Hey. So... I™m still breaking out. Mostly the bottom half of my face. My jaw, under my cheekbones... it™s depressing because I already have scars there from my former cystic acne ten years ago. It™s cystic too. It hurts. I™m using benzoyl peroxide lotion but I think I will need to ask my doctor for something oral, as topical just isn™t stopping the cysts. I have done a lot of reading about spironolactone being an androgen blocker. I truly believe I have high levels of androgens and am waiting for the results of my blood test.
Has anyone been on this before? Did it help the cystic acne? I™m sure there will be side effects, but I™m willing to have them for clear skin. Having cystic acne again is making my mental health really bad. Severe depression and anxiety from it. I just want to hide inside my room all day but of course I can™t. 
I have been on accutane ten years ago for cystic acne, and although it cleared me up, it returned after a year. Plus it made my already terrible depression and suicidal thoughts a lot worse, so that™s not an option for me. The only birth control that has ever agreed with me was yaz, but my insurance won™t let me have it anymore. I have been dairy free for years. I recently went gluten free. My face is no better and just worse. I feel at my wits end dealing with this again. Please tell me there™s some hope for possibly using spiro?
Mmm spiro is basically the smae thing as a birth control pill no? If so chances are it will help since anything on jaw chin is hormone related. But, like what you said youll probably have to be dependent on it and be on it for it to work. Cheer up. Research what products youre using ans if they have comedogenic ingridients. Maybe try orobiotics as leaky gut and a bad bowel movements can affect acne. Eat natural vitamins not the generic cheap brands that use synthetic ingridients. When you shower dont let the shampoo run down your face. Cleanser>treatment>moisturize.
Hey, sorry I'm late. I was wondering whether you went for Spiro in the end? I suffer with hormonal acne along my jawline and it's working its way up my cheeks. It's painful, and my face looks swollen from the cysts. I too want to lock myself away but I can't. The breakouts always build towards my period. They then take ages to disappear and by the time they go, the next batch is ready for my next period. It really sucks and I feel your pain. Just remember that acne doesn't stop you from being a great, kind, funny person. People won't look at you and think acne. They will simply think, oh it's (insert name here). Just like people don't notice us for our freckles, hair colour, moles etc. I know it sucks. I really do. And I struggle to take my own advice but if you let it win then its gets harder and harder to find strength. Enjoy the good times with people who make you happy and make the most of an experience that comes to you. The good thing about acne is it doesn't stop us from using our body. We do that ourselves!
I would really like to know how you're getting on with Spiro. I'm looking into it myself 
On 11/26/2018 at 7:49 AM, Perry15 said:Hey, sorry I'm late. I was wondering whether you went for Spiro in the end? I suffer with hormonal acne along my jawline and it's working its way up my cheeks. It's painful, and my face looks swollen from the cysts. I too want to lock myself away but I can't. The breakouts always build towards my period. They then take ages to disappear and by the time they go, the next batch is ready for my next period. It really sucks and I feel your pain. Just remember that acne doesn't stop you from being a great, kind, funny person. People won't look at you and think acne. They will simply think, oh it's (insert name here). Just like people don't notice us for our freckles, hair colour, moles etc. I know it sucks. I really do. And I struggle to take my own advice but if you let it win then its gets harder and harder to find strength. Enjoy the good times with people who make you happy and make the most of an experience that comes to you. The good thing about acne is it doesn't stop us from using our body. We do that ourselves!
I would really like to know how you're getting on with Spiro. I'm looking into it myself
My aunt used it, and she had really good results. Are you on the birth control pill? I found that helped a bit too.
Yes spironolactone helps many people with acne, particularly androgen-caused acne. I'm 62 and still on it at a higher dose than before (I'm currently at 100 mg per day), since after menopause my estrogen levels dropped, making me more androgen dominant and making my cystic acne worse than it was during perimenopause. Please be aware that you don't have to have abnormally high levels of testosterone to have androgen caused acne. Rather, you may be someone (like I am) whose skin and hair cells are particularly sensitive to your body's normal levels of androgens. This is in fact quite common.
There is much hype around evening primrose oil, but there is no evidence from double-blind studies that it helps cystic acne. It is an anti-inflammatory, so in that regard it might somewhat lessen some eruptions, but it cannot of itself desensitize your skill cells and hair follicles to the effects the androgen has on them. Only internal hormonal treatments (or antibiotics) can do that, in my opinion. I've had cystic acne since the age of 7, and have tried every remedy under the sun. Spironolactone is the best thing that has ever happened to my skin.
