Feeling very depressed - have acne and now gp says to give up breastfeeding...

[Enid]

which I am not going to do as can you imagine how shite I would feel if I gave up AND the spots didnt go

have not had spots like this EVER - along hairline and most horribly, on my neck

they are really getting me down and I am losing loads of confidence. Coupled with the stress of coping with 3 kids (one 10 week old baby) I am beginning to feel quite depressed.

Any tips? Have tried prescription antibiotic and it didn't really make any difference (plus it smelled HORRIBLE )

Cannot see that stoppping breastfeeding will help particularly if you do not want to stop this yet.

My guess for what its worth is that its hormonal and a condition called polycystic ovaries is to blame. This is where the ovaries develop multiple follicles on them and these produce excess levels of hormone.

If your doc was going to be helpful he would suggest you get a blood test done to see what your hormone levels are like, particularly LH and FSH.

I would suggest you get the medical people to seek out the underlying cause of the spots rather than just let them give you one type of medicine after another, particularly with something like Roaccutane. This may help with the acne but does not address why they are there in the first place.

Diannete is often prescribed to women presenting with cystic acne and many of these women have polycystic ovaries or its related syndrome PCOS.

Dianette has an anti androgenic effect so is helpful with cases of cystic acne.

ooh no don't want dianette as am 40 this year

can't think that it is polycystic ovary syndrome in my case as have had no symptoms like this until now, i am 39 and this is third baby.

will keep washing and applying clinique blemish gel and see if there is any improvement

MI, that neals yard stuff sounds lovely although at £22 for 40g is MORE expensive than eve lom - may just have to sell a few things on Ebay and go back to Eve Lom, at least it makes the nice bits of my skin stay nice IYSWIM

have you thought of getting som e help, especially with the holidays c oming up.
I had help after ds3 adn it just gave me time to sleep really. and chill a little. nanny sometimes took bsa

sorry just had mad greek man bring a deleivery and lost my train of thought!

sometimes nanny would take baby out for couple of hours and I would have total quiet...it really helped as I vowed I would have help after having to put up with ds2 and his wailing for a year...

Expat, Roaccutane terrifies me ! TBH, my skin is not that bad. I get hormonal breakouts for 2 weeks of every cycle (so I'm 2wks spotty, 2 wks clear - grrrr), just the odd one or two, but they are generally the sore, BIG b@$tards. I guess the spots I do have are just stubborn in the extreme

Enid, I really feel for you.

The only topical thing I find that works to a degree (but is very drying) is a product called PanOxyl (cream/gel comes in a tube, buy it over the counter, used to only be avail on prescription). But as we have seen, just because one thing works for one person, doesn't mean it'll work for you (sadly).

PanOxyl has the same active ingredient at same concentration as Oxy10 - that's two votes...

oh Enid poor you
I had shocking skin after DD was born, and now I'm pregnant again it's completely disintegrating into that of an acne-ridden 14 year old

anyway - if the Eve Lom helps, just weigh up that £45 against all the money you'd have to spend on formula if you took the GP's advice. I think it's worth it, don't you

Enid
I have had cystic acne since my teens. (am now in 30s)
I had a brief period when my DD was born and was b'feeding fully when my skin was great but when my periods came back at about 9months post birth my skin went absolutely haywire. I ended up going privately to a dermatologist when my dd was about 12 months old. He nearly fell off his chair when he saw my face (it was only ever on my face) - Some of the cysts were the size of grapes.
Anyway - he said the only thing that would work is Roaccutane. I didn't want to give up b'feeding so can imagine how you are feeling.
I refused to take it and asked for DALACIN T. I was allowed to use this topical solution while b'feeding as less of the medicine can pass to your LO than if it was a tablet.
It has worked and I am still using it a year later.
IME GPs are quick to suggest ditching bfeeding as they are so restricted as to what they can give you. In fact my GP told me that "babies only suck for comfort after 5 months - they don't need breastmilk then". But that's another story.
Hope things get better for you soon.
x

Expat, where do you get this Proactiv stuff from? Is it a cream?

Poor you! Try Agnus Castus drops - they are meant to be good in helping hormone imbalances and have seemed to help mine. I haven't read the thread so sorry if this has already been suggested.

