Accutane isn't the answer for hormonal acne period. Of Diane cleared you up the your acne is hormonal. I'm not sure about the spider veins and spiro. I am on spiro and haven't experienced anything like that, a lot of women are on spiro for the long term and I've not heard people complain about spider veins. Thts either because spiro doesn't cause them or people aren't making the connection.

I am in the US and had a very easy time getting spiro prescribed to me. I was on accutane for 7 months prior to starting spiro and it only kept me clear for 3 months and my acne slowly but surely started to return. I know in England well in the UK period it is difficult to get spiro for acne since it is a off label use of the medication. There are some people on here from uk that take the medication though. Dizzy Abby is one of them that I can think of off the top of my head. She brought a lot of research amd studies to her dermatologist and showed some proof that the medication responds to androgen activity. You could try the same thing. She also ordered it off a website at some point too. I suppose you could ask her about that I'm not sure if she had a script or not. You also have to be careful and make sure the pharmacy is legit. If they are legit they will require a prescription.

Have you tried or heard of saw palmetto? That is a good alternative to spiro it does the same thing in the long run. It's safe for men and women unlike spiro. There is a member on this site that goes by the name green gables and she provides a lot of great information on saw palmetto and spiro. Search for her on here and check out her topics. You will gain quite a bit of knowledge reading her posts. She cover just about anything hormonal in her postings.

There is some correlation between high estrogen levels and varicose veins, and to some extent, spider veins as well.

Spironolactone is mainly an anti-androgen (reduces the effect of DHT, a type of testosterone that creates acne). It does have some slight estrogenic effects, but nothing compared to birth control, especially Diane-35 which is a rather high estrogen pill. But it may be a moot point since you can't get spiro prescribed in the UK, unless you are willing to take the legal gray area of online prescriptions from out of country doctors.

Saw palmetto and stinging nettle EXTRACT supplements (not "whole herb" supplements) can provide some anti-androgen power. It won't be as strong as spiro, but it may be enough. I would start on 640mg a day and see if that stops a breakout after quitting Diane. Saw palmetto and stinging nettle do not have any estrogenic effects.

Hello thank you so much for your answers I think I got from you more answers to my problems than from all doctors I spoke to in Germany. I think i will try Saw Palmetto after quitting diane and then see how it will work. The thing that I'm most afraid of is a bad breakout and I think after taking diane for 6 years it will be horrible but on the other side having these problems with my veins is also bad and it affects very much my little self-confidence. Green Gables could you tell me if Saw Palmetto has the same side effects as spironolactone? I heard that when taking spironolactone you have to watch out regarding potassium-based food. And I would like to know if it can normalise my irregular period. Since I started Diane I didn't have this problem but I think when i stop taking it the problem will come back. Is there any possibility to handle that without using contraceptive pills?

Do you have PCOS by any chance or do you just have irregular periods?

According to my doctor i have pcos i have acne and irregular periods but i do not have hirsutism or problems with overweight. My mom has also pcos she had an operation because of that a long time ago. After the operation she told me that her problems with acne had become better.

Saw palmetto does not affect potassium levels. Some people find it is a slight diuretic so drink plenty of water. It won't normalize your periods. The best results for normalizing periods without birth control is USP progesterone which can be obtained over the counter. I would start on the saw palmetto for a few weeks then stop the Diane. If your periods are still irregular a month after that, I can give you all the info you need on.natural

progesterone use

Accutane isn't the answer for hormonal acne period. Of Diane cleared you up the your acne is hormonal. I'm not sure about the spider veins and spiro. I am on spiro and haven't experienced anything like that, a lot of women are on spiro for the long term and I've not heard people complain about spider veins. Thts either because spiro doesn't cause them or people aren't making the connection.

I am in the US and had a very easy time getting spiro prescribed to me. I was on accutane for 7 months prior to starting spiro and it only kept me clear for 3 months and my acne slowly but surely started to return. I know in England well in the UK period it is difficult to get spiro for acne since it is a off label use of the medication. There are some people on here from uk that take the medication though. Dizzy Abby is one of them that I can think of off the top of my head. She brought a lot of research amd studies to her dermatologist and showed some proof that the medication responds to androgen activity. You could try the same thing. She also ordered it off a website at some point too. I suppose you could ask her about that I'm not sure if she had a script or not. You also have to be careful and make sure the pharmacy is legit. If they are legit they will require a prescription.

