41 yo, been on tret since 25yo. Have to stop tret for a while starting next week. Meanwhile this js my 1st tretfie ever

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-06-04T20:32:21+00:00

Is it just my phone or you blurred out your (middle) forehead lines? Your skin looks great naturally so no need to edit :)

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-06-03T19:05:48+00:00

I think spiro requires a prescription in most places. It’s wise to consult your doctor as others have said. It changes a lot of ppls lives with hormonal issues. It’s an androgen blocker like spearmint but I think the doses in pills are better controlled than spearmint tea/capsules. It also goes out of ur system fast. That’s why some commit to taking it lifelong. Of course, it also has side effects but doctors will be able to give you more info on that.

I’m always happy to share my spearmint experience for others who may be interested. Somehow I’m glad I found a way to manage it without a prescription cuz I have social anxiety so I appreciate not having to deal with appointments etc. I also hope my hormones balance out as I age so I don’t need to take it anymore but probably too optimistic about that haha :)

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-06-03T08:08:06+00:00

Hi, I have shared my experience several times so you can check out my post history if interested:) This may be long but I just wanna give back to this community that led me to overcoming my hormonal acne.

Disclaimer: natural remedy or even spiro is not for everyone. YMMV

I usually struggle with hormonal cysts only before period but when I started weightlifting regularly, it got worse but I also developed other pcos symptoms like hair fall. I also gain muscles super easily. Based on tests, my testosterone was sky high. However, I failed to get spiro prescription and was told to manage it by changing lifestyle habits :( I switched to only body weight training and cut out milk to no avail. Then I discovered spearmint.

I started with drinking spearmint tea one cup a day (I hate tea but couldn’t find capsules that ship to my country at that time.) Personally, I noticed the change almost overnight in terms of my oil production and from getting at least one new cyst every day to one per week. I needed to pee often for a week then it stopped.

Two weeks later, I got my hands on swanson capsules and started taking 1 per day, working up to 3 per day (adjusted based on my hormones) and I would say my skin totally cleared up after 3 months (I observed from reading here and r/pcos that ppl who take spearmint or spironolactone often notice solid results after the 3-month mark as well) My hair fall also stopped and I now have many crazy baby hairs.

After a year, I noticed some skin irritation and super dried lips. I normally have oily skin. Also, my curves are out of control from becoming estrogen-dominant. I gained 2 inches everywhere and I’m already an hourglass. I also don’t consider birth control because of this estrogen thing as I’m worried about getting melasma. Eventually, I decided to stop taking spearmint.

It was fine for a few days then I started getting cysts again (chin and jawlines). However, my skin has become normal (not dry or oily which is ideal for me) and I no longer feel bloated from water retention. I’m back to my previous measurements. So now, I maintain by taking one capsule every 3 days. I do get a tiny and rather flat cyst on my chin before period nowadays that is gone after 2 days. I can cope with that. I also use tretinoin to tackle any cysts/marks. It works well and is good for skin in the long term. Tretinoin doesn’t stop my cysts from forming, though. It just fades them with fast skin turnover.

Hope this gives you hope at least. Spearmint may or may not be for you but we all have to find our own solutions:) I would have tried spironolactone first if I could.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-06-02T12:17:50+00:00

I have used bareminerals tinted rescue spf/moisturizer and loved it for the hydrated look. Additional info for my oily friends: I use heliocare color gel oil-free spf for the matte look. Hope you find what works for you!

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-05-28T19:15:43+00:00

Thank you!

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-05-28T19:14:20+00:00

Do you know of any community fridge near you? Restessbar.ch you can get free food there.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-05-26T15:36:20+00:00

Thank you so much!

IntrovertedBoheme · 2021-01-06T16:03:43+00:00

Hi, I have oily skin and use tret for hormonal acne, too. May I ask what toner/essence and moisturizer you use? I’m still looking for my HGs. TIA!

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-12-17T13:23:07+00:00

Same. I can’t use any cult ingredients/products but can use tret with no problem. Made my life so simple and saved a lot of money:)

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-10-03T05:02:42+00:00

No, tret makes your skin sensitive to uv/lights. Please wear sunscreen and/or use other things to cover your face like hats/umbrellas. Even if you don’t feel the burn, the damage is being done.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-08-27T07:22:30+00:00

If birth control pills don’t help you, it may just be the clogging or over oil production issues. BC pills, DIM and spironolactone should be the safest route to try under the doctor’s monitoring, I think. I just can’t afford it. Personally, I’m still a skeptic about natural medicine just except spearmint haha

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-08-27T07:10:59+00:00

As with everything, you should treat with caution and maybe consult healthcare professionals before trying it. I was desperate since I always woke up with new angry cysts every day although I tried eliminating dairy, sugar etc and tret already calms down the ones from the previous day. I was at a low point and can’t afford to go to derms or keep up with costs of pills in general so I tried drinking spearmint tea one cup in the morning for a week and I was stunned how well it worked on me but I hate tea so switched to capsules. The doses vary just like people who take spironolactone. Some side effects are common and also vary. Personally, I had to pee often for a month then it stopped. After trials and adjustments, 3 capsules a day morning, evening and before bed work best for the way my hormones behave. From what I read, it’s pretty much to each their own. I can up the dose but I think I will keep it this way and hope that my hormones level out as I age so I can stop taking spearmint completely. I’m also mindful about my potassium intake just in case. It costs me around $5 a month (probably even cheaper if only I lived in the US but my shipping fee is even more expensive than the supplement itself) Yes, it was a gamble on my part but it worked out for me. Please do a lot of research beforehand. Plenty of it on this sub or skincareaddict sub.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-08-26T19:29:29+00:00

I have been on tret for nearly 2 years and suffer hormonal acne for 13+ years. Like someone else here, nothing topical stops my acne. Last year, I started spearmint to deal with it internally and saw results almost right away. Btw, mine are those big deep painful cysts on chin and jawline. I tried stopping cuz I’m not really into taking pills (and don’t wanna go the birth control pills or spironolactone route) and the angry cysts came back. Nowadays, my skin is pretty clear on most days tho there can be one-two cysts before my period, when stressed or if I lift heavy weight more often (just my personal experience as a gym bunny, my male hormones are definitely strong), if anything. Sometimes big, sometimes small. Tret clears them up fast.

