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You should check into Spironolactone. The pattern of your acne looks 100% hormonal
All acne is hormonal.
Wow! I honestly feel like I could have written this-- besides going to Italy. haha. First of all, you are so incredibly beautiful!! In all the pictures!
I wish I could comment on every single thing you wrote in this post because it has ALL happened to me. Including the eating whatever, not washing face much, but being ridiculously happy-- and having clear skin. Then I found thelovevitamin and tried the holistic route...where I was still ridiculously happy...and I thought that washing my face with Manuka honey and only putting aloe on my face afterwards was giving me clear skin. I also thought that my 20 minutes of sunlight and smiling and reading all the time was giving me clear skin. Nope, it was being ridiculously happy because it was summertime and I had a different perspective on life...lol Then it all went to poop, and I ended up depressed and hey! all the acne came back. This was about 2 years ago. I have taken every single pill that you've taken. The worst my skin has EVER been was trying to be "paleo" and taking borage seed oil, flaxseed oil, saw palmetto, and zinc. My skin was covered in cysts...covered. No end in sight type-- with no head. My jawline...tiny cysts in every pore. Oh man, it was terrible. Then I started taking Burdock root. AHHHH. Omg. 16 cysts in one day...on July 4. I was so freaked out. All I could do was cry.
I even have all the same [hormonal] symptoms that you do, and I honestly thought that I had estrogen dominance, as well. I don't have excess hair, but I have excess acne, dangit! That's a sign of a problem! Well, I started taking Beyaz in August...and my skin has been improving ever since. I know you don't want to go on a birth control, but it has seriously helped me. I feel weird about altering my hormones, but sometimes that's what you gotta do. I actually just started 25mg of Spironolactone about 20 days ago, too. I tried doing it "naturally" with all the supplements, but it didn't work. I'll include a before and after picture...the "Before" is after it started getting better. It was a lot worse than this picture, and you can't see the tiny cysts ALL along my jawline and my neck in the before, either. It's not perfect, but a definite improvement.
Have you had your thyroid levels checked? It looks like you have the "Sign of Hertoghe" as well as suborbital edema. Translation. The sign of hertoghe is the loss of the outer 1/3 of the eyebrow. Suborbital edema is swelling of the lower eyelids. It's actually myxedema or waste products that accumulate causing swelling. Both point to hypothyroidism. The symptoms of hypothyroidism are always exaggerated in the morning.
ALL acne is NOT hormonal. There's acne that's caused by certain products, certain makeups can cause acne, and there's even acne rosacea. Her pattern of acne looks hormonal due to its location (anywhere a man would grow a beard is typically hormonal).
I agree that the location of your acne corresponds to hormonal breakouts, but I'm looking at the type of acne too, and it looks more than hormonal. If your body is trying to get rid of toxins (including excess hormones) too rapidly, that tends to cause that type of acne. It's almost rash-like...perhaps fungal or bacterial. Not to say that hormones can't cause that type of acne, but it might be better if you cut out some of the things you are using and taking.
Start by cutting these out:
- Cod liver oil...especially if you are sensitive to oils.
- ACV - it broke me out, always at the same spot with red and hard pimples.
- Vitamin A at a low dose is ok, maybe add some vitamin C if you want to take vitamins.
- Vitamin E - if it's the dry form it might be ok. If you are sensitive to oils, avoid capsules.
- zinc can break some people out, it depends on the form and quantity. Get tested for deficiency to see if you need it.
- Probiotics: it's best to start with just acidophilus, low dose (Can cause purging - be careful with high doses/ billions)...if that breaks you out, most likely probiotics are not for you.
Make sure all your supplements are as pure as possible...usually it's the additional ingredients that cause problems, not the vitamins themselves. Avoid colorings, gluten, dairy, yeast,casein, etc.
Water is great for your body...just make sure it's filtered/ bottled, not tap.
When you say you are taking vitamin B, do you mean a b-complex? B-complexes break some people out due to the high % of biotin and/or B12, compared to all the other Bs. I am only taking inositol, which is technically B8, and it works as a type of prohormone (kind of like vitamin D, but serves a different function) that helps regulate ovulation and PCOS. I also take herpanacine, vitamin C, and digestive enzymes. I learned that less is more when it comes to supplements. If you introduce too many things at once, you won't know which one is working and which ones are not.
