Hi everyone, I've been using this website for about 12 years now without posting. However, having finally managed to keep my skin clear for about 6 months now (which is incredible for me) I thought I would share what has worked for me in the hope it could help someone else.

As a little background, I started suffering from acne when I was 18 (I'm 30 now) and it was pretty bad. I was eventually prescribed Dianette, which cleared my skin amazingly, but has some pretty scary side effects. I then spent the next 11 years on and off Dianette and Yasmin, each time going back to the pill in desperation when my skin went crazy!

Anyway, last January I decided to come off Yasmin AGAIN and after 3 months my skin inevitably went awful as usual, but then towards the middle of the year it started to get better, which it never has before, and is still really clear (give or take the odd minor breakout, which I think most people have). My back acne has also cleared up, which has never happened except when I was on the pill, and I have had other signs that my hormones are sorting themselves out.

Basically, what I tried to do in a nutshell was replicate the hormone-balancing effects of the pill through my diet and the use of natural anti-androgens. This is what has worked for me, after 12 years of trying literally EVERYTHING):

• Switching to a low GI diet Ive always had a good diet, but this hasnt made much difference to my skin. However, in the last few months I tried switching to a low GI diet after reading about the link between acne and insulin resistance. I cut down (not out) the carbs I was consuming and made sure to eat some protein with every meal and snack, which lowers the GI value. I also take cinnamon capsules, which can help balance blood sugar levels.
• Drinking bottled water from glass bottles. I have no idea if this was a coincidence but I started this last year and my skin cleared up really quickly. This was basically just an experiment after I read in an online newspaper about men getting "man boobs" because of the hormones that are getting into water through women being on the pill. This made me think, maybe this could also be a cause of acne? So I decided to switch to bottled water, as this tends to not be recycled water but surface water, so I imagined would contain less hormones? The chemicals in plastic bottles can also mess with hormones, so I only drink from glass bottles.
• Natural, organic skin products. I use Green People Ultra-gentle cleanser & make-up remover for sensitive skin on my face and Lush Parsley Porridge on my body. I also make my own toner from green tea, apple cider vinegar and aloe vera juice, which has been amazing! I then use an acne cream and face cream containing manuka honey and use natural mineral makeup (Sante or Beauty Without Cruelty concealer pencils and Lily Lolo foundation). I also use a face mask (First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifyng Mask with Red Clay) and a face peel (Declero Phytopeel Face Peel Cream), twice a week.
• Taking natural anti-androgens. The ones I use are: Spearmint tea, nettle tea, rooibos tea, green tea (particularly Matcha), licorice tea, saw palmetto, lycopene and agnus castus.
• Taking supplements to improve digestion. I take aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar and Natures Plus GI Natural Digestive Wellness tablets.
• Natural antibiotics. I take Allicin capsules daily.
• Cleansing herbs. I take Viridian Clear Skin Complex and Dr Stuarts Skin Purify tea.
• Taking vitamin D this has seemed to really make a difference.
• Changing my pillow cases daily and washing them without fabric softener, which can irritate the skin and clog pores. I also use bamboo pillow cases which are meant to be good for acne-prone skin.

This is a lot of stuff I know, and its probably not all relevant for everyone, but as battling acne is such a case of trial and error I just wanted to share what has worked for me. Hope this helps!