Sorry, posted too quickly - agnus castus are drops that you drink in a little water a couple of times a day. You should start to see a difference after 4-6 weeks.

i get it online, GDG

from www.proactiv.com

Enid,

Will GP do a blood test to see what your hormone levels are like?.

Polycystic ovaries can actually develop at any age.

You should not self medicate with agnus castus as it can make any underlying hormonal imbalance worse (particularly if PCO is an issue). If you really want to go down this route would suggest you seek out a properly qualified medical herbalist.

I have had acne in the past and have found dermalogica to be good and I once pinched my ex's zihr skincare ange for spots and found that to be as good. It is emant for men but whenever I get the odd hormonal outbreak it has served me well.

Enid, I have had horrendous acne and boils since having children. I breastfeed both of mine too. When I stopped after the final one, the GP put me on a course of anti-biotics. I was on them for 5 years. They helped a lot but not completely. My boils were so bad and they seemed to have a mirror image on my face all the time - if one was on one side, then another appeared on the other side too. My eyes used to close up and on my back you could do dot-to-dot. It was awful.

In the end I COMPLETELY changed my diet to a really healthy one with loads of water and very low fat (very little dairy) and funnily enough, by a fluke, no coffee. I really thought I wanted to flush my system out so thought nothing but water only. Recently I have started drinking coffee again and my spots are all coming back. So for me, it looks like I have to avoid coffee or have it in moderation only.

I wonder if you are now allergic to something or if your hormones and body has changed since having children and makes you intolerant to something? Looks like me and coffee don't agree anymore and I only found that out by accident.

Must admit, I have stopped the coffee again and my skin is clearing up.

I am so glad I found this thread, if only because it helps to know there are others out there suffering with acne like I am.

I have had acne since I was 14 years old. I never got the really big cysts on my face, but they were all over my back and shoulders - I'd often come home from school with bloodstains on my shirt where spots had burst during the day. After going through several rounds of over-the-counter and prescription topical treatments, my GP prescribed Oxytetracycline. By the time I was 17 my skin was noticeably better, but still not clear. During my first year at university I met my first serious boyfriend and started taking the Pill (Marvelon at the time). The Pill was the best thing ever for my skin - for the first time in years I felt I looked normal and could wear other tops than high-necked ones that covered my back and upper arms.

After the 'Pill scare' I was taken off Marvelon and prescribed Microgynon - sadly this one didn't work for me and the acne started to return, along my jawline and neck. Devastated, I went back to the doctor and was put on Dianette - worked fantastically; I was on it for about 8 years (which I know you're not supposed to be but GP seemed happy to keep prescribing it). I will say though that in hindsight it gave me bad headaches at times and made me moody. Then it was recommended that because of its high hormone levels and associated DVT risk, Dianette was not prescribed for long-term use - so I was switched to Yasmin. This also worked fine. I stopped taking it in June 2005 to start TTC. For 4 months my skin stayed clear and I was elated that I'd finally got rid of my acne once and for all. Then, in October, I started noticing some really big spots appearing on my back and shoulders. It was back. I went back to my GP and was prescribed oral erythromycin in view of the fact that I was TTC and it was the only oral antibiotic considered safe during pregnancy.

I'm now 14+5 pregnant and stopped taking the erythromycin as soon as I tested positive as I was just worried about any possibility of risk. My spots are now awful on my back and shoulders - sometimes I can't lie down properly because they are too painful. For the first time ever I also have spots on my chest, but they are tiny and look more like a rash. I've gone all summer without being able to wear vest tops and now I can't even wear a scoop-necked top with a v-neck over it (my staple winter wardrobe).

I'm SO fed up. I'm tempred to ask my GP for Dalacin T - DH recommended this as it worked for his acne - but my GP said topical treatments weren't that effective. The spots on my face are fortunately not bad at all but the ones on my back and chest are really getting me down. It's also what to do long-term - if I go back on the Pill after the baby's born that's all well and good, but having been on the Pill for 15 years in total I'm not sure that's a good idea. What I need is some way of treating the hormonal imbalance that causes the damned things in the first place.

Had anyone with fairly bad acne found Dalacin T to be of any use?

I developed bad acne when I came off the pill. I was advised to use an omega oil supplement to help with hormone imbalances (I used udo's choice) and to take zinc supplements. That plus a topical treatment got rid of my acne in about 5 months. HTH

Hi, Lotus.