Have you tried or heard of saw palmetto? That is a good alternative to spiro it does the same thing in the long run. It's safe for men and women unlike spiro. There is a member on this site that goes by the name green gables and she provides a lot of great information on saw palmetto and spiro. Search for her on here and check out her topics. You will gain quite a bit of knowledge reading her posts. She cover just about anything hormonal in her postings.

How can you figure out if your acne is hormonal or not? I was on Dianne 35 for 4 months and it did absolutely nothing for my skin, if not make it worse. I am aware that you have to give it about 6-7 months to work but I had to go off it for other reasons. What do you think other causes of acne are? I'm thinking mine is probably not hormonal.

Please, Solneshka, keep updating about your experience with Saw Palmetto. I have been taking Diane35 for 5 years, and I am so scary to go off. I have to point out that Diane35 was not a cure, but my acne became less severe than before taking diane35.

I tried Spiro, but I fainted after a week taking Spiro because I have low blood pressure and I was taking a low dosage 50 mg/ day.

Accutane isn't the answer for hormonal acne period. Of Diane cleared you up the your acne is hormonal. I'm not sure about the spider veins and spiro. I am on spiro and haven't experienced anything like that, a lot of women are on spiro for the long term and I've not heard people complain about spider veins. Thts either because spiro doesn't cause them or people aren't making the connection.

I am in the US and had a very easy time getting spiro prescribed to me. I was on accutane for 7 months prior to starting spiro and it only kept me clear for 3 months and my acne slowly but surely started to return. I know in England well in the UK period it is difficult to get spiro for acne since it is a off label use of the medication. There are some people on here from uk that take the medication though. Dizzy Abby is one of them that I can think of off the top of my head. She brought a lot of research amd studies to her dermatologist and showed some proof that the medication responds to androgen activity. You could try the same thing. She also ordered it off a website at some point too. I suppose you could ask her about that I'm not sure if she had a script or not. You also have to be careful and make sure the pharmacy is legit. If they are legit they will require a prescription.

Have you tried or heard of saw palmetto? That is a good alternative to spiro it does the same thing in the long run. It's safe for men and women unlike spiro. There is a member on this site that goes by the name green gables and she provides a lot of great information on saw palmetto and spiro. Search for her on here and check out her topics. You will gain quite a bit of knowledge reading her posts. She cover just about anything hormonal in her postings.

How can you figure out if your acne is hormonal or not? I was on Dianne 35 for 4 months and it did absolutely nothing for my skin, if not make it worse. I am aware that you have to give it about 6-7 months to work but I had to go off it for other reasons. What do you think other causes of acne are? I'm thinking mine is probably not hormonal.

Hello, there is testing you can get done its a saliva test that can look at your hormonal levels and see if anything is out of whack. Although it doesn't look at all the hormones you might want checked out for that you need blood test done and you will probably need to see a obgyn that is experienced in hormonal treatments or get in to see an endocrinologist and there is where you I will get your answers. If you have had success with hormonal treatments in the past your acne probably isn't hormonal and you should be looking at a different way to treat it with either antibiotics which I don't recommend or with topical retinoids or with dans regimen on here. Lots of people have great success with dans regimen. Are you seeing a dermatologist or getting treatment from any sort of doc?

Accutane isn't the answer for hormonal acne period. Of Diane cleared you up the your acne is hormonal. I'm not sure about the spider veins and spiro. I am on spiro and haven't experienced anything like that, a lot of women are on spiro for the long term and I've not heard people complain about spider veins. Thts either because spiro doesn't cause them or people aren't making the connection.

I am in the US and had a very easy time getting spiro prescribed to me. I was on accutane for 7 months prior to starting spiro and it only kept me clear for 3 months and my acne slowly but surely started to return. I know in England well in the UK period it is difficult to get spiro for acne since it is a off label use of the medication. There are some people on here from uk that take the medication though. Dizzy Abby is one of them that I can think of off the top of my head. She brought a lot of research amd studies to her dermatologist and showed some proof that the medication responds to androgen activity. You could try the same thing. She also ordered it off a website at some point too. I suppose you could ask her about that I'm not sure if she had a script or not. You also have to be careful and make sure the pharmacy is legit. If they are legit they will require a prescription.

