA I I used to not have chin acne.

 

 

 

 

p.s while i haven't got any zits other than the one mentioned that is actually visible, i do have a lot of little bumps under my skin. Like really little tinsy, i can feel them but no-one except me can see them, flesh coloured pimples. Anyone else have the same problem? Maybe I just need a good exfoliating??

 

 

 

 

I have that same problem on my forehead. I was thinking exfoliation as well. Hopefully that helps because I would really love to have super smooth skin. Maybe try that baking soda and water paste that someone was talking about for a good exfoliater.

 

 

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Sufergirl asked: Question: are you on a BC and if so which one?

I'm not on birth control. Most women seem to be which is why their periods are probably normal (i've had mine for about four weeks straight b/c of Spiro). I can't go on the pill.

As for the baking soda regime, it's just baking soda and water and rub it on your face and rinse off. Simple!

Those flesh=coloured pimples are clogged pores, that's all. I used to get them on my forehead too. You should either exfoliate more or use a salicylic acid wash and within a month, they will go away. You need to be consistent and always wash twice a day, don't leave any makeup on your face. Try not to use foundation on your forehead if you can avoid it, it will clog your pores too.

No news yet Blue Eyez?

Do you still have veins appearing right underneath your skin?

For those of you with little flesh-colored bumps,

your cream (even if oil free) could be clogging your pores. It took me years, YEARS to figure this out. I have combo. skin. Try to moisturize ONLY if you need it... the only thing that's actually NOT clogged my pores is pure Emu oil. I leave it on at night; during the day, I just put some pure aloe gel on my forehead and emu oil to the cheeks and chin.

JENNA!!!

i have been on spiro for 2 weeks now, and my acne is AWFUL too!!!!

i am taking 100 mg a day, and there are 6 cystics on the left side and 5 cystics on the right side. i'm taking ortho-tri-lo with the spiro, but so far, i've only had movement in the negative direction...

CAN ANYONE SHARE HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET SOME RESULTS?

i'm so tired of this battle against acne... i've tried everything: BP, salcylic, glycolic, retin-a micro, different, brevoxyl, minocin, cleocin T, i mean: EVERYTHING. except accutane. but i'm on the verge of begging my dermatlogist for it if this SPIRO doesn't do anything. i've been taking pictures of myself once every few days to track my progress, but so far, it's a sad sad sight...

hey everyone,

i stumbled upon this site looking up info on the spiro. ive been on it for about a week and i have to say ITS GOTTEN WORSE! instead of regular pimples i have these huge cystic pimples. ive never had pimples that look like huge volcanos. there is about 5 on my chin that suddenly appeared yesterday morning. please tell me that this going to subside within the end of this week. i just got my period an hour ago and like most of you im sure you experience the cycling of your face. it breaks out the week before your period and gets oily then dries out and then you get four days if your lucky of clear skin within the month. im 27 and always suspected that the last year of breakouts had to do with my hormone levels. im so glad there is a pill for this and i am very optimistic. after reading all that you all have posted on the board- it just seems that you need to be patient. i will also be starting the birth control patch this sunday in hopes that it could help. i never payed attention to the mg. but my bottle reads 25 mg. seems like a small dose compared to what others have mentioned. can i medicate myself to take more? or should i leave to my doctors discretion? everyone deserves clear beautiful skin and i wish everyone all the luck. i had severe acne when i was 14 years old and went on accutane. it worked like a charm. this time around i would really love to go on it, but im 27 and i'm looking forward to having children in the near future. ive heard it stays in your system for about 3 years. i also have hypertrophic scars on my shoulders that ive had cortizone shots every month injected into for the past 10+ years and just last year had 8 months of laser surgery on them and had significant charge in their appearance. i always suspected cortizone shots are to blame for the hormone problem. who knows?! you try to get rid of one problem and get another one in its place. (hypertrophic scarring is raised scarring and all those treatments are to flatten them). i dont feel like leaving my house with a face like this. is anyone else as vain as me? sorry, i had to vent like this. but it seems that my message will not be falling on blind eyes (broken ears). i am pretty confident that i am a beautiful girl, but doesn't one pimple on your face break that confidence. do you think this hormone problem is hereditary-im the only one in my family. ive also been trying real hard to quite diet cokes, coffees and chocolate. anyone have suggestions on how to quite. sugar raises insulin levels that inturn effect your hormones.

 

 

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Hello again everyone...

Just wanted to get some advice from you guys. I am now entering week 3 of spiro with ortho-tri-lo and, like you can tell from my last post, with little improvement (in fact, it's getting worse!).

every night i use a 7.5% glycolic acid treatment and 2.0% salcylic acid treatment together... it didn't hurt in the past, but i'm thinking that perhaps my skin is going cystic-crazy because the topicals are too strong?

did you guys use any special topicals while using spiro? or is spiro by itself enough to do the job?

any advice would be greatly appreciated... thanks so much~ hope you all have great weeks!

