Hormonal Acne Will Be The Death of Me
Disclaimer: This is not an acne success story, but more of a work-in-progress.
I have been holding off on writing this post in the hope that I would find a “natural” cure for my acne and never suffer a blemish again.
In a discouraging turn of events, while there are products that treat and help reduce the painful and unsightly symptoms, there is no “cure” for acne. Anyone who says they have it, is a lying P.O.S. trying to sell you their product. If they did, these people would be trillionaires and we wouldn’t have an acne problem.
Acne at all ages is a bitch and a half, but in this specific post, I will discuss the hormonal, cystic motherfuckers that never seem to want to go away. The textbook cause of acne is due to clogged oil and dead skin cells. What’s infuriating about this answer is you can have the most seamless, clean and expensive skin routine (i.e. me) and still get acne, while Joe-fucking-Schmo, who has used a bar of soap his entire life, has flawless skin. Another one of life’s mysteries I will never understand.
The Controversial “Magic Pill”
One drug that I have been offered throughout the many years of dealing with acne is Accutane. Since then, Accutane has been discontinued due to “business reasons”.
I personally think this is due to the thousands of personal injury lawsuits against Roche, but what do I know? It is now sold in the generic form, isotretinoin, which I’m sure is much better for their bottom line.
This is a very controversial drug for many reasons and will probably piss off a lot of people who have tried and found success with it. For many sufferers of severe acne, isotretinoin is their only hope for clear skin and has been shown to work miracles. Also, many people don’t experience short or long-term side effects other than severely dry skin (which affects nearly everyone who takes it). However, if you are part of the unlucky group, there are incredibly serious side effects that many dermatologists (who get commission from prescribing this drug) don’t discuss or brush off as “unnecessary and dramatic hype”. While this drug is considered as a “last-resort” for treating severe acne, many dermatologists are prescribing it for mild acne as well.
Many dermatologists say that the side-effects will diminish after stopping the drug, however, there are many reports that state this is simply not the case. Some potential long-term side effects of isotretinoin are acute pancreatitis, deafness, night blindness/sightless and bowel disease. In fact, one user of this drug won a $25 million lawsuit against Roche (the pharmaceutical company that manufactures isotretinoin) after developing inflammatory bowel disease from taking the drug, resulting in the removal of his colon and rectum.
So what makes this drug so toxic to the body? Isotretinoin was initially created and used as a form of chemotherapy. Dr. Werner Bollag, the creator of the drug, noticed it also cleared up acne which is when he started to market it as such.
While on isotretinoin, you have to take a monthly pregnancy test to ensure you are not pregnant since the drug has been shown to cause severe birth defects and miscarriage. When you think about it, if this pill has the potential of causing serious defects to a fetus, imagine the potential damage it is doing to your body? If that wasn’t enough, isotretinoin has also been linked to serious depression and suicide. You can literally google “isotretinoin-suicide” and find hundreds of articles about this on the web. As someone who has suffered from mental health issues in this past, this is not a game of roulette I’m willing to play.
I have experienced first-hand the terrible psychological effects of acne and am well-aware of the benefits of this drug. I am in no way looking for this drug to be outlawed since I seriously feel for those who struggle with severe acne and have no other choice in the matter. I also can’t imagine the freedom and confidence that comes with clear skin for life. What I am advocating for is much more transparency with the negative side effects this drug can cause. I also believe doctors should inform users of ALL the possible long-term issues attributed to isotretinoin. We all know this is never going to happen due to the massive revenue this drug brings in, but a girl can hope!
My Acne “Journey”
In my previous post on antibiotics, I discussed my struggle with acne from a young age and my not-so-successful bout with antibiotics. Don’t worry, I will not bore you with that again. When antibiotics did not work for me, I went on Yaz (a now discontinued contraceptive) around the age of 16 and began to improve my skin care game tenfold. I retired my old school (and very problematic) St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub and upgraded to Origins, which I thought was La Mer adjacent at the time.
Then, like a gut punch to the stomach, I developed cystic acne on my chest. This acne was constant for about a year and made me so self-conscious that I refused to wear a bathing suit or anything that would show my chest. The ONLY thing that eliminated my cystic acne was unscented body lotion. I initially used Lubriderm for about 10 years and am now on the Aveeno train. Almost 15 years later, it is STILL a part of my daily routine. I notice if I miss a day or two of lathering up, there’s a high probability that I will get a breakout on my chest.
By my mid twenties, I finally found the (almost) perfect combination and was feeling pretty good about my skin. I ended up switching my birth control to Tri-sprintec and went on Proactiv+. I still experienced occasional breakouts, but my acne was much more manageable.
Things took a dark turn when my naturopath advised me to go off my birth control in order to figure out my hormonal imbalance. She also suggested I try a more “natural” skin care routine in lieu of Proactiv. This made me break out like NEVER before and caused my anxiety to skyrocket.
I was disgusted with myself every time I looked in the mirror. My OCD spiraled since I would try to pick the cysts that were not ready to be picked, leaving my face even worse off than it was before. At times, I felt physically ill going out in public and became fixated by every pimple I had. I was convinced that all anyone saw when they looked at me was my disastrous skin. I realize this is a very narcissistic statement to make since I HIGHLY DOUBT people cared as much as I thought. But, I digress.
Back to Basics
There is obviously something seriously wrong with my hormones but, unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or patience to wait it out. I went against my doctor’s advice and am now back on Tri-sprintec and Proactiv+.
I noticed a huge improvement in my acne within a month of going back to my old regime.
I wish I had some natural remedy that eliminated my acne but, so far, I haven’t found it. I realize that I am only treating the symptoms and not the root cause of my hormonal issue, but there are only so many ailments I can deal with at once.
I have, however, incorporated two new techniques to my daily routine.
One is a (very affordable) calcium bentonite clay mask which has worked wonders on my skin.
The proportions:
1 tablespoon of the mask
1 tablespoon of purified water
A splash of apple cider vinegar
*Wait until it dries completely before rinsing off!
It can feel like your skin is burning off at first, but the results will be worth it. Before putting the mask on your entire face, I would suggest testing it on a small piece of skin to make sure your body can handle it.
I have also noticed that I suffer from inflammation on my face, especially in the morning. When my skin was at its worst, I used the Skinny Confidential Ice Roller which, thankfully, reduced a lot of the acne-induced redness. I use rose oil or the accompanying face oil to the ice roller and get to work on my face. It’s extra AF, but so am I.
Bottom line
I assume I will have to deal and manage my acne for many years to come. I will have days when I have clear, glowing skin, and days when I don’t want to leave the house. I wish there was a cleanser, a pill (with no negative side effects) or a diet that ensures clear skin for life, but it just doesn’t exist. If anyone has any tips that helped clear your hormonal acne, please drop them in the comments below!
