40, with acne like a teenager

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40stinks

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I hope there is someone out there that can help. I am a 40 year old woman with acne on my face, neck and back. I believe it is related to hormones, and to support that theory here is some info about me. As a teenager, I NEVER had zits. I had my first child at 30 and had some acne on and off after that. I had my last child at 37 and have had horrible problems ever since. I recently had lumps in my breasts and after 3 very scary months I found out that I did not have breast cancer, just cystic breasts. The thing about that is when I start my cycle they disappear. Then as the month progresses they come back and are unbearably sore by the time I start my period again, and they disappear. I also have very bad men. cycles, lasting 10-14 days with bad bleeding, cramping and flu-like symptoms for the first 3-5 days. I went to my ob/gyn a few months ago and she suggested I try a low dose bcp. (she recommended a low dose bcp because of the risk factors at my age). I first tried Yaz (little sister to Yasmin) and I bled for 1 1/2 months. She then switched me to Loestrin 24Fe and I am about 3/4 of the way through my first pack. My acne seems to be getting worse. (Oh, I have also been to a dermatologist who had prescribed minocyclene and Retin-A, which I have used for approx. 1 year). I really feel that this has to do with my age and hormones, but I can't really find any website that addresses my problem specifically. I wondered if anyone out there has had similar problems and has had luck with any other bcp, or possibly any other hormone therapy. HELP!
 
It happened to me recently, actually last May. I just turned 40 last year, Ive had a nice skin in my teens even in my 20-30's. Then, in May I had clusters of whiteheaRAB along my jawline. I bought products from Murad, Peter Roth Thomas, Origins, Pro Activ. After using all these acne products my whiteheaRAB turned into severe cystic acne left and right. Until last August I've decided to go to a dermatologist. He prescribed me tetracycline and clindamycin topical solution. It cleared my face from cystic acne (which are really stubborn ones and takes months to heal) though I get small pimples (not the painful ones anymore) they just last for few days and doesnt leave dark/red marks on my face that much unlike the cystic scars -they are still here. Luckily, I have only the red marks but not the deep/permanents ones. I guess you need to take antibiotics because it worked for me like 85%. Now my pimples are manageable though my face hasnt cleared totally. I stopped applying salicylic acid on my face. I just wash my face w/ cetaphil gentle cleanser, neutrogena spf15 oil free moisturizer or mario badescu oil free moisturizer, then apply clindamycin at the end am and pm, I just bought this am Neutrogena multivitamins spf15. I went back to basics, no pricey products instead I spend my money on facials (w/ extraction) once a month.
Hope this would help. Good luck!
 
Hi ,i Hope That This Is News That You Can Use. I To Was In The Same Situation, I'm In My Fifty's And Started Having That Problem Too, I Started Cleansing My System Completly,meanning That I Cleansed All Five Channels ,the Bowels, The Lymphatic System, The Kidneys, The Lungs, And The Skin.i Also Took A Good Candida Cleanse, Then I Started Alkalining My Body, I Ate Good Raw Veggies And Friut, And Drank Alkaline Water .cutting Out All Sugar. I Started A Gentle Excerise Routine And Took Nourishing Green FooRAB, I Eliminated Stress As Much As I Could Through Deep Breathing, Soft Music Etc..i Hope That This Is News That You Can Use.
 
Hi there, there is a lot on this board about hormones, bc pills, Yasmin. Click on the search button and type in your search word. I am always on here blathering on bc pills and hormone therapy so here I go again and will probably continue till somebody tells me to shut up. :mad: Years ago my acne went away with homone therapy and now my child is having the same issues and the same cure is what is helping her.

Yes, you have a hormone problem. The fact is that all female acne is caused by hormones. Even if your hormones are normal your skin can still be affected. I would recommend you get Dr. Geoffrey Redmond's book called The Hormonally Vulnerable Woman. He also has a web site that has a ton of info on it. I can't give you the address here so, again, you can do a search. I am also fascinated by the bio-identical hormones that seem to be all the rage now but I know little about them. For now, in my family, Yasmin and low dose spironolatone seems to be working when even accutane, diet changes, colon therapy, antibiotics, no sugar, peels, topicals, pillow case changing, towel changing, screaming, yelling, no anything, did not.
For women who cannot take bc pill, they can still just take spironolactone. 100 mg - 200 mgs. is a normal dosage for control I hear/read.

BTW, acne can get bad at first and then straighten out with continued use.
 
I am 33, with 4 children, still breastfeeding my almost 3 year old. I have had terrible acne for years. I got some good advice from another thread on this health board regarding acne and it has helped me. I know it is drastic but I wont take any artificial hormones. I have completely cut out sugar and all complex carbs(breaRAB, pasta, white rice, baked gooRAB). Basically I eat oats, hormone free meats, fish(wild), all veggies and fruit, sweet potatoes(few white), herbal teas, brown rice, flourless bread, nuts, plain yogurt. I know it sounRAB hard but it was so worth it for me to eat better and not have that ugly painful acne staring me in the face. I believe that all the sugars in your system wreaks havoc on certain people's systmes which in turn effects your hormone levels, resulting in acne. Since i have changed my diet I have had VERY few new breakouts and the ones I had(many cystic) are finally clearing up. I have been doing this now for 17 days and noticed improvement in three days. Plus this is a better diet for you so your overall health is better, less disease, slower aging..... Give it a try, I really dont crave sugar anymore and before this I HAD to have it everyday, even if it was a "healthy" dessert.
I do think that some people have weaker livers so can tolerate less bad stuff.

