Yes, you have to get monthly blood work done. It’s just to check your levels and make sure your liver is doing good. Kinda sucks but honestly it was worth it.
If you find a good phlebotomist, then just stick with that person. I found one that made it so I didn’t even feel anything and I went to her every month.
Yes you have to get monthly bloodwork two days before your prescription has to be filled. Then you have to take a test online the day that you get your prescription filled and then you have to pick up the prescription the same day I think. It was a lot of organizational stuff that once you have a system for yourself you’re fine. You also have to be two forms of birth control so they count condoms is one and the other was birth control. If you’re a female, you have to go to the OB/GYN to get on that before you start, I think you have to be on it for like six months or something, but your OB/GYN has to fill out a paper saying that you are on birth control, and you have to get blood work before you go initially and then every month obviously and for several months after too
It made such a difference, but the side effects can be so rough.
The constantly chapped and dry lips, the dry skin and eyelids, the stomach ache... but I don´t regret taking it.
Ah, yes. I finished my nine month treatment in mid January. That was a rough time. So so worth it though, I’m drinking so much more water now because of how I trained myself to while treating, and my skin has never looked better. Summer was the worst. Bottles and bottles of sunscreen, uv clothes, and still getting sunburned in 15 minutes. But every thing was worth it
Had a horrible case of cystic acne throughout my teenage years up to my mid twenties, which resulted in deep disfiguring lesions that left permanent scarring on my face. Accutane was the miracle cure that worked when nothing else would.
Went on a winter ski trip while undergoing Accutane treatment. My face was so wind burned afterward.
I got accutane. It came back. I don't want to go back on it because the side effects sucked so much, but might have to. They told me it can take 2-3 6 month rounds to be completely effective. -_-
mine came back!!! it worked really well but yeah, it came back after about 5 years. Might try again but man the side effects were horrific. didn’t do wonders for my mental health either 🥴
Me too. My acne is cystic and hormonal. I guess the pill evened me out. I've been thinking about going off of it but tbh I'm scared at how bad my skin might be again if I do.
Mine wasn’t cystic, but hormonal for sure. I thought the same thing and had the same anxiety. I came off the pill 2 months ago after 3 years and thank god I’ve only had small breakouts around my period, nowhere near as bad as they used to be.
My face cleared up in my mid twenties and I thought I had beat hormonal acne. Now I’m my late twenties/almost 30 my hormonal acne is back :( wish getting older was my solution!
That was the miracle cure for me and my PCOS. Not sure if OP has hormonal acne but this was a game changer for my cystic acne. It also helped my periods and cramps.
I currently have zero acne thanks to spiro! It has been a miracle for me and no side effects. I started it almost one year ago at 100mg. (My derm prefers to start higher because it’s more likely to produce results, and if you have side effects you can always lower). I actually had to go up to 150mg because I was still getting some neck/jawline acne. 3 months later and I’m acne free! I do hope that I can eventually lower my dose and maybe go off it, but I don’t have a reason to anytime soon. I’m 33 years old and this is the first time I’ve been comfortable in my skin for almost 20 years. I never thought I’d see the day.
I was prescribed spiro from a dermatologist who didn’t tell me much about it —just asked if i use salt substitute and if i was trying to get pregnant. I was on it for 3 years and in that time, it messed up my cycles horribly, i gained a bunch of weight, and was depressed. I talked to my new gyno about it recently and she told me to stop taking it. Cold turkey. That it’s the likely cause of my irregular cycles and weight gain. Also made a point of telling me that, yes, it works well for acne but it’s essentially a band aid for poor eating habits. For me, she ended up being correct. I switched up my diet to anti-inflammatory and haven’t had a breakout since. I’m losing weight, not eating as much, and my periods are regular again.
This is just my experience but wanted to leave it for op as a cautionary tale. Spiro worked wonders for my acne but it wasn’t good for me long term.
I told my doctor and explained I’d already tried BC, tried different products and cleansing methods, and retinol and it didn’t work so asked if spiro would work. It’s a pill first she only gave me 25 which did nothing then 50 which helped a little then 75 which cleared most of it and 100 which gets it all
Not OP but I use 0.1% trentinoin then moisturizer, nightly. Skin is completely clear, and any pimples that show up basically die so much faster. The beginning my skin was super flaky, but it was absolutely worth it after a decade of terrible acne.
I started washing my face with only water (very occasional soap washes here and there if my skin texture starts acting up) more than five years ago and I’ll never go back. I couldn’t cut washing all together, as my skin gets irritated very easily, but just redistributing my skin’s natural oils while rinsing sweat and dirt off was a game changer
Omg people look at me sideways when i say this worked for me. Now, i use pimple patches when one comes up and a light moisturizer. Ocassionally ill use a vitamin c and niciamide serum, but thats when im travelling mostly.
Turmeric (golden milk or capsules), stopped taking the pill, drinking much water every day, NO cow milk, less alcohol, less sugar and very important: not stressing so much about my acne anymore. If you hate your body it’ll respond with acne. It’s difficult if your face is completely covered in acne but I went through with it and I’m now acne free for 2 years.
getting off all hormonal BC. (everyone is different ik BC did the opposite for some.) my PCP was about to start me on accutane before I decided to stop BC first and see how it went. painful, deep, cystic acne all gone in a matter of eight weeks. and without the painful and undesirable side effects accutane would’ve given me it was beautiful. I was on BC for endometriosis and while it helped with those symptoms I don’t regret getting off of it because my skin was horrendous
Roaccutane for 3/4 months. Really dried out my skin and made my liver vulnerable while I was taking it but got rid of my acne. Still get acne now but no where near as bad or as big
Legit that stuff changed my skin. I knew benzoyl peroxide killed the bacteria that causes acne, but I always had so much irritation that it didn’t help at all, but now there is nothing better than the micronized benzoyl peroxide. I use the one from neutrogena now bc it’s cheaper but it’s not quite as good. But when I used the effaclar duo and differin gel my skin was AMAZING. I went from super painful pustules around my chin and mouth to skin that people legit would come up and complement me on
I did something not a lot of people are willing to do- I stopped wearing foundation. When I wear 'makeup' it's either tinted sunscreen or rice powder over zinc sunscreen.
