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^ Thanks HopefulStar, How's the progress going????????????
So I got Daria's message so I figured I'd update. Haven't been on acne.org in a MONTH which is a GOOD SIGN lol I've been so busy getting business settled with my life.
God I don't even know what day I'm on, I think it's the end of Pack 4 (I'm on my period right now).
The Good News= My skin for the past month has been amazingly great. I haven't gotten a cyst in 1 month. And I'm pretty sure all the cysts are gone for good (at least while I'm on this pill). I'm going to say that Tri Sprintec is working even better than Yasmin AND Ortho Novum at this point. (Or Maybe it's just the Clarisonic which is why I'm not breaking out anymore?? I'm really not sure, I just know that on my previous 2 birth control pills, I got some small pimples every now and then). By the way, I haven't worn foundation in a month. I've only been dusting MAC powder on my face.
The Bad News= First of all, I'm still getting cramps during period week. I didn't have any cramps with the other pills, so I'm hoping it's still adjusting and maybe Month 5 it will get better.
~Also for other bad news, I DO have small indented scars/and other types of reddish scars around my mouth area/cheeks and also some hyper pigmentation from the really bad cysts I was getting in Months 1 through 3. I really hope these heal, but they do look indented, so I'm giving them a few months. (I'll let you all know WHEN if ever they disappear, ugh I HATE SCARS, I look clear in some lighting, and in other lighting, they are very visible. So I dunno) Also my jawline nodules are taking INCREDIBLY long to go away, but I'm not so bothered by these since you can't really see them hehe...
So that's it for now.....message me if you have any more questions anyone!!
^ Thanks HopefulStar, How's the progress going????????????
So I got Daria's message so I figured I'd update. Haven't been on acne.org in a MONTH which is a GOOD SIGN lol I've been so busy getting business settled with my life.
God I don't even know what day I'm on, I think it's the end of Pack 4 (I'm on my period right now).
The Good News= My skin for the past month has been amazingly great. I haven't got a cyst in 1 month. And I'm pretty sure all the cysts are gone for good (at least while I'm on this pill). I'm going to say that Tri Sprintec is working even better than Yasmin AND Ortho Novum at this point. (Or Maybe it's just the Clarisonic which is why I'm not breaking out anymore?? I'm really not sure, I just know that on my previous 2 birth control pills, I got some small pimples every now and then). By the way, I haven't worn foundation in a month. I've only been dusting MAC powder on my face.
The Bad News= First of all, I'm still getting cramps during period week. I didn't have any cramps with the other pills, so I'm hoping it's still adjusting and maybe Month 5 it will get better.
~Also for other bad news, I DO have small indented scars/and other types of reddish scars around my mouth area/cheeks and also some hyper pigmentation from the really bad cysts I was getting in Months 1 through 3. I really hope these heal, but they do look indented, so I'm giving them a few months. (I'll let you all know WHEN if ever they disappear, ugh I HATE SCARS, I look clear in some lighting, and in other lighting, they are very visible. So I dunno) Also my jawline nodules are taking INCREDIBLY long to go away, but I'm not so bothered by these since you can't really see them hehe...
So that's it for now.....message me if you have any more questions anyone!!
god im sooo happy for you!! it was definetely an initial break out you were experiencing in the beginning. As for your scars, you can try some TCA peels. I bet that can help with your scarring since you said their small and it will also help with the pigmentation. Just make sure you're moisturizing your face that way indented scars will heal faster. You can try unrefined shea butter. Please update us monthly. HUGSS
god im sooo happy for you!! it was definetely an initial break out you were experiencing in the beginning. As for your scars, you can try some TCA peels. I bet that can help with your scarring since you said their small and it will also help with the pigmentation. Just make sure you're moisturizing your face that way indented scars will heal faster. You can try unrefined shea butter. Please update us monthly. HUGSS
Aw Thanks a bunch Daria. 
I guess since you're still following, that you're still considering taking Tri Sprintec?
And for sure, I've been moisturizing, every day after using my Clarisonic. Just that these scars look indented so I know they won't disappear until the surface of my skin actually reheals itself.
