To ask if there is anything I could do with my skin (photo)

[ConfusedZebra]

I'm 26. I have pcos. And this is how my skin looks on my face. It's awful. I feel so uncomfortable. I hate wearing make up but have to to cover it up. I asked the GP to help but they just want to put me in the pill(I can't because of migraines and also don't want to). AIBU to ask if there is anything I can do? Or should I just accept it? Went through a bunch of products before but nothing made a massive change. I just want my old skin back like when I was 17 😢😢 before pcos and stressed life.

My skin pretty much looked the same up to about a year ago and I was recommended a cream called oxy10 after trying every other cream, face wash, tablets & it's was amazing. It cleared my skin within a week, only downside is it did dry my face out but nothing a good cream didn't fix. and now I don't break out at all. I'd definitely recommend giving it ago :) you buy it on eBay or amazon. X

I'm a bit unsure about roacutanne. My sister had it and I don't think she had many side effects but I know loads of people who had other health problems after using it. I know my GP is bloody useless. I wonder if I should change surgeries and get another GP opinion. Argh so frustrating tho... I have got problems with my teeth my skin a mole I'm worried about then there is the pcos it's just all a bit too much for me right now. I know people have much bigger and worse issues but I feel sorry for myself (how awful that sounds) Got problems with my family and sister as well and struggling to find a new job. The only good thing in my life is my partner and bless him he takes a lot of shit from me. Sorry for the rant.

Being low dose on it did help
But you should see a specialist for their opinion. Spironolactone is used for acne in PCOS and is not the same as roaccutane - you need to know your options

Tricky because it seems what works for each individual’s acne is different. Plus if you make several changes at once it’s obviously hard to know which one worked/whether it’s just coincidence.

What SEEMS to be helping me (acne since teens, now cystic adult acne):

• dairy-free diet
• supplements - calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron
• an SPF in my daytime moisturiser (?some element of photosensitivity to my spots)
• really really trying not to pick

With hormonal problems in my own experience it’s never been straightforward with finding a shop bought cream or eliminating food - you get to a point where it is so chronic and inflamed you have to take some more serious action
My entire face/back etc was just swollen and inflamed the skin could never recover.

I think diet changes are good but in conjunction with other considerations/medications - to stop it flaring back up once you calm it.

I see my dermatologist every 3 months and he says my acne is 100% hormone based in his opinion and cutting out sugar can help, but if you suffer with your hormones significantly then it is difficult to change this through diet alone. That’s just his opinion. Because you can end up spending a lot of money on fads and phases and ideas and become very disappointed when they don’t work!

I went on Roaccutane twice while I was younger as while it did help clear up my skin that was very red and inflamed some of the side effects weren't pleasant.

I still struggle with outbreaks now but nothing like it used too.

I was my face every day with Quinoderm facewash and presribed by my doctor I take Lymecycline daily and I have Aknemycin which I apply to any spots/breakouts I have and it helps to dry it up.

I also find that putting Carmex on any red marks/scarring I have before bed gradually helps take the redness away so I go to bed looking very greasy!

Soooooo many typos my bad!

My GP gave me a course of oxytetracycline and it cleared my skin up within days. I was on it for 3 months and then stopped, I have had to have one other course in about 3 years and have had mostly clear skin since then. I had no side effects at all except maybe a bit of prickly heat. I would definitely recommend giving it a go

You’ve probably tried this but if not, I found acnecide really efffective. Took maybe a week to get used to it, it made my skin very dry at first, but I have no problems now and use it morning and night

Led light masks help. The red takes down inflammation and the blue tackles the bacteria which aggravate cystic acne.

I know all too well how bad your skin makes you feel but please hold on to the fact that you will eventually find what works for you and it's highly unlikely to be dermalogica microfoliant

I'm an adult acne sufferer, so not PCOS, but Acnecide cleared my skin up within a month - saw a very noticeable improvement after a week. I gradually stopped using it after 6 months and my skin has been pretty good. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to using it if I had another big flare up.