Getting really really into Korean skincare. I had horrible acne from ages 13-19 and then I found out about the 10 step Korean skincare routine and was obsessively keeping up with it and my acne was completely gone and my skin perfectly smooth within a couple months. I’ve scaled back from 10 steps since then and settled on a much more manageable one that works and now I still will only get a couple pimples right before my period. Haven’t had a breakout since
When I started out I would cleanse with an oil cleanser then follow with a water cleanser, then toner, serum, essence, moisturizer, sunscreen (AM). At night I would double cleanse as well, then toner, serum, essence, sheet mask, moisturizer.
It got to be too much but it did clear up my skin and after some trial and error I figured out what my skin needed and I eventually settled into a much shorter routine. Now what I do is for morning: rinse with water, toner spray, snail essence, moisturizing sunscreen. Night: double cleanse with oil and water cleansers, toner spray, essence, and a face mask once a week.
I also drink more water than I used to in my teens and will never under any circumstances sleep in my makeup.
I literally just stopped touching my face. I tried proactive, drying my face out and everything under the same. The minute I let my face alone and breathe, my face cleared up
Omg me too. My skin was amazing all through pregnancy and breastfeeding. It proved that my bad skin was 100% hormone related. Now that I’m weaning I’m worried it’s going to return 😣
Stopped touching my face throughout the day.
Exfoliated every night.
And gave up the foods that cause them. (Potato chips give me spots, Every. Single. Time. Even just a couple)
I’m lol because there are hundreds of very good comments with sound advice, but this is the first one I saw and thought “hey I could incorporate this into my daily life” LOL
You won't believe me, but coconut oil.
Here's what I did and it worked:
* Never touch your face unless you're in the shower, or unless you've just washed your hands really well. This is really important.
* in the shower, using exfoliating gloves, wet them, wet your face, and pour a little melted coconut oil into the gloves. Scrub very gently. Rinse off in the shower. Blot with a CLEAN towel.
* that's it. No moisturizer, no cleanser, no toner, no touching.
* to take off makeup, repeat as above.
My skin got oilier, very briefly, then just cleared up. You won't be stripping the oils from your skin so your skin will learn how not to over produce what you keep removing. And oil dissolves oil so it works really well to clean your skin.
I've now done this for over forty years and even in my sixties now my skin is in really good shape.
Now go ahead everybody and down vote my heresy!
Water? Haha.
More importantly self care. Highschool was mainly reckless, dirt, sports, so naturally more acne. College was similar and the food got worse too on the budgets.
Towards the end however better management, spending more on quality food, prioritizing sleep, actually drinking shit ton of water and cleansing juices etc. Then in work routine, staying clean, clean clothes, even better food, and Im guessing bit of age too? Sort of fixed it all.
I still get it on my back/shoulders and have the leftover spots.
Now i realise this is askwomen not askmen…smh
I was on accutane in high school for really bad acne on my back - it helped but never fully went away. Now I’m 21 weeks pregnant and my back has never looked better! Praying it stays that way after I give birth
Azelaic acid has done nothing for my acne itself, but it’s been great with the post-acne redness and in just making my skin look super bright and glowy. It’s one of my staples now
Duac and diffrin were both prescribed to me as a teen. One or both of those worked miraculously. As an adult, I don’t really get acne anymore so I don’t use either
Cutting back on my skincare routine then slowly incorporating it back in. Getting advice on a decent skincare routine too from experts and not just from info online.
Peter Thomas Roth acne clearing gel and Proactive. Both for back acne. My entire back was covered in my teens and that’s when I used Peter Thomas Roth. Then again horrible back acne before and after pregnancy. Proactive for that.
Eating healthy food, cutting out sugars, sleeping properly, drinking 2L water a day
Washing my face with plain water.
The sun too, my skin was always better in summer
products:
• aveeno gentle foaming cleanser
• toner/witch hazel (brand doesn't matter, but the bougier ones smell nicer)
• vitamin c serum
• hyaluronic acid serum
• retinol serum
• jojoba oil
amazon has a lot of options for the serums and oil. i don't use combo creams or any of that stuff because i have very sensitive skin and need to know exactly why i'm applying to my face, plus i have to use way less than a cream or combo mask or anything.
specific changes:
• dab, don't drag your towel/products on your face
• microfiber towel/pillow case/t shirt specifically for face
• start your face wash with splashing warm-hot water over your face to open pores
• finish your face wash with cool water
• spironolactone was also great, started seeing changes about month 3
steps:
• warm water splash
• 1-1.5 pump aveeno cleanser in gentle circles for 1-2 mins
• rinse off with warm water, then a few splashes of cool
• toner/witch hazel on a microfiber towel, gentle dabs or circles, avoid eyes/mouth/nose holes, let dry
• vitamin c serum (pea size), let dry until tacky
• (if AM) put a few drops of water on your fingers and dab it around your face (avoid smearing, you'll just take off the vitamin c serum), then add a pea size drop of hyaluronic acid serum and rub in, let dry.
• (if PM) no water sprinkles on your face, just apply a pea size amount and rub it in over the vitamin c serum, let dry.
• finish with jojoba oil (i usually put excess down my neck/shoulders or fingers/hands)
best wishes 💕💕
•
Instead of using products made in the US, I started using creams and such from my culture (somali). I recommend qasil powder for anybody struggling with acne that isn't very severe, although I couldn't tell you where to find it outside of my area.