Im so glad youre back! I loved reading your updates. I was excited to hear that at month four you were near being clear and not breaking out but im on month four and got some few breakouts but totally not horrible ahahaha. I wish i can go out without makeup but right now im not theree yet with all my scars and marks aha
Hey girls, it's that time of the month again! Update!
So right now I'm nearing the end of Pack 5, I did something really stupid at the end of pack 4, and I skipped an ENTIRE WEEK because I didn't have the time to pick up my pack from the pharmacy. So basically, I will never skip another day again while I'm on this pill, because the 99% clearness I enjoyed in Pack 4 is not what I'm experiencing with Pack 5. At first, I was actually afraid I had to go through the initial breakout AGAIN! LOL. How utterly horrible would that have been? But it's all good fortunately. No nodules or cysts (nothing major~ haven't had a nodule/cyst since Pack 3), just papules and pustules again which disappear in a few days (thanks to the Clarisonic), they mainly arise on my chin, or on my cheek, or around the mouth area.....But damn, I've learned my lesson and I can't wait to getting back to completely clear....cause I know it's possible from last month. My deeper scars from Months 1~3 are also disappearing, but I still have redness around the mouth. I've been using foundation sparingly to even out my skin tone....I've gone back to Revlon Colorstay, old faithful.
This month's period was actually not painful! No horrible cramps....period is definitely shorter...
And for my Clarisonic update, I would've purchased it on THIS reason aloneif you've been reading my log, I have 2 hypertrophic (raised) scars on my nose from 2 severe cystic bumps I had 5 years ago. The reason for these slightly raised patches of skin was because sebum and bacteria and oil got trapped when I was picking at it so many years ago, and it left a raised scar, that not even the Dermatologist knew what to do with....and I've also mentioned here, I was using ScarAway Silicone sheets to help to flatten them (spent about $45 on 2 packs), but all those do are slightly flatten them and not completely get rid of them...............
Well what can I say, the Clarisonic DOES clean really deep because it has uprooted all those oils and all that trapped sebum under those thick scars, and pushed it up and out, and my nose is FINALLY healing. That is how good this thing is. Probably what I would have had to get expensive surgery to remove (people spend thousands of dollars for microdermabrasion and lasers and surgery when the Clarisonic cost $150!)..........If the texture of your skin is bad or scarred, or just doesn't feel nice, the Clarisonic will definitely improve it and it will make all your creams, gels, moisturizers, whatever skin products you're using, work so much better.....If I ever see my Dermatologist again, I will let her know about the scars she didn't know how to treat and how the Clarisonic has healed them...
I guess that's all for now...
Hi, I have been following your blog. I have a question. Why did you stil taking Yasmin? My daughter started taking birthe control pills for acne and because she was only having a period every three months. I asked her gynecologist for something to help with her skin. He gave her ortho tri cyclen lo. I guess because she is young. Almost 16. I took ortho tri cyclen when I was around 25 or 26. My skin freaked out after my daughter was born when she was 2 or so. I developed acne everywhere on my chin, around my mouth, cheeks and forehead. And I had huge cysts that would sit there for weeks at a time. Ortho tri cyclen had just been approved for acne a little before this so my gyno put me on it. It cleared me completely. Don't remember how long it took. Looking back, I now know that the only time I have ever had completely clear skin is when I was on birth control pills. I had normal teenage acne I guess. Not too bad but not perfect skin. I started taking birth control at age 18. My first one was ortho novum. My face cleared up. I just thought at the time it was that I had grown out of teenage acne. I took that pill all through college and had clear skin. I got married right after finishing college and then had my daughter at age 23. I started birth control again, but whatever my gyno at the time gave me made me crazy. I don't remember what it was. But my poor husband was scared of me. So I got off of it. My face stayed clear for about a year.. Then it freaked out bad. I didn't know what was going on. My skin had never been that bad. Then I went to a new gyno and he suggested ortho tri cyclen when he saw my face. I was scared to take it because of what happened with the last one. But I tried it because I was desperate. My face was being ruined. But this time I was fine on the ortho tri cyclen and my face cleared up. I didn't gain weight either..
