I am getting married inshallah in 8 months and in desperate need to sort my skin out. I am cleansing, toning and moisturising twice a day, exfloating and mask twice a week using guinot products. Also drinking 2.5 litres of water a day. I have been doing this for ages and not noticed any improvement. Hence I need to treat the acne medically from within the body as its hormonal. The one medicine which helps is accutane however the extreme side effects always put me off. My cousin has recommended me to go on the Yasmin pill however I am reluctant as I have heard you can gain weight with the pill and get other crappy side effects. The doctor hasn’t provided a lot of options either so I’m really stuck and depressed!
Does anyone have any personal experiences please as I can’t have bad skin for my wedding!
It's up to your doc to decide what is most appropriate for the type of acne you have. Accutane can't be prescribed by your GP anyway, so if your acne was bad enough for him/her to think it may be solution, you'd be referred to a dermatologist.
As for BC pills, they effect people differently. The same pill can make one person gain weight and not another. You really don't know which one may help your acne (if any) until you try them. Most likely, it will be one with anti androgenic hormones like cilest, dianette or yasmin. It's up to your GP to decide. Yasmin is the most expensive for the NHS so it's unlikely it will be a first choice.
From experience I can tell you that different pills can cause bloating to different extents, however they don't actually cause you to gain weight. Your appetite changes and if you give in, you eat more and that is what will cause you to gain. I've been on Cilest and I was fine in every way except I began getting extremely dry eyes. My GP then finally changed me to Yasmin and I've had the least problems with it. However, I do get severe headaches during the pill free week due to the drop in eostrogen.
You just have to weight pros and cons. Personally, I think you are doing too much to your skin in your regime. You should keep it as simple as possible. My sister had pretty bad acne and just two simple things helped. First, our electrologist removed a lot of the tiny hairs in sites where she kept getting re-occurring spots. The second, she strictly told my sister NOT to touch her face. I think people don't realise how much they do, especially when stressed. This latter point required a lot of self control but it's made a huge difference. Her forehead was a bad place because it was the area she'd touch the most, now she hardly gets any spots there.
have u tried salicylic acid peels, retin A or Benzoyl peroxide gel? Even if its hormonal these products should take care of acne. do u want pills just for acne or u want it coz u r getting married? also do u eat lots of high carbs, sugar/sweet stuff, these can cause acne too. if u think its hormonal get hormones checked. do a mild-extreme detox and start fresh. having a zinc supplement helps acne too.
I was on Yasmin for 6 months. I lost weight on the pill, however it gave me acne along my jawline. But again, every pill affects everyone differently.
If you are looking for something just to clear up your acne, and not for birth control, ask your GP about tetracycline. Its an antibiotic used to treat acne, but it doesnt have the bad side effects of accutane. It does work, but eventually your body gets used to it, and it stops working. I think people usually take it for 6 months.
I tried a crap load of skin products including diff scrubs, face washes, acne creams for my acne and alhumdulilah it's finally under control. Some things that I think make a huge difference is your water intake, what you eat and how you treat your body. Coming from a big junk eater, eating healthy can be hard but I know it really helps improve the condition of your skin. Try to include lots of vitamin C in your diet. Exercise, sweat, release those toxins, you'll be surprised as to what it does to your skin. Also, if you wear makeup, make sure you take it ALL off before you go to bed. I wash my face with a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, I use a witch hazel toner to make sure all the makeup is off, then I moisturize with lotion (or apply a little rosehip oil).....then finally I apply Retin A on my problem area...I use it as spot treament. Benzyl peroxide didn't help me, clindamycin didn't help...Retin-A is the only thing that has started to make a difference, that too after 2 months of using...give it a try.
From experience I can tell you that different pills can cause bloating to different extents,** however they don't actually cause you to gain weight. Your appetite changes and if you give in, you eat more and that is what will cause you to gain**. I've been on Cilest and I was fine in every way except I began getting extremely dry eyes. My GP then finally changed me to Yasmin and I've had the least problems with it. However, I do get severe headaches during the pill free week due to the drop in eostrogen.
Very true.
