Hey guys

I always used to come on here during high school when my acne was at its worse. I started suffering from acne at 13, became severely depressed about it at 15-16 (hospitalised and medicated). My acne during that time was cystic on my nose, my forehead was covered in whiteheads and inflammation on my upper lip with a bit more cystic on my chin. My skin has been very oily my whole life ( yay for genetics!) Countless times I went to my derm and she prescribed me duac, differin , minocyline and offered me a dose of roaccutane which I did not risk doing. I always had a blackhead problem and she would just recommend salicylic acid based products which in all honesty did jack shit. I remember trying pro active and it cleared my forehead but the rest of my face remained the same.

When I was 17, I was diagnosed with pcos. I was very stubborn and only started properly looking after myself along with daily doses of metmorfin for the last year. Since then I noticed my skin looking at its best, I had less oily skin, no active acne and only a few blackheads keep in mine i know my nose will always have the bumps it had from cystic acne. Anyway for the last month I noticed my skin getting extremely oily like a small puddle under my nose of oil when i wake up and Ive never had my pores look so enlarged of my nose and inner cheeks, genetically thanks to my wonderful parents haha I naturally have big pores but they have become so big. Up until then all i did was use cetaphil as a cleanser, spot treatment hormonal pimples with a bit of bp and use st ives scrub twice a week. I would never really moisturise because my skin was oily but i had dry patches that Id moisturise.

Naturally i thought that maybe I was having the worst pms skin reaction ever and on top of that all the pain and anxiety i felt about my face in high school came back so double the stress on my skin. I found myself becoming severely depressed its become so hard for me to go work and id eventually break down crying because make up over clogged pores looks even worse. Im going to add that i have an unbelievably supportive group of family and friends and lucky enough a boyfriend who kept telling me my skin was fine. I know I'm a bit obsessive over my skin, but i find it so difficult especially since i don't have a little cute nose and its riddled with bumps and clogged pores.

Ready to end my relationship and in all honesty I felt suicidal, I told my boyfriend that the last two weeks had been horrible for me. Besides my skin, I was extremely tired, I felt dizzy all the time and I could stop crying. I told him that I though I was relapsing into depression and that i felt it would be better if stopped seeing each other. Like any other guy he kept saying don't worry its your period and I had to explain to him that my pms is never this extreme. Anyway he encouraged me to do a pregnancy test because we are sexually active but having pcos I was never inclined to think I could pregnant easily and 90% of the time we practice safe sex.

So I found out that I am pregnant about 5-6 weeks. Im going to the docs tomorrow for my first checkup, the whole point of this post was to ensure other women and even men about managing acne as a whole. Yes topical treatments can cure and hinder acne for some and most people but sometimes people overlook the role of hormones and bodily deficiencies. My skin will never be 100% but Id be happy with even 70 or 80 %. When I found out about my pcos and I started metmorfin with regular exercise and healthy eating habits my overall wellbeing greatly improved and my skin was the least of my worries Id even fall asleep in my makeup and not worry about it ( which try to never do!) Now that my hormones are in overdrive, I can see it affecting my skin and body.

Currently Im using cetaphil, dans bp, neutrogena combination moisturiser (sparingly since my skin is only enough to cook on at the moment) Im going to trial dans aha tonight. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to get that pregnancy glow but you have to sacrifice one thing for a better thing so I'm learning.

I totally advise you if you haven't to consider the internal functions of your body and what you're putting in. Hormones have played a huge factor in my battle and without them in check, i could use every topical treatment and it will be absolutely temporary. Im not saying everyone has hormonal imbalances but its worth looking into. I know Im also vitamin d deficient so hopefully once I supplement ill see an improvement.

Ive seen a lot of ppl comment on other ppls pictures and say that their acne isn't as bad as theirs. No matter what severity your acne is, it is a battle that so many ppl face. I can admit that I might have long lasting psychological affects from obsessing over my acne and do your best not to end up like me and let it eat at you. We're all in this. My nose is constantly on my mind and i always wish my acne was elsewhere but its there.

So get your hormones checked out, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for blood tests to check deficiencies and try your best to put into your body what it deserves cause although people may argue that junk food does not contribute to acne, theres nothing else good it contributes too either. I assure you my acne was never this bad since trying to regulate my hormones. Id be so happy to hear your guys' stories and experiences sorry for such a lengthy post!

x