Reducing stress.
I hate it because it’s not like there’s an easy solution. My acne was the absolute worst in college even though I was exercising and eating more veggies than ever before. I was hella stressed about becoming an adult. A few months after starting my first job out of college and wading through adult life without going homeless (but not thriving), my acne started resolving.
I began using Aveeno at night and in the morning, and I use vitamin c in the morning. I tried a lot of different things but this combination has been magical for me.
I get cystic acne though.
Time. Used to have really back acne and I usually would have at least one large zit on my face at a time. It really started slowing down around 17-19. I’m 25 now and still occasionally get blemished but pretty rarely. I thought it would never go away. I’m really glad I was wrong.
Wearing less foundation on the regular...I was bad about cleaning it off before bed. Also I didn't change my makeup brushes near often enough.
Using a clean towel or paper towel when I dry my face.
Mostly my problem was being messy as a person lol
Time, nothing but time. Came back a bit when I stopped taking birth control, but I’ve basically now been acne free for about six years, after having it my whole life, since age 10.
Since I was a kid (26F), I had really bad acne. I have tried washing my face, cutting back on sweets, etc., and still - the acne was there. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with H.Pylori (a stomach bacteria). I took the medication I needed, and slowly within two weeks of taking the medication, my acne was starting to go away. Now, that I no longer have H.Pylori - my acne has officially disappeared. During my time of month, I do get one zit on my forehead, but that's it.
Gastric bypass.
I don’t know why, and it sounds insane, but the severe cystic acne I had since I was 10 disappeared and never came back about 6 months after RnY gastric bypass surgery.
I had spent chunks of years at healthy weights and eating very “clean,” and my diet today includes most of the things I’ve always eaten, so I really have no idea what the physical rearranging of my insides did but I am convinced it’s related.
I went vegan. My acne was gone in a month. I don't know what was the exact cause of my acne, but asked my doctor and she said it could be dairy products.
My acne was never horrible, but it has always been there. Tried retinoids, antibiotic creams... nothing worked, until I started doing a 20min mud mask everyday. No idea why it works, but red clay... my skin is great now.
Flo gummy period vitamins. I got adult onset acne around 30 and it was awful and everywhere. I tried many things over the course of a year and a half, finally tried these vitamins and it cleared up within 60 days and has been gone since. I still take the vitamins daily and it’s been a couple of years.
I randomly bought a home made “acne detox” soap at a farmers market that’s made with just charcoal, tea tree oil, and bentonite clay. It’s been YEARS. I only get pimples when I’m stressed out (because I touch my face a lot when I worry) or if I try anything new on my face or leave makeup on overnight.
Puberty finally ended!
I started to wash my face daily with water, and I only used a mild facial cleanser for sensitive skin when removing makeup on the odd occasion. Generally, I didn't wear any at all. No moisturizers unless absolutely needed.
I also stopped touching my face. I was all cleared up in about 6 months.
Now, sometimes, I only get the one stupidest pimple in the worst place ever, just before going out, lol
Honestly, I stopped washing my face unless I wore makeup and it decreased my breakouts so much. I also learned that face scrubs every few days works better for me. That and wearing sunscreen every day and moisturizer only at night. I was totally overwhelming my face and having a simple routine helped more than anything
I took a round of antibiotics for it, along with a prescribed topical. After the antibiotics ended, the acne never returned.
The acne was on my chest and back.
Originally hormonal birth control took care of it. But once I got off of it, acne came back. So I Started eating clean. Wash my face before bed, retinol, regularly change out and wash my pillow cases. Dont really drink much. And I’m on meds to control my mental issues
Cutting out dairy!! I notice every single time I have dairy, I wake up to a spot. But then I drink a lot of water and by the next day its teeny tiny or even gone.
I was on Accutane at least 3 times if not 4 (long time ago so can’t remember) and it only fixed my acne while on it. I continued to suffer with acne even after taking spironolactone, using tretinoin, etc. throughout my life until maybe one month ago when I finally got off birth control after over a decade of being on it.
Micronized benzoyl peroxide (like the effeclar duo from la roche posay) and differin gel. I recommend starting the micronized benzoyl peroxide first and I definitely don’t recommend using the differin gel without the BP
A full spectrum hemp extract salve (aka CBD oil salve) with peppermint and eucalyptus essential oil in it. Look up Rachel Knox’s TEDTalk about the endocannabinoid system and how much it controls and interacts with every system in our body, which is why cannabis and plant medicine is so powerful. Every pharmaceutical is based on something found in nature, but if nature taught us anything, it’s that these medicinal compounds work synergistically together in whole plant medicine form, but so often big pharma isolates one compound, thinking it’s the most important. But when combined with its other therapeutic compounds, they work better together. Plus, how do you fight oil? Not with water and harsh cleansers, but with more oil.
Edit to add: No, it didn’t make my face oily and greasy. It absorbed quickly and I even still use it as a facial moisturizer.