AUDREY,

If I were you, I would stop using your topicals (which I think are the cause of your breakouts) and give spiro the time it needs to start working (3 weeks to 2 months). Topicals never did ANYTHING for me, they just made things worse. Use a gentle cleanser (cetaphyl gentle cleansing wash is GREAT) and only moisturize if your skin feels dry. I used to put moisturizer on all the time, just because I thought I was supposed to, but if your skin is oily and you use a gentle cleanser, you don't really need one most of the time. BTW, pure aloe gel is THE BEST light moisturizer I've ever used in 10 years +. We are brainwashed into using all these products (wash, toner, moisturizer)... your skin will tell you what it needs.

BLUE EYEZ

How's it going?

Hi guys

I wrote a couple of weeks back about me going to ask my doctor for the spiro.He said he couldn't perscribe it but he would refer me to a gyno.I didn't get a letter through and so i went back to ask the doc about it today.He said he hasn't referred me!

He spoke to the gyno at the hospital and they said that they wouldn't perscribe me spiro so there was no point in referring me to them.They said the results of spiro would be neglible!

I've read all this information online about spiro working for acne and there's people on here who spiro has worked for.How can they know that the results of spiro would be neglible if i haven't tried it!

They could be going by my hormone levels because my testosterone level is normal,but i've read info about acne can be caused by normal levels of testosterone because oil glands can be overly sensitive to normal levels of the hormone.Spiro blocks any testosterone from effecting the oil glands.

I really want to try spiro but my doc won't give it me and the gyno wouldn't give it me.

Now my doctor has referred me to a yet another dermatologist.The last time i saw a dermatologist she said that she couldn't do anything else for me and sent me away with a topical creme.I've tried many meds and two courses of roaccutane so what could the derm give me?!

I'm sure the derm wouldn't just give me spiro either.

I'm unsure of what to do now but the first thing that comes to mind is to order spiro from the internet.I could take it while i'm waiting for an appointment with the derm and then when i see the derm tell them i'm on spiro which i got from the internet and ask them to perscribe it for me from there.

I'm worried about ordering the spiro online though.Is it dangerous?How do i know if they're sending me the genuine stuff?Has anyone ordered meds online before?

Also,has anyone got spiro from a derm and not a gyno?

Thanks x

Pankins;is it you that buys their spiro online?And it's been fine for you,safe,and the spiro they sent you has cleared your skin right?

Lucy: sorry i didn't log on for a few days! The derm did blood tests and nothing showed up. They think it's capilaritis, which is the swelling of my blood capillaries. The marks are fading and i've passed the 2 months period for Spiro, so maybe it was a phase that my skin reacted to Spiro....

For the girl who has been on Spiro for 3 weeks and her skin is getting worse, I've been on Spiro over two months and my skin is still bad. The derm told me to wait two more months because by four months, you will see all of the improvement that you are going to see. Be patient! My derm said Spiro can take a long time to work, ie. 3-4 months. Just be patient and I agree with the other recommendation of cooling it with the topical creams. Glycolic acid and SA is too much. I use Retin-A at night and its the lowest dosage, 0.01%, that's it. The more strong products you put on your skin, the more irritated, red and peely it will get. You need to give your skin time to heel....

BE PATIENT to all!!!

Hi all

Well it's a month since i started and i've seen noticeable improvement, although the last few days i've started getting a few small little bumps on my cheeks (left mainly). Question: i'm also on Yasmin and my cycle was due to start four days ago but hasn't. I know Spiro can cause havoc with your cycle if your not on BC, but what if you are, is anyone else here using both and have also found her cycle is messed up too?

Thanks,

Surfergirl

to lucy and blue eyez:

thanks so much for your replies... i have stopped using my GA and SA treatment. hopefully this will cure some of the raw-ness. guess the best thing to do is duke it out for a few more months.

and to kelly:

i actually got my spiro from a dermatologist and i got my birth control from the women's health center at school... nobody did any tests whatsoever (although i'm supposed to go back for an examination within three month for the BC). all the doctor did was look at me and say, let's put you on spiro- keep taking it with the ortho-tri-lo.

hope this helps... maybe another dermat can get you the spiro? good luck!

I've been on Spiro for over a month. My skin is far less oily which is nice. I still have annoying small chin breakouts that I did not have before I started Yasmin this summer. I think I will continuee with this treatment and eventually get v-beam/smooth beam to take care of the redness. I dont use topicals very often. When is the point when you should give up on Spiro, 2mo? 6mon?

