(does anyone know how to start a blog i'd really like to start doing one! pls let me know xo)
hi everyone,
just some quick background info. i am a 16 yo australian girl with normal/combination skin. before about july 2018, i had never really suffered from anything i would consider 'acne'. of course i had the occasional pimple but nothing that i worried much about. about 6 months ago, i started noticing occasional small cystic pimples under the surface of my skin, particularly on my jawline, neck and cheeks. over the course of a couple months this progressed into what i would consider moderate to severe acne. like most teenagers, i was pretty negligent about my skincare routine to begin with, but as my acne progressed i became more and more desperate. i went through several different anti-acne products such as clearasil, mario badescu, la roche posay and countless facial masks and diy treatments (including putting nappy rash cream on my face and undiluted tea tree oil - bad mistake it burnt like hell), all to no avail. i finally dragged myself to the gp because i was so humiliated and disgusted with my skin that i found it hard to leave the house without makeup on. i just couldnt believe that my skin had gone from being pretty much completely clear to having so many blemishes at once in such a short time. i was prescribed epiduo (for those who dont know its a topical retinoid cream) and yasmin contraceptive (also for my period). after reading and watching success stories for both of these i was feeling optimistic and started taking progress photos (which i'll attach in the gallery section if anyone would like a look ).
i started yasmin pill on 17th October 2018 (started my 3rd pack)
i started epiduo cream on 4th December 2018 (started my 5th week)
side effects of my treatments - i definitely noticed in my first weeks of using epiduo my skin was dry, scaly and it burnt like hell when i put it on however this subsided as my skin got used to it. i dont think i have had any side effects to yasmin.
after starting these acne treatments i have noticed my skin has gotten significantly worse and im not sure if that is normal or not, particularly along my jawline and cheekbone it is bad 
so far im not seeing much improvement which is disappointing but i know from reading others stories that it is just a matter of time, and like most acne treatments, it tends to get worse before it gets better. my skin has completely killed my self confidence and i know it sounds very narcissistic but i would do anything for it to go back to my skin i had 6 months ago
if anyone has any similar experiences, advice etc that they would like to share, id love to hear your stories 
amelia xoxo
here are my progress photos so far xxx
Hi!
I'm currently on yasmin for hormonal acne (however thinking of coming off it to treat it naturally). I found at first I had really good results and then about the 3rd month I had the worst breakout of my life, I had super sore acne all over my chin, jawline etc but now I've nearly been on it for 5 months and basically have no acne at all. The only problem is recently once start a new pack after the 7 day break within the second day of the new pack I've been breaking out in a few horrible under the skin sore spots (possibly nodules) and a some whiteheads but within a week or so it starts calming down again. I think I'll give it a few more months and if I keep breaking out after starting a new pack I'll stop taking it and treat it naturally, I'm just terrified of the post pill acne that most people get
Also it's worth adding that I was given epiduo too and I had the worst breakout on the 3rd month of the pill whilst using epiduo. I can't tell if my skin was purging on the pill and the epiduo made it worse or if the epiduo made me breakout...
On 1/22/2019 at 8:32 AM, ells213 said:Hi!
I'm currently on yasmin for hormonal acne (however thinking of coming off it to treat it naturally). I found at first I had really good results and then about the 3rd month I had the worst breakout of my life, I had super sore acne all over my chin, jawline etc but now I've nearly been on it for 5 months and basically have no acne at all. The only problem is recently once start a new pack after the 7 day break within the second day of the new pack I've been breaking out in a few horrible under the skin sore spots (possibly nodules) and a some whiteheads but within a week or so it starts calming down again. I think I'll give it a few more months and if I keep breaking out after starting a new pack I'll stop taking it and treat it naturally, I'm just terrified of the post pill acne that most people get
Also it's worth adding that I was given epiduo too and I had the worst breakout on the 3rd month of the pill whilst using epiduo. I can't tell if my skin was purging on the pill and the epiduo made it worse or if the epiduo made me breakout...
its so good to hear from someone in the same situation as i am! ive started my fourth pack of yasmin and im still not seeing much improvement overall im also getting acne more on the jawline and cheekbone and it is not pretty hahahaha. im thinking of waiting till the end of the 5th pack and then going to see a dermatologist to discuss accutane which is really a last resort but im getting desperate
On 2/9/2019 at 2:10 AM, amelia021202 said:its so good to hear from someone in the same situation as i am! ive started my fourth pack of yasmin and im still not seeing much improvement overall
Just wondering if your situation has improved? I hope it has, I completely understand how devastating acne is for your self esteem. Best of luck to you in your battle.
On 2/19/2019 at 11:08 AM, KarenM said:Just wondering if your situation has improved? I hope it has, I completely understand how devastating acne is for your self esteem. Best of luck to you in your battle.
there actually has been some improvement! my skin still isnt 100% as i am getting some bad cysts in my hairline, neck, forehead and chin but overall on my cheeks and jawline there are no active spots just hyperpigmentation 🙂
On 3/15/2019 at 2:28 AM, happyeverafter said:oh sorry Karen! That was directed at amelia
hi! so finally seeing some improvement which is so good and has made me feel a lot better. im keeping up my routine of yasmin pill, la roche posay effaclar face wash and then applying a small layer of epiduo on my active areas. all the angry inflamed nodules on my cheeks and jawline are gone and same on my forehead, experiencing a couple around my mouth and chin but sooo much better compared to what it was :))
On 3/15/2019 at 2:04 AM, happyeverafter said:Could you post some update pics? I'm on yasmin too and want to see how you're getting along. Have you noticed any extreme facial dryness?
as for the dryness yes i have but that may be due to the fact i try to limit moisturising as i find it makes my skin even greasier! getting a lot of dryness around my nose and also when i swim (twice a day) there is a lot of dry skin that sort of flakes off in the water