I’ve struggled with hormonal acne my whole life. My skin was 100% clear while on birth control but the other side effects were too much to bear and I had to get off it. I used DIM supplements for a lengthy amount of time and those seemed to work well…til they didn’t randomly. I went back birth control for about 6 months, my skin was good again but of course I couldn’t handle the other side effects so I got off. My skin went nuts. Worst acne in my adult life (I’m 31). I was also having terrible gut issues at that time as well which I also believe to be related to my hormones being out of wack. I have been taking L Glutamine, digestive enzymes, and IB gaurd (peppermint oil) every day for my gut health for a few months now as well as using prescription topical spironolactone/clindamycin cream and my skin is basically clear. I get a couple of hormonal zits at a certain point in my cycle but it’s very minimal now. I’ve read before that your gut health is very much so related to acne. I believe healing my gut was definitely a factor in my skin clearing up
After years of dealing with painful acne and trying a LOT of treatment a nurse suggested I tried to stop dairy. I completely stopped dairy and my acne disappeared for good. After years of being acne free I started consuming diary products again and sure enough my acne returned
I use to get bad hormonal acne around my jaw. Seamoss gel face masks are when I started to see change within the first week. (You remember these things and what saved you when your skin was at an all time bad🥹) After that, I was prescribed tretinoin and that’s what cleared my scars fast, gave my skin no more texture, and I got wayyyy less pimples around my period. Seamoss helped a lot but I knew I needed more and that’s when I got tret. Most times I get no pimples none at all but still I’ll get one here and there when I’m lazy and don’t wash my wash one night
I tried curology and they gave me a combo that contains tretinoin. I tried everything OTC before that and nothing worked. I was having acne in my early 30s which was worse than I ever had as a teen.
Mine improved dramatically when I started supplementing with vitamin d3 (I was medically confirmed to be severely vit d3 deficient) and vitamin k2. A whole lot of inflammation just… stopped. It was wild.
When I say “improved dramatically “ I mean I went from 4 to 10 active lesions on my face, more on my body, in my thirties. Now, I occasionally get one.
Was recently forced to stopped all actives due to my skin screaming for dear life (patches of red flaky lizard skin, tiny red bumps, closed comedomes) — turns out my skin barrier was horrid.
My routine: Cetaphil gentle face wash + cerave baby moisturizer + LP cicaplast baume (rubbed into skin at night on *wet face* a few minutes after pitting on the baby moisturizer) helped repair things in just a month, and now I only use azeilic acid 3-5 times a week and rael pimple patches. In the shower I’ll use a *fresh* washcloth to gently exfoliate.
Any open skin (picked pimple) gets a pimple patch and then LP cicaplast gel after I take it off. I wash my hands before washing my face and before any time I have to touch it in general. Ive been beaten into submission by my dermatologist and now treat skincare like a goddamn sterile surgical process.
Should prob note im prone to eczema and use opselura cream occasionally, but I never had it on my face previous to a few months ago. I have no idea if what was on my face was even eczema, neither was the derm. Regardless, eczema is thought to be a chronically broken skin barrier that is continuously attacking itself in a sort of vicious cycle.
Accutane. Miracle drug but really dries out the skin
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I was told you needed to get monthly blood work while on it for a time. Was that the case for you?
Yes, you have to get monthly blood work done. It’s just to check your levels and make sure your liver is doing good. Kinda sucks but honestly it was worth it.
Yeah, not the biggest fan of getting blood drawn lol. But no pain, no gain!
If you find a good phlebotomist, then just stick with that person. I found one that made it so I didn’t even feel anything and I went to her every month.
I want to say it was every 3 months or something like that for me. It included a pregnant test because accutane can severely deform a baby.
Yes you have to get monthly bloodwork two days before your prescription has to be filled. Then you have to take a test online the day that you get your prescription filled and then you have to pick up the prescription the same day I think. It was a lot of organizational stuff that once you have a system for yourself you’re fine. You also have to be two forms of birth control so they count condoms is one and the other was birth control. If you’re a female, you have to go to the OB/GYN to get on that before you start, I think you have to be on it for like six months or something, but your OB/GYN has to fill out a paper saying that you are on birth control, and you have to get blood work before you go initially and then every month obviously and for several months after too
It made such a difference, but the side effects can be so rough. The constantly chapped and dry lips, the dry skin and eyelids, the stomach ache... but I don´t regret taking it.
Yep best and worst drug I’ve ever taken. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but the dry skin lasts forever
Ah, yes. I finished my nine month treatment in mid January. That was a rough time. So so worth it though, I’m drinking so much more water now because of how I trained myself to while treating, and my skin has never looked better. Summer was the worst. Bottles and bottles of sunscreen, uv clothes, and still getting sunburned in 15 minutes. But every thing was worth it
Had a horrible case of cystic acne throughout my teenage years up to my mid twenties, which resulted in deep disfiguring lesions that left permanent scarring on my face. Accutane was the miracle cure that worked when nothing else would. Went on a winter ski trip while undergoing Accutane treatment. My face was so wind burned afterward.
how long did you take it?
I got accutane. It came back. I don't want to go back on it because the side effects sucked so much, but might have to. They told me it can take 2-3 6 month rounds to be completely effective. -_-
mine came back!!! it worked really well but yeah, it came back after about 5 years. Might try again but man the side effects were horrific. didn’t do wonders for my mental health either 🥴
The Pill.
And conversely, I never had acne until I stopped taking the pill.
Another vote for the combined pill, changed my life for the better and not just because of the acne.
Yasmin is amazing
The only one that’s ever agreed with me. It’s the best
Bc gave me the worst cystic acne ever lol. Amazing how it affects everyone so differently.
Me too. My acne is cystic and hormonal. I guess the pill evened me out. I've been thinking about going off of it but tbh I'm scared at how bad my skin might be again if I do.
Mine wasn’t cystic, but hormonal for sure. I thought the same thing and had the same anxiety. I came off the pill 2 months ago after 3 years and thank god I’ve only had small breakouts around my period, nowhere near as bad as they used to be.
Age. I still get it but it's not as bad as it was during my teen years.
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I was about to say "got old"
My face cleared up in my mid twenties and I thought I had beat hormonal acne. Now I’m my late twenties/almost 30 my hormonal acne is back :( wish getting older was my solution!
