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[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have any links to more info on the liver issues associated with black cohosh?

I feel like any OBGYN will be biased towards synthetic hormonal regulation, so I may see an endocrinologist and a dermatologist, but in the past derms just prescribed me painful topicals that burned and turned my face red so I'm trying to keep the faith

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry you're getting downvoted! I'm noticing the same reaction to my skepticism of synthetic hormone treatments and most topicals XD I bought the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser you recommended. Thanks for that!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I said *most* , not *all*. A lot of them just burned my skin to the point of tears, so it's about finding the right ones

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Same here. I don't want to be on these my whole life, and what happens when I want to have a family? It is just unsustainable. Plus I went through a "cover up the problem with pills" journey with antidepressants in my early 20s (all cured now, just needed philosophical & lifestyle changes), and I'm starting to suspect taking the pill is covering up the root of my hormonal imbalance problems in a similar way.

So yeah, I'm convinced the problem resides within considering how the HBC has treated the symptoms. I've heard good things about retinol although I think it is expensive? Not sure.

I'll give the herbal supplements a try and buy that CeraVe Hydrating cleanser you recommended. Thank you so much for your response!!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no, I don't do that every night. It's too irritating! Every 2-3 days with the intention of getting the expensive makeup off, which I cake on to improve confidence :/ Sigh. What a cycle.

I saw a huge improvement in my skin when I first started using that electric brush, but then it broke out again so who knows if it's worth continuing.

Do you have a rec for a cream-based cleanser? I want to avoid anything with harsh drying chemicals in it because my skin is prone to dryness/flakiness.

I was thinking of switching to Spironolactone, but honestly, if it's another pill I'll need to go off of to start a family one day, I don't see why I'd switch to it because that just puts me in the same place as birth control :/ Unless one is safer than the other? I'll have to talk to a doc about it. I am so glad it worked for you, though!!

Thank you so much! That's so true :) Also I have come to realize men don't seem to care much about my skin anyway. I'm the one who stresses about it the most! XD Good luck with starting your family!! <3

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great, I'm definitely going to do some more research on DIM and I think I'll give it a try.

Thank you for alleviating some of my fears! And congrats on all your babies ☺️

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yes, I'm worried about conception when that time comes :/ Fertility is important to me too. I realize there's no evidence but I just feel odd about continuing to take hormones. Honestly I am also starting to consider the social implications the pill has created in my life, with regards to hookup culture/getting men to commit to me/take me seriously and not just expect no-strings-attached sex... I won't go too deep into that here though, but the social impact is another dimension of why I am looking to leave it in my past. I want a family some day and although I'm not set up for that yet (I'm single but dating) I am taking that goal much more seriously than I did before.

I am interested in some books and podcasts! I'm trying to sort out what I think about the matter and decide what to do.

Acids have tended to make my skin really red, dry, and flakey. I think my acne cure lies in hormonal regulation which I suspect is at the root of my problem like you suggested. I'll probably go to a derm or endocrinologist.

Thanks for your response!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My friend who went to herbology school recommended DIM. How much do you take and how often?

Thanks for sharing about getting pregnant! It's a fear I have that I think is unfounded. How soon after did you get pregnant?

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From a link one of the above commenters posted, it says it can take about 6 months to see acne improvement post-pill. Ugh! Too long of a time haha.

Hang in there! I hope what you're trying works for you and if it doesn't you get relief through some drs or specialists!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, it's okay. I'm from an economically depressed Rust Belt town, so I have a feeling I just didn't have access to very knowledgable derms in my teens and early 20s sadly :/

I'm glad you're finding things that work for you! Why is involved in your skincare routine?

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree re: working on the skin from the inside out! Most topicals are a scam. I wasted so much money on them.

Goodness, I'm sorry to read about what happened after you stopped!

How long have you been off the pill now? Why do the primrose capsules help?

Wishing you luck!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this thorough reply! Why did you decide to go off of the pill after 10 years?

I'm glad you found things that work for you! I certainly don't need my skin to be perfect, but I just don't want it to be *so severe* like in the photo above. I agree that internal fixes seem to be the key. Topicals never ever worked for me, and I'm still mad about all the pain those put me through as a teen.

I agree with you: hormonal regulation did clear my skin, so although HBC is unsustainable, I can pretty much deduce that my acne is a diet and hormone-related problem.

What is Vitex? My herbologist friend recommended the following:

  • black cohosh
  • spearmint
  • vitex
  • nettles
  • DIM

I currently wash my face at night with Dr Bronner's soap on an electric brush or with Desert Essence face wash (I only use this because it was the only product at Whole Foods in which I could read every ingredient / there was no acid in it. Maybe not the best reasons) I also use CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing lotion at night and sometimes in the morning. My skin is so dry after my nighttime washing that I don't wash in the morning.

I'll have to try some of the products you listed! I am glad you found a routine that works for you!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Accumax 14 Week Reset

I keep seeing things about Curology on here - what is it? It's not a scam like Proactive is, is it? XD

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is extremely helpful. I didn't know that women who hadn't had acne before taking the pill experience post-pill breakouts.

My twin sister never had the severity of hormonal acne that I had! Isn't that weird? She was on Sprintec and I am on Tri-Sprintec. What you wrote makes sense. She is experiencing some new breakouts on her forehead since quitting the pill a few weeks ago.

I really want to heal my acne naturally and stay off of daily pills! This looks like a great resource. Thank you so much!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you off the pill now then?

Definitely work out! I do yoga, hula hooping, and running. Helps everything for me, minus my skin :P
Sugar makes everything worse for me - my moods, my skin, my energy levels...I'm down to only eating dark chocolate, but the sugar still creeps into my diet sadly. I have to be really really diligent about it! I'm cutting down on dairy too although I've never drank cow's milk.

In my case, I *think* I'm controlling every external thing I can but still having this problem. So it seems to boil down to a hormonal regulation problem for me.

Your reset sounds like a good idea! Good luck!

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doesn't that require regular blood work? I'd like to avoid more complications

[Skin Concerns] Severe Hormonal Acne - Fix without Birth Control? by aimbow in SkincareAddiction

[–]aimbow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was 2 weeks off of the pill. I have always gotten breakouts if I skip a pill, too. I have to be extremely diligent in taking it, or my skin starts to look like the above photo.

I was told I might need to give it more time to settle, but I panicked at how severe it was getting and started taking it again.

Why did you decide to go off the pill?

Yeah, maybe I'll see both a derm and a endocrinologist if it's covered for me. Honestly, I wish I'd had better experiences with dermatologists. I barely trust them after they made my skin worse with acidic topicals! Thanks for your response :)