Ok really, Moms, tell me there's some help out there for adult acne. I'm feeling really hopeless right now. I've had boughts of SEVERE acne before. When I was 12, a dermatologist diagnosed me with 'severe disfiguring acne vulgaris' and prescribed accutane. I battled it from age 9 to age 17, when finally, the accutane cleared it up and it didn't come back.
Until now. A few months ago I started having horrible breakouts. Large pimples, huge whiteheads, large areas of my face breaking out in uncontrollable patches of horrible, ugly acne. I'll be 28 in less than a week. I do not want to go through this again, I still have the scars from the first time...
In addition to the acne, my worsening PMS symptoms are making me (and my family, especially) crazy. I'm almost MANIC when I get PMS. I'm loud, obnoxious, I can't control my temper, I'm beyond irritable and bitchy... there's no word to describe the bitchiness...I can't pay attention...
Moms, have you gone through this? Is there something the doctor can do? I'm going to see the gyno as soon as I can but in the meantime, I'm really needing some guidance! Help!
If it were me I'd seek out a qualified integrative MD . . . I haven't had much luck with mainstream doctors.
Good luck.
Hi N.!
I went thru this a few years ago...it was hell on wheels for anyone near me...my talks with the regular clinic (womens speciality) kinda went unheard. They seemed to think all women go thru this so just go with the flow, and my body would sort things out. (NOT) However, went in once for a chest cold and met up with the Dr. who delivered my daughter. (She had quit work to spend time with dying mother, but after came back as a hormonal specialist. Very very EXPENSIVE specalist.) So I told her my situation and boom (for free) she had the vitamin concoction for me. It worked within weeks - I reccomend this to all!
1000 mg of Vitamin C 2x a day
a Vitamin B complex 1 a day
and 1000 mg of Evening Primrose a day.
Turns out I had started to go thru menopause and had high testosterone levels. Acne...whiskers.....the whole bit. I was 34 at the time!
She told me to take the pills for 3 months...I took them for about 6 months (was scared to stop) then gradually withdrew all but the Vitamin B - still take it when I start to bloat! And I have not had any problems since - and I am going on 40. Try. Its non perscription - just vitamins which I liked too! Good Luck....I'll be thinking about u!
I am sorry to hear your hormones are so out of whack. After having my daughter, mine are going CRAZY too - not in the same way yours are but still out of whack. I had some serious PPA (Post-Partum Anxiety) - you always hear about the depression part of it but not so much about the anxiety part of it (now I have learned a LOT in past year and a half about the anxiety part of it). I get really anxious and irritable around my period time too (the Dr's said that may be PMDD). The Dr is also looking into Thyroid issues for me now because that can change drastically after childbirth. Have the Dr's check your hormone levels and thyroid levels, too.
Best of luck to you! Them nasty hormones can be a real pain in the ... AHHHH!
Feel free to message me if you have any questions or just care to talk.
I went to my PCP about a year ago with similar symptoms - I was about 6 months post-partum, not breastfeeding. It was after my fourth pregnancy but I breastfed after all of the others and I think that helped with raging hormones because the last one was the only one after which I felt like I was really not myself. My PCP told me to see a dermatologist for the acne, my GYN for heavy periods, a nutritionist for weight management, gave me Prozac (no joke) for my moodiness (never took it), and didn't address my joint pain. Um, thanks but no thanks. I did see my GYN and her cure for heavy periods was BCPs or and IUD (Dh had a vasectomy so I don't need either) or a lovely procedure called endometrial ablation in which they burn your uterine lining and the resulting scarring causes no periods. Um, no thanks to that too! I kept meaning to insist on seeing an endocrinologist because to me clearly this is all hormonal but I never did.
Over the past year my periods got lighter on their own, my mood is better and the joint pain is getting better, but I still have raging acne. I have an alternative doc that I have used for my kids and keep meaning to go back to her for myself but haven't done it yet. I definitely still feel like my hormones are not balanced and that I have a thyroid issue despite normal tests. I am going to start taking oral iodine to see if that helps with thyroid support and will see an acupuncturist (in my spare time lol).
I think you should definitely see your GYN and also see a dermatologist. Even though it's clearly hormonal, you can work on getting the outside looking better while hopefully your gyn or someone else (I really think this kind of systemic problem is where holistic medicine really works better than conventional medicine) helps you with getting your hormones back in balance so that you feel like yourself again.
Hi,
I am so sorry you are going through this. Have your obgyn check you for PMDD. It sounds like you may have it-they have treatment for it too--get in there asap! Good luck!
M
I know this sounds strange, but try just plain ole hydrogen peroxide. This product has been around for so long, even dentist will tell you to use it in our mouth. I use it for so much stuff, cold sore, pimples, ear aches and so forth. It is one of the best kept secrets around. Google it, you will see the many uses for it. I use a special little tool that the dermatologist use, to help to open the pimple, do not squeeze it. this tool is at walgreen or cvs, you may have one, once the head is gone, dab it with a cotton ball with the peroxide and let it do its magic. It will be gone in 48 hours or less. Like I said google it and see the many uses for it. PS also have your thyroid checked too.
I would go to an ob/gyn with experience in reproductive endocrinology.
