I've been away for a bit because I've been focusing on getting to root of this. Here's a follow up on this post:
Both my OBGYN and my GP basically only gave me the derm. option. Well, my GP's office has their own lab where they do allergy tests... not food allergies, but environmental allergies... so he sent me there since I told him a dermatologist is not a route I will go down. Well, unfortunately I couldn't take the test. One of my medications had an adverse effect on testing for histamines so basically it was probable that a lot of the results would be skewed.
Finally, I made an appointment with my psychiatrist and told him I want to come off of one of my meds (I'm on two plus a benzodiazepine as needed). It's the only one has a possible side effect of acne, and I have been on the other one before which has no reported acne side effects and I also have never experienced them.
Looking back, I'm almost positive my acne slowly started developing when I first got on this medication. I was SO relieved when he gave me the go to wean off of it. Now it's a waiting game. Slowly come off of it, then slowly wait to see if the acne subsides. So now I'm wearing no makeup and doing VERY minimal skincare (wash with honey and moisturize with jojoba or avocado oil) so as to not compromise any results I may or may not see.
I pretty much NEVER get my hopes up for anything, but I can't help but have my hopes up for this. I truly want to stay on the natural route, both externally and internally, because it makes me both physically and mentally feel better. I can't help but want to be able to treat my face and body kindly with clear skin rather than try to help "assist" it. It's been so long since I've known a life without acne.
Oh, and I did have my hormones tested. Everything was in the normal range. But I'm kind of "meh" about it.
Of couse you hormones came back normal. acne has little to do with hormones and more to do with genetics (how your skin sheds, how active your oil glands are and your inflammatory response). Also meds like lithium and other psych drugs cause acneiform eruptions, not true acne vulgaris.
red this article
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/acne-care-11/medications
Maybe that's what you had?
Benzos don't affect the skin though.
Of couse you hormones came back normal. acne has little to do with hormones and more to do with genetics (how your skin sheds, how active your oil glands are and your inflammatory response). Also meds like lithium and other psych drugs cause acneiform eruptions, not true acne vulgaris.
red this article
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/acne-care-11/medications
Maybe that's what you had?
Benzos don't affect the skin though.
Hormones in the blood do have to do with acne, but I think a lot of the hormone/hormone receptor activity is within the skin, or "local". Yes, some of that would be due to genetics, like pore size is.
Of couse you hormones came back normal. acne has little to do with hormones and more to do with genetics (how your skin sheds, how active your oil glands are and your inflammatory response). Also meds like lithium and other psych drugs cause acneiform eruptions, not true acne vulgaris.
red this article
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/acne-care-11/medications
Maybe that's what you had?
Benzos don't affect the skin though.
Hormones in the blood do have to do with acne, but I think a lot of the hormone/hormone receptor activity is within the skin, or "local". Yes, some of that would be due to genetics, like pore size is.
How sensitive your skin is to hormones (normal levels even) influences acne, but doesn't cause it. The unsightliness of acne comes from the faulty skin cell "clogging" mechanism and your inflammatory response to the infection. How much sebum you produce is also genetic, some people just have a tendency through genetic flaw most likely to produce ungodly amounts of sebum which gives bacteria the right environment to thrive.
Of couse you hormones came back normal. acne has little to do with hormones and more to do with genetics (how your skin sheds, how active your oil glands are and your inflammatory response). Also meds like lithium and other psych drugs cause acneiform eruptions, not true acne vulgaris.
red this article
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/acne-care-11/medications
Maybe that's what you had?
Benzos don't affect the skin though.
Hormones in the blood do have to do with acne, but I think a lot of the hormone/hormone receptor activity is within the skin, or "local". Yes, some of that would be due to genetics, like pore size is.
How sensitive your skin is to hormones (normal levels even) influences acne, but doesn't cause it. The unsightliness of acne comes from the faulty skin cell "clogging" mechanism and your inflammatory response to the infection. How much sebum you produce is also genetic, some people just have a tendency through genetic flaw most likely to produce ungodly amounts of sebum which gives bacteria the right environment to thrive.
Here's the thing- I chose to come off of this medication for a lot of reasons. I'm respectfully going to refrain from naming what it is because I really don't want anyone analyzing it specifically. It wasn't Lithium or Depakote or any of the other big ones that are well known to cause acne. It was one that had it as a rare side effect. Its primary use is not to treat bipolar disorder, but I was on it because one of its secondary uses is aiding in mood stabilization. I have no idea if it affects hormones, so I can't really say anything regarding that.
I have absolutely no history of acne in my family... like seriously, none at all. And yes, believe it or not, I have asked my parents, and every single aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandparent in my immediate family. Felt pretty embarrassed, but I had to.
