Yaz!!!!!!!!!!! - Bothell,WA

Hi Lori, My older brother had a terrible complexion and was using 2 different presciptions. When he lost his job he could no longer afford them, he now uses the unscented "Dove" bar of soap. It works way better than the medications did. Try it! I also recommended it to my stepson and his acne is gone as well.

Hi Lori,

I went on Yaz, for birth control, and after about 2 months started getting really bad migrains. After I had them almost every day for a week (when I might usually get 1 a year) I called my doctor and they told me stop taking it right away. The estrogen in Yaz is very strong could cause strokes if it does not agree with you (this is my non-medical translation). I've heard a lot of people have problems with Yaz.

Celena

Well i would find a sckin care program that works, Proactive does not work for a lot of ppl becaus eof the high count of perfume in it. I would look into a better one on the market. Mary Kay, Airbone... ect.

Is she seeing a dermatologist for her acne or her primary care physician? The reason I ask is that she has localized jaw pain, to one side and she has dizzyness. The dizzyness could be a result of the head pain, but the localized nature of the pain doesn't sound like a drug reaction. She could have an ear infection, a cavity in a tooth, wisdom teeth,TMJ... there are many issues. The net is great for follow-up information, but you need to see your doctor and let him/her take a look at her, all of her.

Cleaning her face every morning and night. Philosophy has great daily cleaners, Purity comes to mind, mild but very effective. Go to Sephora or Nordstroms to check out the line and get samples. Sephora is really great about that. Nordstroms's is a little more knowledgeable about their products and will be able to give you more information.

Clarisonic is a face brush that cleans like a Sonicare toothbrush, helping to deep clean the face and stimulate bloodflow. Great tool, my boys use mine, especially my youngest (18 yrs old) when his face started to break out.

But first and foremost, go back to her doctor and get her examined. Her pain is very likely not related to the Yaz at all and you don't wait to blame it on the pill and have things get worse while you wait for the hormones to get out of her system. Best of luck!

Hi Lori -

Have you tried any natural products? As a holistic health practitioner/herbalist, I would suggest you have your daughter's liver enzymes tested. The chinese meridian for the liver runs along the jaw line. Pain in the jaw often means the liver enzymes are out of balance. For her skin, Alfalfa works very well. You can get it in capsule form. To help heal her skin, Red Clover, taken internally; a salve with Calendula applied topically.

Whenever you want to know more about any drug given to you or your child, google the name of the drug and you will have several options, included the CDC and FDA. Always read the warning labels given with prescriptions. As far as the "side effects not being true", I would ask the doctor if he/she is receiving any bonus from the drug distributor - like it or not, some doctors do.

If you need any additional information, don't hesitate to ask.

Blessings,
M.

I would have her stop taking it. I had horrible acne as a teenager and went on teh pill for the same reason. My doctor also gave me another pill that is desinged to help with acne. I would take her back to the doctor and try to find out if Yaz is causing the problems or if is something completely different. I would also not put her on anything else untill you find out what is going on. At this point even though she is telling you that she is not sexually active I would make sure she knows of alternative birthcontrol in case she decides she needs it. I am not an advocate for teen sex but I do think knowledge is power. Good luck and if your doctor does not offer you an alternantive I would try to talk to another derm. Also for face wash I used M. Kay and it seemed to be gental enough for sensitive skin, they also now have a teen line. if you want I have a M. kay lady I use if you want her number.

I've taken Yaz for years without problems. Have no suggestions for acne treatment (I went on it for birth control) have you tried an allergist? Good luck.

I am on Yasmin. We were shocked at the accusations and I made an appointment to talk to my doctor. The side effects are not any more serious or common than any other birth control pill. It's just that most women now take Yasmin, Yaz, or Ocella.
The advertisments didn't comply with the FDA at first. They do now.
As long as your daughter isn't in one of the groups of women that are at higer risk, (Smokers....) Then I think she should be fine.

If her acne is caused by an acidity imbalance (which may or may not be the case) then her wearing a hazelwood necklace might help. The wood is an alkaline wood and naturally absorbs acidity when it's against our skin. It has helped enormously with our daughter's eczema and I have heard that it can help with acne. It's not a sure things but it can't hurt to try and if does work, it's a lot better for her system than being on hormones. You can read more about it at www.hazelaid.com

Hope you find something that helps!

I tried YAZ a few years ago when it was known as Yazmin and it made me have dizzy spells-- one spell was so bad, I almost blacked out! I tried at least 3 types of pills before I found one that agreed with me. Granted, I was going for the birth control and not the acne benefits. One of the side affects is increased potassium which your daughter may be sensitive to-- but I'm no doctor. After I had my son, I started to get acne which I haven't had since I was a teen (I'm 40 now!). I had Mirena inserted in January, so no more pills. I use Murad's acne product and it works wonders. You can purchase it at Ulta or online. I would suggest getting the travel set at Ulta so your daughter can try it before you spend money on the full size bottles. I noticed a difference after 2 days and it's helped control the breakouts I get mid-cycle. Good luck!

There are about a zillion brands/doseages out there. Most women have bad reactions to several, but are totally fine on others.

You might also consider a nuva ring, or other hormone delivery device. I can't take hormones at all, and some women have the same bad side effects no matter the method of delivery...but most experience fewer side effects with the mirena or nuva ring (Docs don't reccomend iud's typically though until after a first pregnancy...when the uterous is larger, so I'd doubt the mirena would be a good fit). There're also patches and shots...but I've yet to know anyone who hasn't gained 30-100 lbs on the shot.