A good esthetician will help with your acne. They can clear out the bacteria causing the acne. I had horrible acne when I got pregnant with my first daughter. My esthetician gave me a good cleansing facial and I saw immediate results.
I also recommend you call Dr. Kelly Martin, a chiropractor who practices in Frisco and specializes in natural hormone balancing.
____@____.com
She has helped many women with cases similar to yours.
Birth control pills can help lessen your moodiness and clear up your face, you may consider taking them through (no sugar pills, no periods) for a while until everything has stabilized - talk to your doctor about that possibility.
If BCP's alone are not enough, get to a dermatologist for topical control of your acne, or possibly to be put on an oral medication.
Good luck!
Get to your Gyno asap. LOL! See a dermatologist in tandem...while it may be your hormones a dermatologist will be able to help you in tandem with your skin. good luck!
Def see your OB about the PMS symptoms. As far as the acne: I am 33 and in the final stages of my acne meds- this past year I have been SO much happier with my skin. I have been on: Tazorac creme and now gel for topical; and Solodyn for oral. My derm has been great about seeing me every 2 months and re-assessing and upping the Tazorac strength when needed. I am now at the most potent strength- she said if this doesn't completely clear it up (I still have flare ups and she wants my pores to be more open) then we will have to go to Accutane. Find a derm that really thinks about your needs- my last one just kept giving me Retin-A; which didn't work. Get started and remember it will take a few months before you see progress. Good Luck- I KNOW how hard it is to have adult acne- it really effects you!
I was put on tetracycline for 3-6 months for cystic acne, but this was at least 15 years ago. For the hormonal swings and the acne perhaps birth control pills can help too. And I agree with other posts to have your hormone levels checked. Good luck.
Yes, PMS or PMDD (a worse pms) can make a woman feel like that.
Research, PMS online.
Hormonal imbalance, can cause havoc.... on moods then on the family.
There are things you can take for it, from prescriptions to natural remedies.
So, yes, see your Doctor and tell him/her you have awful PMS, or see a Naturopath or Holistic Doctor.
So yes, there are things, you can do, per hormonal imbalance.
Wow, you have a very varied bunch of answers :) Pretty cool info from everyone I'd say! I agree with the fact that drastic diet changes can really help. I have had acne since age 9/10 and I'm 32 now. It's not horrible now but still break out around my period pretty badly. I have tried pretty much everything except accutane and not much luck really. Recently I purchased the ANSR (google it to learn more) from Costco.com for $100. I have noticed my skin is feelig better and my slight crows feet seem to be going away. But I am still having some pimples, but I have to say they seem to clear quicker and not as many as before so who knows. I have been using it for 4-5 weeks now and many say it takes longer. So far, I would recommend it. The other thing I have friends doing is taking spironolactone. I have read on it and most people taht took this drug LOVED it. I still haven't feel like mine is bad enough to do it but there are very few side-effects and apparantly it is very popular among dermatologist to prescribe for hormonal acne. Those are the only things i didn't see metioned so thought I'd throw those two things out there too. Good luck, I know it sucks the big one!!
You might consider looking into a holistic caregiver that utilizes various natural healing methods. Conventional medicine is wonderful and can be lifesaving but when it comes to chronic issues, it tends to treat the symptoms rather than the cause, which is rather ineffective in the longrun. Holistic care providers that utilize natural medicine search for the root cause of your condition (which can be all kinds of different combos of things that vary from person to person) and seek to restore balance to the body and then the body has the ability to heal itself. That is why natural medicine enthusiasts claim the potential to actually CURE things that conventional medicine only TREATS, though the FDA doesn't allow manufacturers of supplements to officially make these sorts of claims.
After having kids I began to have a sluggish thyroid, adrenal problems and low progesterone and I had some of the same symptoms you describe. I take Royal Maca, dehydrated bovine thyroid, pituitary and adrenal tissues and various other supplements that have reversed my symtoms. I even lost 15 pounds in 2-3 weeks without trying. You don't want to just start taking supplements like that without the guidance of a professional and you may have different core issues altogether than I did. I just use my experience as an example of how powerful natural medicine can be in areas conventional medicine often can't touch. And these supplements are fundamentally food, so they are actually supportive of all kinds of bodily functions unlike traditional medication, which taxes the liver and has other negative side effects.
Here's the trailer to a documentary about natural/nutritional medicine:
http://www.foodmatters.tv/
Here's a Doctor of Naturopathy in Plano:
http://www.northtexasdynamichealth.com/aboutus.html
Here's a practice in Plano that integrates Western and Eastern Medicine:
http://www.integratedcenterfororientalmedicine.com/
I hope that you find the answers you are looking for!
Crissi
I seem to think that you may be suffering from a low level of progesterone. The accounts for PMS all the time. I had a hormone imbalance for many years and the regular doctors could not figure it out and then my friend suggested a doctor that specializes in hormones. He got things figured out in one visit. I chose to go to the bio-identical hormones to even things out.
If at all possible I would go back to a dermatologist. I think they're the only ones who can deal with this problem. Your GYN can do the PMS but not acne problems
I ended up on a long road to getting answers and ended up finding them with Dr. Chalmers at Chalmers Wellness. I am off birth control (truly messed with me) and am on a natural hormone that has given me my life back.
