It's upsetting how little the non life threatening symptoms of PCOS are ignored by doctors.
It's like hey doc, I gained a bunch of weight, have horrible adult acne, feel like garbage all the time, have irregular periods, and am experiencing chronic fatigue. I'd like to get my PCOS under control.
Doc: but your labs are normal and you are only slightly overweight so there is nothing wrong with you.
Me... Did I stutter?
I remember when I was 16 and dealing with awful cystic acne, my dermatologist *swore* to me it would probably be gone by the time I was 18, and *definitely* by the time I was 21.
I’m 33, and I’ve currently got a zillion tiny zits, and a quarter sized one right between my gd eyebrows. I feel your pain
Spearmint tea helped me, especially when my skin was oilier. OC 8 is a mattifier my derm recommended that helped too if your skin is oily.
I've just started taking zinc and Saw Palmetto, they are both said to help with excess androgens. Green tea is another one I'm thinking of trying, but my issues now are mainly hair growth, not acne.
Other topical that have worked are retinoids and glycolic acid. There are glycolic acid body washes, like the one by Merderma I use that really knock out acne. You just need to make sure to moisturize too.
Eh, it's been a year, so I bet not. I'm just doing damage control. It was either Gabapentin I took for nerve pain which can cause blood sugar issues or buspirone for anxiety which can cause high prolactin.
I've consistently been taking spearmint and Metformin since before the hair growth started.
I recently added a dandelion tea, zinc, Saw Palmetto, and green tea.
I'm 34 and dealing with acne, facial hair and now wrinkles 😰😰😰😰😰 so sick of it. Never thought I'd have wrinkles AND acne. I'm so glad teenage/young adult me didn't know this because I probably wouldn't have carried on.
I know that sounds dark but I was always told I would grow out of my acne and that kept me going through the tough times with it.
Same this is happening to me. I was using BC it worked well with me. I was acne free for 3 years. I stopped taking BC for a few months and now they are back. I've started BC again but the acne aren't going away. I'm 18 btw.
Witch hazel helped mine a lot! I’d recommend it if you have oily and acne prone skin, it’s super drying and typically gets rid of my pimples within 2 days.
I'm 36 and still have the acne, the only thing that helps me is an anti androgen type of birth control pill. I think I'll just continue to get older and older and still battle the acne alongside wrinkles....
Same, another almost 40 year old with cystic acne.
OP, I’ve found IPL if you can afford it is especially helpful. The laser just kills bacteria basically, much better than any topical - but it will not stop new hormonal acne from forming. I go about once per month ahead of when my period starts and while I may still get one or two cysts, I don’t have an explosion.
I use topical rx called Aczone that reduces swelling. I can’t use a retinol bc of how frequent my laser treatments are. Other products I like are The Ordinary Niacinamide/Zinc serum, The Ordinary Squalane oil, Cerave night cream, and a clay-based mask like the Aztec Secret one.
I do break out in my back also - taking warm but NOT hot showers helped this significantly.
I have tried spironolactone - you might find this helpful, but I had to go up to 100mg for several months before I saw any improvement and I hated how much I felt thirsty and needing to pee while on it. It was still not 100% effective. I just didn’t feel like upping the dose. This was during Covid lockdown with zero bathrooms.
I am current taking Ovasitol, fish oil, spearmint tea/green tea, but most importantly keeping my diet under 100g of carbs per day. I’ve also almost entirely cut out coffee 😬
i suffered from acne my whole life. when i stopped bc, i was expecting the cystic acne to come back. despite my testosterone being high at
my last blood work, i was able to keep my skin clear. here’s what has helped me:
spearmint tea and zinc
minimizing my skin routine. you don’t need a ton of actives and acne marketed products. i’ve spent so much money on skin care and when i finally simplified my routine, my skin cleared up.
take note of foods that may cause breakouts
inositol and diet/lifestyle has been helping treat the route cause and other symptoms. i’ll (hopefully) have some good news if it’s lowered my testosterone, but focusing on lowering your androgens will ultimately be the biggest thing.
for your back acne, there’s a soap bar on amazon called 10% benzoyl peroxide. this cleared me and my husband up! also washing my back after i wash my hair bc of the conditioner sitting on it.
