Acne.org Products
This is a belated post, but I had been taking 200mg of DIM daily for approximately 2.5 weeks when I started breaking out after 2 years of staying clear. I went from clear skin to seven nodules/cysts on my chin. This was while taking my normal 100mg of spironolactone.
I took DIM initially to see if its estrogen metabolite benefits, which are converting more 16-hydroxy estrogens ("bad") to 2-hydroxy estrogens ("good"), would help with my energy levels and sleep rhythms.
I decided to look into this a little more, and noticed an interesting fact:
In this conversion process, DIM essentially speeds up your estrogen metabolism overall. This eliminates some of the active estrogen from the body. The good metabolites created out of the conversion process free up testosterone by kicking testosterone off of testosterone-binding proteins. This then results in more free testosterone circulating in the body.
DIM is typically used in women / men with estrogen dominance, and I don't often hear of negative side effects. I am not in any way condemning this supplement...however, it is interesting that it can encourage free testosterone. For me personally, 200mg of DIM (which is an average dose) was enough to overpower 100mg spironolactone. Very important to consider if, like me, you are relying on anti-androgens to keep you clear.
I stopped taking DIM approximately 3 weeks ago and the breakout is subsiding.
Interesting information! Good luck resolving the last cysts. Sometimes a warm compress (with a clean wash cloth) can help. Please update me if you breakout anymore or if it's completely back under control!
No more breakouts. I have one remaining cyst that is taking its sweet time 
Glad it's resolving! Do you think progesterone cream could have the same effect as the DIM? Do you think the DIM exacerbated your acne (as say coming off bc can) or just blocked spiro's action, returning your skin to an unmedicated state?
Progesterone is anti-inflammatory and can help regular hormones at low doses or the "right" dose for your body, at high doses it can change gears and become inflammatory. For the most part, though, I really doubt that you will experience any trouble with progesterone as long as you start slow and don't go overboard with it.
I'm assuming that you plan to use progesterone, you are NOT on hormonal birth control, which contains synthetic progestin...if you add in progesterone to that, you will definitely be overdoing it.
DIM very specifically releases testosterone off of testosterone binding proteins as a byproduct of its estrogen metabolism. As far as I remember, progesterone does not increase free testosterone like that.
Hi GreenGables, I am not on bc.
I did look back over the message boards and see you tried progesterone cream. I couldn't determine if you continued on it or stopped and why. Perhaps I'm missing a post but could you provide me into insight of your experience?
Also, you suggest it shouldn't cause acne at an appropriate dose, would that simply be the guidelines on the packaging? As for starting slow, do you recommend taking less than recommended dose to start?
I haven't purchased any progesterone cream yet, but just interested.
Hi GreenGables, I am not on bc.
I did look back over the message boards and see you tried progesterone cream. I couldn't determine if you continued on it or stopped and why. Perhaps I'm missing a post but could you provide me into insight of your experience?
Also, you suggest it shouldn't cause acne at an appropriate dose, would that simply be the guidelines on the packaging? As for starting slow, do you recommend taking less than recommended dose to start?
I haven't purchased any progesterone cream yet, but just interested.
I think progesterone cream can be a great thing, but dosing is difficult, it is mostly trial and error to find how much you need.
From what I remember, most progesterone cream guidelines recommend, for a premenopausal women, starting out with 15-30mg daily cream containing 1000mg USP progesterone. Most manufacturers will tell you how much this "normal" dose is on the bottle (example: 1/4 tsp morning and night, or 1/8 tsp morning and night, depending on concentration of the cream).
When I used it, I started out with the lowest dose (around 15mg) and didn't feel much happening, so after a few weeks I ramped up my dose until I noticed it helping with my low progesterone symptoms (insomnia and low body temperature mostly).
I quit using it because I was already clear from spiro, and I didn't feel like it helped my sleep and body temperature as consistently as I liked to keep buying it. It's harder to stick with something that doesn't have obvious visible benefits for me, I guess 
Is it possible that it was an initial breakout, or do you think it lasted much longer than an initial breakout should? I heard of women breaking out when starting DIM, then slowly clearing up.
Have you researched myo-inositol? I've been taking it for 3 weeks now but using a lower dosage that what they used in clinical studies on PCOS women, and I noticed a reduction in facial hair and insomnia. I'm surprised inositol isn't as popular on this forum as it is on the soul cysters site.