You should check into Spironolactone. The pattern of your acne looks 100% hormonal
All acne is hormonal.
Wow! I honestly feel like I could have written this-- besides going to Italy. haha. First of all, you are so incredibly beautiful!! In all the pictures!
I wish I could comment on every single thing you wrote in this post because it has ALL happened to me. Including the eating whatever, not washing face much, but being ridiculously happy-- and having clear skin. Then I found thelovevitamin and tried the holistic route...where I was still ridiculously happy...and I thought that washing my face with Manuka honey and only putting aloe on my face afterwards was giving me clear skin. I also thought that my 20 minutes of sunlight and smiling and reading all the time was giving me clear skin. Nope, it was being ridiculously happy because it was summertime and I had a different perspective on life...lol Then it all went to poop, and I ended up depressed and hey! all the acne came back. This was about 2 years ago. I have taken every single pill that you've taken. The worst my skin has EVER been was trying to be "paleo" and taking borage seed oil, flaxseed oil, saw palmetto, and zinc. My skin was covered in cysts...covered. No end in sight type-- with no head. My jawline...tiny cysts in every pore. Oh man, it was terrible. Then I started taking Burdock root. AHHHH. Omg. 16 cysts in one day...on July 4. I was so freaked out. All I could do was cry.
I even have all the same [hormonal] symptoms that you do, and I honestly thought that I had estrogen dominance, as well. I don't have excess hair, but I have excess acne, dangit! That's a sign of a problem! Well, I started taking Beyaz in August...and my skin has been improving ever since. I know you don't want to go on a birth control, but it has seriously helped me. I feel weird about altering my hormones, but sometimes that's what you gotta do. I actually just started 25mg of Spironolactone about 20 days ago, too. I tried doing it "naturally" with all the supplements, but it didn't work. I'll include a before and after picture...the "Before" is after it started getting better. It was a lot worse than this picture, and you can't see the tiny cysts ALL along my jawline and my neck in the before, either. It's not perfect, but a definite improvement.
Have you had your thyroid levels checked? It looks like you have the "Sign of Hertoghe" as well as suborbital edema. Translation. The sign of hertoghe is the loss of the outer 1/3 of the eyebrow. Suborbital edema is swelling of the lower eyelids. It's actually myxedema or waste products that accumulate causing swelling. Both point to hypothyroidism. The symptoms of hypothyroidism are always exaggerated in the morning.
ALL acne is NOT hormonal. There's acne that's caused by certain products, certain makeups can cause acne, and there's even acne rosacea. Her pattern of acne looks hormonal due to its location (anywhere a man would grow a beard is typically hormonal).
I understand what you are saying and products can trigger a response. There is always an exception or two and possibly toxicity, however without elevated free testosterone sebum production will be low. Solve the hormonal problem and you make significant improvements in acne.
I can't speak to the etiology of rosacea, although I've had that too.
Can't you order saliva testing yourself now without a doctor? I could've sworn there are testing labs in the U.S. that do that sort of thing.
Also wanted to add, that with the exception of folliculitis which isn't acne anyway, there is almost always a hormonal component to acne. Hormones can also increase the viscosity of sebum. If you have thick sebum, it will clog with nearly anything you put on your face. If you have thin sebum, that likelihood reduces dramatically.
I can sleep in stage makeup (the worst, thick, pore-clogging kind) now and not even get a clogged pore. Before changing my hormones, I had to be sooooo careful about products on my face...I felt like I was navigating a land mine just applying a moisturizer or choosing a foundation.
Yes, we should be careful about weird crap we put on our face, but the hope is that once you fix the internal stuff going on, you don't have to be so limited in your facial product choices.
Hello all!
