Hey!

I am new to acne.org and this will be my first reply. I am in the same boat as you, I work in a male dominated field where feeling low about your face is unacceptable and a sign of weakness.

I was diagnosed with hormonal acne back in December because my face (especially right upper cheek) was covered in pimples! They put me on spiro 25mg twice a day. At first I saw an immediate clear up and then about 3 weeks in, my face had a meltdown. I had cystic acne that developed on that cheek and got so bad that my eye swelled because of the pressure.

As months passed I still get the occasional zit on spiro but it has gotten better! Spiro in my case took months to work and doesn't prevent me from getting a zit or two from time to time. I can say I haven't had cysts since February so that is a positive.

I can also relate to the red skin and easily scarring. Often I will get one tiny red bump that will never rise to a zit and then it will linger for a few weeks. Just got rid of one last week! Not sure if that's a side effect because of my frequent exposure to sun or if it's naturally my skin since I have red tones!

I know I rambled about my experience but I hope it can help you stay on the path of spiro. I love it and it sounds like we have a lot of the same issues!

-Meg

17 hours ago, UptownDollar said:

Hey!

I am new to acne.org and this will be my first reply. I am in the same boat as you, I work in a male dominated field where feeling low about your face is unacceptable and a sign of weakness.

I was diagnosed with hormonal acne back in December because my face (especially right upper cheek) was covered in pimples! They put me on spiro 25mg twice a day. At first I saw an immediate clear up and then about 3 weeks in, my face had a meltdown. I had cystic acne that developed on that cheek and got so bad that my eye swelled because of the pressure.

As months passed I still get the occasional zit on spiro but it has gotten better! Spiro in my case took months to work and doesn't prevent me from getting a zit or two from time to time. I can say I haven't had cysts since February so that is a positive.

I can also relate to the red skin and easily scarring. Often I will get one tiny red bump that will never rise to a zit and then it will linger for a few weeks. Just got rid of one last week! Not sure if that's a side effect because of my frequent exposure to sun or if it's naturally my skin since I have red tones!

I know I rambled about my experience but I hope it can help you stay on the path of spiro. I love it and it sounds like we have a lot of the same issues!

-Meg

Hey there~ 
I think we share the same first name
Thank you for posting, it's comforting to hear that you aren't alone in things, even though I am really sorry you're going through this. I hope Spiro works for me, if anything for the painful ones that crop up under my jaw. They are so infuriating! A question about Spiro though, did you ever notice a change in your oil production or pore size? My bare skin looks so mottled all the time because of all the oil and the huge pores! It's like looking at a stranger in the mirror most days.

Have you looked into any kind of treatment for your scarring or discoloration? I am heavily contemplating some kind of laser or peel because it's just such a sad site really. Any little bit of improvement would be welcome.

22 hours ago, VibrantViper said:

(Ugh, second time writing this out as I refreshed the page by accident. Sorry this is LONG!)

Female, 26
Medications I take

• YAZ - for about 3 years now
• Vit D3
• Spironolactone (100 mg 50am/50pm) I'm on day 5, with little change.

A quick summary of what has happened: The beginning of this year I started breaking out badly in cystic spots along the jawline. previously I had been perfectly clear on YAZ and topicals. (Trentinoin .025%). I just attributed the breakout to stress and went on about my life. Fast-forward a bit - my skin texture started to change drastically. I started to have increased oil production and random scarring, especially on the apples of my cheeks. My mood went from good to the depths of depression, literally.

A little extra info, I am in the military, currently stationed overseas. 1) Military doctors are insufferable and it is almost impossible to convince them there is something wrong with you. 2) Being overseas, I can't really pursue my own treatment.

The first thing to happen when I went to my doctor, was, basically, them calling me crazy because my skin did not "look that bad." Sparing you the long story, I was sent to a therapist, diagnosed with depression (DUH my face was deteriorating and you didn't believe me!) They tried to get me to take Zolof, but that lasted two days because it was unbearable. I FINALLY got to see a derm and he agreed to Accutane, but at the same time suggested Spiro (Which I was aware of.) I told him no, initially and began the 30 day wait for Accutane. The closer I got though, the more I contemplated Spiro. I have a plethora of weird things going on with my body and I was actually pretty terrified that Accutane might make them worse. I am going to list them here, because maybe while I wait to see an endo (whenever that is), some of you can help me be less anxious.

