I just got of the pill almost a month ago and have managed to stay clear so far.

The birth control started because I have PCOS. It helped my cystic acne a bit but didn't totally clear me. I got clear from following The Regimen. Last month when I finished my last pack of BCP, I started taking zinc and vitamin d3 supplements daily. That, and along with my skin care regimen, have still kept me clear. Although the pills kept my cycle predictable, I still wanted to get off them for many reasons.

I suggest have a good skin care regimen, along with asking your doc about supplements to help out your skin.

I just got of the pill almost a month ago and have managed to stay clear so far.

The birth control started because I have PCOS. It helped my cystic acne a bit but didn't totally clear me. I got clear from following The Regimen. Last month when I finished my last pack of BCP, I started taking zinc and vitamin d3 supplements daily. That, and along with my skin care regimen, have still kept me clear. Although the pills kept my cycle predictable, I still wanted to get off them for many reasons.

I suggest have a good skin care regimen, along with asking your doc about supplements to help out your skin.

I'm in the same boat as you. The birth control helped my cystic acne but hasn't made my skin completely clear. I have been taking zinc daily along with other vitamin supplements for a number of months now. So even if taking those could possibly help my skin from bad breakouts after going off the pill, I'm still scared as ever.

I just got of the pill almost a month ago and have managed to stay clear so far.

The birth control started because I have PCOS. It helped my cystic acne a bit but didn't totally clear me. I got clear from following The Regimen. Last month when I finished my last pack of BCP, I started taking zinc and vitamin d3 supplements daily. That, and along with my skin care regimen, have still kept me clear. Although the pills kept my cycle predictable, I still wanted to get off them for many reasons.

I suggest have a good skin care regimen, along with asking your doc about supplements to help out your skin.

I'm in the same boat as you. The birth control helped my cystic acne but hasn't made my skin completely clear. I have been taking zinc daily along with other vitamin supplements for a number of months now. So even if taking those could possibly help my skin from bad breakouts after going off the pill, I'm still scared as ever.

Yup. I feel the same. Sometimes I wake up thinking I will end up with my cystic acne back. But for now I am taking it day by day. So far my skin care regimen has helped a lot!!! Hopefully that, along with my supplements, will be enough to control me acne. There are just far to many side effects that aren't pleasing to me in the long run while being on the pill.

I hope you have success if you decide to go of it.

I went off Yasmin ten month ago. Yasmin had kept my skin clear for about 9 years, although I didn't realise it was the Yasmin that made it so... Now, ten months later I'm breaking out just like in my teens: on my face, my back and my chest. According to my dermatologist it's definitely because of my hormone-imbalance and she says that if I want to have clear skin again, taking the pill is the just the price I'll have to pay...

Going back on it when I have my next period...

Hi, not to scare you but last time I attempted to go off my birth control, I had the WORST cystic acne, much worse than anything I had ever experienced (even prior to going on BC). I too would like to go off the BC since I have been on it for 8yrs but I am terrified. This image I have attached was after two months It got worse but I'd rather not post those. I am not sure what to do.

You're not wrong to be terrified. Hormones are powerful things. If things are already pretty good (either on BC or off BC), expect it to get worse if you change the hormonal environment.

I'm hopeful, and yet VERY terrified, when I think of getting off Birth Control. I also have PCOS and have been prescribed a plethora of pills. I started on Reclipsen along with Spironolactone and that didn't help...at all. Stopped it after 4 months. Then I got on Ortho TryCyclen (was prescribed the LO version but my insurance didn't cover it and it would have been insanely $$). My skin is good for one week and then flares back up again!

What Birth Control pill has helped for both PCOS and Cystic acne? All of these issues surfaced for me 2 yrs ago after labor. I never had issues like this before. :/

I was on Tri-Nessa before my daughter was born and never had these issues but i'm afraid of popping a new pill!?

Spironolactone probably would have worked for you if you hadn't been on Reclipsen at the same time. Reclipsen uses an androgenic progestin. So you were adding fire to fire Spiro worked well for me, but it took a good 8 months, and I was also using a copper IUD for birth control, which is the only hormone-free IUD so I wasn't creating more problems with BCP.

The birth control link in my signature categorizes the birth control pills and implants in terms of their effectiveness against acne. This also goes for PCOS, since with PCOS you are aiming for the same hormonal goals as treating acne (lowering androgenic activity).

