Nah I don't think so. I'm pretty sure they're still hormonal. I've been using the same scar treatment as lotion for months now. There are times where i wear makeup everyday for a while and still don't break out, when i drink tons of soda and eat chocolate and still don't break out, and then when there's nothing going on, except higher sex drive, and I'll get acne. I'm pretty convinced at this point it's all hormonal. Stress has never influenced my acne either. I've gone through some pretty bad times in my life when I wouldn't get out of bed and was suicidal, and I had crystal clear skin. And I've found that I did get pimples at some point in my life from indigestion, which were very very tiny, were mainly around my forehead, and disappeared as soon as the issue was fixed. I don't even care for those things. What I'm getting now still - deep papules - i believe is clearly hormonal. Except in the past, the pill would clear it up perfectly. Then again, i used to be on yasmin and diane 35 which are higher dosage and are stronger pills. I tried them a few months ago but got really bad side effects and was too scared to continue.

Yaz is supposed to be this miracle skin BCP, but I've had nothing but trouble since taking it. It also makes me incredibly depressed and emotional.

Spiranolactone alone has been far more useful.

I'm sorry to hear that lifelong confusion. It does sound hormonal. I think it's likely at this point that you might either need to switch birth controls to Yasmin or add a small dose of another anti-androgen to work with your birth control. I would research DIM and saw palmetto.

I'm sorry to hear that lifelong confusion. It does sound hormonal. I think it's likely at this point that you might either need to switch birth controls to Yasmin or add a small dose of another anti-androgen to work with your birth control. I would research DIM and saw palmetto.

I'm thinking of trying Spiro. However, what you said got me thinking. This month, it seems that it's all scattered regardless of times of the month. it's just ever 3-5 days. Also, it's in unusual zones. So I'm wondering if it's because I stopped using my mandelic acid cleanser and went back to soap cause I thought it was making my spider veins bad. I'm gonna go back on it and see if that makes a difference. Topicals have never done anything for me, but who knows at this point. I'm not sure if DIM or saw palmetto can be taken with birth control?

Yaz is supposed to be this miracle skin BCP, but I've had nothing but trouble since taking it. It also makes me incredibly depressed and emotional.

Spiranolactone alone has been far more useful.

I want to go on spiro but am scared of initial breakout (because i get shallow scars and long term pigmentation easily). Do you think it's possible to avoid it if i start with very low dosage and gradually build up? my doc prescribed 50mg.

Years ago I had just started spiro and birth control and my skin was clearing up nicely but I was using a mineral makeup to cover the scars, which continued to break me out until I switched foundation.

I have never taken saw palmetto and I have just started DIM, so I can't say for sure if it's OK to take either with birth control.

I wouldn't be so worried about the spiro initial breakout, for me, it only lasted 2-3 weeks.

Years ago I had just started spiro and birth control and my skin was clearing up nicely but I was using a mineral makeup to cover the scars, which continued to break me out until I switched foundation.

I have never taken saw palmetto and I have just started DIM, so I can't say for sure if it's OK to take either with birth control.

I wouldn't be so worried about the spiro initial breakout, for me, it only lasted 2-3 weeks.

i think i'm almost certain im starting spiro next month. i have given yaz more than enough chances. for it to get worse again after getting a little better is the final straw.

what makeup do you use right now? I'm wondering if i should switch and see.

the problem is that just a few breakouts in the certain spots are gonna wreck havoc on my face as the hyperpigmentation always lasts for months or even years. Were you successful in treating your scrars/marks? What have you tried?

Hi,

I use NARS concealer and Josie Maran foundation, both available at Sephora.

For acne scarring I had a few laser genesis treatments done in the past. They're expensive (about $100/treatment). I'm currently breaking out (spiro is no longer controlling my acne), so I'll have to find something else for scarring once the acne subsides.

Good luck with spiro!

Hi,

I use NARS concealer and Josie Maran foundation, both available at Sephora.

For acne scarring I had a few laser genesis treatments done in the past. They're expensive (about $100/treatment). I'm currently breaking out (spiro is no longer controlling my acne), so I'll have to find something else for scarring once the acne subsides.

Good luck with spiro!

Oh, I used to get laser genesis treatments as well! But now I feel too stingy to give over $100 (where I live) for something that seems to be happening to me over and over. Not to mention I wouldn't say the results were that superb.

Thanks! Did you consider upping the dosage? How much were you taking?

I agree about the laser genesis treatments being too pricey as well. However, I had the treatments done a few years ago in order to reduce my scarring quickly for my best friend's wedding.

If you have active acne, you might not want to experiment with lots of creams and oils for scarring, as they might aggravate things. But when you are ready to address hyperpigmentation, I've read that tamanu oil and egg face masks can help naturally treat scars. Other than that, collagen boosting products that contain Retinol and/or algae can help.

I did temporarily try upping my spiro dose, but now I have a lot of the symptoms of estrogen dominance, so I'm trying to treat that, rather than just using a potent anti-androgen.

I agree about the laser genesis treatments being too pricey as well. However, I had the treatments done a few years ago in order to reduce my scarring quickly for my best friend's wedding.