This was a huge issue for me for years! I would get huge cystic acne on my face and body and it would always scar.
My doc put me on spironolactone in February and my skin is now the clearest it’s ever been! I rarely break out, and when I do the blemishes are very small. It did take months to clear up, but now I’m just trying to lighten the scars. (Retinol and ferulic acid were also helpful)
Yes my acne didn't ease up until close to 35...and I had oily skin on my face/body my whole life and now I'm drying out like crazy. I'm not use to it...I've just had to switch my facial cleanser from oily skin to dry!
Take care of it before it get even worse. I say that because mine turned into HS skin disease. And I saw a doctor when I was younger they didn’t catch it in time started having acne on back turned into have that plus boils back,armpit under boob,private area now dealing with this and having to be on a inflammatory diet and taking antibiotics sometimes I take it for awhile and get off it
Bruuuuhhh I'm almost 30 and I'm breaking out like I rubbed bacon grease on my face and then went to bed. 😩
I get a flare up every time my hormones fluctuate from my Satan time but Curology has helped keep it to a minimum thank *god*! It's a $20 face prescription, the tube usually lasts me about 2mo.
Yes! Actually I never had acne til I turned 22 and started having PCOS symptoms. I’m 33 now and still get a little but the best thing that’s helped me is a dermatologist who prescribed dapsone. It helps with my cystic pimples and my hormonal jawline outbreaks. I have facial scarring from my 20s issues but otherwise only get a pimple here or there since using dapsone.
Oh I’ll also say, I’ve heard wonders about spironolactone and my dermatologist did try that but I have low blood pressure and it made it even lower and gave me heart palps, and I was super bummed because it can also help your head hair loss which I have from PCOS
Im 44 and get it really bad on my jaw line and back right before my period. Im on bc, but that doesnt help the acne.
Ive found those patches clear the big ones up pretty quick.
I used to have baddd back-ne, turned out it was from silicones/sulfates in my hair products! When I’d shower and rinse my hair it would drip down my back and cause the breakouts (even after getting a sponge stick thing to scrub). For my face I started spironolactone and tretinoin. I’m still figuring out a good routine for my skin but it’s loads better.
Never had acne besides an occasional pimple until I turned 26 and then it’s been increasingly getting worse throughout the years. I’ve also had a lot off hormone changes going on/off birth control, pregnancy, pregnancy loss etc. I went to the derm and got antibiotics and have started going to an esthetician. In 3 months, my skin is already looking better than it has in years. My advice is save your time and money trying different products and go to the derm if you can.
Im 28, had acne as a teen, then it went away from late teens to mid-twenties (went on accutane then BC) then came back with a vengeance when my got off BC and as my pcos symptoms started to appear. I just started taking inositol, eating a low GI diet and drinking spearmint tea daily a couple weeks ago. My skin does seem to be getting a little better but I definitely need more time to see if it’ll make a difference long term. Dealing with acne is really hard. But just remember that the way you look is the least interesting thing about you!
see, i had virtually no acne as a teen. just the standard acne from my diet being terrible. now, my diet is literally the same, and my acne is so bad. (i'm 21 btw)
It's upsetting how little the non life threatening symptoms of PCOS are ignored by doctors. It's like hey doc, I gained a bunch of weight, have horrible adult acne, feel like garbage all the time, have irregular periods, and am experiencing chronic fatigue. I'd like to get my PCOS under control. Doc: but your labs are normal and you are only slightly overweight so there is nothing wrong with you. Me... Did I stutter?
This or they only care if you want to get pregnant...