Hi guys!!! Just adding my 2 cents on birth control. When I was 16-17 I got on birth control and noticed it kept any breakouts at bay. As soon as I would get off, it would soon come back with a vengeance. So I pretty much stayed on until I was 21 and found Yasmin. I had the most perfect skin a girl could ever ask for. I got off 7 years later so I could have a baby and jesus help me, if I knew what would have happened I would have allowed the effects to run its course THEN get pregnant. But we live and we learn and I have no regrets now. My face exploded with severe acne. Red, itchy and inflamed papules/pustules. A few cysts but the more I poked the more bacteria spread and the more acne appeared. So long story short. My face cleared nicely for about 9 months after I had my son and it came back again. Finally clearing it up a year and a half after my son was born, I realized dairy and sugar killed my skin. I've been off birth control since 07 but I am currently pregnant with #2 slowly breaking out again and I'm sick of this shit! As soon as I deliver I am getting back on Yasmin after 7 long years. I knew if I got back on my face would explode again during pregnancy once I ever got pregnant again. NOT what I wanted. I'm done having kids after this and I'm only 34. I figure I can be on bcp's another 8-9 years and deal with things again in my mid 40's. It literally drives me insane having new breakouts every day.

So!!! Sorry this was long, but honestly I know everyone is different. What happened to me in my pregnancy may not happen to you but it happens to alot. Try the regimen. Give yourself many options. Don't give up. If bc or accutane is a last resort go for it but try anything else first. It makes me sad to see all of us women and men struggling with this crap. If you don't want kids for a while, I'd suggest Yasmin. It is THE best in clearing acne. Just the after effects are horrible. Things to think about. Good luck everyone and hope this didn't put u to sleep!

I am taking a supplement called Estrosense that is for women and it helps balance hormones. I've been taking it for a week now so obviously no drastic changes have been made to my skin, I definitely want to give it more time. But I'm hoping that since I'm taking this supplement to help with my hormones that one day I will be able to get off birth control (i will try weaning my way off of it) and continue to take Estrosense so that I may have the possibility of not experiencing any severe breakouts after.

This forum on thelovevitamin is seriously the only thing that gave me hope about going off Diane 35.... it's about weaning off birth control to try avoid the massive breakout from shocking your system. I'm starting to wean off the pill in a week... I might start a thread about it if people are interested in kinowing how well it works for me!

http://www.thelovevitamin.com/769/can-you-wean-off-the-birth-control-pill/

This forum on thelovevitamin is seriously the only thing that gave me hope about going off Diane 35.... it's about weaning off birth control to try avoid the massive breakout from shocking your system. I'm starting to wean off the pill in a week... I might start a thread about it if people are interested in kinowing how well it works for me!

http://www.thelovevitamin.com/769/can-you-wean-off-the-birth-control-pill/

I would definitely be interested in seeing how weaning off of BC works for you. A thread would be great!

This is for you and Apple Blossom who sent me a message regarding weening off birth control. I was on Diane 35. Quit it cold turkey. Had the worst year of my life. I'm not saying that will happen to you, but I would 100% advise anyone planning to go off a heavy duty acne birth control pill, like Diane, to take a minimum of six months to slowly tapper off. Set yourself a schedule, as in month one- 3/4 of a pill per day; month two 1/2 of a pill per day; and so on.

I would also advise reducing your intake of any pop and limit dairy to organic. You may also want to try fish oil pills (I use krill oil pills). The good oils in fish oil pills combat acne by reducing inflammation. I also recommend gentle cleansers, so as to not strip your skin, (I use Keys Soap- Island Rx; google it).

Good luck! My skin is 99% better than the terrible days of cystic acne and a face full of zits from the damn Diane. I wish I would have known to ween off, I strongly believe I could have saved myself so much pain.

This is for you and Apple Blossom who sent me a message regarding weening off birth control. I was on Diane 35. Quit it cold turkey. Had the worst year of my life. I'm not saying that will happen to you, but I would 100% advise anyone planning to go off a heavy duty acne birth control pill, like Diane, to take a minimum of six months to slowly tapper off. Set yourself a schedule, as in month one- 3/4 of a pill per day; month two 1/2 of a pill per day; and so on.

I would also advise reducing your intake of any pop and limit dairy to organic. You may also want to try fish oil pills (I use krill oil pills). The good oils in fish oil pills combat acne by reducing inflammation. I also recommend gentle cleansers, so as to not strip your skin, (I use Keys Soap- Island Rx; google it).

Good luck! My skin is 99% better than the terrible days of cystic acne and a face full of zits from the damn Diane. I wish I would have known to ween off, I strongly believe I could have saved myself so much pain.

Hi brenmc,

Hi brenmc, thanks for responding. I thought I read some posts from 2011 where you were in the midst of weaning off Diane 35? So do you mean you quit it cold turkey the first time you went off, but then weaned off the second time? Sorry, I'm a bit confused...

