SPOTS!!

[smokinaces]

Thought I was over this in my teens, but sadly at 28 they have returned with a vengeance!

I have PCOS, and have been taken off the combined pill 6-8 weeks ago. Cycle is starting to return - however so are the spots.

They are everywhere on my face and shoulders, and in my hairline.

Anyone got any remedies?!

Oh you poor thing. Are you taking evening primrose oil and Vitamin B6 for your hormones? A good face pack once or twice a week and perhaps an expensive clearing gel may help? As well as a good face wash maybe?

I'd perhaps consider no make up to give your skin a rest, but I'm no expert. I really feel for you though and as no one had replied I thought I'd suggest a few things that help me.

Thanks Tea. Its not makeup - I dont wear foundation especially not in my hair or on my shoulder

will give evening primrose and B6 a go. have no idea what I am missing so they would be a good place to start!!

what clearing gels are any good though? havent tried any for such a long time.

I'd go and see a specialist tbh, get the GP to refer you. I have a dermatologica clearing gel which is good but I think a proper dermatician (sp?) would be a better bet for you.

I know your spots are in the hair too, I just thought it would help your face to breath. Must be horrid for you

Thanks Tea, I am due to see the GP next month so will ask for a referall. Its just annoying, especially wiht it coming to summer.

The hair line I always used special shampoo for, but I wonder whether I need to switch again.

Thanks for your help.

I'll try and be brief here... Since my teens I used a face cream called "Fade Out", its good for fading scars etc, used it for years then after a vain moment ralised that had been taking the colour out of my skin (the rest of me is quite brown all the time - I dont mean that it looked silly or anything, but I like to have a brown face !) so I stopped using it, this coinsided with 15 months of proplems with different pills, and my skin turned to crap at the age of 31...

Dr wasnt really interested, told me it was hormonal etc put me on 2 different pills to help with skin and it did nothing, granted it was not major acne or anything but to me it was, and I do a sales/rep job so my face is the first thing peole see (sorry - you know all this form your own experience), anyway by then my skin was getting quite scarred so I bought some more fade out to get rid of it, within 4 weeks my skin was clear again and the scaring had majorly reduced.

I then went on microgynon for 3 months till that go horrendous for various reasons and came off it about 4 weeks ago. In the 4 weeks I have been pill free for the first time in 13 years I have had a couple of spots, and am a little paranoid that they will all come back, but I am convinced that for some reason it is the fade out that has helped me.

They sell it in big boots stores, and its about £9 for a pot, I use the day one in the morning and eve as I didnt like the nighttime one. Even if this doesnt help your spots, it will help any scarring you have, and also seems to make new spots far less red/noticable. If you do try this I would be really interested to know if it does anything for you - but if it wasnt that that helped my skin then its a huge coinsidence !! And if not, I hope you find something else that does suit you !

fab, thanks blonde. Will keep an eye out for it!!

I'm 33 and still suffer so you have my sympathies. At the moment I'm on a course of Lymecycline from the doctor. It took a good couple of months before it had an effect, but the results have been amazing! Before that I used Panoxyl 10 gel from the chemist which was effective in drying up spots. It can be a little harsh and very drying on the skin so start with a lower dose first.

brilliant, thanks jimmy.

to others it may not look too bad. But when I get them they are huge, last ages and very sore. I want something to try and stop them, but having been banned from the combined pill (which settled them) I am really thankful for all your ideas!