Thanks for all your suggestions and insight. I have decided to stop researching for a little while, to see if the "remedies" are just exasperating my condition. I have taken all your advice in, and will continue eating a very clean diet, exercising, reducing stress, and drinking a lot of water. But as far as supplements and home remedies go, I am going to stop them all. I am going to see what my results are, talk to my doctor, and see my options. If my doctor decides to prescribe me a pill to balance my hormones or take birth control, then I will certainly take what she says into consideration. As of now, the acne has started to spread to a couple spots on my chest and shoulders, and it has been the tipping point for me. I think the stress of seeing all the possibilities of what is causing my acne is not making me live a normal life, and causing me to break out even more. I am going to try all my options, including hormonal treatment if necessary. I haven't been closed to prescriptions, I just have wanted to see if I could clear my acne by letting my body heal itself, or change my diet in order to do it. However, for my lifestyle, I don't think it is possible for me to do all the dietary changes, like omitting certain healthy foods from my diet because they might be affecting it. I don't want to feel guilty anymore for wanting a square of dark chocolate every once in a while, or for eating a couple dried figs--these are things I have eaten all my life and they have never once made me sick or given me allergic reactions. I don't want to deny myself pleasures and a social life if I can take one pill a day and get rid of my acne. For all of you who have suggested the dietary route: I am so respectful of you for finding a natural route to clear your acne, and have the self discipline to not eat caffeine or sugars, etc, or do a candida diet, but for me, I don't think that it is possible as a busy college student who is about to live in a place where having a special grain free, low salt, dairy free, sugars free, fruit free, caffeine free diet would be impossible and probably cause me to be ostracized by students who don't understand. Again, I am not looking for a quick fix--I never was. I was just looking for something that would fit my lifestyle as a poor college student who is scared to do anything drastic with her skin.
Good plan! 
Honestly, researching gives me anxiety...there was a time where I was spending hours looking up remedies-- only to find myself picking the heck out of my skin later on in the day due to those anxieties. You have a great attitude about it all, and I'm sure you'll find your cure soon! Good luck at the dermatologist! I hope it all goes well!
Hello all!
Thanks for all your suggestions and insight. I have decided to stop researching for a little while, to see if the "remedies" are just exasperating my condition. I have taken all your advice in, and will continue eating a very clean diet, exercising, reducing stress, and drinking a lot of water. But as far as supplements and home remedies go, I am going to stop them all. I am going to see what my results are, talk to my doctor, and see my options. If my doctor decides to prescribe me a pill to balance my hormones or take birth control, then I will certainly take what she says into consideration. As of now, the acne has started to spread to a couple spots on my chest and shoulders, and it has been the tipping point for me. I think the stress of seeing all the possibilities of what is causing my acne is not making me live a normal life, and causing me to break out even more. I am going to try all my options, including hormonal treatment if necessary. I haven't been closed to prescriptions, I just have wanted to see if I could clear my acne by letting my body heal itself, or change my diet in order to do it. However, for my lifestyle, I don't think it is possible for me to do all the dietary changes, like omitting certain healthy foods from my diet because they might be affecting it. I don't want to feel guilty anymore for wanting a square of dark chocolate every once in a while, or for eating a couple dried figs--these are things I have eaten all my life and they have never once made me sick or given me allergic reactions. I don't want to deny myself pleasures and a social life if I can take one pill a day and get rid of my acne. For all of you who have suggested the dietary route: I am so respectful of you for finding a natural route to clear your acne, and have the self discipline to not eat caffeine or sugars, etc, or do a candida diet, but for me, I don't think that it is possible as a busy college student who is about to live in a place where having a special grain free, low salt, dairy free, sugars free, fruit free, caffeine free diet would be impossible and probably cause me to be ostracized by students who don't understand. Again, I am not looking for a quick fix--I never was. I was just looking for something that would fit my lifestyle as a poor college student who is scared to do anything drastic with her skin.
I also think this a good plan. When you step away from the research also leave the a anxiety and self conscious thoughts behind. The reality is that the vast majority of people don't care if you have acne. Someone as beautiful as you with such a great attitude will not have problems if you choose not to give others the power to control how you feel.
I have 2 cents that says your problem is elevated DHEA that is likely amplified by stress. Really think about not giving others power over you by incessantly worrying about what they think or say. You really have no idea what they think or will do, so ruminating over this is a pointless stress inducing exercise.
If you can master this, it is such an empowering and liberating experience that will impact the rest of your life positively. Good luck.