So, how long's your skin been acne free now?

I take multivitamins, zinc and omegas, been taking them the past year or so. I'm also 4 months into a 6 month course of Minocycline and been taking Dianette the past month. My skin's only improved slightly, but hoping the Dianette is effective, I've heard it's a pretty good for acne.

How's everyone else going with their skin?

Mine is sh*t. Think I'll make an appointment with my GP for something topical - has anyone had any success with Dalacin T? - as I can't get through another 5 months of pregnancy with spots on my shoulders the size of 5p pieces. Am noticing my face - especially round my jawline - is breaking out more now too.

Will be glad when I've had my baby so that I can go back on the Pill - which actually I don't really want to do but can't see another option to be honest. I don't want to take Roaccutane.

Wuxia, I found Dianette extremely effective, although it probably took 4-5 months to really see results. Haven't taken Minocycline but have been on Oxytetracycline in the past - it was fairly effective but nowhere near as good as the Pill.

The trouble with being pregnant is that there's literally nothing you can take. I was prescibed oral erythromycin whilst TTC as apparently it's safe for use in pregnancy, but you can always find other information which tells you the opposite, so decided I'd live with acne rather than take the risk of any damage to my baby. Now, I have to be honest and say I'm not sure I can live with acne after all, so thought I'd try topical erythromycin (Dalacin) as a last resort. It's not supposed to be that effective, but has to be more effective than not using anything?

I've been acne free for about 2 years, although if I slack off at all on the topical treatment I do get the odd spot. Since I've been pregnant I have had an outbreak on my chest (never previously) which went away when I used the topical products on it.

I use these products which I mail order from the US.

Wondering how everyone is getting on with their skin problems as I have been reading with interest. Am 13+4 and my skin seems to be getting worse rather than better ... thought as I hit 2nd trimester it would start improving. Before I make GP appt., wondering if anyone had discovered a miracle cure?! Have been on ProActiv for a week and not sure yet if it is helping but any advice welcome!

Depressing isn't it. Thought I would be blooming by now!

Lotussister, I've had spots on my chest too since being pregnant, which I've never had previously. They're not big like the spots on my back though, but are small and rash-like. The skin on y chest and shoulders feels rough and flaky to the touch.

Unbelievably, I've had some success with Clinique products. I had a consultation with one of the women on the Clinique counter in Selfridges - had popped in there to look at their blemish control range and would normally avoid the salespeople like the plague, but this woman was really helpful and spent a lot of time with me. It transpires that I've been using completely the wrong products for my skin. In my teens I tried all the harsh spot-zapping face washes and cleansers which hust seemed to make matters worse, and have avoided products for oily skin ever since, preferring to stick to mild ones for sensitive skin. Although I've been using the Clinique Foaming Cleanser and Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion for some time, the lady advised me that the facial wash is just to dissolve make-up and the soap/liquid soap for oily skin should be used as well. She also said the Clarifying lotion (exfoliation step of their 3-Step programme) is vital and I've never done this. She also advised a switch from the Dramatically Different lotion to the gel formula, which is better for oily skin. She also recommended their blemish treatment and they do a back and chest spray. I decided I may as well give the regime a proper go rather than trying to cut corners - since I can't take anything medical at the moment I was willing to try anything.

I've only been following the new programme for two weeks but my skin is LOADS better. I had lots of black and whiteheads under the skin on my face - not spots but nasty lumps, which were slowly developing into more and more spots. They have pretty much completely gone. The blemish control gel is amazing - literally dries out spots overnight - and the back and chest spray has really helped too. So overall pretty pleased. My skin is noticeably less oily too.

Lotus, am interested in the link you posted too. Which of the BioN products do you use?

I agree with NomDePlume, another vote for Panoxyl. It's really cheap and you don't need a prescription, I asked our pharmasist and she recommended it.
Ihad the same huge lumpy spots under my jaw and down the side of my face by the hairline. Sometimes I could squish them but some were just gross, distending my face and making me feel like such a freak. I'm 27 so this isn't exactly teenage skin.
I love it cos it only costs about £3, it does dry your skin out to the point of flakyness, but that can be sorted out with a tiny dab of E45 or similar