Everything's going to be OK hun. Its so hard I know. Acne ruins your life. But there is hope. I've never heard of seasonale being used for acne. Have you had cysts before? Is your skin good while on seasonale?

Spiro is a wonderful drug. A miracle for hormonal acne. I was on it for a year and had the skin of a child. But a week is too short to see results my dear. It took six months for my acne to go away. Patience is key with that drug but I swear if you stick with it and hang in there one day soon you will have the skin you've always wanted and you won't have to worry about it anymore. I wouldn't take so much of that antibiotic I think that's what's causing the problem. I would stop it and just focus on the birth control and the Spiro. That's all you really need.

((((sigh))) Yeah, I know a week is too short. I just can't get over how many cysts I'm getting. I'm going to the derm daily for cortisone injections and they're almost ALL in different/new locations. My derm said give it four weeks for the antibiotics and Spiro to start working. I just wish there weren't so many cysts. I'm getting worried about scarring and number of cortisone shots I'm getting.

Never had cysts unitl last fall. Went on OTC and Spiro and they cleared up within a month or two, but I only had a few! I went off everything (long story), and it came back even worse.

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It's just so difficult because I feel like I've never seen anyone else with problem. Where are the other women in their 30's who have this? I keep getting told it's not just me, but it certainly doesn't feel like it.

Hey MaskedOne, I totally understand how you feel. Cysts are absolutely horrific, I can't even articulate how bad having multiple painful cysts all over your face makes you feel. In the UK we can't even just go out and get cortisone injections either so they just hang around for ages being painful and bursting multiple times until they eventually go down. I've been experiencing this a whole lot over the past few months so you're most certainly not alone in this!

One thing I would say is please don't lose hope here. From my experience I think your dermatologist is right in saying that the antibiotics will kick in with a serious effect within a month of starting them, especially as you're on 1000mg/day which is a pretty massive antibiotics dosage for acne. They put me on 2000mg/day of Flucloxacillin for 10 days before transferring me to a 3 month prescription of 408mg/day Lymecycline. A month in and I am now getting no new cysts surfacing at all (and I'm not exaggerating when I say that a month ago these were all over my face and springing up like wild fire!) So there is definitely hope for you as well!

So please keep positive and hopefully those antibiotics will kick in sooner than you imagine. The wait is agonising but once you wake up in the morning and find you have no cysts on your face it all feels worth it I promise you

Thank you, MoonlitRiver. I'm so sorry you can't get injections in the UK! Do you know why?

Yeah, it's a really miserable feeling knowing you're doing everything you can, and every morning you wake up with a painful new cyst. It's like this cruel joke that keeps happening every day. Every time I leave the derm, I hope I don't have to come back the next day... but it hasn't happened yet.

Well you might be able to get them privately in the UK but you certainly can't get them on the NHS that I know of. I'm a student so private isn't really an option for me.

Please excuse my total ignorance, but how do cortisone injections actually work? Do they remove the fluid that gathers under the skin surface and causes cysts? I'm just wondering because if they don't and that fluid is still hanging around under the skin somewhere then I imagine it would continue to come up as new cysts until it's properly flushed out or drained away.

It is a totally miserable feeling I agree. I'm also doing everything I possibly can to treat my acne at the moment and it's so disheartening to wake up and look in the mirror to find new breakouts whilst being totally powerless to stop them. A cruel joke is exactly what it feels like to me too! But it will get better. It has to! And it sounds like your derm has put you on some pretty good treatments so hopefully it will just be a case of waiting it out until they begin to take effect.

Hang in there. This drug takes time to work. I've been on it for about 5 weeks and I've noticed a real difference in my skin. I'm not 100% clear but I'm much better than I was before I started taking spiro. It does help with preventing new breakouts (although I've gotten a few here and there still) and I'm using Paula's Choice 2.5% BP to help get rid of the current ones. (along with a gentle skin care regime which includes washing with Cerave cleanser and using Cerave lotion)

My doctor says it takes at least 2 months to start seeing results; for me, I started seeing results within a few weeks, nothing drastic but my face wasn't as 'red and angry'.

I'm not taking any antibiotics (don't want to put my body through too much and I get yeast infections from them)

I'm not on bp either (no need for me) and I don't know how the spiro will affect my periods but I'm hoping it's not too drastic.

So far, my body has been tolerating spiro very well and fortunately, I don't have issues with hair loss, etc. (my acne is due to perimenopause)

Don't give up and don't stress about it. Stay positive and things will get better.

It is a totally miserable feeling I agree. I'm also doing everything I possibly can to treat my acne at the moment and it's so disheartening to wake up and look in the mirror to find new breakouts whilst being totally powerless to stop them.

Yep. What's even worse is when you wake up and your face hurts because you KNOW you have a cyst before you look in the mirror.

Please excuse my total ignorance, but how do cortisone injections actually work? Do they remove the fluid that gathers under the skin surface and causes cysts?

This does a better job of explaining it than I could. Thankfully, I have had no atrophy or indentations yet.

Hang in there. This drug takes time to work. I've been on it for about 5 weeks and I've noticed a real difference in my skin. I'm not 100% clear but I'm much better than I was before I started taking spiro. It does help with preventing new breakouts (although I've gotten a few here and there still) and I'm using Paula's Choice 2.5% BP to help get rid of the current ones. (along with a gentle skin care regime which includes washing with Cerave cleanser and using Cerave lotion)

Thanks, travelinggal. It worked for me last time, but I didn't have this many cysts. I'm glad it's starting to work for you and you're seeing improvement. I do try and fight and have hope every single day, but I wake up every morning and there's another one. It's hard to keep up the fight. I leave the derm and think well, maybe this will be the last time for awhile or maybe I won't have to come back tomorrow. I am getting worried about the number of injections, but it's still the best option at this point for me (vs. letting them be; it'll just scar).

I'll try to keep hoping. My derm thinks this will work; it's just going to take some more time. I'm just wanting to see some improvement -- something to give me hope ya know?