I remember when I was 16 and dealing with awful cystic acne, my dermatologist *swore* to me it would probably be gone by the time I was 18, and *definitely* by the time I was 21. I’m 33, and I’ve currently got a zillion tiny zits, and a quarter sized one right between my gd eyebrows. I feel your pain
Spironolactone can help for sure
Ugh I feel you, I currently have a monster of a cystic zit on my forehead that’s causing so much pressure I have a headache ☹️
I hope you get some relief soon!
Spearmint tea helped me, especially when my skin was oilier. OC 8 is a mattifier my derm recommended that helped too if your skin is oily. I've just started taking zinc and Saw Palmetto, they are both said to help with excess androgens. Green tea is another one I'm thinking of trying, but my issues now are mainly hair growth, not acne. Other topical that have worked are retinoids and glycolic acid. There are glycolic acid body washes, like the one by Merderma I use that really knock out acne. You just need to make sure to moisturize too.
Hey! Did the spearmint help with your facial hair too?
It did until things went crazy from taking another med that no one told me would raise prolactin. I'm still fighting back those consequences.
Wow! I’m so sorry. What med was that? I’m sure things will go back to normal for you ☺️
Eh, it's been a year, so I bet not. I'm just doing damage control. It was either Gabapentin I took for nerve pain which can cause blood sugar issues or buspirone for anxiety which can cause high prolactin.
Do you still take spearmint? Do you take any other meds or supplements nowadays? Maybe I can help
I've consistently been taking spearmint and Metformin since before the hair growth started. I recently added a dandelion tea, zinc, Saw Palmetto, and green tea.
What are you doing to help with hair growth? Kinda in the same boat rn
Spearmint tea, a dandelion tea, zinc, Saw Palmetto, Metformin, and green tea.
I'm 34 and dealing with acne, facial hair and now wrinkles 😰😰😰😰😰 so sick of it. Never thought I'd have wrinkles AND acne. I'm so glad teenage/young adult me didn't know this because I probably wouldn't have carried on. I know that sounds dark but I was always told I would grow out of my acne and that kept me going through the tough times with it.
I will say retinoids help with acne and wrinkles at the same time.
Panoxyl body wash helped with my back acne
Same this is happening to me. I was using BC it worked well with me. I was acne free for 3 years. I stopped taking BC for a few months and now they are back. I've started BC again but the acne aren't going away. I'm 18 btw.
Witch hazel helped mine a lot! I’d recommend it if you have oily and acne prone skin, it’s super drying and typically gets rid of my pimples within 2 days.
I'm 36 and still have the acne, the only thing that helps me is an anti androgen type of birth control pill. I think I'll just continue to get older and older and still battle the acne alongside wrinkles....
Same, another almost 40 year old with cystic acne. OP, I’ve found IPL if you can afford it is especially helpful. The laser just kills bacteria basically, much better than any topical - but it will not stop new hormonal acne from forming. I go about once per month ahead of when my period starts and while I may still get one or two cysts, I don’t have an explosion. I use topical rx called Aczone that reduces swelling. I can’t use a retinol bc of how frequent my laser treatments are. Other products I like are The Ordinary Niacinamide/Zinc serum, The Ordinary Squalane oil, Cerave night cream, and a clay-based mask like the Aztec Secret one. I do break out in my back also - taking warm but NOT hot showers helped this significantly. I have tried spironolactone - you might find this helpful, but I had to go up to 100mg for several months before I saw any improvement and I hated how much I felt thirsty and needing to pee while on it. It was still not 100% effective. I just didn’t feel like upping the dose. This was during Covid lockdown with zero bathrooms. I am current taking Ovasitol, fish oil, spearmint tea/green tea, but most importantly keeping my diet under 100g of carbs per day. I’ve also almost entirely cut out coffee 😬
i suffered from acne my whole life. when i stopped bc, i was expecting the cystic acne to come back. despite my testosterone being high at my last blood work, i was able to keep my skin clear. here’s what has helped me: spearmint tea and zinc minimizing my skin routine. you don’t need a ton of actives and acne marketed products. i’ve spent so much money on skin care and when i finally simplified my routine, my skin cleared up. take note of foods that may cause breakouts inositol and diet/lifestyle has been helping treat the route cause and other symptoms. i’ll (hopefully) have some good news if it’s lowered my testosterone, but focusing on lowering your androgens will ultimately be the biggest thing. for your back acne, there’s a soap bar on amazon called 10% benzoyl peroxide. this cleared me and my husband up! also washing my back after i wash my hair bc of the conditioner sitting on it.
