Hi,
My reason for having a faceful of acne (as discussed in a previous post) is because my doctor put me on a progesterone-only pill. Prior to that I was on a combined pill, which kept the acne at bay but had been making me ill every month. He put me on a different pill when I last saw him but it's making me sick too, not as much as before but I suspect that this might be a thing that will build up in me every month, and I don't want to end up taking time off work if I can help it. It was probably too early to see what effect this pill had on my skin but I was still getting new spots, so maybe not much.
So, I didn't start taking the pill again this month. I'm going to go back and see a different doc (if possible) and ask what my other options are.
I've been out of the acne treatment loop for years. What prescription treatments can you recommend that is not hormonal?
Thanks 
Depending on how bad your acne is:
Mild to moderate: benzoyl peroxide, AHAs - glycolic acid, lactic, citric, etc., BHA -salicylic acid, topical retinoids, topical antibiotics
Moderate bordering on severe to severe: oral antibiotics, oral retinoids and all of the above, often a combination of oral and topical treatment
These are just mainstream treatments, you also have all kinds of holistic options [none of which I believe in], also improving your diet overall often improves your acne.
I am on a progesterone only contraception, also I used to take Cerazette or the 'mini-pill' to regulate my periods on the Implant, which I still have. Funnily enough the Implant has no effect on my acne, but when I started taking Cerazette, my skin took a turn for the worse, so I had to stop taking it, which means I still have to put up with irregular periods.
Can you not take the estrogen only pill? That has the least negative side effects. Some reasons why your doctor might not agree to it:
- if you are overweight
- if you have high blood pressure or heart disease or a close relatives with these conditions
- if you ever had DVT [deep vein thrombosis]
- if you suffer from chronic migraines
If you have none of the above I don't see why you couldn't take it.
It's not severe but it's pretty moderate I'd say. Sore in places and ripe spots appearing every day or so.
It was cerazette I was on too, that was what gave me the acne, stupid damn thing! My dr has never suggested an oestrogen only pill. The only thing on your list that is a potential concern is migraines - I do get a lot of headaches. I can't even remember what I was on in the past, it must have been 10 years ago that I was getting acne treatment. The big one was ruaccutane, I've been on that twice and it worked. Don't think he'd put me on it again though unless other treatments failed.
It's not severe but it's pretty moderate I'd say. Sore in places and ripe spots appearing every day or so.
It was cerazette I was on too, that was what gave me the acne, stupid damn thing! My dr has never suggested an oestrogen only pill. The only thing on your list that is a potential concern is migraines - I do get a lot of headaches. I can't even remember what I was on in the past, it must have been 10 years ago that I was getting acne treatment. The big one was ruaccutane, I've been on that twice and it worked. Don't think he'd put me on it again though unless other treatments failed.
Hmm, after looking into this, it turns out there is no such thing as an estrogen only pill, only ones that contain both estrogen and progestin, but I think some contain more estrogen than others, I was led to believe you can get pills with only estrogen but it turns out you can't. Basically there are certain contraceptive pills that were designed specifically to help with acne, like Yasmin. It would be the best to ask your GP for one that has been known to reduce acne.
Hhmm...i experimented with non hormonal acne treatments and that was the biggest mistake i made.
I am on brenda/estelle/dianne- 35
Only thing that works for my acne. (cystic, quite severe).
U wouldnt recommend just relying on topical treatments when you know its hormonal acne. trust me