If you have active acne, you might not want to experiment with lots of creams and oils for scarring, as they might aggravate things. But when you are ready to address hyperpigmentation, I've read that tamanu oil and egg face masks can help naturally treat scars. Other than that, collagen boosting products that contain Retinol and/or algae can help.

I did temporarily try upping my spiro dose, but now I have a lot of the symptoms of estrogen dominance, so I'm trying to treat that, rather than just using a potent anti-androgen.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I broke out badly when I was 19 or so, and was using a vit C serum to clear the PIH. Turned out it really contributed to my breakouts. And not just small pimples, either. Really deep nodular ones. Yikes.

By the way, since I heard about estrogen dominance and tried to research it, I've felt pretty skeptical about it. It's not backed up by a lot of people, in fact, the whole idea seems to be fueled by just a couple people. It's not recognized by mainstream medicine and is not backed up by medical journals or scientific facts. So I don't know how much faith I put into the concept itself, though I'm not saying it's not real.

Well, I hope you're wrong then because I'm taking DIM for estrogen dominance and acne.

 

I agree about the laser genesis treatments being too pricey as well. However, I had the treatments done a few years ago in order to reduce my scarring quickly for my best friend's wedding.

If you have active acne, you might not want to experiment with lots of creams and oils for scarring, as they might aggravate things. But when you are ready to address hyperpigmentation, I've read that tamanu oil and egg face masks can help naturally treat scars. Other than that, collagen boosting products that contain Retinol and/or algae can help.

I did temporarily try upping my spiro dose, but now I have a lot of the symptoms of estrogen dominance, so I'm trying to treat that, rather than just using a potent anti-androgen.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I broke out badly when I was 19 or so, and was using a vit C serum to clear the PIH. Turned out it really contributed to my breakouts. And not just small pimples, either. Really deep nodular ones. Yikes.

By the way, since I heard about estrogen dominance and tried to research it, I've felt pretty skeptical about it. It's not backed up by a lot of people, in fact, the whole idea seems to be fueled by just a couple people. It's not recognized by mainstream medicine and is not backed up by medical journals or scientific facts. So I don't know how much faith I put into the concept itself, though I'm not saying it's not real.

Well, I hope you're wrong then because I'm taking DIM for estrogen dominance and acne.

I agree about the laser genesis treatments being too pricey as well. However, I had the treatments done a few years ago in order to reduce my scarring quickly for my best friend's wedding.

If you have active acne, you might not want to experiment with lots of creams and oils for scarring, as they might aggravate things. But when you are ready to address hyperpigmentation, I've read that tamanu oil and egg face masks can help naturally treat scars. Other than that, collagen boosting products that contain Retinol and/or algae can help.

I did temporarily try upping my spiro dose, but now I have a lot of the symptoms of estrogen dominance, so I'm trying to treat that, rather than just using a potent anti-androgen.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I broke out badly when I was 19 or so, and was using a vit C serum to clear the PIH. Turned out it really contributed to my breakouts. And not just small pimples, either. Really deep nodular ones. Yikes.

By the way, since I heard about estrogen dominance and tried to research it, I've felt pretty skeptical about it. It's not backed up by a lot of people, in fact, the whole idea seems to be fueled by just a couple people. It's not recognized by mainstream medicine and is not backed up by medical journals or scientific facts. So I don't know how much faith I put into the concept itself, though I'm not saying it's not real.

I don't think one necessarily contradicts the other. There are a lot of great reviews about DIM skin wise and I myself really hope it will work for me if and when I decide to try it which is very likely. Even if estrogen dominance isn't a real thing that doesn't mean DIM can't be our solution 🙂

Have you seen many posts about an initial breakout and if so, how long did the poster say it lasted?

"Estrogen Dominance" is simply a term to describe symptoms associated with high estrogen, low progesterone, or both. I don't understand your post saying that you're skeptical, lifelong confusion... you don't believe that you can have high estrogen or low progesterone? It may be a newer term, but the imbalances certainly do exist.

"Estrogen Dominance" is simply a term to describe symptoms associated with high estrogen, low progesterone, or both. I don't understand your post saying that you're skeptical, lifelong confusion... you don't believe that you can have high estrogen or low progesterone? It may be a newer term, but the imbalances certainly do exist.

I guess what I meant is that I'm skeptical about the statement that says elevated estrogen or estrogen/progesterone imbalance can cause acne as there's no scientific evidence to back that up. Of course, that could be due to lack of research and studies, but until there's enough evidence to confirm the theory I'm not going to deny or support it. From what I understand, DIM flushes out bad estrogens, which is a slightly different thing.

Have you seen many posts about an initial breakout and if so, how long did the poster say it lasted?

Did you mean initial breakout from spiro or dim?

Anecdotally, some people have totally cleared up on "natural" progesterone cream.

You're right, it's not all very well understood at least in its direct connection acne.

