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Good-Bye Pill...

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(@wfr1787)

Posted : 05/10/2014 2:06 pm

 

Hi All,

I was recently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, and I was instructed to stop taking birth control immediately. I stopped taking the pill once before (had no reason for it at one point), which caused me to break out terribly. I am a 28-year old female and feel too old to go through insane acne all over again!!

 

After going back on the pill, my body acne completely cleared, but I still suffered from occasional cystic breakouts (usually on my chin, side of nose, and forehead).

I have been off of the pill for a couple of weeks now, and my skin seems ok. It's not great, but it's not far off from my usual state of 1-2 active zits.

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to prevent a hormonal acne breakout, especially after ceasing birth control? I am particularly interested in learning more about supplements (ie: zinc, fish oil, etc.)

If anyone has any advice, please let me know.

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(@wishclean)

Posted : 05/15/2014 10:55 pm

Hi All,

I was recently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, and I was instructed to stop taking birth control immediately. I stopped taking the pill once before (had no reason for it at one point), which caused me to break out terribly. I am a 28-year old female and feel too old to go through insane acne all over again!!

After going back on the pill, my body acne completely cleared, but I still suffered from occasional cystic breakouts (usually on my chin, side of nose, and forehead).

I have been off of the pill for a couple of weeks now, and my skin seems ok. It's not great, but it's not far off from my usual state of 1-2 active zits.

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to prevent a hormonal acne breakout, especially after ceasing birth control? I am particularly interested in learning more about supplements (ie: zinc, fish oil, etc.)

If anyone has any advice, please let me know.

Good luck! Well, all the supplements you mentioned might help, but you also need to avoid processed foods and refined sugars. If your acne gets severe a few months off the pill, then it's time to look into herbs and supplements. For now, I would advice some vitamin C and a healthy diet for maintenance. 2 weeks off the pill isn't much...fluctuations don't start happening until after the first few months.

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(@audreypetal)

Posted : 05/21/2014 5:32 am

I have recently stopped taking the pill too and am taking Agnus Castus (Vitex), Milk Thistle and Burdock Root.

It might be worth looking into these for hormonal acne.

I am also considering quitting dairy completely as their are many links between the two.

Good luck!

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(@senoritastephie)

Posted : 05/21/2014 10:40 am

I'm with WishClean, change your diet a bit. There are so many processed foods and sugar that can cause your body to get out of whack in regards to hormones. It's kind of like trial and error, though. One book I love and helped at one point was The Acne Prescription by Dr. Perricone. I have to figure out what book it was, but Jillian Michaels did one book on balancing hormones because she had PCOS and bad acne for awhile. She talked to an endocrinologist and was taught how to eat in order to balance her hormones. Though I'm not one to talk right now, haha. I used to eat very much along those two books and stopped breaking out after going off the pill in 2009 (the pill was the only thing to keep my acne away for a good amount of time). Now I'm breaking out again after going back to my old lifestyle. Oh well, time to get back to a healthier lifestyle.

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(@wfr1787)

Posted : 05/25/2014 6:18 pm

Thanks so much or your replies. I'm not the healthiest eater, so I will definitely make sure that I improve my diet. I'm definitely going to check out that book.

I have been BCP free for a little over a month now, and am actually the most clear that I have been in a while. I fear that this may be the calm before the storm, as I read that it can take several months for the post-BCP acne to take effect. I have been using salicylic acid scrub, wash, and pads religiously 2X a day since I had stopped taking birth control. Additionally, I have been taking Zinc, fish oil, B6, vitamin C, and iron supplements. I am nowhere near as stressed as I had been in college, and I DEFINITELY break out when I am stressed, so perhaps things may not be so bad this time around.

I hope that I learn something that helps myself and others post BCP.

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(@moonchild11)

Posted : 06/03/2014 6:49 pm

I was on Diane-35 for cystic acne (the hormonal type apparently) on my chin a few years ago. It cleared me up very good. I was on it for 6 months I guess...or longer I am not sure. When I went off it I had absolutely NO hormonal breakout whatsoever. I broke out again 2 years later, but it was such a long hiatus I don't think it's related. Around the time when I went off the BCP, it was a good time in my life: it was summer, I had a lovely boyfriend and I was relatively stress free. That was probably why it did not happen. So to prevent a post-BCP break out, I would try and reduce stress levels as much as possible (physical and psychological), in addition to the general healthy lifestyle recommendations regarding sleep, diet, and exercise, because these are all the things that enable hormones to be balanced naturally anyway. I was also taking evening primrose oil at the time, but honestly, I think most of it had to do with stress levels. That stuff messes with hormones beyond belief.

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