I don't have oily or oily/combo skin by any means skin nor large pores. I have a pretty normal skin type, which gets a little drier in the winter. I've had flawless skin my entire life and I've been through trial and error of A LOT of meds without any acne problems... until I started taking this one... that's when it slowly creeped up.
I didn't make this decision lightly. It took me a long time to decide to bring it up to my psychiatrist. I also opted to not replace it with another med (at least for now, if I continue to do well) because I felt it just wasn't doing anything good for me mentally anymore, except probably make me even more irritable. So that's why I made the decision. Not to mention I'm starting to feel better without it.
Of couse you hormones came back normal. acne has little to do with hormones and more to do with genetics (how your skin sheds, how active your oil glands are and your inflammatory response). Also meds like lithium and other psych drugs cause acneiform eruptions, not true acne vulgaris.
red this article
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/acne-care-11/medications
Maybe that's what you had?
Benzos don't affect the skin though.
Hormones in the blood do have to do with acne, but I think a lot of the hormone/hormone receptor activity is within the skin, or "local". Yes, some of that would be due to genetics, like pore size is.
How sensitive your skin is to hormones (normal levels even) influences acne, but doesn't cause it. The unsightliness of acne comes from the faulty skin cell "clogging" mechanism and your inflammatory response to the infection. How much sebum you produce is also genetic, some people just have a tendency through genetic flaw most likely to produce ungodly amounts of sebum which gives bacteria the right environment to thrive.
Here's the thing- I chose to come off of this medication for a lot of reasons. I'm respectfully going to refrain from naming what it is because I really don't want anyone analyzing it specifically. It wasn't Lithium or Depakote or any of the other big ones that are well known to cause acne. It was one that had it as a rare side effect. Its primary use is not to treat bipolar disorder, but I was on it because one of its secondary uses is aiding in mood stabilization. I have no idea if it affects hormones, so I can't really say anything regarding that.
I have absolutely no history of acne in my family... like seriously, none at all. And yes, believe it or not, I have asked my parents, and every single aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandparent in my immediate family. Felt pretty embarrassed, but I had to.
I don't have oily or oily/combo skin by any means skin nor large pores. I have a pretty normal skin type, which gets a little drier in the winter. I've had flawless skin my entire life and I've been through trial and error of A LOT of meds without any acne problems... until I started taking this one... that's when it slowly creeped up.
I didn't make this decision lightly. It took me a long time to decide to bring it up to my psychiatrist. I also opted to not replace it with another med (at least for now, if I continue to do well) because I felt it just wasn't doing anything good for me mentally anymore, except probably make me even more irritable. So that's why I made the decision. Not to mention I'm starting to feel better without it.
Seroquel I am guessing then, right.
Nope, not Seroquel. I've been on that in the past, though. Didn't react well to it.
Is this going to end up being a guessing game? I already said I would respectively refrain from naming it.
did you read that article I linked though, it said a lot of these skin reactions to psych drugs are not even real acne.
Nope, not Seroquel. I've been on that in the past, though. Didn't react well to it.
Is this going to end up being a guessing game? I already said I would respectively refrain from naming it.
did you read that article I linked though, it said a lot of these skin reactions to psych drugs are not even real acne.
Yes, I did. And thank you for linking it. What does sound familiar is that it's usually very concentrated on my cheeks and are all generally similar in size. Just as the article said, I very rarely ever get any other types of acne- no cysts, no whiteheads, pretty much just inflammatory. I'm a little prone to black heads, but they're tiny and only noticable if my face is against the mirror. So it could be acne-like lesions and not TRUE acne. But if that's the case, I wouldn't honestly know unless it completely 100% goes away.
Nope, not Seroquel. I've been on that in the past, though. Didn't react well to it.
Is this going to end up being a guessing game? I already said I would respectively refrain from naming it.
did you read that article I linked though, it said a lot of these skin reactions to psych drugs are not even real acne.
Yes, I did. And thank you for linking it. What does sound familiar is that it's usually very concentrated on my cheeks and are all generally similar in size. Just as the article said, I very rarely ever get any other types of acne- no cysts, no whiteheads, pretty much just inflammatory. I'm a little prone to black heads, but they're tiny and only noticable if my face is against the mirror. So it could be acne-like lesions and not TRUE acne. But if that's the case, I wouldn't honestly know unless it completely 100% goes away.
Oh that's what it sounds like. You're clearly not acne prone so there is a good chance what you're dealing with is something in acneiform eruption family induced by the meds or something else.
Oh that's what it sounds like. You're clearly not acne prone so there is a good chance what you're dealing with is something in acneiform eruption family induced by the meds or something else.
I hope so. It's been over 4 years of hell with this. It's just a waiting game now til I can see if I'm right. 2 more weeks 'til I'm completely off of it. Then the obvious impatient wait for (hopeful) improvement.