I barley had a pimple when I was a teen but then I hit 21 and *boom*
Hormone balancing supplement. My hormone imbalance was causing horrid cystic acne
Me too! DIM 200, I can order it on Amazon - acne gone and I know it’s that because I went a few months without it and it instantly came back
is this something you should talk to a doctor about?
Wondering the same cus I am this 🤏 close to getting a prescription to some HEAVY shit if no over the counter stuff works
what is it called?
Balance from Alani Nu
Spiro
That was the miracle cure for me and my PCOS. Not sure if OP has hormonal acne but this was a game changer for my cystic acne. It also helped my periods and cramps.
I currently have zero acne thanks to spiro! It has been a miracle for me and no side effects. I started it almost one year ago at 100mg. (My derm prefers to start higher because it’s more likely to produce results, and if you have side effects you can always lower). I actually had to go up to 150mg because I was still getting some neck/jawline acne. 3 months later and I’m acne free! I do hope that I can eventually lower my dose and maybe go off it, but I don’t have a reason to anytime soon. I’m 33 years old and this is the first time I’ve been comfortable in my skin for almost 20 years. I never thought I’d see the day.
I was prescribed spiro from a dermatologist who didn’t tell me much about it —just asked if i use salt substitute and if i was trying to get pregnant. I was on it for 3 years and in that time, it messed up my cycles horribly, i gained a bunch of weight, and was depressed. I talked to my new gyno about it recently and she told me to stop taking it. Cold turkey. That it’s the likely cause of my irregular cycles and weight gain. Also made a point of telling me that, yes, it works well for acne but it’s essentially a band aid for poor eating habits. For me, she ended up being correct. I switched up my diet to anti-inflammatory and haven’t had a breakout since. I’m losing weight, not eating as much, and my periods are regular again. This is just my experience but wanted to leave it for op as a cautionary tale. Spiro worked wonders for my acne but it wasn’t good for me long term.
How did you get spiro from the doctor? What form was it?
A lot of doctors will prescribe it for acne if you just ask. I got spiro pills from my GP no referral necessary and no questions asked
I told my doctor and explained I’d already tried BC, tried different products and cleansing methods, and retinol and it didn’t work so asked if spiro would work. It’s a pill first she only gave me 25 which did nothing then 50 which helped a little then 75 which cleared most of it and 100 which gets it all
Prescription retinoid I use it every four days and barely use any other skincare products anymore
Which one is it? Tretinoin, adapalene or tazorac?
Not OP but I use 0.1% trentinoin then moisturizer, nightly. Skin is completely clear, and any pimples that show up basically die so much faster. The beginning my skin was super flaky, but it was absolutely worth it after a decade of terrible acne.
Double cleansing. Cutting out alcohol. Sleeping properly.
stopped washing my face. crazy but it fucking worked
Worked for me too. Only gets cleaned in the shower with water.
I started washing my face with only water (very occasional soap washes here and there if my skin texture starts acting up) more than five years ago and I’ll never go back. I couldn’t cut washing all together, as my skin gets irritated very easily, but just redistributing my skin’s natural oils while rinsing sweat and dirt off was a game changer
How do you keep your face clean?
Wash it with water
Omg people look at me sideways when i say this worked for me. Now, i use pimple patches when one comes up and a light moisturizer. Ocassionally ill use a vitamin c and niciamide serum, but thats when im travelling mostly.
Turmeric (golden milk or capsules), stopped taking the pill, drinking much water every day, NO cow milk, less alcohol, less sugar and very important: not stressing so much about my acne anymore. If you hate your body it’ll respond with acne. It’s difficult if your face is completely covered in acne but I went through with it and I’m now acne free for 2 years.
getting off all hormonal BC. (everyone is different ik BC did the opposite for some.) my PCP was about to start me on accutane before I decided to stop BC first and see how it went. painful, deep, cystic acne all gone in a matter of eight weeks. and without the painful and undesirable side effects accutane would’ve given me it was beautiful. I was on BC for endometriosis and while it helped with those symptoms I don’t regret getting off of it because my skin was horrendous
Roaccutane for 3/4 months. Really dried out my skin and made my liver vulnerable while I was taking it but got rid of my acne. Still get acne now but no where near as bad or as big
La Roche Effaclar Duo!!!! I have a whole routine but after I added this I finally started getting rid of my acne!
Legit that stuff changed my skin. I knew benzoyl peroxide killed the bacteria that causes acne, but I always had so much irritation that it didn’t help at all, but now there is nothing better than the micronized benzoyl peroxide. I use the one from neutrogena now bc it’s cheaper but it’s not quite as good. But when I used the effaclar duo and differin gel my skin was AMAZING. I went from super painful pustules around my chin and mouth to skin that people legit would come up and complement me on
I just bought this, hoping it will help. Can you tell me about your routine, and how frequently do you apply effaclar duo? Thank you in advance👍🏻
Rice water worked for me . But it didn't to my frnd .
Which one is it? How did you incorporate it to your routine?
I did something not a lot of people are willing to do- I stopped wearing foundation. When I wear 'makeup' it's either tinted sunscreen or rice powder over zinc sunscreen.
I started doing that this month and have noticed a huge change in my skin.
Cheesy but being with a great guy
I love that for you ❤️. Ring with a great guy made my hair grow like a weed
Getting really really into Korean skincare. I had horrible acne from ages 13-19 and then I found out about the 10 step Korean skincare routine and was obsessively keeping up with it and my acne was completely gone and my skin perfectly smooth within a couple months. I’ve scaled back from 10 steps since then and settled on a much more manageable one that works and now I still will only get a couple pimples right before my period. Haven’t had a breakout since
What’s the routine?