Completely agree with everything a PP Pookie said.

Creams and diet have never helped mine over 20 years of trying. I don't have PCOS and mine is definitely hormonal. Dianette contraceptive pill completely cleared mine when I was younger, but now at 40 I'm too old and the risks too high for me to take it. Also, when I came off the pill my skin was the worst if it's ever been for about a year.

I've never tried Accutane and went back to the doctors about a year ago to ask to try it or be referred to a dermatologist. The doc wanted me to try antibiotics called Lymecycline first. It completely worked. I'm still taking it on and off for a month or two at a time and get maybe 2-3 spots a month.

So it might be worth trying the antibiotics if you haven't already? It's just 1 tablet a day and I've not had any side effects.

Good luck.

How easy is it to get hold of acnecide and how long can you stay on it?

It’s £10 in boots
It burns my DD’s skin like hell
It also stains/bleaches your bedding and clothes

I think Acnecode is just Benzoyl Peroxide which you can buy in various strengths over the counter. It is very drying so I'd start with the lower 2.5% if you're going to try it.

If you have PCOS the acne is hormonal and accutane won’t help permanently, it will keep coming back and accutane is hardcore stuff linked to bowel cancer, depression, suicide and many other side effects.

If you can’t go in the pill then spironolactone would be right for you, you can try to get it from a dermatologist or just buy online from a trusted pharmacy like alldaychemist. You need to monitor your potassium levels every few months at the beginning, you can get tests through Medichecks for a reasonable price.

You can buy acnecide online or at boots and should be able to use it indefinitely.

All the best.

In my humble opinion it needs to be used with an antibiotic. It is no good on its own

says woman who tried everything under the sun known to god and man even crap from eBay

I found my hormonal acne went after I started using Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel in the morning and at night. It may be worth a try?

Accutane in the US was linked to depression and suicide in teenagers as far as I did some research, it was no conclusively shown to be the cause because there are links with the fact that acne in itself causes depression and teenagers are vulnerable to depression for these reasons and so forth

You can also get roaccutane in a cream. You don’t have to take the tablets. Mine was extreme so I do. But the creams are good too and do not have the same side effects

Antibiotics aren’t good for you long term either, neither is essentially bleaching your skin with BP. Nothing is really very good for you

Agree though on specialist for proper advice or you will make the mistake many of us have by getting more depressed by spending all your money on ‘cures’ when a doctor could probably help you

This is a much better version than acnecide which is just BP. This is a retinoid. My daughter uses this as I think she’s too young for roaccutane. She also takes 1 lymecycline a day

Salicylic acid - I can't recommend it enough.

I have taken Accutane, and it did help but the acne came back in time (although not to the same degree). I would not go back on it as I worried myself silly about the side effects, and possible liver damage.

I use a 5% salicylic acid solution one per week and a 10% once per month. It stops any spots coming, and dries out any that have appeared. If you do decide to use salicylic acid, start on a very low percentage, as it does cause skin peeling, and you need to work out what works best for your skin.

This is (was) a grey pillowcase my daughter has to use because of the BP - it’s harsh shit

I'm doing dinner so haven't read the whole thread but evening primrose oil tablets helped me with my cystic acne. Didn't completely fix it but it definitely helped balance things. I don't have ovaries any more and since then my skin is very dry but so much better. Hormones have a lot to answer for. Lots of great advice on here.

PookieDo you're talking so much sense! I sent myself crazy almost, spending hours online searching for the one miracle product, which of course doesn't exist. I was so depressed I'd have bought anything to try it. I found my doctor very unsympathetic as the acne in itself doesn't make you 'poorly' as such. I can't emphasise enough how it made me feel and affected my mental well being though, particularly in my late teens and early twenties. It completely ruled my life.

I wish you all the best OP and hope you find what works for you.

A few supplements which might help a little:-

Evening primrose oil
Starflower oil
Fish oils (although some people find it makes it worse)
Maca root
Agnes castus
Zinc
B vitamins (particularly B5)
Vitamin d
Spirulina
Echinacea