Hey. This is my first post. Since I've been struggling with acne for 11 years, I figured I might as well join this community! I started taking Tri-Lo Marzia, a generic version of Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo. Has anyone taken this for their skin? I'm on the 2nd month, and I haven't noticed any difference. I've been told to wait at least 3 months before stopping or switching to another birth control pill, but I'm feeling a little discouraged.I wouldn't say I have severe acne, but it's definitely enough to where I don't feel comfortable being out in public without concealer and foundation. No matter what skin products I use, my face always looks kinda irritated. When I was younger, I mostly had clusters of small pimples all over my T-zone. Now, my forehead still has these little skin colored, (sometimes red)..just not as many as I used to. My breakouts are mostly on my outer cheek area, and before my periods I always get a couple cysts on my jawline. I mostly get pustules and cysts these days. I ALWAYS get PMS acne, but once I start my period, my skin does not break out. It feels cleaner and less congested.That being said, my breakouts were worse last year, when I used to eat more junk food. Since making changes to my diet, such as cutting back heavily on ice cream, and fried/processed food, I've noticed my breakouts are not as severe. Even though I'm on birth control, I'm still making an effort to eat better. I guess, my question is, have any of you guys tried this birth control? How do you feel about taking birth control for acne? Any suggestions for me?
Jo Ann
You probably have fungal acne, NOT ordinary acne.
Fungal acne is caused by taking antibiotics and some other meds, including birth control pills. Fungal acne can be caused by hormonal issues just as ordinary acne can be.
People often start off with ordinary acne, then as they take antibiotics and/or birth control pills and/or accutane, the ordinary acne turns into fungal acne.
You can control the fungal acne by doing the following -
1. Buy clotrimazole topical antifungal cream and apply it to the areas with "acne" 2-3 times a day. Topical antifungal creams are TOTALLY safe and some/most (depending on country) are available without a prescription.
2. Wash your hair in an antidandruff shampoo.
3. Do NOT apply any moisturisers or organic oils to the areas with acne.
If you get back to me with answers to the questions below, I can provide targeted information to control your "acne" ..
Have you taken antibiotics or other meds. If you have taken antibiotics, which ones ?
Do you have one or more of the following (as well as the acne) - white coating on your tongue, dandruff, flaking skin, toenail fungus, itchy and/or painful skin, red rash/es, unexplained tiredness, headaches, "brain fog", stomach or gut problems, sinus problems.
You may need a more targeted antifungal cream to control the "acne". I can provide information about this after I forward to hearing back from you.
Interesting. I'm in my twenties and took doxycycline 5 years ago for a few months (possibly 5?). Last year, I began taking minocycline, but only lasted 3 months. My skin started changing before I began the minocycline. I actually have had lots of sinus issues growing up.When I was in elementary school, my nasal allergies were pretty bad. I also developed asthma and had bronchitis in 4th grade. I took antibiotics for that, but I don't remember the name. I take Claritin from time to time, but my nasal allergies aren't as bad as they used to be. I am also very gassy. I'm not sure what counts as normal though. I struggle with concentration and fatigue as well. I just figured it was due to depression. Thanks for getting back to me.
Jo Ann
I strongly suggest from your symptoms that candida fungus is causing your acne and the other issues. Candida "overgrowth" is caused by taking antibiotics. The doxycycline and antibiotics in your youth would have caused the candida overgrowth, and the minocycline would have made the candida worse.
Candida causes sinus problems," brain fog", acne, and gut problems. You can control your candida acne with the topical antifungal creams. If you can get it without a prescription, apply topical nystatin cream (often sold as mycostatin) together with the clotrimazole cream to the areas with acne. Topical antifungal creams are totally safe.
Please don't take birth control pills to control your "acne" as they will make it worse, and worse.....
You can fix the "brain fog" and the gut problems with oral Nilstat which is very safe. Oral Nilstat is sold to treat mouth thrush (ie, candida) - you are suoposed to swallow oral Nilstat and it will fix your gut problems and hence will fix your "brain fog".
