On 2/24/2016 at 8:12 AM, CarpeMomentum said:

On 2/24/2016 at 11:26 PM, MH14 said:

Carpe, I'm really interested in trying the 25% mandelic acid peel to combat closed comedones and PIH. What exactly do the peels do for you personally? Do the comedones inflame first and then resolve naturally or do you have to manually extract them? Or does the acid help peel away the top layer of skin so the plug emerges and is easily plucked out? As for the PIH, I have a few recent spots from extracted plugs that I'm trying to lighten. Do you feel like you get results after just one peel or do you have to apply many? I've had a couple SA peels done by an esthetician and didn't feel like it helped all that much.

As for vbeam, it has been a wonderful treatment for red marks. Between vbeam, salicylic 9% spot treatment and spiro the right side of my face is so clear and smooth I barely use a touch of concealer on it. I made sure to go to a very highly regarded doctor for the treatments and while I was pretty scared at first, I completely trust him now. It's not comfortable, but it's pretty quick, I have never bruised, peeled or had any related purges. I started the treatments mainly for tiny permanent visible capillaries on the face (mild rosacea) and with that under control, I use the laser to blast away red marks from extracted comedones. I would love it if I could use the mandelic peel to fade the red marks, but I'm impatient!

Hope you're having a good week!

Isn't it crazy how a moisturizer made things worse?!? I should have realized with the change in weather, Winter here in Boston that I should pay attention to my regimen. The oil is light and only on my T zone now. Thank goodness we both figured out our skin. I've read so much about attacking skin from external and internal. Spiro does the job internally with diet, then we need to come with the gentle arsenal for these clogged pores. I loathe clogged pores lol They are so tiny and unnoticeable when they first arrive, then they turn into lil hellians. Today I am thankful for my salicylic acids and other peels. Life savers. Thanks SO much for sharing and would love any other tips you come across to keep on keeping clear pores. Vbeam, is there much downtime with that? Peeling, purging? I've only done at home peels, and have read tons of reviews on other laser treatments, but have felt too scared or uneducated to go through with anything.

Carpe, I'm really interested in trying the 25% mandelic acid peel to combat closed comedones and PIH. What exactly do the peels do for you personally? Do the comedones inflame first and then resolve naturally or do you have to manually extract them? Or does the acid help peel away the top layer of skin so the plug emerges and is easily plucked out? As for the PIH, I have a few recent spots from extracted plugs that I'm trying to lighten. Do you feel like you get results after just one peel or do you have to apply many? I've had a couple SA peels done by an esthetician and didn't feel like it helped all that much.

As for vbeam, it has been a wonderful treatment for red marks. Between vbeam, salicylic 9% spot treatment and spiro the right side of my face is so clear and smooth I barely use a touch of concealer on it. I made sure to go to a very highly regarded doctor for the treatments and while I was pretty scared at first, I completely trust him now. It's not comfortable, but it's pretty quick, I have never bruised, peeled or had any related purges. I started the treatments mainly for tiny permanent visible capillaries on the face (mild rosacea) and with that under control, I use the laser to blast away red marks from extracted comedones. I would love it if I could use the mandelic peel to fade the red marks, but I'm impatient!

Hope you're having a good week!

Ohhh that really sounds like a gentle treatment, I will totally look into that.  The peels have done a great job at quickly turning over any PIH.  I just need to find a trustworthy derm or doctor like you said you found.  Thank you for your experience on that.  

So Mandelic is one of the most gentle acids out there.  I do see a benefit from one time use, but I also believe that with my skin and how quickly I build up that layer that traps the plugs that weekly or even bi-monthly are helpful.  I usually only notice a light "peel" a few days after.  It helps to calm any breakout, move any current one along, helps remove oil and a bit of a layer.  They also make a good 25% mandelic/15% salicylic to target those buggers.  I also purchased an 8% BHA (Salicyclic mix) that you can use under the mandelic to one two punch.  They sell samples that are fairly priced and you can get 2-3 peels out of it.  Check out the reviews as well.