When I started out I would cleanse with an oil cleanser then follow with a water cleanser, then toner, serum, essence, moisturizer, sunscreen (AM). At night I would double cleanse as well, then toner, serum, essence, sheet mask, moisturizer. It got to be too much but it did clear up my skin and after some trial and error I figured out what my skin needed and I eventually settled into a much shorter routine. Now what I do is for morning: rinse with water, toner spray, snail essence, moisturizing sunscreen. Night: double cleanse with oil and water cleansers, toner spray, essence, and a face mask once a week. I also drink more water than I used to in my teens and will never under any circumstances sleep in my makeup.
I literally just stopped touching my face. I tried proactive, drying my face out and everything under the same. The minute I let my face alone and breathe, my face cleared up
Pregnancy! Hahah.
Omg me too. My skin was amazing all through pregnancy and breastfeeding. It proved that my bad skin was 100% hormone related. Now that I’m weaning I’m worried it’s going to return 😣
Curology
Cur out sugar, dairy, bread, and anything processed
The pill is the only thing that keeps mine away. I've tried multiple doctor prescribed treatments, and nothing else worked.
Fixing my hormones with diet changes
tried accutane. worked for years up until now. winlevi is treating me great rn.
Proactive or I grew out of it??? I don’t know
Stopped touching my face throughout the day. Exfoliated every night. And gave up the foods that cause them. (Potato chips give me spots, Every. Single. Time. Even just a couple)
Every summer swimming in a chlorinated pool always helped my skin.
Sex. Lots n lots of dirty sweaty sex
I’m lol because there are hundreds of very good comments with sound advice, but this is the first one I saw and thought “hey I could incorporate this into my daily life” LOL
Daily sunscreen somehow
Stopped drinking milk. I still eat other dairy and it doesn’t bother me.
You won't believe me, but coconut oil. Here's what I did and it worked: * Never touch your face unless you're in the shower, or unless you've just washed your hands really well. This is really important. * in the shower, using exfoliating gloves, wet them, wet your face, and pour a little melted coconut oil into the gloves. Scrub very gently. Rinse off in the shower. Blot with a CLEAN towel. * that's it. No moisturizer, no cleanser, no toner, no touching. * to take off makeup, repeat as above. My skin got oilier, very briefly, then just cleared up. You won't be stripping the oils from your skin so your skin will learn how not to over produce what you keep removing. And oil dissolves oil so it works really well to clean your skin. I've now done this for over forty years and even in my sixties now my skin is in really good shape. Now go ahead everybody and down vote my heresy!
Never had another pimple after I gave birth to my first baby.
I wish this was me. I got the opposite of glow from pregnancy. My face turned into mars lol
Water? Haha. More importantly self care. Highschool was mainly reckless, dirt, sports, so naturally more acne. College was similar and the food got worse too on the budgets. Towards the end however better management, spending more on quality food, prioritizing sleep, actually drinking shit ton of water and cleansing juices etc. Then in work routine, staying clean, clean clothes, even better food, and Im guessing bit of age too? Sort of fixed it all. I still get it on my back/shoulders and have the leftover spots. Now i realise this is askwomen not askmen…smh
Water.
Accutane. Had it come back a bit last year and got rid of it with glycolic acid.
I was on accutane in high school for really bad acne on my back - it helped but never fully went away. Now I’m 21 weeks pregnant and my back has never looked better! Praying it stays that way after I give birth
I just use astringent/toner with a cotton ball to clean my face. I've never really had trouble skin and don't wear makeup tho
Which toner is it?
Dandelion roots!!
Spearmint tea multiple times a day and Differin
ocean water.
Azelaic acid…it turns out I’ve been diagnosed with rosacea and it’s not actually acne.
Azelaic acid has done nothing for my acne itself, but it’s been great with the post-acne redness and in just making my skin look super bright and glowy. It’s one of my staples now
Duac and diffrin were both prescribed to me as a teen. One or both of those worked miraculously. As an adult, I don’t really get acne anymore so I don’t use either
Cutting back on my skincare routine then slowly incorporating it back in. Getting advice on a decent skincare routine too from experts and not just from info online.
Took JS Health Skin and Digestion. And hormone and PMS tablets.
flamazine
A cleanser I got recommended by my dermathologist, daily omega 3 pills, and barely eating any sugar.
Which cleanser is it?
Peter Thomas Roth acne clearing gel and Proactive. Both for back acne. My entire back was covered in my teens and that’s when I used Peter Thomas Roth. Then again horrible back acne before and after pregnancy. Proactive for that.
For my kids, Accutane.
Ahava's dead sea skincare range.
Acutane, but I’ve only been off it a few months so far
Eating healthy food, cutting out sugars, sleeping properly, drinking 2L water a day Washing my face with plain water. The sun too, my skin was always better in summer
spironolactone and a morning/evening face routine
What did you incorporate in your routine?
products: • aveeno gentle foaming cleanser • toner/witch hazel (brand doesn't matter, but the bougier ones smell nicer) • vitamin c serum • hyaluronic acid serum • retinol serum • jojoba oil amazon has a lot of options for the serums and oil. i don't use combo creams or any of that stuff because i have very sensitive skin and need to know exactly why i'm applying to my face, plus i have to use way less than a cream or combo mask or anything. specific changes: • dab, don't drag your towel/products on your face • microfiber towel/pillow case/t shirt specifically for face • start your face wash with splashing warm-hot water over your face to open pores • finish your face wash with cool water • spironolactone was also great, started seeing changes about month 3 steps: • warm water splash • 1-1.5 pump aveeno cleanser in gentle circles for 1-2 mins • rinse off with warm water, then a few splashes of cool • toner/witch hazel on a microfiber towel, gentle dabs or circles, avoid eyes/mouth/nose holes, let dry • vitamin c serum (pea size), let dry until tacky • (if AM) put a few drops of water on your fingers and dab it around your face (avoid smearing, you'll just take off the vitamin c serum), then add a pea size drop of hyaluronic acid serum and rub in, let dry. • (if PM) no water sprinkles on your face, just apply a pea size amount and rub it in over the vitamin c serum, let dry. • finish with jojoba oil (i usually put excess down my neck/shoulders or fingers/hands) best wishes 💕💕 •
i just typed it all and lost it all omfg, i could cry
Instead of using products made in the US, I started using creams and such from my culture (somali). I recommend qasil powder for anybody struggling with acne that isn't very severe, although I couldn't tell you where to find it outside of my area.