Either way, thank you for the advice! I am planning to take at least 6 months, maybe 8 or 9 before I'm completely off the pill. Now I know to also include fish oil pills and probably make some changes to my diet.

I'm glad to hear your skin has improved and that you've finally escaped the wrath of Diane 35!

This is for you and Apple Blossom who sent me a message regarding weening off birth control. I was on Diane 35. Quit it cold turkey. Had the worst year of my life. I'm not saying that will happen to you, but I would 100% advise anyone planning to go off a heavy duty acne birth control pill, like Diane, to take a minimum of six months to slowly tapper off. Set yourself a schedule, as in month one- 3/4 of a pill per day; month two 1/2 of a pill per day; and so on.

I would also advise reducing your intake of any pop and limit dairy to organic. You may also want to try fish oil pills (I use krill oil pills). The good oils in fish oil pills combat acne by reducing inflammation. I also recommend gentle cleansers, so as to not strip your skin, (I use Keys Soap- Island Rx; google it).

Good luck! My skin is 99% better than the terrible days of cystic acne and a face full of zits from the damn Diane. I wish I would have known to ween off, I strongly believe I could have saved myself so much pain.

 

This is for you and Apple Blossom who sent me a message regarding weening off birth control. I was on Diane 35. Quit it cold turkey. Had the worst year of my life. I'm not saying that will happen to you, but I would 100% advise anyone planning to go off a heavy duty acne birth control pill, like Diane, to take a minimum of six months to slowly tapper off. Set yourself a schedule, as in month one- 3/4 of a pill per day; month two 1/2 of a pill per day; and so on.

I would also advise reducing your intake of any pop and limit dairy to organic. You may also want to try fish oil pills (I use krill oil pills). The good oils in fish oil pills combat acne by reducing inflammation. I also recommend gentle cleansers, so as to not strip your skin, (I use Keys Soap- Island Rx; google it).

Good luck! My skin is 99% better than the terrible days of cystic acne and a face full of zits from the damn Diane. I wish I would have known to ween off, I strongly believe I could have saved myself so much pain.

Yes, I did go off it previously (in 2008) had monstrous skin, so I went back on, and started weaning off around 2011.

Now I very rarely get a nodule (a really bad type of cystic acne) and maybe just get a small pimple or two every month or two.

Few more tips: Avoid mineral makeup. Instead try something like Josie Maran's matchmaker foundation (google it, or available at Sephora). If you have massive scarring,and lots of money, try laser genesis treatments. I spent about $100-150/treatment for about four or five treatments to get rid of the red marks from the nightmare Diane breakout. I had to fork out the cash because I was in a wedding and didn't want to look awful. The treatment is significantly less harsh than many other scar-reducing laser treatments. It doesn't hurt one bit! It works by heating your skin at a base layer, to encourage more collegan to form and fill in your scars.

Finally, hormonal acne can often be caused by too much testosterone. Consider consulting a naturopath (I have not done this yet but want to) about natural supplements you can take to reduce that.

I don't have any more info, so good luck!

Thanks I appreciate your help!!!

I am taking a supplement called Estrosense that is for women and it helps balance hormones. I've been taking it for a week now so obviously no drastic changes have been made to my skin, I definitely want to give it more time. But I'm hoping that since I'm taking this supplement to help with my hormones that one day I will be able to get off birth control (i will try weaning my way off of it) and continue to take Estrosense so that I may have the possibility of not experiencing any severe breakouts after.

Hi material! I've just decided to get off the pill and I'm terrified! I was wondering if you tried getting off yet and if you've had any success in preventing the breakout with the estrosense

Chiming in to tell my story. In short, I'm dealing with horrible cystic acne within 2 weeks (!) of going off the pill. 2 weeks. That's all it took. In just one month, I've approximately 30 cysts or nodules all on my face. I'm not inflating the number because every day I got one (or three or four), I'd write them down in my calendar and note where they were located on my face. The majority were located on my jawline and lower cheeks. I had acne as a teen, but NEVER this bad.

I'm now back on the pill (OTC vs. Seasonale), heavy antibiotics (Duricef), and 100mg Spironolactone a day. I have been to the dermatologist around 10 times in the last two weeks - almost every day. I've had 1 to 4 cortisone injections every time I've gone because that is the only way to treat a cyst once it's formed

I've tried Cod Liver Oil pills, Zinc, Vita C, Saw Palmetto and spent tons of money on herbal supplements. If it's severe hormonal acne, that stuff will not help. I know others may disagree, but personally, I would rather treat hormonal imbalance with medication instead of supplements, which can vary composition by brand and even within the same brand.

I wish you luck and highly suggest seeing a derm before you go off the pill. He/she could prescribe treatments that may mitigate any flare-ups you could experience from going off the pill.