As for lightening up hyperpigmentation Mandelic can help, but Lactic is supposed to be the best for non active acne, more marks, scars.  Glycolic (which I just got and going to try in a few weeks) is to soften lines, lighten marks, help with clarity.  I have sensitive and gentle skin, so I have not ventured into crazy town like TCA peels or anything. Mandelic was a nice easy, gentle start.   

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Today makes about 7 weeks since upping my dose. My oil production has drastically decreased since Monday and seems to be holding at about 10% what it has been. My T zone gets a little oil/sheen to it throughout the day, but I'm 34 so at least it helps with keeping wrinkles at bay. Head up every day and since I've chosen faith over fear, working on my anxiety has been much easier. Grateful to feel the trend towards the positive. Still only on Spiro 125, Berberine 500mg 3 x day (Fridays I take off) and a heavy duty Probiotic in the morning. Thanks again to Spiro for being a true life saver. While it takes some serious strength to get through the balancing/leveling part, breakouts and purge, the results are always mind blowing and close to spectacular. While my skin is not yet perfect, I accept the current state. I do have a few clogged pores that I am treating with AHA/BHA and hope to clear these very soon. My tone is even, smooth and just the fact that oil isn't abundant... I am thankful for all of these things. Also, thanks to all of you ladies and your constant encouragement. If you are just starting spiro, in the throws of wondering if it will work for you, have patience, have care for yourself. Also, I strongly urge you to take a look at your skincare routine. If you notice that you have a lot of dead skin build up, exfoliation (gentle) is a must to keep the pores from being blocked, especially during the purge phase. You can use gentle at home chemical peels and a gentle routine to allow your skin a healthy cell turnover process and work to keep inflammation at bay. <3 Happy Friday!

Things are still coming along nicely. Continuing to use the BHA from MUAC 2-3 times a week and my tone is evened out. Inflammation has been gone and a few clogged pores that had been hanging around were easily extracted or exfoliated away. Prayers, gratitude, every day that 125mg is changing things for me, even better than before at 100mg. Keep on keeping on ladies on your Spiro journey.

Hi CarpeMomentum, I've been following some of your posts these last few weeks as I am in a similar boat as you, although I do not have PCOS.
When I turned 21 I got my first bout with adult acne. I tried everything to get it to go away which actually made it worse as I was stripping my skin. I slipped into a depression about it that accompanied OCD behaviors and dealt with that for over a year. At that time I was given Sprio and doxy yet my stress and panic was probably fighting against the medication as I continued to breakout. Over time, however, it all worked and I had near perfect skin for the last couple of years. The best feeling ever to not even think twice about your skin! I made the stupid decision when I got closer to 26 that I would wean myself off the spiro because I had been clear for so long and I assumed I might have outgrown acne. Bad decision! 2 months later I started breaking out. Nothing horrible, but enough to make me freak out. I immidately got back on the medication. My skin continued to break out and it triggered all my past fears, OCD, depression and I feel as I am right back where I started. Although I know my skin isn't as bad realistically, my mind makes me anticipate the worst. I too use MUAC products and I believe they help tremendously. It's just so discouraging to think I worked so hard at getting my skin back to "normal" and I made a dumb mistake to try and come off and have to almost start over.
I have been on spiro for 8 weeks and doxy again for 3 weeks, and I see some drying up. But no matter what improvement I see , I'm so angry at myself for stopping the medication.
What i have is mild I guess but in my eyes it isn't. It's mainly whiteheads and clogged pores. Like you though, every clogged pore I see scares me!
sorry for my long rant, I thought I would share my story as we are dealing with some of the same feelings.
How is your skin doing now?