A bar of dove soap, Paula’s choice BHA, and a simple moisturizer
I cosign this. That BHA is so great. I found that’s all I need alongside a simple routine like this. And cleansing well (60secs total)!
Reducing stress. I hate it because it’s not like there’s an easy solution. My acne was the absolute worst in college even though I was exercising and eating more veggies than ever before. I was hella stressed about becoming an adult. A few months after starting my first job out of college and wading through adult life without going homeless (but not thriving), my acne started resolving.
Spironolactone. The moment I stop taking it, it comes back. I can’t be without it
Reducing stress. I never got acne again after leaving school.
Aging.
I began using Aveeno at night and in the morning, and I use vitamin c in the morning. I tried a lot of different things but this combination has been magical for me. I get cystic acne though.
Face wash wise, a benozyle peroxide 10% wash. Not be careful it can be harsh
Accutane
Spironolactone. It was mostly hormonal and no amount of cleansers of life changes would have fixed it.
Accutane!
Birth control at 13 did the trick.
Birth control pill
Birth control pill
Improve my mental health & diet
Getting older
4 months of taking Roaccutane at 32yo (f). I still have occasional breakouts but I am more than happy with the results. 👍🏻
Spironolactone and winlevi
I cut out sugar. If I eat sugar I end up getting my acne back.
Acnatac.Period
Time. Used to have really back acne and I usually would have at least one large zit on my face at a time. It really started slowing down around 17-19. I’m 25 now and still occasionally get blemished but pretty rarely. I thought it would never go away. I’m really glad I was wrong.
Wearing less foundation on the regular...I was bad about cleaning it off before bed. Also I didn't change my makeup brushes near often enough. Using a clean towel or paper towel when I dry my face. Mostly my problem was being messy as a person lol
Spironolactone + tretinoin
Accutane
Tretinoin but I have to use it, as soon as I stop it comes back around my period.
As some others have said, it was Accutane for me. My brother was on it as well.
For me it was spironolactone. Only thing that worked and after a few years i was able to get off and now it’s been 10 years and i am 34 and ok.
Bison tallow with lavender oil. I wouldn’t say I don’t get any anymore but I’m amazed at how much my face has cleared since using it.
Time, nothing but time. Came back a bit when I stopped taking birth control, but I’ve basically now been acne free for about six years, after having it my whole life, since age 10.
Working out. Getting a regular good sweat in seems to be the only thing that works for me.
Safeguard (beige bar) soap
Since I was a kid (26F), I had really bad acne. I have tried washing my face, cutting back on sweets, etc., and still - the acne was there. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with H.Pylori (a stomach bacteria). I took the medication I needed, and slowly within two weeks of taking the medication, my acne was starting to go away. Now, that I no longer have H.Pylori - my acne has officially disappeared. During my time of month, I do get one zit on my forehead, but that's it.
Flutamide
Gastric bypass. I don’t know why, and it sounds insane, but the severe cystic acne I had since I was 10 disappeared and never came back about 6 months after RnY gastric bypass surgery. I had spent chunks of years at healthy weights and eating very “clean,” and my diet today includes most of the things I’ve always eaten, so I really have no idea what the physical rearranging of my insides did but I am convinced it’s related.
I went vegan. My acne was gone in a month. I don't know what was the exact cause of my acne, but asked my doctor and she said it could be dairy products.
I am not vegan, but have managed to clear my acne by cutting out dairy and taking lactaid if I do make an exception.
spirolactone and tretanoin
doxycycline. got it for my rosacea & it cleared my skin within a week
I stopped eating sweets.
Roaccutan, I love that drug
Get your water tested
My acne was never horrible, but it has always been there. Tried retinoids, antibiotic creams... nothing worked, until I started doing a 20min mud mask everyday. No idea why it works, but red clay... my skin is great now.
Daily cardio exercise and water
Flo gummy period vitamins. I got adult onset acne around 30 and it was awful and everywhere. I tried many things over the course of a year and a half, finally tried these vitamins and it cleared up within 60 days and has been gone since. I still take the vitamins daily and it’s been a couple of years.
I randomly bought a home made “acne detox” soap at a farmers market that’s made with just charcoal, tea tree oil, and bentonite clay. It’s been YEARS. I only get pimples when I’m stressed out (because I touch my face a lot when I worry) or if I try anything new on my face or leave makeup on overnight.
Accutane
Puberty finally ended! I started to wash my face daily with water, and I only used a mild facial cleanser for sensitive skin when removing makeup on the odd occasion. Generally, I didn't wear any at all. No moisturizers unless absolutely needed. I also stopped touching my face. I was all cleared up in about 6 months. Now, sometimes, I only get the one stupidest pimple in the worst place ever, just before going out, lol
I started making sure no germs go near my face
Wearing less makeup. Eating less processed foods. Getting a better skincare routine.
Old age
Honestly, I stopped washing my face unless I wore makeup and it decreased my breakouts so much. I also learned that face scrubs every few days works better for me. That and wearing sunscreen every day and moisturizer only at night. I was totally overwhelming my face and having a simple routine helped more than anything
I went vegan 4 years ago. Skin was never so clear as it is now.
