Sick of awful skin - should I ask GP for Dianette?

[SnafuOutOfHiding]

I have had it with my skin. I've tried everything I can think of bar prescription products - various cleaners and treatments, topical applications, diet, zinc supplements, evening primrose, herbal remedies, drinking plenty of water blah blah blah.

My face is still a mess and it NEVER gets any better. It's really starting to affect my confidence - plus, they hurt!

It's all post-baby - never had any problems before. My cycle is also way shorter than it used to be which only seems to exacerbate the problem as my skin never gets a 'rest' from breakouts.

I'm so utterly fed up.

How depressing. Dianette worked for me but it was quite scary because if you do get pregnamt, the baby will be damaged so you have to be very good at taking it....

I sympathise

FWIW, I took dianette a few years ago and had a terrible time with it. It gave me terrible, debilitating migraines. So bad that I couldn't see or stand, they lasted anything from 4 hours to an entire day and night. They were very, very regular, coming at least twice a week. Before being given the dianette I'd had about 4 migraines in my life. The migraine hangover was terrible too, so it wasn't just the migraine itself. It was so bad I couldn't work . On the upside, I had clear skin

I still suffer regular migraines now and I am not on any sort of hormonal (or otherwise) contraception/medication. They are nowhere near as regular or as powerful as they were on dianette, but it certainly seemed to trigger something off in me.

i take the yasmin contraseptive pill which keeps my skin clear. As soon as I stop taking it I go back to having really bad skin troubles. Never heard of dianette but yasmin also helped me andit is the pillthat is not supposed to make you put weight on.

Not heard of yasmin. I took Dianette for 6 months and then came off it. Problem has not come back and that was 2 yrs ago. I feel very lucky.

Hmmm, not great about the migraines, NdP - sounds horrible. I've never had one yet (touch wood) but certainly don't fancy getting them!

However, I do really feel that I need something to a) regulate my cycle and b) help my skin. The irony about taking hormonal contraception is that I'm so far from having sex with anyone! But hey, with clear skin maybe my dating confidence would improve. You never know.

I'll investigate Yasmin, admylin - I've heard of it but don't know much about it.

That's good to know, spud.

I know it sounds petty to be longing for clear skin but it's such a confidence-crusher. I never went through this in my teens so it's a BIG shock now.

It's bad enough having to dye my hair to hide the grey. Acne as well just seems to be taking the piss, really...

I remember having skin trouble as a teen but everyone said it only lasts a few years then it'll go which it didn't and the only time I had really nice skin was when I was expecting - looks like I'll be on the pill as long as possible though and after the menopause I hope my skin changes! Got a while to wait though!

I was on Dianette and it made me tired and sluggish, I gained loads of weight, and my skin still wasnt perfect. Give it a go but dont expect miricles.

Have you tried asking for a referral to a dermatologist? Best treatment I ever came across was a topical antibiotic from the dermatologist

I always hoped I would have a few years nice skin between acne and wrinkles!

It is soul destroying Snafu. I felt as though the spots stood out a mile but people do not notice as much as you think they do. Take action and book an appointment to chat with your doctor. Just that in itself will make you feel better. Make it clear to your doctor that your confidence is suffering. I am sure they can do something for you.

Snafu, I know what you mean. I feel so shallow complaining about my skin, but it does have an effect on pretty much everything I do.

Have you considered acupuncture? I have PCOS with various symptoms, although fortunately I only get occasional spots, and I was on Dianette for a while. Like NDP it gave me migraines and it really killed my libido, plus after about a year it stopped making much difference to the PCOS symptoms so I stopped taking it.

A few years ago someone recommeded a course of acupuncture with an acupuncturist who specialised in menstrual and infertility problems. Despite loads of scepticism on my part it worked very well at regulating my cycle. It was fairly expensive though.

i have tried every medication known to man for my skin including two lots of roaccutane which finally cleared my skin up when i was 28 ... and now 31 and get the odd breakout but nothing like i used to.
Dianette was fine but Yasmin better for skin clearing and seemed to have less side effects.
reflexology is also good for regulating menstrual cycles and general well being ...

Just in case you haven't tried this, I want to recommend a topical application called Duac.

I had no spots all through my teens, but at about 28 got adult acne. It was really really severe, there was no part of my chin, sides of face, that wasn't raw, bumpy, it was insane. I had (and have) scarring, like crater face scarring, from a couple of years of this. I tried Dianette, and not only did it not help, I got depressed and gained a lot of weight. I came off it and managed the acne okay with a topical cream and oral antibiotic, but you can't do that forever.

Then my dermatologist put me onto a cream called Duac. It bleaches everything it comes into contact with, so I've ruined a few t-shirts and a lot of towels and sheets. But it worked really really well for me within about a week or two. When I got pregnant, weirdly, my skin cleared right up and so far it's still fine, but I'm expecting it to go rubbish again when I stop expressing milk and then I'll be reaching for the Duac again. If you have tried topical ointments but haven't tried this, do give it a whirl, I know you're tired of creams because they don't work, but it just might. I really hope it works for you. I know how awful it is to have bad acne and think everyone in the street is looking at you and feeling totally freakish and unclean and unattractive. As has been said on this thread, these feelings are pretty much without foundation and only in the acne sufferer's head.

I had terrible break outs and eczema after ds and had never ever suffered with spots before. I had food intolerence testing and it showed a lactose intolerence. Since cutting out dairy my skin has been so much better, the eczema has cleared up and my skin looks so much better. It's worth a shot.

Hey

Dianette worked very well for me as a teenager, spots on my face and back cleared up almost completely. No bad side effects for me, but that is always a risk.

Wow, lots of suggestions and things to think about - thank you everyone.

I have an appointment with my GP on Tuesday so we'll see. He's usually pretty good so hopefully will be open to discussion and not just fob me off!

Snafu - I've been on both Yasmin & Dianette. Dianette was pretty good - my skin was not perfect but much better and my periods were regular and not too long. On Yasmin my skin was awful and I got very heavy periods.

Well, he prescribed Dianette immediately. I didn't have to beg after all He thought my skin looked pretty bad and that I might as well try it as it would help sort out my cycle too. So I've got a 3-month supply...we'll see, I guess.

I'm relieved to have done something about it, finally! And I actually left the house without half-an-inch of makeup so he could get the full grisly effect