I'm reaching out for support, advice and encouragement as I am finding myself having an extremely difficult time coping with my hormonal acne treatment and lack of progress. I have been on Spironolactone for just under 3 months and still dealing with breakouts and lots of clogged pores that are ruining the lower half of my face. I was so hopeful for the first two months and believed it was going to be better. I put so much pressure on myself to be clear by 3 months since everyone talked about that being the MAGICAL time. Well it's not, at least not for me. I don't know if it will be weeks or a few more months, but I am finding daily life more challenging. I have had severe anxiety, insomnia and feelings of depression creep up more and more. I am avoiding friends, no problem with seeing family. Work is something I can pore myself into, but my focus is on my acne and this treatment majority of the day. I am seeing an endicronologist to adjust meds in the next few weeks and just started Celexa today as I just can't function like this. My acne is the worst it has ever been in my life (not cystic right now) but just made all of my pores break out.
I am crying out for help, I need positivity and would love to hear your stories, experiences, anything that can help me see the light and that there is hope. My problem with acne is hormonal based on blood tests, so I know this is the right course, but I can't see an end.
hey just wanted to say to hang in there. i really believe it takes up to 6 months to really kick in so just be patient even though its hard. best thing to do is to keep yourself really busy so you have less time to focus on it and also working out really helps to boost your mood so do that everyday if you can. even if you just go outside for a nice walk that will help your stress level a lot. just remember that it will get better in time even though right now it doesnt seem that way.
Hang in there. I've been on Spiro for years and years. It takes a long time to work. It works slowly to block androgen receptors and thus the skin gets less and less androgen and then less and less breakouts. But this takes time. All your plugged up pores from before have to clean out. This can also take a very long time especially if you were prone to deeper breakouts. You are on a very common regime that does work...for most people.
For me more was needed to get clear --- and to have a regime I could tolerate for basically forever since it has been determined my acne is here to stay (I'm 62). My derm added benzoil peroxide cleanser in the morning and a topical (cleomycin-t) once a day. It was the addition of these two that finally got me clear...but what also helped tremendously was avoiding all added processed fats from oils, margarines, etc. I eat whole foods naturally high in fat such as avocado but I avoid all processed fats. This really helped the process of keeping my pores clear and my skin soooo much less oily.
Your diet isn't boring! You will look much younger much longer and will be much healthier than your peers as you get older. I started eating healthy in my 30's when my acne was still acting up. It helped but I also had to finally resort to mainstream meds. But regardless, my healthy eating resulted in my having extremely young looking skin...hardly any wrinkles! And I'm far healthier than most my age (do marathons, very active, etc.). So it's a good thing to do anyway.
Don't give up. One huge mistake I made was giving up on meds when they weren't working and trying to go natural methods. HUGE mistake...I ended up with horrid cystic acne in midlife --- so embarrasing. I wasn't able to admit that this @#$% acne wasn't going to go away. And like you I just couldn't live with it. Some people can but I am an attractive woman and having inflammed acne in midlife just wasn't what I wanted. So in my mid-40's I went back on meds. Spiro alone at first, then added an antibiotic, and then finally in my 50's they got it right. I just needed a bit of everything...see regime below.
Another thing that really helped and that might help you too is monthly microdermabrasion. My derm swears by it for chronic adult acne. He says it cleans out the pores and gets that top layer of skin off so that the meds can work properly. He says that often adults with acne don't shed skin properly and yet have too sensitive skin for the common teen meds like salicylic acid or topical benzoil peroxide (that's why he recommends a BP cleanser...much milder). The kind he recommends is the one that is done with a diamond tip versus the crystals. I get these once a month...spendy but they are a godsend.
I hope this helps you. You can PM me if you want. I know what it's like to dispair!
I know some people see clarity with Spiro as early as 3 months, but most people definitely do not! As the above poster stated, it takes 6 months to a year for spironolactone to begin clearing your hormonal acne and It is a very slow process, unfortunately. In the mean time, you may consider going on a short course of antibiotics coupled with a topical to reduce inflammation and the possibility of scarring.
Hang in there!
CarpeMomentum, girl I feel you! Please don't give up. My skin's breaking out too and I feel disgusting. I've canceled plans with friends, I've avoided eye contact on the subway, but now I'm trying to stay positive and remember that I am not my acne. We're gunna get through this! Positive vibes!
I'm here for you!