Beautiful Skin, Oh How You Elude Me!
But not for long, baby!
In the past three and a half years, I have had skin issues. (Funny enough they started AFTER I got married. Coincidence? Maybe. And then it got worse when I decided to dabble with Clomid, even though I didn't need it.) My body appears to have a surge of hormones passing through it that have made getting clear acne-free skin impossible for me. And I have tried everything to combat it, including:
Regular facials with enzyme peels - These are gentler peels than usual. And they're meant to take off the top layers of the skin (it's not painful) and allow what's trapped underneath to get out. The only thing they made me do was break out even more.
Pro-Activ - I know so many people claim this worked for them... All I have to say to these people is, "If you're breakouts are caused by hormones (like mine), then Pro-Activ is not for you." It's for people whose break outs are superficial and on top of the skin... Not deep down. Pro-Activ also made things worse for my skin.
Began using mineral make-up - I still use it. But I originally started using it because I didn't want to clog my pores. Figured that would help. It didn't. But, mineral make-up DOES cover up my acne problems much better than anything I have ever used.
Cool laser therapy - Along with my facials and peels, I have used cool laser therapy. And this does help calm things down. But it's expensive. And it still only kills the bacteria in the dermis. It doesn't help from the inside out.
And I guess that last sentence is what the problem has been with my skin. Because my acne is from a hormonal imbalance (too many androgens) and not superficial, none of these treatments are going to work to resolve the problem. They can't get inside my body. So what's the solution???? (Other than drinking more water...)
Ortho Tri-Cyclen.
Yep, I'm going on the birth control pill. Why? For various reasons... But I am going on this particular combination because of its success rate at kicking acne's ass. I can't wait to start the pill in the coming weeks. Hopefully clear skin will be on it's way shortly thereafter!
In the past three and a half years, I have had skin issues. (Funny enough they started AFTER I got married. Coincidence? Maybe. And then it got worse when I decided to dabble with Clomid, even though I didn't need it.) My body appears to have a surge of hormones passing through it that have made getting clear acne-free skin impossible for me. And I have tried everything to combat it, including:
Regular facials with enzyme peels - These are gentler peels than usual. And they're meant to take off the top layers of the skin (it's not painful) and allow what's trapped underneath to get out. The only thing they made me do was break out even more.
Pro-Activ - I know so many people claim this worked for them... All I have to say to these people is, "If you're breakouts are caused by hormones (like mine), then Pro-Activ is not for you." It's for people whose break outs are superficial and on top of the skin... Not deep down. Pro-Activ also made things worse for my skin.
Began using mineral make-up - I still use it. But I originally started using it because I didn't want to clog my pores. Figured that would help. It didn't. But, mineral make-up DOES cover up my acne problems much better than anything I have ever used.
Cool laser therapy - Along with my facials and peels, I have used cool laser therapy. And this does help calm things down. But it's expensive. And it still only kills the bacteria in the dermis. It doesn't help from the inside out.
And I guess that last sentence is what the problem has been with my skin. Because my acne is from a hormonal imbalance (too many androgens) and not superficial, none of these treatments are going to work to resolve the problem. They can't get inside my body. So what's the solution???? (Other than drinking more water...)
Ortho Tri-Cyclen.
Yep, I'm going on the birth control pill. Why? For various reasons... But I am going on this particular combination because of its success rate at kicking acne's ass. I can't wait to start the pill in the coming weeks. Hopefully clear skin will be on it's way shortly thereafter!
Comments
I'm now on a combo of bactrim and spirolactone (sorry my spelling is off on both) and it works really well for me. Apparently it's an unusual combo but maybe something to ask your Dr. about.
I would actually go to the store, like Trader Joe's or something and try their probiotic twice daily before you go on the pill to see if it makes a difference. If it works or helps at all, it's a really cheap solution!