Hmm I have no idea but it sounds like it could be a hormonal imbalance, have you checked with your doctor? Not all pills are the same and they contain different hormones, so you have to find the one that works best for you. However, I'm personally not a fan of using the pill for acne. I know it's easier said than done but it's only a temporary solution, as it masks the acne but doesn't heal it. I was on the pill for years until I got really bad side effects and started to properly read all the information that is available online and my doctor didn't tell me. I was on Yaz which is particularly bad. Anyway, once I left the BC I read all these stories of women who got really bad break outs after stopping it. I would suggest you research online and decide by yourself if it suits you.
In any case, it sounds like something is blocking your pores. I would try Nip+fab's glycolic fix serum, it's really good. You put it on at night, giving your skin time to absorb it before bed. You can use it every night but it's best to start slowly, 3 times a week probably enough. It's not expensive. You can also try getting a gentle face scrub.
Keep us posted!

my doctor suggested Diane 35 istead of OTC as women typically see better results (although from what I've read online I'm not sure about that).Ive also heard that Ortho Cyclen (not tri) is good for skin as it's monophasic rather than triphasic. This means that the hormones dose throughout the month is consistent rather than variable, like it is in OTC.

22 hours ago, Yourskindoesntdefineyou said:

my doctor suggested Diane 35 istead of OTC as women typically see better results (although from what I've read online I'm not sure about that).Ive also heard that Ortho Cyclen (not tri) is good for skin as it's monophasic rather than triphasic. This means that the hormones dose throughout the month is consistent rather than variable, like it is in OTC.

Diane 35 is supposed to work but apparently it has a higher rate of blood clots and side effects than other pills [same with Yaz and Yasmin]. Yes, you're correct about Ortho Cyclen being better than OTC for women who are prone to mood swings or breakouts with hormone fluctuations [like Ovulation].

2 minutes ago, cloudydreamer said:

Diane 35 is supposed to work but apparently it has a higher rate of blood clots and side effects than other pills [same with Yaz and Yasmin]. Yes, you're correct about Ortho Cyclen being better than OTC for women who are prone to mood swings or breakouts with hormone fluctuations [like Ovulation].

For some reason half of my post was cut off and only this last paragraph was posted. I also mentioned that I'm currently on Ortho tri cyclen and have been for about 2.5 years. Its done a really great job at managing my hormonal acne, but recently I've been breaking out again like I used to. Personally I wish I had known about Ortho Cyclen before going on OTC because I know how sensitive my body is to hormones. Now Im hesitant to switch over to it because I deeply hate that 3 month transition period where your face blows up.

Also OP, what birth control are you currently taking?

42 minutes ago, Yourskindoesntdefineyou said:

For some reason half of my post was cut off and only this last paragraph was posted. I also mentioned that I'm currently on Ortho tri cyclen and have been for about 2.5 years. Its done a really great job at managing my hormonal acne, but recently I've been breaking out again like I used to. Personally I wish I had known about Ortho Cyclen before going on OTC because I know how sensitive my body is to hormones. Now Im hesitant to switch over to it because I deeply hate that 3 month transition period where your face blows up.

Also OP, what birth control are you currently taking?

Hmm...yes, it sounds like you could probably benefit from going on OC if you feel you're sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. I'm also taking Sprintec / generic OC right now and hoping for the best; I chose it since Yaz seemed like a bad option since Spiro was a nightmare for me and I have bipolar 3 so I was worried about mood swings on tri-phasics. Spiro seriously jacked up my skin and caused cc's I've never had and worse jawline acne and I'm still recovering 2 weeks later...also it made my brows and lashes fall and I still lose one or two every day or every other day [though it was 5-6 a day before].

Is it possible you could try an antibiotic or low dose Accutane when transitioning to protect yourself?

14 minutes ago, cloudydreamer said:

Hmm...yes, it sounds like you could probably benefit from going on OC if you feel you're sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. I'm also taking Sprintec / generic OC right now and hoping for the best; I chose it since Yaz seemed like a bad option since Spiro was a nightmare for me and I have bipolar 3 so I was worried about mood swings on tri-phasics. Spiro seriously jacked up my skin and caused cc's I've never had and worse jawline acne and I'm still recovering 2 weeks later...also it made my brows and lashes fall and I still lose one or two every day or every other day [though it was 5-6 a day before].

Is it possible you could try an antibiotic or low dose Accutane when transitioning to protect yourself?

oh wow I was so close to asking my doctor for Spiro but I decided to try topical first instead. Thank God I didn't, I didn't research it nearly enough and I don't have any of the symptoms that would warrant someone taking it (such as oily skin and some annoying facial hair). Definitely not an option for me.

I'm on day 2 of clindoxyl gel hoping that'll help control my flare ups a bit. My acne isn't as severe as before, definitely just mild but I'm paranoid about what it could turn into. I think this gel would help a lot if I were to switch to OC because its already making my breakouts less inflamed and drying them up. Have you tried a topical antibiotic before?

10 hours ago, Yourskindoesntdefineyou said:

oh wow I was so close to asking my doctor for Spiro but I decided to try topical first instead. Thank God I didn't, I didn't research it nearly enough and I don't have any of the symptoms that would warrant someone taking it (such as oily skin and some annoying facial hair). Definitely not an option for me. 

I'm on day 2 of clindoxyl gel hoping that'll help control my flare ups a bit. My acne isn't as severe as before, definitely just mild but I'm paranoid about what it could turn into. I think this gel would help a lot if I were to switch to OC because its already making my breakouts less inflamed and drying them up. Have you tried a topical antibiotic before? 

Spiro works wonders for some, but people should definitely get a hormone panel run before trying it. Maybe in my case my T levels were not elevated enough for me to benefit. Apparently, it can also act as a mild androgen if the dosage is off or the drug just isn't right for their body chem, which could have also been the culprit for me [since it caused weird back/neck acne, which is androgenic, and I don't normally get that]. I do have mildly oily skin and slight excess hair, but that could be from being sensitive to normal levels of androgens, not high T levels. I also feel the oil issue is worse because I can't find the right product, my face gets super dry and I think I'm making more oil than I need to as a result. Do you know a good moisturizer without irritants that I could use, by any chance? 

I've never heard of Clindoxyl but I'll ask my derm about it next month.  I tried Clindamycin but it gave me hives, Tazorac did zip for me and Differin and Retin A Micro scarred my skin [not a fan of retinoids!]. I have tried Metrogel which is technically for rosacea but it's also anti-bacterial/good for acne and it worked well for me, so I'm hoping to get a script for it again

If clindamycin gave you hives, they also have another antibiotic and benzoyl cream with benzoyl and erythromycin that might work for you instead. Check with your doctor when you see them if you think it might help. I've only been using it for 3 days so I can't give a reliable review, but im really happy with it so far. Are you still taking Spiro right now?

As for a moisturizer, I've read that argan oil is amazing as a moisturizer. It's more of a "dry" oil it won't clog pores or make your skin greasy. I might try it out once I get through some of the products I already bought