On 3/21/2016 at 1:26 PM, lyssgirl said:

Hi CarpeMomentum, I've been following some of your posts these last few weeks as I am in a similar boat as you, although I do not have PCOS.
When I turned 21 I got my first bout with adult acne. I tried everything to get it to go away which actually made it worse as I was stripping my skin. I slipped into a depression about it that accompanied OCD behaviors and dealt with that for over a year. At that time I was given Sprio and doxy yet my stress and panic was probably fighting against the medication as I continued to breakout. Over time, however, it all worked and I had near perfect skin for the last couple of years. The best feeling ever to not even think twice about your skin! I made the stupid decision when I got closer to 26 that I would wean myself off the spiro because I had been clear for so long and I assumed I might have outgrown acne. Bad decision! 2 months later I started breaking out. Nothing horrible, but enough to make me freak out. I immidately got back on the medication. My skin continued to break out and it triggered all my past fears, OCD, depression and I feel as I am right back where I started. Although I know my skin isn't as bad realistically, my mind makes me anticipate the worst. I too use MUAC products and I believe they help tremendously. It's just so discouraging to think I worked so hard at getting my skin back to "normal" and I made a dumb mistake to try and come off and have to almost start over.
I have been on spiro for 8 weeks and doxy again for 3 weeks, and I see some drying up. But no matter what improvement I see , I'm so angry at myself for stopping the medication.
What i have is mild I guess but in my eyes it isn't. It's mainly whiteheads and clogged pores. Like you though, every clogged pore I see scares me!
sorry for my long rant, I thought I would share my story as we are dealing with some of the same feelings.
How is your skin doing now?

Hi there!! Sorry my response is seriously so late. If the text isn't quoted I don't get a notification. How have things been going with you back on Spiro again?? Things got much better late February for me, oil really slowed to a minimal amount, a tiny amount on my T zone. Most of my hyperpigementation had cleared up, I went to the Bahamas for a week and was bare faced no concealer and things were great. However last week I did get two swollen spots (chin/jaw) and I feel hideous and of course want to hide my face. One is flat and just needs time to fade, the other just is dying a slower death. I hate swollen ones, THE WORST. Like a friend moves in for the week. I had cramps and only minor spotting last week, so assume it was a wanna be period pimple, even though I don't get my period really anymore. Also, I think I may have tried to clear those pores a few days earlier, and so they came back for revenge. Isn't that the worst as well? As much as I wish for clear, completely clear skin. I wish more to not care so much when I do hae a minor breakout. How much is your Spiro dose now, are you also on doxy this time?

Another day in this journey on Spiro. Healing and working on loving myself and keeping a positive mind, even when I want to bury my head. It's hard when you go from completely clear, smooth skin to two angry bumps. And I know I was the cause of one, the other pore I messed with a week ago, was just a clog, not raised and a week later I woke the sleeping giant lol Add my "period" (really non existent in). I feel positive today, and all I can work on is this moment, today and keeping my head up and taking the pressure off to not be perfect. I don't know what I am so afraid of, other people seeing my imperfections? I don't judge or care about others imperfections, I actually welcome them as I feel it makes you a more humble and open person. Hope if you are reading this and having one of those days, you can find joy, a smile, laughter for even a moment. xo

Hang in there. I know just how you feel.

Hello my lovely Acne.org friends. I am back here, joining the fight once again. I am on Spiro for the past 5 years and have had great success. Winter months in New England have always been super harsh on my skin and this year was no exception. I started noticing eczema spots off and on the past few years, elbow crease, arm, eye lid, nothing too extreme that wouldn't go away with moisturizer.

This past September I experienced a bad reaction to the Acne.org Glycolic. I put it on way too soon after a hot sweaty workout, and bam red burning face all day that lasted another day or two. Note, at the time, I didn't realize this is what happened. Instead I panicked thinking it was an allergic reaction. I adjusted my routine, and started using a tula lotion on my redness. FUN FACT only after months of trying to sooth the dry did realize thecream ended up having retinol. How did someone who was so so so on top of her routine, not know there was retinol in her product??? There is nothing wrong with retinol, but I thought I was treating already red/dry skin with something soothing and that was not the case. It has taken me months to realize this and beating myself up.

I had stopped doing my weekly chemical peels as I didn't know how I could stop the redness, I started using all kinds of masks that had oils in them. So you can imagine what happened. I had some red patches from the retinol around my mouth, and now dry skin was starting to clog due to the oils. Me and oil are not friends haha

So what does this mean. Well, it has meant a few months of confusion, trying everything, feeling a bit of PTSD from the last time I was breaking out on Spiro, but now I know the darn cause.

