I have had acne since last miscarriage in Jan 2014. It was very mild and I've never had acne before that even in teens. I then got pregnant again the beginning of last year. During the first trimester my face actually cleared up miraculously but acne then came back. Toward the last two months it got much much worse. I didn't do anything except using clindamycin 1% but it didn't work at all. I didn't actively searching for remedy as I was confident it'll go away after giving birth. Well let's say it's not and now I am breastfeeding and the acne seems to be expanding to other area but still mostly on my right cheek. I was not into skin care stuff and was mostly ignoring the problem however I am afraid the acne seems to be destroying my face. Because of breastfeeding I can't use a lot of stuff and I have been to dermatologist once but didn't like it. I feel like they're only trying to treat the result rather than finding the the cause. I am Asian and in my 30s. I have uploaded a picture to show the severeness. Any suggestions? My husband said I should do blood work to see hormone imbalance but can I really go through any treatment while breastfeeding? I'm now trying to limit dairy in my diet and see if it helps.
Hi @Ww9qd, I'm sorry to see you have to go through this in such a happy time in your life! I also have been to a dermatologist and felt that they try to give everyone the same treatment without really listening and getting to the root of the issue just some prescription and adios! After researching for what seemed like forever I figured out myself I have cystic acne. My cystic acne started when I got off birth control. Probably due to my hormones trying to level out. Once I put two and two together I went to the doctor for a blood drawing of my hormone levels and they said everything was normal. So another dead end. My cysts were in my chin. They say acne on your chin has also to do with hormones so that made sense to me. They say chin acne has to do with allergies or pollution.. Idk how to fix air pollution so idk how reactive skin is really to air pollution but who knows its crazy how the body works and reacts! I'd look more into your allergies or maybe how often or what detergent your using on your pillow cases! Anyways why I'm posting to your forum is because what worked on helping my cystic acne was adding witch hazel and icing my cysts to my routine. Witch hazel if you've never herd of it is suppose to help inflammation and reducing pore sizes. I bought my bottle at target for 3.00 in the first aid section near the peroxide. What's great for you if you try it is that it's natural so it won't harm your bundle of joy and it's so inexpensive! So far it's been months since I've had a new cyst appear. My old cysts have reduced so much that they don't hurt or they aren't red I can cover them with make up and pretty much forget they're there! I'm pretty happy I haven't had new ones and the old ones are healing it's a nice feeling knowing I'm on track to a complete fix. Since cysts are so deep in the dermis it takes time for them to come to the surface so with time I know they will appear to the surface and then they will heal faster and be gone for good! I hope if you decide to try the witch hazel you have as much success with it as I did!
Summary**
nightly routine
acne cleanser with Clairisonic Mia 2
daily rice exfoliant from dermalogica
witch hazel
mosturizer
lay in bed and ice my old cysts
when getting face wash stay away from anything to harsh like stridex pads or other brands of pads because they are so harsh to the skin because they strip your natural oils that you need so your body starts to over produce oil to compensate for the stripping therefor clogging your pores like crazy.
thanks and best of luck!
hailey