Anyway, that is when I made the connection between birth control and clear skin. My daughter took the ortho lo for 4 months and had a bad initial breakout in month 2. Then we thought it was getting better and then at the end of month 4 she broke out again. So I asked her gyno to switch her to regular ortho tri cyclen. Because that is what I took and I have read that you need a pill with at least 30 mg of estrogen to be effective for acne. So she started the regular on month 5 and has about 8 days left of active pills. So it is too early to tell. I also took her to a dermatologist. He wanted to switch her to Yasmin. But I was reluctant. I want to try the regular ortho for awhile first. Also she is afraid to switch and have another initial breakout. He also gave her clindamycin lotion and retin a .25.
Anyway that is why I ask about the Yasmin. Did it work well for you and why did you stop taking it?
Anyway, that is when I made the connection between birth control and clear skin. My daughter took the ortho lo for 4 months and had a bad initial breakout in month 2. Then we thought it was getting better and then at the end of month 4 she broke out again. So I asked her gyno to switch her to regular ortho tri cyclen. Because that is what I took and I have read that you need a pill with at least 30 mg of estrogen to be effective for acne. So she started the regular on month 5 and has about 8 days left of active pills. So it is too early to tell. I also took her to a dermatologist. He wanted to switch her to Yasmin. But I was reluctant. I want to try the regular ortho for awhile first. Also she is afraid to switch and have another initial breakout. He also gave her clindamycin lotion and retin a .25.
Anyway that is why I ask about the Yasmin. Did it work well for you and why did you stop taking it?
Hi Katelibby, I'm glad someone has been following along!
Well my skin sounds similar to yours. It has never been clear without a birth control pill or without an antibiotic, which I started taking when I was 17. Acne for me between the ages of 12 and 17 was a huge sore spot for me in high school and middle school and I'd get teased a lot too....the severe cystic kind...genetics...hormones..whatever...
So you ask about Yasmin....I took it for around 2 years. I had no problems with it at all. My skin was clear....keep in mind, I was also on an antibiotic with Yasmin, so I'm not sure if Yasmin by itself is as effective (it probably is but just mentioning). I'm not taking an antibiotic currently with Ortho Tri because I've been on antibiotics too long... The "initial breakout" with Yasmin lasted about 1.5 months. And that initial breakout wasn't bad at all, compared to Ortho Tri cyclen!!!!! lol
Yasmin also has another compound in it "drospirenone" which is rarely used in birth control pills, but it's supposed to work well for acne. However, all meds have their side effects, and especially Yasmin has been in the news about lawsuits and deaths and some severe side effects...you can read up on drospirenone http://en.wikipedia....ki/Drospirenone . . .
But anyways, like I said I didn't have any problems on it myself, I just changed to a stronger birth control pill Ortho Novum, which was too strong, now I'm on Ortho Tri cyclen which is one of the top approved BCPs.........
I would say if your daughter just switched from Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo to Ortho Tri Cyclen, it is definitely too early to tell if this latter pill will work for her skin, if it's her 1st pack of OTC........The amount of estrogen in the pill is so important, as you mentioned. Too low possibly won't adequately control your hormones (but is safer), too high will control your hormones but has other risks....I've been on a variety of them....30 to 35 mg is the standard dose and I'll never go higher than that, because I was on a high dose pill and it screwed my health over. Ortho Tri Cyclen actually has 35 mg compared to Yasmin which has 30 mg....both your average dose..
Thanks for the info. I didn't want to switch her to the Yasmin since I have heard all of the bad stuff about it. I just saw two commercials for law suits against it tonight. So I wanted to try ortho tri cyclen first since that is what worked for me. Hopefully it will work. She had pretty normal skin. A few pimples here and there, sometimes none. Last may her skin was perfect, not one bump.. Then the next month it went crazy. Big red cysts everywhere. I knew from experience that birth control would probably help but was relunctant to put her on it since she was only 15. But by the end of October when it hadn't cleared up I knew I had to do something. I just wish I had insisted on regular Ortho instead of letting him put her on the low first. But since she is young I was worried about the higher estrogen. But I really think she needs the extra estrogen.
A friend of hers that is 2 years older than her took ortho tri cyclen and it completely cleared up her face. She had had pretty bad acne since 7th grade and started taking it her junior year of high school. Her skin started looking better after 3 months of takin it, and she said by about 6 months the acne was completely gone.