It is important to understand that progesterone is a somewhat complex hormone. It can convert to testosterone. it can convert to estrogen. It can also regulate the ratio because of its ability to morph. For some women, it seems that getting enough of the right hormone and letting progesterone do its thing is a better approach. If you are not low in progesterone already, though, progesterone can wreak havoc with your skin, so tread carefully

You may also have a insulin resistance / pre-diabetes...in other words a blood sugar regulation problem...it's much more common than it used to be, even in younger folk. If your insulin/glucose is out of whack this can be just as harmful to your skin as if your testosterone/progesterone/estrogen is out of whack. Some doctors (not all) consider persistent adult acne as one of the signs of developing diabetes. And notice that I said pre-diabetes. If you go get a test you probably won't test in the diabetic range. But if you're on the high end of "normal" it's something to consider.

Also most diabetics just have a slower healing rate, so whatever is causing your acne, if you're diabetic on top of it, the acne will look much worse.

I know my acne is hormonal. It started at 10 and it was horrible until I went on Diane when I was like 15. Diane completely turned my life around. I went from pizza face to crystal clear amazing skin. And the pill has helped me all throughout the years I took it on and off - from 15 to 22. I'd never even had an initial breakout before. It all happened after I restarted only 2 weeks after stopping. Before that, the pill was my miracle cure. That is why I still have faith in it. And there was improvement, only now it took a step back again.

Since you know what works for you, you could either persevere with the same treatment, or find something that works similarly.

Stopping and restarting the pill so soon must have caused havoc...your body is probably trying to figure out what happened, and things got thrown out of balance.

Do you think that my progesterone could be too high and that's why met is less effective than it was even a couple months ago? Do you know how DIM addresses progesterone, if at all?

Anecdotally, some people have totally cleared up on "natural" progesterone cream.

You're right, it's not all very well understood at least in its direct connection acne.

It is important to understand that progesterone is a somewhat complex hormone. It can convert to testosterone. it can convert to estrogen. It can also regulate the ratio because of its ability to morph. For some women, it seems that getting enough of the right hormone and letting progesterone do its thing is a better approach. If you are not low in progesterone already, though, progesterone can wreak havoc with your skin, so tread carefully

You may also have a insulin resistance / pre-diabetes...in other words a blood sugar regulation problem...it's much more common than it used to be, even in younger folk. If your insulin/glucose is out of whack this can be just as harmful to your skin as if your testosterone/progesterone/estrogen is out of whack. Some doctors (not all) consider persistent adult acne as one of the signs of developing diabetes. And notice that I said pre-diabetes. If you go get a test you probably won't test in the diabetic range. But if you're on the high end of "normal" it's something to consider.

Also most diabetics just have a slower healing rate, so whatever is causing your acne, if you're diabetic on top of it, the acne will look much worse.

Anecdotally, some people have totally cleared up on "natural" progesterone cream.

You're right, it's not all very well understood at least in its direct connection acne.

It is important to understand that progesterone is a somewhat complex hormone. It can convert to testosterone. it can convert to estrogen. It can also regulate the ratio because of its ability to morph. For some women, it seems that getting enough of the right hormone and letting progesterone do its thing is a better approach. If you are not low in progesterone already, though, progesterone can wreak havoc with your skin, so tread carefully

You may also have a insulin resistance / pre-diabetes...in other words a blood sugar regulation problem...it's much more common than it used to be, even in younger folk. If your insulin/glucose is out of whack this can be just as harmful to your skin as if your testosterone/progesterone/estrogen is out of whack. Some doctors (not all) consider persistent adult acne as one of the signs of developing diabetes. And notice that I said pre-diabetes. If you go get a test you probably won't test in the diabetic range. But if you're on the high end of "normal" it's something to consider.

Also most diabetics just have a slower healing rate, so whatever is causing your acne, if you're diabetic on top of it, the acne will look much worse.

What tests would I get for insulin resistance/pre-diabetes? I looked up symptoms and I don't fit into any of them except MAYBE PCOS but I've never been diagnosed with that either, I just might have it. I'm naturally fit (high metabolism) and have normal to low blood pressure, so if anything, acne would be the only thing I'd go by in that case.

I know my acne is hormonal. It started at 10 and it was horrible until I went on Diane when I was like 15. Diane completely turned my life around. I went from pizza face to crystal clear amazing skin. And the pill has helped me all throughout the years I took it on and off - from 15 to 22. I'd never even had an initial breakout before. It all happened after I restarted only 2 weeks after stopping. Before that, the pill was my miracle cure. That is why I still have faith in it. And there was improvement, only now it took a step back again.

Since you know what works for you, you could either persevere with the same treatment, or find something that works similarly.

Stopping and restarting the pill so soon must have caused havoc...your body is probably trying to figure out what happened, and things got thrown out of balance.

I think so. But it's very odd how the past two months have been getting worse again... At this point I don't even know if taking the pill is doing good or bad. I don't know if my acne would be worse or better eventually if I chose to stay off the pill these past 7 months.

Today I got a full blown cyst on my shoulder/forearm. It's about the size of a quarter and it's so extremely deep there's barely any redness or visible bump unless I feel it with my fingers (have to apply a lot of pressure too). I have never gotten anything like this before. I'm seriously starting to wonder if I've been wasting my time with bc. This is also pretty scary. Am I on the road to cystic acne?