UPDATE:
So, the blood test results for my hormone levels came back normal. My doctor suggested Differin for me (as sort of a trial and error thing), but as I look at the reviews from people, it doesn't seem to be much of a miracle worker (purging, excessive dryness, bad for sensitive skin and inflamed acne like mine, etc) As you guys may know, I have really good skin in the summertime. Is stopping then starting Differin a good idea? I don't want to have to avoid the sun in the summer, and I am scared that if I take it, I will have to keep taking it forever. After taking everyone's advice of doing a gentle skin care regimen and washing with distilled water, I have seen improvement of my skin. It is less red and the breakouts are no longer painful. I am using right now neutrogena sensitive skin facial cleanser with MyChelle cream based serum, and a sensitive skin moisturizer. I do have a LOT of hyperpigmentation which really is annoying (looks like a giant rash on my cheeks). Does differin work for people with hyperpigmentation? I'm thinking of trying it for a while to see results. I would like to hear other people's experience 
Thanks guys!
I actually decided to wait on the Differin thing as I did more research. I still think that my body will heal itself and that my acne is starting to go away. I am having few breakouts, so I must be doing something right.
post on the prescription forum for that kind of advice.
Everything you say about your skin & the sun points to a vitamin D deficiency. Do a search for vitamin D threads, it has helped a lot of people. It might be all you need really.
Thanks guys!
I actually decided to wait on the Differin thing as I did more research. I still think that my body will heal itself and that my acne is starting to go away. I am having few breakouts, so I must be doing something right.
post on the prescription forum for that kind of advice.
Everything you say about your skin & the sun points to a vitamin D deficiency. Do a search for vitamin D threads, it has helped a lot of people. It might be all you need really.
Will definitely look more into the D deficiency thing... but the doctor said that my blood test was negative for a D deficiency
Might want to look at The Vitamin D Council's articles. To have a "deficiency" as defined by the typical test range, basically means you are at risk for rickets. A healthy D level would be much higher.
Can you post your lab results? Docs are notorious for claiming levels are normal when they aren't.
The lab reference range is just the 95% confidence interval of the lab's reference group. Every lab must form their reference range from a reference group, typically a representative sample of their patients. This is why every lab has a different reference range. Since young healthy people don't typically get their labs run, the data is skewed toward the ill, elderly and sick. To be outside of their reference range, your results must be in the low or high 2.5%. To have levels lower than those those, your results must be more than 2 standard deviations from the mean.
The bottom line is this: having results in the lab's reference range does not necessarily mean you don't have a hormonal imbalance.
You should take accutane that could scar
hmmmm.... well seeing as that is a "last resort" kind of drug, has crazy side effects, and doesn't always cure acne--and seeing that I am already seeing results from diet/lifestyle change and gentle skin treatment and haven't tried many other prescription oral or topical products---that is going to be a big NOT GONNA HAPPEN. I would only take it if my acne got really giant cysts and wasn't improving. I already have scars, but that was inevitable. Accutane doesn't reduce scarring--it reduces severe acne. I'm not trying to sound rude, but I just feel really strongly about those kinds of acne treatments.
Can you post your lab results? Docs are notorious for claiming levels are normal when they aren't.
The lab reference range is just the 95% confidence interval of the lab's reference group. Every lab must form their reference range from a reference group, typically a representative sample of their patients. This is why every lab has a different reference range. Since young healthy people don't typically get their labs run, the data is skewed toward the ill, elderly and sick. To be outside of their reference range, your results must be in the low or high 2.5%. To have levels lower than those those, your results must be more than 2 standard deviations from the mean.
The bottom line is this: having results in the lab's reference range does not necessarily mean you don't have a hormonal imbalance.
I think I will go check with medical records to see the results for myself, and maybe see if someone on the forum can help. That is a really good idea. I still think it is a hormonal imbalance, but if I don't know what is dominant or excessive, then I don't want to exasperate the problem by self treatment of the wrong type--does that make sense?