Have you tried or heard of saw palmetto? That is a good alternative to spiro it does the same thing in the long run. It's safe for men and women unlike spiro. There is a member on this site that goes by the name green gables and she provides a lot of great information on saw palmetto and spiro. Search for her on here and check out her topics. You will gain quite a bit of knowledge reading her posts. She cover just about anything hormonal in her postings.

How can you figure out if your acne is hormonal or not? I was on Dianne 35 for 4 months and it did absolutely nothing for my skin, if not make it worse. I am aware that you have to give it about 6-7 months to work but I had to go off it for other reasons. What do you think other causes of acne are? I'm thinking mine is probably not hormonal.

Hello, there is testing you can get done its a saliva test that can look at your hormonal levels and see if anything is out of whack. Although it doesn't look at all the hormones you might want checked out for that you need blood test done and you will probably need to see a obgyn that is experienced in hormonal treatments or get in to see an endocrinologist and there is where you I will get your answers. If you have had success with hormonal treatments in the past your acne probably isn't hormonal and you should be looking at a different way to treat it with either antibiotics which I don't recommend or with topical retinoids or with dans regimen on here. Lots of people have great success with dans regimen. Are you seeing a dermatologist or getting treatment from any sort of doc?

Yep I am seeing a dermatologist at the moment and have been prescribed accutane! I've previously tried doxycyline, minocycline and erythomycin and duac and erythomycin topicals, all of which worked at first but then seemed to loose their effect within a few months. I would definitely liked to get checked for hormonal issues though, as if my acne is hormonal then I guess it's unlikely that accutane will be a permanent solution. But there is seriously no way I want to go back on Dianne 35 again

Hi guys,

I had exam time at university and was very busy. I just wanted to inform you that I stopped taking diane and my skin is getting worse from day to day. It is really frustrating ( but I went to a endocrinologist who is specialised in pcos and he strongly advised me to do a surgery called ovarian drilling in order to lower my testosterone level and to get regular periods. The aim is to balance my hormonal system which is the reason why I have acne. He told me that the surgery is ideal for women who have pco and are not overweight.

I am not sure if I should do this but on the other hand if it works it can help me so that I do not have to take pills like diane -.- all my life. I also thought that if my hormonal balance is granted by this surgery maybe a second round of accutane will finally cure me.

So what do you think about his advise? Does somebody have experience with this ovarian drilling?

Please, Solneshka, keep updating about your experience with Saw Palmetto. I have been taking Diane35 for 5 years, and I am so scary to go off. I have to point out that Diane35 was not a cure, but my acne became less severe than before taking diane35.

I tried Spiro, but I fainted after a week taking Spiro because I have low blood pressure and I was taking a low dosage 50 mg/ day.

Hey mikito I started saw palmetto but as I wrote the post above I went to a endocrinologist and now thinking about the surgery so I stopped saw palmetto because i should not take any pills if i plan to do this surgery. But I can tell you that my mom started to take saw palmetto 320 mg per day and for her it works wonderfully. She has some hormonal imbalances because of the menopause. I think in your case a higher dosage would be advisable. I really can understand your fear to go off, I had the same problem but I decided to try it because I really hate diane because of those horrible side effects. And I really hope that there is another way to cure my acne

For me, what worked after coming off birth control was vitex/agnus castus, in combination with evening primrose. Saw palmetto wasn't as effective for me. However, if you choose an herbal treatment, you must get your hormones checked every few months to make sure they don't go off balance. I took the vitex for longer than I needed it, and it caused me another imbalance as a result. So, in trying to balance some hormones, try not to upset other ones. I haven't heard of drilling before, are there risks involved?

EDIT: I just googled ovarian drilling, and it seems that it can actually increase acne in some women. My guess is that, because it triggers ovulation, it also increases the chance of ovulation-related breakouts, which can be worse than premenstrual breakouts. A scientific study showed that:

Among women with hirsutism (n = 43) and acne (n = 25), 10 (23%) and 10 (40%) respectively experienced long-term improvement after LOD. CONCLUSION: LOD produces long-term improvement in menstrual regularity and reproductive performance in about one-third of cases. A modest and sustained improvement in acne and hirsutism can be expected in ~40 and ~25% of patients respectively.

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/8/2035.full

So really, you would be doing it more for regular cycles than for acne, since there's no guarantee that it will help with that.

And by the way, Germany has some of the best homeopathic practitioners and also has some amazing homeopathic pharmacies - there's even one in the Munich airport. You should take advantage of that, and go see a good naturopath/homeopath in your country if you don't want to take pills.