I started the peels back- 2 1/2 weeks now, which is slooooowly clearing the clogs which remain on my chin. Such a fun reminder of what it's like to experiment with products not good for my skin. I have complete faith I will clear back up my complexion, balance out the dryness and have an even better glow and tone. And as a back up, I plan to see a dermatologist to talk about potentially starting Retin A or Retin A micro to clear any remaining clogs and get me on the no wrinkle train. My skin has 2 active spots (1 from a whitehead I attempted to clear, always a mistake) another one came up from the retinol. I have a constellation of clogged pores on my chin that I plan to continue my peel and heal process the next month or so.

I wanted to return here to give everyone a reminder that you are perfect exactly as you are today, that we have each other, that getting clear is ABSOLUTELY possible. If you were born clear, you can get back to it. It comes down to paying attention, to labels, to your skin, to what works for YOU.

I am clearly changing my moisturizer to a new Tula Gel moisturizer, probiotic that is oil free and will be switching to a more gentle cleanser COSRx Ph morning gel. I will give updates and send encouragement and all kinds of good vibes to your healing.

I just went through all the posts of your journey. It sounds so familiar to me and relate it to my awful struggle. I am on a 150mg dose of spiro (upped from 100mg) and am taking Beyaz birth control. I was in such a bad place emotionally and haven't left my house (literally) for a month. I finally feel like my acne is lessening and have some hope. Your words and writings have been inspirational. Your faith sounds like my own and it is wonderful! Prayers for us all.

20 hours ago, KarenM said:

I just went through all the posts of your journey. It sounds so familiar to me and relate it to my awful struggle. I am on a 150mg dose of spiro (upped from 100mg) and am taking Beyaz birth control. I was in such a bad place emotionally and haven't left my house (literally) for a month. I finally feel like my acne is lessening and have some hope. Your words and writings have been inspirational. Your faith sounds like my own and it is wonderful! Prayers for us all.

Thank you so much for sharing that. This forum and community really helped me through some of my most challenging times. In the end Acne has made me a better person, more caring, kind, compassionate and understanding of the pain that others can go through. It has led me to faith, finding inspiration, motivation and a higher purpose. It has not been an easy ride at all, but making the most of every day and learn more and more about the ability to overcome anything that gets put in your path. I hope you can see the light and continue to believe, I believe for you as well.

25 minutes ago, CarpeMomentum said:

Thank you so much for sharing that. This forum and community really helped me through some of my most challenging times. In the end Acne has made me a better person, more caring, kind, compassionate and understanding of the pain that others can go through. It has led me to faith, finding inspiration, motivation and a higher purpose. It has not been an easy ride at all, but making the most of every day and learn more and more about the ability to overcome anything that gets put in your path. I hope you can see the light and continue to believe, I believe for you as well.

Thank you. I need all the extra support I can get. I had a brain tumor removed 16 years ago and honestly, it was easier for me to handle than this. That is sad to say, but true. Sometimes I just need to reach out and talk to others with this and thank you for being there and listening.

11/12/19- Still on 125 mg Spiro daily user since 2013 and clear

Sharing an UPDATEe on my progress and journey with my skin.  This past year earlier in the spring of 2019 I experienced a flare up in my inflammatory acne.  I was able to uncover the cause, but it wasn't until I was deep in the purge that I found answers.  Last fall 2018 I had started using a Tula moisturizing face cream and didn't realize it had retinol in it, like really???? How could someone who is SO on top of skincare, not realize.  Well, anyways my skin started reacting with constant redness and dry skin so I would keep applying... insert  so it was causing dry skin and redness. Desperate to moisturize I started to use Squalane oil, which in turn clogged up all my pores (which I am SUPER susceptible to).  So I was a wreck to say the least. 

I immediately stopped and realized I needed to get my skin back into PH balance and start over, to be gentle but consistent with exfoliating and moisturizing.

How did I fix this?