You should take accutane that could scar
hmmmm.... well seeing as that is a "last resort" kind of drug, has crazy side effects, and doesn't always cure acne--and seeing that I am already seeing results from diet/lifestyle change and gentle skin treatment and haven't tried many other prescription oral or topical products---that is going to be a big NOT GONNA HAPPEN. I would only take it if my acne got really giant cysts and wasn't improving. I already have scars, but that was inevitable. Accutane doesn't reduce scarring--it reduces severe acne. I'm not trying to sound rude, but I just feel really strongly about those kinds of acne treatments.
Can you post your lab results? Docs are notorious for claiming levels are normal when they aren't.
The lab reference range is just the 95% confidence interval of the lab's reference group. Every lab must form their reference range from a reference group, typically a representative sample of their patients. This is why every lab has a different reference range. Since young healthy people don't typically get their labs run, the data is skewed toward the ill, elderly and sick. To be outside of their reference range, your results must be in the low or high 2.5%. To have levels lower than those those, your results must be more than 2 standard deviations from the mean.
The bottom line is this: having results in the lab's reference range does not necessarily mean you don't have a hormonal imbalance.
I think I will go check with medical records to see the results for myself, and maybe see if someone on the forum can help. That is a really good idea. I still think it is a hormonal imbalance, but if I don't know what is dominant or excessive, then I don't want to exasperate the problem by self treatment of the wrong type--does that make sense?
Of course, it makes complete sense. I also agree that self treatment is not wise.
If you post your results I can give you the optimal, probably deficient and probably excessive values.
With this information you will at leAst know if the problem is hormonal and will have something to chat with your doc about.
I use the Thierry Hertoghe's reference materials. He is a 4th generation endocrinologist and likely the world's foremost expert in hormone replacement. He had has trained more than 5,000 physicians and developed extensive references and materials to support his methodology.
Of course, it makes complete sense. I also agree that self treatment is not wise.
If you post your results I can give you the optimal, probably deficient and probably excessive values.
With this information you will at leAst know if the problem is hormonal and will have something to chat with your doc about.
I use the Thierry Hertoghe's reference materials. He is a 4th generation endocrinologist and likely the world's foremost expert in hormone replacement. He had has trained more than 5,000 physicians and developed extensive references and materials to support his methodology.
That sounds great...and pretty legit! haha
So I found that I could see some of my results online.
It says my TSH is 1.010
Does this mean my thyroid count is lowish or pretty normal?
Tomorrow I will go to medical records and see my other test results.
Of course, it makes complete sense. I also agree that self treatment is not wise.
If you post your results I can give you the optimal, probably deficient and probably excessive values.
With this information you will at leAst know if the problem is hormonal and will have something to chat with your doc about.
I use the Thierry Hertoghe's reference materials. He is a 4th generation endocrinologist and likely the world's foremost expert in hormone replacement. He had has trained more than 5,000 physicians and developed extensive references and materials to support his methodology.
That sounds great...and pretty legit! haha
So I found that I could see some of my results online.
It says my TSH is 1.010[/size]
Does this mean my thyroid count is lowish or pretty normal?Tomorrow I will go to medical records and see my other test results.
TSH is not the best indicator of thyroid function, however 1.0 is considered optimal. Levels above 2.5 could indicate a deficiency.
Your photo doesn't indicate any signs of deficiency. Doubtful thyroid is a problem.
Hey--just reading through this whole thing. wow, so much to say here. First, it can make you more obsessive but i think its a good idea to get those lab results. I was blown away when I got mine. And like someone just said, you have to be really defficient or too high for a doctor to say anything. its totally possible to be in the normal range for androgens or testosterone, but still react to them. its all about what's normal for your body. for example, my mom has "never" had a too high or too low lab result in her whole life, including all hormonal tests, but yet shes struggled with hormonal, mild cystic acne for about 45 years (she still gets zits after menopause). so clearly, there's something hormonal going on, its just subtle. you basically have to have pcos before they can tell something is wrong with your hormones. Same with vitamin D like others have said. For me, acne was a combination of about a hundred things, not just vit d deficiency or just this or that. that said, adding a vit d supplement was just one more part of the puzzle that made me feel better. it also contributes to mood, obviously, which for me, along with hormones, explains all my skin issues (i also get ezcema sometimes). anyway, blah blah, but i know its overwhelming when you first get a lab. however, right on the lab they will have the highs and lows indicated near your score. so for vit d it will say e.g. a score of 50 (i forget what the units are) and then show you that the healthy range is 30-90, or whatever. so you would see you are in the middle ish. for someone like u who is so affected by sunlight, i would think it best to get your vit d pretty high. I think I heard above 50 is ideal. I totally get the whole diet thing and not being able to restrict your diet that much and truly most people's acne is a problem far larger than diet. that said, i never in my life had acne until i started consuming larger amounts of sugar. i went thru a period of depression and happened to be working at a bakery, and ate much more sugar than normal for ~2 years. then i decided to go off birth control and anti depressants after my 2 year sugar party, and broke out for about 8-9 months. so diet did affect my acne...but not in the way I thought. I still eat basically what I want, but I avoid things that have gargantuan amounts of sugar and minimize dairy products (i tested as having a medium dairy allergy). at first i went way crazy with the food stuff and felt like i was coming down with a full blown ED, but i've since rellllllaxed and realized you have to just eat a combo of healthy food you like and junk food you love, 80/20 or whatever.