Yasmin will be a last resort for us. I have heard it works well for acne though. Thanks again and good luck.
Ok I have another update, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS DAMN PILL?
The last post I wrote 2 days ago, about not having any cramps is totally wrong....It is the last day of my period for Month 5, the LAST day, my period is over and I'm having cramps! The same cramps I had on New Years and was cursing the world and was high on pain killers!!!!! I'm in my bed and for the past 10 to 15 minutes, my abdominal area has been cramping horribly, I'm bent over in pain and breathing and UGH. WTF, I'm so sick of this pill being inconsistent!!!!!!!!! This is what I get for skipping an entire week between pack 4 and 5, ouchhhhhh, Im in pain, it hurts so bad I'm probably going to take another pain killer....FFFFFFFFFF************************************ no I'm literally crying right now it hurts EXTREMELY BAD
Month Six, End of Week 1
I guess I'm back to doing updates again since my skin seems to have returned to a breakout state unfortunately....damn pill lol
All I can say is thank God for Revlon Colorstay Foundation. For Full cover foundations in general.. It just covers everything right up.
A few days ago, I woke up with a breakout....haven't had an actual breakout in awhile it seems.....a splatter of small pimples, some on my chin, a few above my mouth, some redness on my cheeks from a pimple dying down....I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror at the drugstore today, I wasn't wearing any foundation, and crappppppp, I looked like Freddy Kruger. Not so much the pimples, but the redness from the scarring....
And I get an occasional odd bout of cramps randomly (I'm not even on my period) which is strange..
I'm really close to wanting to get a prescription to a NEW birth control pill....I miss mono phasic pills! They are so much more effective it seems like, but I'm just keeping Month 4 in mind (when I was kind of clear)....
I think you may have messed up your hormones by forgetting to have your pills filled and missing that first week. Hopefully they will level out soon. The derm gave my daughter some clindamycin lotion and it has helped. If you don't want to try oral antibiotics maybe you can try this instead. Anyway, good luck.
I think you may have messed up your hormones by forgetting to have your pills filled and missing that first week. Hopefully they will level out soon. The derm gave my daughter some clindamycin lotion and it has helped. If you don't want to try oral antibiotics maybe you can try this instead. Anyway, good luck.
I know, it friggin sucks too. I got my first cyst yesterday right near my chin, haven't had one of those in months. I just realized, the reason why Im so relaxed about skipping days is because when I was on my previous BCPs, I was also on antibiotics with them, so even if I skipped 3 days on the pill, I would not break out cause the Minocycline was so strong........Guess I cannot be like that anymore since I'm antibiotic free!!!
Right before an interview too. Again. . . .
I just noticed that you were taking the ortho novum 1/50 before now. I took ortho novum 1/35. That was my first pill at age 18 and it helped with acne, but so did ortho tri cyclen at age 25 or do. Just in case this pill doesn't work for you, you could try the 1/35. It has the 35 mg of estrogen.
Another thing I wanted to let you know is that in all my reading of birth control pills and acne I noticed that a lot of people that went from higher estrogen to lower said they really broke out for awhile..
Another thing , some people said they just didn't feel the generic was as effective as the brand or as consistent. You might want to ask for the brand. With our insurance the difference in the brand and the generic ortho is $8. I asked for the brand. I just didn't want to chance it.
Hope you are doing better.
Month Six, Middle of Week 2
Boy how I've missed you selftanner!!!!!!! I am sitting here in bed, I've just applied my St. Tropez bronzing mousse to my face, neck and chest because I'm going out tomorrow, and I haven't worn self tanner in nearly a year due to my skin breaking out cause of the pill......but man, just couldn't take it anymore...need the tan...and I hear from a few friends the Clarisonic really works to prevent breakouts from the self tanner clogging your pores. That's one of the reasons why I stopped using St. Tropez on my face last year, cause it was giving me blackheads and pimples every so often.
My face definitely is getting better from the start of this month. A week ago, it was the "worst" breakout I had experienced in a few months. Several pimples on my chin, a few larger ones here and there. Then, a few days ago, most of them flattened out over night. Now there's just a couple I'm working on, but make up covers it pretty decently. Things are looking better!