1. Stopped using any products with oil and got my PH back into balance with
   1. CosRX Good Morning Wash PH balanced (morning and night)
   2. Paula's Choice 2% anti redness toner  (morning and night)
   3. Acne.org BP (night)
   4. Acne.org AHA (night)
   5. Tula Oil Free moisturizer (1 pump day & night)
2. Went to the dermatologist and got a prescription for Aczone - Use Daily in the morning
   1. 3-4 months and all inflammation ceased
3. Started using weekly Salcylic and Glycolic peels to clear up my clogged pores.  One by one, the pores would inflame and finally got clear

While hormones are the cause for some of my acne, I know my skin needs constant gentle exfoliation while also needing OIL free moisturization.  My skin is oily from PCOS, but that oil is very very sticky and can easily clog my pores, so sloughing dead skin cells is key, along with keeping the skin moisturized to reduce oil production.

Sometimes one solution isn't enough, it takes course correction and trial to find your balance.  And that balance point may change if you are naturally acne prone.   I am always excited to find the cause, discover the solution and share with you.  

XOXO

May you be well!

Hey there. I have really found solidarity in your posts after going through something similar 

spiro has been a life saver for me starting 2012 but I had to stop it due to pregnancy . 
 

I have been on spiro for two years again and 100 mg was working ok for me but skin started getting oilier so I upped my dose to 150 mg (been on 150 mg before with great success ) . I broke out in two cystic bumps on my right chin (two clogged pores that turned cystic after dose increase ) . It has been a little over a month since increasing the dose but the 2 cystic bumps I got 3 weeks ago are still lingering. As a matter of fact, one of them keeps flaring back up even after getting a cortisone shot in it. However the one that didn™t receive a cortisone shot has had a bit more linear progression. 
i am on onexton topical ( clindamycin + benzoyl peroxide ) only for chin area. Have extremely sensitive skin so can™t use anything else . 

I really wanted to ask you if the increase dose ever worked for you and did you ever go through a purge after increasing dose ? I am at a very dark place and getting even couple of swollen bumps send me spiraling into depression . 
 

in your opinion, does spiro helps to heal acne too or is it more preventive once it kicks in ?  
 

On 11/12/2019 at 10:03 AM, CarpeMomentum said:

11/12/19- Still on 125 mg Spiro daily user since 2013 and clear

 

Sharing an UPDATEe on my progress and journey with my skin.  This past year earlier in the spring of 2019 I experienced a flare up in my inflammatory acne.  I was able to uncover the cause, but it wasn't until I was deep in the purge that I found answers.  Last fall 2018 I had started using a Tula moisturizing face cream and didn't realize it had retinol in it, like really???? How could someone who is SO on top of skincare, not realize.  Well, anyways my skin started reacting with constant redness and dry skin so I would keep applying... insert  so it was causing dry skin and redness. Desperate to moisturize I started to use Squalane oil, which in turn clogged up all my pores (which I am SUPER susceptible to).  So I was a wreck to say the least. 

I immediately stopped and realized I needed to get my skin back into PH balance and start over, to be gentle but consistent with exfoliating and moisturizing.

How did I fix this?

1. Stopped using any products with oil and got my PH back into balance with
   1. CosRX Good Morning Wash PH balanced (morning and night)
   2. Paula's Choice 2% anti redness toner  (morning and night)
   3. Acne.org BP (night)
   4. Acne.org AHA (night)
   5. Tula Oil Free moisturizer (1 pump day & night)
2. Went to the dermatologist and got a prescription for Aczone - Use Daily in the morning
   1. 3-4 months and all inflammation ceased
3. Started using weekly Salcylic and Glycolic peels to clear up my clogged pores.  One by one, the pores would inflame and finally got clear

While hormones are the cause for some of my acne, I know my skin needs constant gentle exfoliation while also needing OIL free moisturization.  My skin is oily from PCOS, but that oil is very very sticky and can easily clog my pores, so sloughing dead skin cells is key, along with keeping the skin moisturized to reduce oil production.

Sometimes one solution isn't enough, it takes course correction and trial to find your balance.  And that balance point may change if you are naturally acne prone.   I am always excited to find the cause, discover the solution and share with you.  

 

XOXO

May you be well!