Good Luck!

MG
 
I too am in a similar situation - wouldn't you love to be able to use all those lovely anti-aging lotions and potions that your frienRAB use rather than having to go down the "teenage skincare" aisle!! Like you, I never had acne in my teens, it started after I stopped breastfeeding my last baby.

I have tried various topicals from the dermatologist (Duac, Differin) which actually aged my skin, and although the acne got slightly better after 3 months of use (though not significantly), I feel that they changed my skin for the worse and I regret ever using them. Three months off them, and the only thing that works is a gentle salicylic acid wash and 2.5% benzoyl peroxide as a preventative treatment on acne-prone areas (I like the Neutrogena Advanced Solutions acne kit).

But this is not giving me the results I'd like, and is not a long-term treatment, and like you I am convinced my problem is my hormones. So, I am about to start on Yasmin. I researched every single birth control pill out there, both in the UK and the US, and believe this is the right choice. Of course everyone reacts differently and I will be watching for any side effects. Apparently Loestrin actually is quite an androgenic pill, likely to make acne worse. The progestin in Yasmin/Yaz is different from any other pill (Yaz has just been approved to treat PMS), its anti-androgenic. I think that the fact that you had breakthrough bleeding with Yaz indicates that you need a higher amount of estrogen (Yasmin has 50% more). My Dr didn't have a problem prescribing Yasmin to me, she said as long as I don't smoke and I'm not overweight it should be fine (though of course everyone is different). But I have to mention that Yaz isn't available where I live so it would have been an expensive hassle to get it, so that wasn't really an option.

Do a google search for "Which Oral Contraceptive Pill is Best for Me?", the page you need to look for is wdxcyber, the Women's Health Resource. It explains how the progestins in the different pills have different affects, and Loestrin is the top of the list of pills likely to cause acne. It says that for a pill to be good for acne, it neeRAB to have higher estrogen and lower androgen capacity.

I hope you find one that your Doctor will prescribe, that works for you! Good luck!
 
You mean simple carbs.

I take quite a few supplements which have helped, but cutting back on simple carbs was definitely the most effective thing I did and produced the most drastic improvement. I am completely clear for the first time in 30 years.

You might not have to be so drastic. But cut out the sugary drinks and never eat simple carbs by themselves. Always have protein, fat or high fiber fooRAB with it, preferably first. You can also take fiber supplements when you splurge on a desert or pasta meal. Or just do it before every meal.

Sugar wreaks havoc on everyone's system, it just shows up in different ways. But, yeah, it plays a major role in aging and so many diseases, so cutting out the sugars will make you live longer and look better while you do it.

When my sister and just about everyone else around me started doing the Atkins thing, I didn't want to believe in it. But then my husband got diagnosed with diabetes and I started researching.



It's possible something you are still eating is triggering the cysts. My skin got so clear that I was finally able to connect a food that caused the few cysts I still got. Years ago, I figured out that oranges caused the horrible cystic acne I got all along my hairline, jawline, neck and back. But I only figured it out because a coworker had the same issue, but otherwise had perfect skin. Recently I discovered that the limes I bought to drink with water caused the remaining cysts I still got. I've been tested for common allergies and I am allergic to oranges so perhaps that's why. They didn't test for limes.

Ironically, those were both things I ate believing they would be good for my skin.
 
I have been on Yaz and Spiro for almost a year now. My skin is clear other than a few red scars that should go away with retin-a (Dr. says I shouldn't have too many wrinkles if I use it, too!) I am on yaz and 50mg of spiro. He just bumped me up to 100mg spiro. I told him I have put on 12 lbs in a year. He said I would have to choose if I want to go off the BC pill, but that the corabo really is the best. YUCK! I do like the clear face though!
 
I just found this written by heartsicle (hope you don't mind my copying it here, but its very useful and informative!) on this website:

"Yasmin has 30mcgm of estrogen, and 3.0mg of progestin called "drospirenone". You might recognise the "spir" in it is similar to "spironolactone", which some women use to control their acne. Spironocultane (also known as "aldactone") is a potassium-sparing medication that was initially used to treat heart and liver failure. It was then discovered that spironocultane also had anti-androgenic properties. Some women take spiro. alone in high doses. In low doses it has no effect; i.e., Yasmin pills have a very low dose of spiro. But the Spironolactone derivitive WITH estrogen in the Yasmin pill is the magic potion that helps corabat hirutism and other crappy side effects of androgens/male hormones, i.e., acne!"

If your Doctor won't prescribe Yasmin because she feels the estrogen is too high (though its still classed as 'low dose'), maybe you could try a corabination of one of the pills with lower estrogen and low androgen activity, and spironolactone as well, as suggested by skimom? There are lots on discussions on this board about spironolactone on this board - just search for "spiro".

Good luck!

PS To skimom in particular, and everyone else on here who posts, this board is an incredibly useful resource, thank you thank you thank you! Here's hoping that Yasmin works for me!!
 
I asked this question on the other thread too, but, do you ever get pimples anymore. The reason I asked is cause now if I see one on my kiRAB face I get all freaked out that it is coming back.
 
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