you've probably already heard all this. but i wish you the best it sounds to me like you are going to get right to the bottom of this. just keep going, even when it sucks, and you'll find your way through. i just showed my mom pics on my phone of my acne when it was at its worst and we laughed and said omg. at that time, i couldn't have imagined being where i am now. that said, i have a shitty zit on my chin which drug me back here--its like igniting all my ptsd around acne and worrying it could scar. so i went straight to acne.org. XXXXX
I wrote all this before reading the third page. so 53 is pretty good. you could still take a supplement, it would hurt nothing. 1,000 or 2,000 IU a day is a small normal amount that doctors frequently prescribe (my mom's doctor just told her to take 2,000 iu a day). I take a lot more and she thinks i'm crazy. As for the DHEA one, I'm not sure how dhea directly relates to testosterone, i know its responsible for helping produce testosterone and estrogen. So possibly your DHEA could be normal but there still could be a hormonal component. Did you get your free testosterone checked? mine was clinically elevated and therein lied most my probs.
Oh and one more thing--I think the fact that you hate where you live speaks volumes. I HATED where i was in my life, for really the first time, when all these problems started brewing. Anxiety is also heavily correlated with my acne. I think I already said that but i can't emphasize it enough. There is some weird holistic stuff which i take with a grain of salt that says acne is a representation of anger and frustration, something like that. you've seen thelovevitamin--you know what i'm talkin bout. i do think there's some truth to that stuff tho---if you contrast your experience in italy w/living in a small town you dislike, its pretty evident. hopefully when you move to chicago that will be much better for your mind and skin! I was so f'd up I had to move home to heal myself, and still had acne for several months here until it calmed down and i felt at home.
I wrote all this before reading the third page. so 53 is pretty good. you could still take a supplement, it would hurt nothing. 1,000 or 2,000 IU a day is a small normal amount that doctors frequently prescribe (my mom's doctor just told her to take 2,000 iu a day). I take a lot more and she thinks i'm crazy. As for the DHEA one, I'm not sure how dhea directly relates to testosterone, i know its responsible for helping produce testosterone and estrogen. So possibly your DHEA could be normal but there still could be a hormonal component. Did you get your free testosterone checked? mine was clinically elevated and therein lied most my probs.
Oh and one more thing--I think the fact that you hate where you live speaks volumes. I HATED where i was in my life, for really the first time, when all these problems started brewing. Anxiety is also heavily correlated with my acne. I think I already said that but i can't emphasize it enough. There is some weird holistic stuff which i take with a grain of salt that says acne is a representation of anger and frustration, something like that. you've seen thelovevitamin--you know what i'm talkin bout. i do think there's some truth to that stuff tho---if you contrast your experience in italy w/living in a small town you dislike, its pretty evident. hopefully when you move to chicago that will be much better for your mind and skin! I was so f'd up I had to move home to heal myself, and still had acne for several months here until it calmed down and i felt at home.
I don't really remember all the tests that they did, but like I said, I am going to the medical records office to see ALL the results and then go from there.