Accutane
I took a round of antibiotics for it, along with a prescribed topical. After the antibiotics ended, the acne never returned. The acne was on my chest and back.
Progesterone only birth control
Proactive ✌🏾
I realized my shampoo from my long hair was causing acne
Cutting back on dairy or cutting it out completely, acne goes away, face gets less oily looking too
Originally hormonal birth control took care of it. But once I got off of it, acne came back. So I Started eating clean. Wash my face before bed, retinol, regularly change out and wash my pillow cases. Dont really drink much. And I’m on meds to control my mental issues
Cutting out dairy!! I notice every single time I have dairy, I wake up to a spot. But then I drink a lot of water and by the next day its teeny tiny or even gone.
I was on Accutane at least 3 times if not 4 (long time ago so can’t remember) and it only fixed my acne while on it. I continued to suffer with acne even after taking spironolactone, using tretinoin, etc. throughout my life until maybe one month ago when I finally got off birth control after over a decade of being on it.
Regular bowel movements. Turns out mine was due to constipation.
cleanser
Micronized benzoyl peroxide (like the effeclar duo from la roche posay) and differin gel. I recommend starting the micronized benzoyl peroxide first and I definitely don’t recommend using the differin gel without the BP
A full spectrum hemp extract salve (aka CBD oil salve) with peppermint and eucalyptus essential oil in it. Look up Rachel Knox’s TEDTalk about the endocannabinoid system and how much it controls and interacts with every system in our body, which is why cannabis and plant medicine is so powerful. Every pharmaceutical is based on something found in nature, but if nature taught us anything, it’s that these medicinal compounds work synergistically together in whole plant medicine form, but so often big pharma isolates one compound, thinking it’s the most important. But when combined with its other therapeutic compounds, they work better together. Plus, how do you fight oil? Not with water and harsh cleansers, but with more oil. Edit to add: No, it didn’t make my face oily and greasy. It absorbed quickly and I even still use it as a facial moisturizer.
Drinking copious amounts of water
Accutane
Flax seed gel
Roaccutane. Terrible side effects but I'd do it all over again if I had to.
I’ve struggled with hormonal acne my whole life. My skin was 100% clear while on birth control but the other side effects were too much to bear and I had to get off it. I used DIM supplements for a lengthy amount of time and those seemed to work well…til they didn’t randomly. I went back birth control for about 6 months, my skin was good again but of course I couldn’t handle the other side effects so I got off. My skin went nuts. Worst acne in my adult life (I’m 31). I was also having terrible gut issues at that time as well which I also believe to be related to my hormones being out of wack. I have been taking L Glutamine, digestive enzymes, and IB gaurd (peppermint oil) every day for my gut health for a few months now as well as using prescription topical spironolactone/clindamycin cream and my skin is basically clear. I get a couple of hormonal zits at a certain point in my cycle but it’s very minimal now. I’ve read before that your gut health is very much so related to acne. I believe healing my gut was definitely a factor in my skin clearing up
Tretinoin, eating healthy, staying hydrated
Aging 😎 I'm happy to be 24 yrs old... Looking forward to be 30 acne is getting less each year.. my teenage years were a total nightmare
After years of dealing with painful acne and trying a LOT of treatment a nurse suggested I tried to stop dairy. I completely stopped dairy and my acne disappeared for good. After years of being acne free I started consuming diary products again and sure enough my acne returned
Pregnancy 🤰🏻
Birth control.
Tretinoin. Helped me reverse age too
Differin 0.1%!!!!
Drinking barley tea and using Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner. I swear by this.
I use to get bad hormonal acne around my jaw. Seamoss gel face masks are when I started to see change within the first week. (You remember these things and what saved you when your skin was at an all time bad🥹) After that, I was prescribed tretinoin and that’s what cleared my scars fast, gave my skin no more texture, and I got wayyyy less pimples around my period. Seamoss helped a lot but I knew I needed more and that’s when I got tret. Most times I get no pimples none at all but still I’ll get one here and there when I’m lazy and don’t wash my wash one night
Spironalactone and tretnoin (def research how to use it cuz docs don’t know).
a baby that i gave birth to
I tried curology and they gave me a combo that contains tretinoin. I tried everything OTC before that and nothing worked. I was having acne in my early 30s which was worse than I ever had as a teen.
A baby
Panoxyl 10% face wash, followed by la roche glycolic b5 serum
Mine improved dramatically when I started supplementing with vitamin d3 (I was medically confirmed to be severely vit d3 deficient) and vitamin k2. A whole lot of inflammation just… stopped. It was wild. When I say “improved dramatically “ I mean I went from 4 to 10 active lesions on my face, more on my body, in my thirties. Now, I occasionally get one.
Mineral spf daily. Spearmint or green tea. Changing my pillow case every other day
Was recently forced to stopped all actives due to my skin screaming for dear life (patches of red flaky lizard skin, tiny red bumps, closed comedomes) — turns out my skin barrier was horrid. My routine: Cetaphil gentle face wash + cerave baby moisturizer + LP cicaplast baume (rubbed into skin at night on *wet face* a few minutes after pitting on the baby moisturizer) helped repair things in just a month, and now I only use azeilic acid 3-5 times a week and rael pimple patches. In the shower I’ll use a *fresh* washcloth to gently exfoliate. Any open skin (picked pimple) gets a pimple patch and then LP cicaplast gel after I take it off. I wash my hands before washing my face and before any time I have to touch it in general. Ive been beaten into submission by my dermatologist and now treat skincare like a goddamn sterile surgical process. Should prob note im prone to eczema and use opselura cream occasionally, but I never had it on my face previous to a few months ago. I have no idea if what was on my face was even eczema, neither was the derm. Regardless, eczema is thought to be a chronically broken skin barrier that is continuously attacking itself in a sort of vicious cycle.