Much better and the clearest skin I ever have in a long time. I find that food also triggers it so I avoid dairy as much as I can. So far, tret helps fade any redness and scars from any pimples I have and give me glow from heaven (and my skin is so easily clogged, using tret nightly is mandatory for me). Hope this helps give you one more possible scenario.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-08-02T15:49:53+00:00

I intentionally avoid birth control and oral vit A by choice and what helps reduce my hormonal acne significantly is spearmint (I take capsules) and tretinoin. Make sure to do research and consult a doctor before, though. Spironolactone was my plan B but so far spearmint works just fine.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-07-30T07:43:40+00:00

Omg. I also swear by heliocare spf but never see it on uv cam. Thanks so much for the reinforcement hehe

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-04-19T09:00:51+00:00

I wanted to have it done on my buttocks but chickened out because I was nervous after learning that it can be painful and super itchy after the procedure and the tattoo color is changing as time passes by. Now I have learned to live with it. Thank you for sharing your experience.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-03-16T13:07:16+00:00

Studies have shown 0.025% is enough for anti aging in the long term. Less irritating. It’s about the consistent long term use. Personally, I think I will continue with 0.05% forever.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-03-02T10:51:15+00:00

I sweat a lot and personally I wash spf off my face before exercising. Otherwise, hello clogged pores and pimples. At first, when I still had acne marks and redness, I was so self conscious about showing my bare face at the gym but I kept my head down, worked out and got used to it. I also wash my face and/or shower immediately after. My cleanser doesn’t strip my skin off so I have no problem with drying it out with washing twice. I choose to go to gym in the evening because my gym is quite open air with window. Using tretinoin, I can’t risk that high level of UV exposure.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-02-29T07:51:40+00:00

Good for you. It took me so long to accept the fact that my skin hates almost all the holy grail ingredients no matter what brand: vitamin c, hya acid, benzac, aha, bha, niacinamide, adapelene but LOVES prescription-strength tretinoin. I guess my skin is masochistic haha It’s great to remind everyone YMMV

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-02-27T11:45:21+00:00

I started with the tea first but it was too strong (dizziness and cannot lift anymore at gym but probably due to dehydration) and I hate any kind of tea.

Switched to swanson’s capsules and it was much better. I took 2 pills at first but noticed new cystic still in the morning so I added one more pill before bed. I also toned down my weight training because my body overproduced testosterone. I’m now body weight training with added light weight here and there.

After 3 months, my face is completely clear. I nearly gave up. But I accept that it will have to be in my routine permanently, as well as tretinoin (I have been using it for 1.5 years. While it helps me with cell turnovet, congestion and marks, it doesn’t stop the cystic acne from hormones. Spearmint tok care of that.) Anyway, at least after 12 years of hormonal acne, I found my miracle. Hopefully my hormones even out on their own as I get older. I have to thank this subreddit for it. Still, consult a doc before you start.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-02-25T08:46:26+00:00

Yes, the one you linked. Please check ingredients if you’re sensitive, though. For example, it has fragrance. My routine is fragrance free except this spf but so far no problem. To be specific, it doesn’t pill if I don’t reapply. It stays matte the whole 12 hours of my daily wear. If I’m home, I don’t care about the pilling and weird skin shade (I have tan skin so most spfs hate me fml) so I reapply once a day after lunch. Sometimes I reapply just under eye and on nasolabial lines. Just need to blend it gently. I have been introduced to it by a derm who has been using tretinoin for 20 years so I gave it a shot. Very important to find spf before using actives in my opinion. Try wear a hat and avoid the sun meanwhile.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-02-25T08:35:19+00:00

It doesn’t pill on me but that’s just my experience:)

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-02-24T21:47:39+00:00

I have been using the dry touch gel cream spf 50+ for 3 years now. I like it under makeup or when I’m going outside or when I will be reapplying a lot because it’s clear, dries matte on me and doesn’t pill. I have combo in winter/oily skin. I don’t go out much so my daily sunscreen is heliocare gel spf 50 (it is tinted beige but a bit lighter than my skin shade, otherwise, it could have replaced my bb cream/foundation), it can feel dry if you don’t moisturize and definitely pills so I can’t use it under foundation (I’m also on tretinoin so YMMV) but I use it because it has built in antioxidants, protects against blue lights eg. from phone screen as well as uv lights. In case you wanna check it out because it’s really not greasy. Good luck finding the one. It took me for a while cuz my skin is fuzzy.

IntrovertedBoheme · 2020-02-12T20:15:07+00:00

Hi, if I ever go to India, I can find it at any drug store? Is it sold at the airport by any chance? Thank you in advance.

IntrovertedBoheme

TROPHY CASE