Stop touching your acne.
Change your pillowcase every other night or every night.
Thank you everyone! The issue with Tetracycline is that it causes yellowness of the skin especially the teeth which I noticed last time I took it. It did help my acne slightly but I couldn't use it for a long time. I have used benzyl peroxide and I hated it, will never use it again, the topical lotions and potions make it worse for me. I don't try to touch my skin ever it just grosses me out. To be honest my acne is not that bad alhumdulillah but its constant on the chin area. I have some time before the wedding i'a so that's why I'm considering the pill initially and taking it from there! It's such a headache...
I'm glad that you're starting to work on this 8 months before the wedding as opposed to 1 month like many others! :)
I've been taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen for quite a few years and never had any issues with it. I also originally started taking it for acne. It did help control my acne but didn't get rid of it all together. As for side effects, its been quite a few years since I started but if I remember right, I think in the beginning, I experienced some appetite changes and bloating but once my body got used to the pill, it's been smooth sailing ever since.
I am cleansing, toning and moisturising twice a day, exfloating and mask twice a week using guinot products.
Why are you cleansing and toning 2x every day? And using masks 2x/week? As someone else already mentioned, you're doing too much. The first step in dealing with acne is actually doing research and learning about it. I'm sure you already know that acne is caused by overproduction of oils and clogged pores. Well....if you over-clense and over-exfoliate your skin....then your skin will "think" that it needs to produce more oil! Which will lead to more acne. That squaky clean feeling on your skin isn't necessarily a good thing.
Accutane is only for extreme cases for acne and even then, it's generally not recommended due to the side effects. Have you tried or considered Retin-A? If not then look into it. Forget creams and other crap. Start looking into Glycolic Acid peels. There are several other thread on here talking about it.
As for diet and working on acne from within......drinking tons of water is great but what type of food are you eating? Do you eat a lot of oily and/or fried foods? If so then cut back on it. Get your diet to consist of mostly fruits(especially fruits high in Vit. C), veggies, fish and lean meats (turkey & chicken). Cut back on rice and bread. And try not to be depressed/stressed b/c it can worsen acne.
As already stated by another poster....exercise regularly and make sure you take off ALL make-up before going to bed if you wear it. Cut back on snacks and sweets.
Great advice thanks a lot. I have been told by many beauticians to follow a strict skin regime hence cleansing toning and moisturising. In terms of diet I am being strict and not having sweets, fizzy drinks etc. I am doing yoga once a week as well as 2/3 other gym sessions so let's hope it brings on some improvements. I am seeing the doctor tomorrow so may consider retin-a. Does it cause a lot of peeling like benzyl peroxide?
Benzoyl peroxide caused u peeling/scaling?how come? did u use it all over ur face and what strength? i use 5% only on zits and it dries only the zit.if there r many in a row then only in that area.
Retin A will make ur skin sensitive but again no need to use all over the face, only ur chin where u get acne. start out slow. use twice a week and then on alternative days. as ur skin gets used to it u can use on whole face but only pea-size, no more. use some good moisturizer with it.
Ok so what's the better treatment retin-a, benzyl peroxide or the pill?! Or what's the best for me to start with first? I am thinking the retin-a but can I use it for many months up to my wedding?
Honestly, all these products and pills that are for acne only provide a temporary fix. I've tried so many things hoping that it will be the cure I'm looking for but it only got rid of it for a short while and then my acne would come back. Now, I only use honey to wash my face and moisturise with extra virgin olive oil and that's it!!
So, my advice would be, that you start by changing your diet. Acne isn't superficial, you need to treat it from the inside. Just start with something like drinking a glass of green smoothie everyday. Cut down on junk food, sugary foods and dairy. Also, emotional health plays a big role. So, keep stress levels under control, do things that make you happy just have fun and not worry about your skin, shift your attention to something else. I know it's hard but trust me all these thing help.
I wish you clear and healthy skin. All the best :)
have you looked into Retin-a- micro? remember though, it does cause flaking of the skin when you first start using it so make sure you don't start too close to your wedding date. If you stick to the treatment, it actually works quite well.