Hey ladies,

Sorry I haven't been around lately, been having to do law school applications which are about as frustrating as acne haha Anyways I wanted to say hi and see how everyone was progressing.

I also went to my general doctor the other day and he of course asked the regular question of what medications that I'm on right now. I told him about spiro being used for my skin, he had no idea that it also had that use. He treats alot of older patients with spiro for heart related problems but had never used it for skin conditions before. I gushed to him about the results and how I was seriously contemplating accutane before I got spiro in August. We have to get the word out apparently of this treatment for us women.

Good luck all

Hope you hear from you

Rae

Is "spiro" available only by prescription? Does anyone order from the internet w/o Dr.s supervision?

I've been on Spiro for over a month. My skin is far less oily which is nice. I still have annoying small chin breakouts that I did not have before I started Yasmin this summer. I think I will continuee with this treatment and eventually get v-beam/smooth beam to take care of the redness. I dont use topicals very often. When is the point when you should give up on Spiro, 2mo? 6mon?

 

 

 

 

Bunnyboo,

How did your 1st Smoothbeam work out? I'm actually ging to have a consultation soon. Even tou I have lots of teeny breakouts around hairline and chin, I'm satisfyed w/ Spiro. I take 100mg/day and I went from being super oily, to a almost normal combination skin type ( I was 2x a day w/ gentle cleanser) I expect to just deal w/ occasional breakouts for a long time. However, I would be 99% happy if this redness can be resolved (P.S. I only very sparinglyuse acne topicals) Keep me updated on how the Smoothbeam reduces redness. Oh yeah, doctors rarely prescribe Spiro for acne, I got it online at InHouse Pharmacy

I've ordered spiro online from InHouse Pharmacy.It should be here next week or the week after.

At the moment my skin has broken out worse Makes me feel terrible.We put the Christmas decorations up today and i couldn't enjoy it as much as i would if i didn't have acne.It always seems to get worse in winter!I was on roaccutane and finished the last course which was my second course in March this year.Since winter began this year,the dryness that i experienced on roaccutane seems to have returned.My lips are dry,my hands are dry and cracked to the extent that they bleed!And my face is dry.It seems that the dryness of winter combined with the lasting effects of roaccutane are showing.It's causing me to breakout more though i think.Not sure what i can do other than just try spiro.Although that may make my skin drier!I'm not bothered about it being dry though;i'm just bothered about the spots!!!

I don't think i'm going to start spiro until after Christmas though,just in case it caused an initial breakout;which i really hope it won't!

Kelley- If your skin is so dry, why would you want to ry Spiro? It really reduced my oil production. P.S. Accutane is the devil.

Lupe,

My first smooth beam treatment went very well. I was kind of scared going in that it would hurt, but they put a numbing lotion on my face that made it virtually painless. just a slight bit stingy in some spots, especially areas where there is active acne. I had barely any redness caused by the treatment, I was slightly blotchy the next day but not even noticable. It resembled windburn. I haven't had any new pimples since the treatment which was on Thursday, but that isn't too unusual. I can't tell much difference in my skin yet. The technician said I wouldn't notice a difference in oilyness or acne for 2-3 treatments. The treatments are two weeks apart, so I probably won't be able to tell much for about a month. I will keep you posted on my progress. I tried to do some before pictures but my digital camera is a peice of junk and it doesn't show any detail of my acne or my scarring.

Actually if this smoothbeam takes care of my oily condition it will have been worth the $1500. My acne is mild to moderate and always on my chin or cheeks, especially at the jaw line. The bad thing about my acne is it's almost always huge cysts. and they come in groups of 3 or more. They seem to want to be consistently symetrical on my face also for some reason. Strange!!! Right now I have three big ones on my left cheek and one smaller one on my right cheek. I did notice that they weren't as inflamed the day after the smooth beam. My face seems to be more even toned. I use to have alot of redness around my nose, that seems slightly better already. So far I have a good feeling about the smooth beam. I'm hoping for good results.

I want to try spiro to clear the spots up.

It's like an equation i can't understand with the dryness.My skin is dry because of the after effects of roaccutane combined with the drying effects of winter(it wasn't this dry post-roaccutane combined with the summer months).I think when it's so dry,it makes my skin try to over-compensate with excess oil and then i breakout.

WEEK FOUR OF SPIRO...

my face looks like a peperoni pizza. cystic acne ALL ALONG the jawline, left and right side of my face. infectious eruptions all over both edges of my face; swollen lymph nodes because of the cystic acne.

i never had cystic acne on my jawline, so spiro is obviously causing this.

did anyone else take more than 4 weeks for spiro to start kicking in?

would greatly appreciate any responses... thanks.