Thankfully...and basically all of a sudden...I haven't been getting any new breakouts for a few days (knock on wood), which for me is a miracle in and of itself, as I have gotten steady breakouts everyday for months. I think it is a combination of a lot of factors. I just finished the semester after going to a horrible community college (THANK GOODNESS), I changed my skincare and hygiene routine, and I think the diet is starting to kick in. I think one of the biggest factors that I have nearly eliminated is the tap water and the stress of hating this place so much. I know that I am moving away in just a few weeks away, so now I am just enjoying the time I have with my family. The tap water was a bit more difficult to eliminate, but I realized that every time I showered/washed my face when on vacation in other states, I never got new breakouts. I started washing with distilled water at home, and realized how my face never got inflamed. Crazy how something as basic as the water we use on our skin can affect us in a negative way. I started taking just vitamin D and cod liver oil am going to continue use of it, not just for my skin, but for the health my bone and immune system. I am just terrified of this hyperpigmentation.... it is all over my face and is not seeming to fade... It looks like acne, but no, just red marks. Once I am sure my acne is under control, I am going to look into hyperpigmentation remedies (but do it carefully, mind you 
)
ok... so the online chart keeps updating at weird times. This time my vitamin D levels are shown
This was what it says
1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D, S 53
I'm wondering if that is ok???
and then the DHEA one
DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULFATE, S 210
your doc ordered the incorrect analyte for vit D. We want to know
25-hydroxyvitamin D, not 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin d.
DHEA Sulfate is low, nearing the deficiency level of 200.
What are your estradiol, progesterone, free/total testosterone and cortisol levels?
Since acne is caused by elevated testosterone, you either have elevated ovarian testosterone or one of the hormones that oppose testosterone are deficient. I'm still wondering about cortisol since your DHEA is on the low side. When things are working correctly, you produce equal amounts of DHEA and cortisol. Since DHEA is near the deficient level, Cortisol may also be mildly deficient.
I'm glad you stopped getting new acne. It sounds like stress is a big trigger for you, so the best thing to do is minimize the things that cause you stress/ anxiety in the first place.
About the tap water...Europe has much better quality tap water than the US, and most EU countries don't put chlorine or fluoride in the water. It sounds like your skin's PH was off. If you find a balancing cleanser, that can help as well, just make sure you avoid anything with sulfates (esp. SLS).
Your vitamin D test didn't seem to test your D3 levels. When I got mine, they gave me a combined result (D2+D3), as well as individual levels. Even though I now raised my D2 levels, my D3 levels are still low. Based on my research, D3 is usually the form of vitamin D that helps the skin...I have been on D2 for months and it helped with my depression but hasn't done much for my skin.
As for all the other supplements and drugs, my advice is not to take anything at the moment since your acne seems to have stopped. Go easy on the hyperpigmentation treatments - sometimes they can cause more acne. I just let my red marks fade on their own or do gentle peels to speed up cell turnover, but I'm not really targeting them too much.
ok... so the online chart keeps updating at weird times. This time my vitamin D levels are shown
This was what it says
1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D, S 53
I'm wondering if that is ok???
and then the DHEA one
DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULFATE, S 210
your doc ordered the incorrect analyte for vit D. We want to know
25-hydroxyvitamin D, not 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin d.
DHEA Sulfate is low, nearing the deficiency level of 200.
What are your estradiol, progesterone, free/total testosterone and cortisol levels?
Since acne is caused by elevated testosterone, you either have elevated ovarian testosterone or one of the hormones that oppose testosterone are deficient. I'm still wondering about cortisol since your DHEA is on the low side. When things are working correctly, you produce equal amounts of DHEA and cortisol. Since DHEA is near the deficient level, Cortisol may also be mildly deficient.
Well, I got my testosterone results--apparently two tests were done.
TESTOSTERONE, FREE, S 0.3TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, S28
If I had a mild cortisol deficiency...do you know what could be done for that? Just reducing stress?
I'm glad you stopped getting new acne. It sounds like stress is a big trigger for you, so the best thing to do is minimize the things that cause you stress/ anxiety in the first place.
About the tap water...Europe has much better quality tap water than the US, and most EU countries don't put chlorine or fluoride in the water. It sounds like your skin's PH was off. If you find a balancing cleanser, that can help as well, just make sure you avoid anything with sulfates (esp. SLS).