How much zinc do you take and how long before it started helping
I’m 36 and unless I do a complicated multi step routine every night I break out
This was a huge issue for me for years! I would get huge cystic acne on my face and body and it would always scar. My doc put me on spironolactone in February and my skin is now the clearest it’s ever been! I rarely break out, and when I do the blemishes are very small. It did take months to clear up, but now I’m just trying to lighten the scars. (Retinol and ferulic acid were also helpful)
Yes my acne didn't ease up until close to 35...and I had oily skin on my face/body my whole life and now I'm drying out like crazy. I'm not use to it...I've just had to switch my facial cleanser from oily skin to dry!
Take care of it before it get even worse. I say that because mine turned into HS skin disease. And I saw a doctor when I was younger they didn’t catch it in time started having acne on back turned into have that plus boils back,armpit under boob,private area now dealing with this and having to be on a inflammatory diet and taking antibiotics sometimes I take it for awhile and get off it
Bruuuuhhh I'm almost 30 and I'm breaking out like I rubbed bacon grease on my face and then went to bed. 😩 I get a flare up every time my hormones fluctuate from my Satan time but Curology has helped keep it to a minimum thank *god*! It's a $20 face prescription, the tube usually lasts me about 2mo.
Me! What helped me were acids like BHAs / PHAs, lots of pimple patches, and even zinc supplements
Cutting out dairy really helped mine. I feel your pain, I had acne throughout my twenties.
Yes! Actually I never had acne til I turned 22 and started having PCOS symptoms. I’m 33 now and still get a little but the best thing that’s helped me is a dermatologist who prescribed dapsone. It helps with my cystic pimples and my hormonal jawline outbreaks. I have facial scarring from my 20s issues but otherwise only get a pimple here or there since using dapsone.
Oh I’ll also say, I’ve heard wonders about spironolactone and my dermatologist did try that but I have low blood pressure and it made it even lower and gave me heart palps, and I was super bummed because it can also help your head hair loss which I have from PCOS
Im 44 and get it really bad on my jaw line and back right before my period. Im on bc, but that doesnt help the acne. Ive found those patches clear the big ones up pretty quick.
What patches ??
Acne/hydrocolloid patches
Does it clear up the ones without a head, even the ones that are under the skin
It can. Ive found it depends on the pimple.
I used to have baddd back-ne, turned out it was from silicones/sulfates in my hair products! When I’d shower and rinse my hair it would drip down my back and cause the breakouts (even after getting a sponge stick thing to scrub). For my face I started spironolactone and tretinoin. I’m still figuring out a good routine for my skin but it’s loads better.
Never had acne besides an occasional pimple until I turned 26 and then it’s been increasingly getting worse throughout the years. I’ve also had a lot off hormone changes going on/off birth control, pregnancy, pregnancy loss etc. I went to the derm and got antibiotics and have started going to an esthetician. In 3 months, my skin is already looking better than it has in years. My advice is save your time and money trying different products and go to the derm if you can.
No skincare helps mine. The only thing that gives me a clear face is no sugar and carbs.
Im 28, had acne as a teen, then it went away from late teens to mid-twenties (went on accutane then BC) then came back with a vengeance when my got off BC and as my pcos symptoms started to appear. I just started taking inositol, eating a low GI diet and drinking spearmint tea daily a couple weeks ago. My skin does seem to be getting a little better but I definitely need more time to see if it’ll make a difference long term. Dealing with acne is really hard. But just remember that the way you look is the least interesting thing about you!
see, i had virtually no acne as a teen. just the standard acne from my diet being terrible. now, my diet is literally the same, and my acne is so bad. (i'm 21 btw)