Well, of all things, what worked for me when I was younger was Dial bar soap. Acne is caused by bacteria, and Dial is anti-bacterial, so I tried it, and it worked! I had pretty sensitive skin, but Dial didn't hurt it. I did have to use a light moisturizer, but really it worked great, and I still use it to this day. Plus it's cheap! Good luck.

Birth control worked wonders for me! I took ortho-tricyclen. (not sure on the spelling anymore)

I am not a fan of Yaz because of the potassium issue (I am a nurse practitioner).
Yaz is marketed to clear up acne, but the truth is that many of the birth control pills will do it. A doc or NP experienced with birth control pills will know which ones to try -- there are plenty of other options.
Have you told her doc that she has these symptoms?

I would suggest getting on a candida yeast cleanse and off the Yaz. Check out renewlife.com, as they have great cleanses that you can do at home (and quizzes to see what you need on the website), and would likely do alot for the acne from the inside out. Also, zinc is great for scarring (in the form of zinc oxide, also you can get it in neosporin/bacitracin creams) See a naturopath though, if these don't help. My cousin just had blood clots from BC pills, and there are so many other side effects (future infertility being the main one)

Not sure on the Yaz or the side effects. I was also unsuccessful to using Proactive. it was way to harsh for my skin. i had huge succes with Arbonne. http://www.arbonne.com/

good luck.

Jaw pain and dizziness is a sure sign to stop the Yaz!!
When I was a teenager I went to a dermatoligist and he put me on Acutane and it cleared me right up!! I had so sign affects then and no side affects years later!!
Proactive does not work for many......I wish you luck!!!

You might try MD Skincare step 1 and step 2 pads. They have had great success for chronic acne. I use them as an alternate to getting facials but the woman who introduced me to them had terrible issues with her skin prior to the pads. If you sign up for their emails then you often get discounted rates.

Is it cystic acne? Large bumps under the skin that hurt? I had that kind and saw an endrocrinologist and started taking spironolatone. If I quit taking it the cysts come back. It's a hormone problem. I still take it and I'm 59.

You could try a different doctor, if you don't trust yours. I think it is really important to be able to converse freely with the doctor, and to trust them. If this isn't your situation, i think you should look elsewhere.

Do understand that the internet sometimes has untruths on it - especially people who associate a symptom with a medication but don't have the science background to understand why the circumstances misled them into that belief. (Not people trying to be dishonest, mind you, just people who aren't in full possession of the facts.)

All that said, other BCPs can also help acne. Ortho-tricyclin really worked well to clear mine up. Other pills have different ingredients, so they may not cause the same sort of side effects, and its worth looking into. A good doctor should be at least willing to talk to your daughter about this.

If you're interested in trying a natural approach, I've treated patients with acne with great results using acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas. The great part about going this route is that acupuncture is a tool to remind the body how to be healthy - how not to have acne in the first place. So what this means is that it's not something she has to do or take forever - just until her body is in balance and she no longer experiences her acne symptoms.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at ###-###-####
B. Seitz, MAcOM, LAc
Thrive Acupuncture

My daughter was like that when she was under our doctor's order, she took retalin.. stomach ache and dizzy.. I decided to stop her taking these rx pills. She is using Proactiv Solution, the skin care system (refining mask, cleanse, toner, daily oil control, safer and her face is all clear up. The TV ads about Proactiv.. that is the one my daughter uses to cleanse, etc. mask few times a week. The only problem with refining mask, it bleaches the wash clothes or clothing that she wears, so my daughter uses the white wash clothes and in her pajamas.

Before I had kids I took antibiotics everyday for terrible acne - tetracycline (which can cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy) and later bactrim. Both worked wonders for years - literally through my teens and twenties. I had horrible acne off of them but not a single pimple with them. My dermatologist prescribed skin creams, but they were too irritating to my skin. I don't know if your dermatologist would do that, but I know it works.

My advice is seek a different doctor! That in my opinion is almost malpractice, refusing to respond to your calls.

What I remember about birth control pills is all of them were supposed to help with acne, some more than others. Womens' bodies are different, there is no one pill that is the sure fire answer to your problems.

I heard zinc oxide is good for fading scars. That is why it is in diaper ointment for babies.

Good Luck & Don't give up!

Have you ever tried Aloette skincare and cosmetics? It's an all natural aloe vera based skincare and cosmetics that penetrates deeply and heals the skin. If you would like to know more, I am a consultant with them and would be willing to meet with you and tell you more. My name is G. Hallberg and you can contact me either via email which is ____@____.com or call me at ###-###-####...

I would definately look for another physician. The physician you choose needs to be available to discuss concerns you may have, especially when they are in response to a medication that he has prescibed.
The reason that BC pills are prescibed for acne is that acne is hormone related. But it is alsoaffected by diet, acid-balance of the skin and the type of products that are consistently being used on the skin (they need to be free of tallow and mineral oil bases that clog the pores).
Arbonne is a Swiss health and wellness company that has a great acne line, Clear Advantage, that not only treats acne but also addresses the scarring. We also have a line that treats hyperpigmentation from aggressive scarring and a balancing line that can stabalize hormone levels (not to be used if already taking BC pills as it will render them ineffective).
If you would like more information, you can go to my webpage at www.nursekerry.myarbonne.com.
Good luck!

you can try non coated asprin..its cheap and it good for inflammation and treats acne. it works. just go to walgrens and buy the container its like 5$ or less..just search it up on google. and again it might just be hormones..that we cannot control with out some sort of poisonous pills.