Your vitamin D test didn't seem to test your D3 levels. When I got mine, they gave me a combined result (D2+D3), as well as individual levels. Even though I now raised my D2 levels, my D3 levels are still low. Based on my research, D3 is usually the form of vitamin D that helps the skin...I have been on D2 for months and it helped with my depression but hasn't done much for my skin.
As for all the other supplements and drugs, my advice is not to take anything at the moment since your acne seems to have stopped. Go easy on the hyperpigmentation treatments - sometimes they can cause more acne. I just let my red marks fade on their own or do gentle peels to speed up cell turnover, but I'm not really targeting them too much.
Well, I broke out again today on my jawline and near my mouth. I do think it is related to stress... but how can I not be stressed? Life is full of it.
What kinds of peels do you use? My hyperpigmentation is beyond makeup (even though I don't wear makeup anymore because it irritates my skin). It is extremely red and literally all over my face. It doesn't want to go away!!!! But I will look on other forums for it (AFTER I know my acne is gone....like, if my skin goes a couple weeks without even a tiny breakout)
ok... so the online chart keeps updating at weird times. This time my vitamin D levels are shown
This was what it says
1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D, S 53
I'm wondering if that is ok???
and then the DHEA one
DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULFATE, S [/size]210[/size]
your doc ordered the incorrect analyte for vit D. We want to know [/size]
25-hydroxyvitamin D, not 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin d.[/size]
DHEA Sulfate is low, nearing the deficiency level of 200. [/size]
What are your estradiol, progesterone, free/total testosterone and cortisol levels?[/size]
Since acne is caused by elevated testosterone, you either have elevated ovarian testosterone or one of the hormones that oppose testosterone are deficient. I'm still wondering about cortisol since your DHEA is on the low side. When things are working correctly, you produce equal amounts of DHEA and cortisol. Since DHEA is near the deficient level, Cortisol may also be mildly deficient.
Well, I got my testosterone results--apparently two tests were done.
TESTOSTERONE, FREE, S 0.3
TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, S
28
If I had a mild cortisol deficiency...do you know what could be done for that? Just reducing stress?
I'm glad you stopped getting new acne. It sounds like stress is a big trigger for you, so the best thing to do is minimize the things that cause you stress/ anxiety in the first place.
About the tap water...Europe has much better quality tap water than the US, and most EU countries don't put chlorine or fluoride in the water. It sounds like your skin's PH was off. If you find a balancing cleanser, that can help as well, just make sure you avoid anything with sulfates (esp. SLS).
Your vitamin D test didn't seem to test your D3 levels. When I got mine, they gave me a combined result (D2+D3), as well as individual levels. Even though I now raised my D2 levels, my D3 levels are still low. Based on my research, D3 is usually the form of vitamin D that helps the skin...I have been on D2 for months and it helped with my depression but hasn't done much for my skin.
As for all the other supplements and drugs, my advice is not to take anything at the moment since your acne seems to have stopped. Go easy on the hyperpigmentation treatments - sometimes they can cause more acne. I just let my red marks fade on their own or do gentle peels to speed up cell turnover, but I'm not really targeting them too much.
Well, I broke out again today on my jawline and near my mouth. I do think it is related to stress... but how can I not be stressed? Life is full of it.
What kinds of peels do you use? My hyperpigmentation is beyond makeup (even though I don't wear makeup anymore because it irritates my skin). It is extremely red and literally all over my face. It doesn't want to go away!!!! But I will look on other forums for it (AFTER I know my acne is gone....like, if my skin goes a couple weeks without even a tiny breakout)
I've been using Aza Clear for almost 3 weeks now. It is SLOWLY fading some of my red hyperpigmentation. Also, I'm on a regime for the mild scaring and hyperpigmentation. I've been doing 30% glycolic peels with IPL. I've only had one IPL and then 2 weeks after that a glycolic peel. I will need atleast 2 more of each. It takes so much time to remove the damage from acne. It sucks. If I could get atleast 40% improvement, I would be happy.
You should look into both of those treatments. Both help with active acne as well.
And also, did they tell you your testosterone was in the normal range? Mine was 51 I believe. Which is mildly high.