Candida in one's gut makes aldehydes (which are the same chemicals that cause hangovers) and the aldehydes cause fatigue, lack of concentration ("brain fog") and sometimes headaches.
Which country are you in ?
Jo Ann
I think your acne is fungal acne. Most adult acne is FUNGAL ACNE. So you HAVE fungal acne which is "adult acne. That is, your "adult acne" is CAUSED BY FUNGUS, in your case, candida fungus (because of your other symptoms). Cysts are VERY indicative of fungal acne.
Can you check whether there is a white or yellow coating on your tongue.
Doctors and dermatologists know nothing about fungal acne and they never realise that people have it. Hence, they keep prescribing antibiotics which make people's fungal acne worse and worse - the ordinary acne becomes fungal acne from the influence of the antibiotics (which destroy "good bacteria" which control fungus)
Interesting Jo Ann. The eczema was very likely caused by candida (which would probably have been caused by taking antibiotics).
I developed something similar on my arm - it went away with the application of antifungal creams - candida on the body can look like eczema - I am fairly certain that a lot of eczema (not all, of course) is caused by fungus - which goes undiagnosed as fungal....
Wow. Just curious, when did you heal your acne? You've done a ton of research. Over the past couple weeks, I've been thinking about dropping the birth control pills. This is very encouraging. I'm almost at the placebo week, so when that happens I'll stop taking them...I was very hesitant about taking them in the first place, but my gynecologist didn't really have anything else to say.
Jo Anne
My "acne" was misdiagnosed for a few years, just like the "acne" of many other people on this site. My "acne" ws caused by being on a very high (unnecessarily high, I suspect) dose of antibiotics on a drip in hospital when I had my appendix out. I also took antibiotics and used hormone patches after the "acne" started.. All these made the "acne" problem worse, of course.
I first realised that I had a fungal problem (fungal acne), not ordinary (bacterial) acne by reading about cystic "acne" symptoms in dogs - who get a similar problem, caused by malaszzia fungus (which humans can also get, although your acne is 99% likely caused by candida not by malasezzia - from your other symptoms)
Both candida and malasezzia can cause fungal acne, and both types of fungal acne are caused by taking antibiotics and some other meds, including birth control pills (which can sometimes temporarily control malasezzia fungus because malasezzia fungus feeds on sebum, but birth control pills do NOT control candida fungus and they make it worse and worse).
I have been on a long journey (which I am still on), but to cut the story short, applying antifungal creams 3-4 times a day has helped a lot. I also now apply cream/ointment with polymixin in it, which is an antibiotic, but is also antifungal.
Sometimes people with fungal acne have gram negative bacterial acne also (gram negative bacterial acne is caused by taking the cycline antibiotics and by using metronadizole which is an antibiotic, not an antifungal). Polymixin cream controls the gram negative bacteria as well as the fungus.
Because my "acne" was misdiagnosed and wrongly treated for so long, it went deeply cystic, and I am still working on undoing that damage. But I am finally getting there.
I also use lidocaine/lignocaine cream, which is antifungal.
If applying antifungal creams and washing your hair in an antidandruff shampoo do not control your acne, we can go to the next step (see below). I start out with providing simple information when I provide information on this site or elsewhere.
Many people find their chronic "acne" clears with application of antifungal creams (and their gut and concentration problems are fixed by taking oral Nilstat).
Some people's chronic "acne" does not clear with applying topical antifungal creams - at that point (or sometimes up front if I am fairly certain of the fungus or gram negative bacteria that is causing their acne), I suggest a more targeted antifungal cream (ie, nystatin cream for candida and terbenafine cream for malasezzia) and/or a cream or ointment with polymixin in it.
I think"acne" in many people is caused by BOTH fungus and by gram negative bacteria (both caused by taking antibiotics) but it is simplest to start with antifungal creams and see if they work first, before trying polymixin cream/ointment.
Sorry for his long post. I hope it makes sense....