I am a 22 years old, my jawline acne started when I was 19. It started after a very unhealthy summer of lots of drinking, late nights, stress, and unhealthy eating habits. I had just started the atkins diet and the birth control pill (sorry, can't remember which one) when it cropped up.... and almost overnight, cysts took over my lower face.

I did everything to try and control it. I stopped taking the birth control pill, I stopped drinking, started eating fruits and complex carbs again (in hopes that the low-carb diet messed with my hormones somehow), I got chemical peels, weekly facials, bought expensive skin products, was always being very careful with my skin... blah blah... nothing worked. My doctor prescribed more birth control, and some antibiotic face pads. Didn't help. The cysts were starting to scar and it was ruining my life, I didn't want anyone to see the cysts, so I stopped doing things I loved.

That's when I came across spironolactone on an internet forum. After doing my research, I had a really good feeling this would be the right solution for me. I went into a dermatologist, told her my plight, and asked for a spiro prescription. Thankfully, she gave it to me.

Within one month, my acne was 70% gone!

The painful jawline cysts had disappeared, but I was still really stressed about some things and had pretty bad forehead pimples still.

I started drinking tons of water, worked on my stress levels, and the forehead pimples disappeared too.

I have been on spiro for about 1 year, and 8 months now... and the acne is finally gone for good. I don't even need to wash my face anymore, and my skin looks like I have never had acne. At one point, I thought I'd never be able to be around other people without makeup, but now, I feel confident and free in bare skin.

I have also somehow lost like 15 lbs. I definitely am living a healthier lifestyle now, but I still feel like the spiro played a big role. It lowered my appetite, that is for sure. I notice when I eat too much for a few weeks, and I go up 5 pounds, the acne starts to appear again, but when I get back to the weight where I feel my best, the acne goes away. I have heard that women with hormonal problems could benefit from staying on the lower side of their healthy weight range, since for some reason this seems to help. It definitely helps me.

So, to summarize, this is what cured me: Spironolactone, drinking more water, getting to a low but still healthy weight, eating better (lots of vegetables, fruits, good fats, whole grains, etc.), doing my best to manage my stress better, oh yeah and NOT TOUCHING MY FACE (seriously, just don't do it! It makes so much of a difference!!).

I hope spiro works for you too, don't give up hope, you will find your cure. xo