• Acne. (Not just on my jaw anymore, but small pustules pop up everywhere, they do not discriminate.)
• Scarring, even where there was nothing, no acne, no inflammation. (Icepicks, boxcar and PIH)
• EXTREMELY reactive skin that turns red over nothing and doesn't really handle any acne products well.
• Large pores and excessively oily skin whereas before it was normal all around with pretty smooth skin aside from the acne itself.
• Excessvellus hairon my entire face and on my neck, not terminal aside from the ones I've had on my chin for a while now. ( I am not anorexic nor do I have an eating disorder.) It seems to have grown in density and length.
• Dry, brittle hair that breaks easily and is graying faster than usual.
• Spider veins appearing on my thighs, hips, butt, chest and shoulders. Before I only had them I my left calf.
• New stretch marks on my inner thigh and lover back above my butt. They are not purple.
• Fatigue, anxiety, depression, basically I am an emotional mess constantly.

So , based on all of that there are a few things I'm trying to rule out, but it is hard with my circumstance.

• PCOS

I have had blood work for this, but my doctor always says it is normal. I show a few signs and have for a while.

• Thyroid

I have also had my thyroid tested, but again, the doctor has no worries over the results.

• Cushings

As I write this I am actually in the process of a 24hr Cortisol test, and will find out how that goes soon.

I have recently learned of Estrogen Dominance, but I'm really a little overwhelmed honestly. ANY and ALL advice or support is welcomed. Thank you so much for reading this.

Hi Vibrant Viper, I was on spiro for 10 months and found it amazing.. I will say it took about 7 or 8 months to see consistent results, so stay patient. Pore size decreased and so did oil production. I used spiroin conjuction with retin-a .25% and I would definitely recommendyou to start using that with the spiro.Unfortunately I had to stop using spiro as I experienced constant hair shedding on it (this is a very rare side effect!)

20 minutes ago, Maisie89 said:

Hi Vibrant Viper, I was on spiro for 10 months and found it amazing.. I will say it took about 7 or 8 months to see consistent results, so stay patient. Pore size decreased and so did oil production. I used spiro in conjuction with retin-a .25% and I would definitely recommend you to start using that with the spiro. Unfortunately I had to stop using spiro as I experienced constant hair shedding on it (this is a very rare side effect!)

Hey there!
I have really high hopes for this, even if I hate the idea of taking it and wondering if it will make things worse. I am at my whits end with my body really. I am still so young but it feels like I am falling apart at the seams. As for Retin-A...I'm so afraid to start using it on anything aside from my jawline anymore as my cheeks especially are so so sensitive. I get indented scars from just looking in the mirror, it seems!  I still feel like it might have been a culprit for the sensitivity, though I don't really think I overused it. I may need to work up the courage slowly or just keep with the infrequent use of Salicylic acid. It's hard to put things on my skin when I have this innate fear of a huge breakout again. It's really a vicious cycle.

Thank you though, hearing that Spiro made a significant difference for you gives me hope!

5 hours ago, VibrantViper said:

Hey there~ 
I think we share the same first name
Thank you for posting, it's comforting to hear that you aren't alone in things, even though I am really sorry you're going through this. I hope Spiro works for me, if anything for the painful ones that crop up under my jaw. They are so infuriating! A question about Spiro though, did you ever notice a change in your oil production or pore size? My bare skin looks so mottled all the time because of all the oil and the huge pores! It's like looking at a stranger in the mirror most days.

Have you looked into any kind of treatment for your scarring or discoloration? I am heavily contemplating some kind of laser or peel because it's just such a sad site really. Any little bit of improvement would be welcome.

I personally have not noticed any extra oil production or larger pores. My pores have always been slightly larger and noticeable if closer to a mirror.

In regards to hyperpigmentation, my cheek got hit pretty hard by it and I tried Trentonin .025%. I had no luck with that and instead it made my entire right side turn splotchy and red. So with that said, I've been too afraid to put anything more on my face. Additionally, I have freckles so thankfully most of my marks will blend in. Time has been the method I have decided to use.

I really hope best for you in your acne journey! 

I was on Spiro for close to 7 months and I agree with @Maisie89, it took that long to show results. However, I ended up getting a breakout a little over 5 months in during my dermatologist check up, and was upset about it, so my derm said that if I wanted to get any clearer than that, I'd have to take Accutane.
By the time I got my tests done and waited the 30 days, my skin cleared up, and has stayed clear the 5 months I've been on Accutane. But I too am having random indentations appear in my skin from no trauma! I don't know what to do. It sounds like it's something that the tretinoin family of medications can cause since I see other people post on here about getting that after using Retin-A or something.
I'm also fearful of permanent side effects, as during this last week of pills, my dry lips and joint pain have become even more unbearable than when I started.
So considering my skin was clear and I never had severe acne by any means, I do think my derm was wrong to put me on Accutane and I was not well informed of the chance of having permanent effects, etc.
So if you're able to wait the 7-8 months on Spiro to clear, I'd say go for it!

My only disclaimer is that if you go on any hormonal medication for acne, there's always the change of your acne returning if you stop taking the meds. Best of luck!