I just noticed that you were taking the ortho novum 1/50 before now. I took ortho novum 1/35. That was my first pill at age 18 and it helped with acne, but so did ortho tri cyclen at age 25 or do. Just in case this pill doesn't work for you, you could try the 1/35. It has the 35 mg of estrogen.
Another thing I wanted to let you know is that in all my reading of birth control pills and acne I noticed that a lot of people that went from higher estrogen to lower said they really broke out for awhile..
Another thing , some people said they just didn't feel the generic was as effective as the brand or as consistent. You might want to ask for the brand. With our insurance the difference in the brand and the generic ortho is $8. I asked for the brand. I just didn't want to chance it.
Hope you are doing better.
Month Six, End of 2nd Week
My skin has been better this whole past week. I've been waking up to nothing new, and everything is flattening and healing. I think my hormones have finally normalized, once again, from when I skipped a week last month. So, it took 1 month to adjust......yea, definitely not doing that again....My scars could've healed, but now I have a whole batch of new scarring near my mouth to deal with....oh well...at least I am back on track!
How is your skin doing now? Hope it is good.
My skin has not been the same since I skipped 1 week after Pack 4/Before Pack 5.
To everyone, it takes the full 3 months to get clear on this pill.
If you take a week off between a pack, you will have to go through the initial breakout again.
A full 3 months, you will notice clearer skin during Pack 4.
From my experience with this pill so far. I am in Pack 7, after this pack, I should be clear again because it's been 3 months since I took a 1 week break from the pill..
How is your skin doing now? Hope it is good.
My skin has not been the same since I skipped 1 week after Pack 4/Before Pack 5.
To everyone, it takes the full 3 months to get clear on this pill.
If you take a week off between a pack, you will have to go through the initial breakout again.
A full 3 months, you will notice clearer skin during Pack 4.
From my experience with this pill so far. I am in Pack 7, after this pack, I should be clear again because it's been 3 months since I took a 1 week break from the pill..
If you go back to your derm ask for clindamycin lotion. It has been great for my daughter. If you don't want to take oral antibiotics thus might be a great alternative.
Hope it gets better soon
hey girl. just wondering how your skin is doing now? still following your thread. i actually just got prescribed ortho tri cyclen brand name. my cousin is a pharmacy tech and was able to get it for me. at least now i dont have to go through tri sprintec anymore. im still debating on taking the ortho.. let me know how your doing.
hey girl. just wondering how your skin is doing now? still following your thread. i actually just got prescribed ortho tri cyclen brand name. my cousin is a pharmacy tech and was able to get it for me. at least now i dont have to go through tri sprintec anymore. im still debating on taking the ortho.. let me know how your doing.
Haha hey Daria, just in time for my update!! It's been so long since I last posted here!
But just wanted to tell you all, I'm MAKING THE SWITCH to NAME BRAND (Ortho Tri Cyclen)! Never thought the day would come eh?
The generic has been messing up my skin MAJORLY! I have no clue what happened after month 4, I was clear and then I've been suffering from hormonal breakouts. Especially at the end of a pack. So I'm getting my new pack soon and I called into the pharmacy to switch me over, because I can't take it anymore! Generic brand OTC is the worst pill ever! Worst than if I'm not on any pills!
I will update you all when I have news!!!
Good luck! =)
Hey girls, I picked up my 1st pack of Ortho Tri Cyclen name brand at the pharmacy yesterday, took my first pill yesterday. So far so good.
Funny thing is, when I went to pick up my pack, they gave me 3 PACKS for $12. I was previously paying $10 for 1 PACK of Tri Sprintec? What the hell? Did Obama pass some kind of law recently that cut the pill prices or were they just ripping me off before with the generic??
I don't even know why I was taking generic in the first place, my doc prescribed me name brand. I asked them and they said "Sometimes if we're out of stock we just switch the patient to generic." Let this be a warning to all you girls, don't be fooled into taking the generic, the name brand is the same price under insurance. It's crazy!
I was actually waiting in line behind another girl who they were trying to give the generic one to and she was complaining about this. And her mom was there with her and she was like "The generic isn't the same as the name brand!" And I was about to chime in and say AGREED! haha
Hey girls, I'm about to start my 3rd week on my first pack of the name brand. So far, nothing horrible.
I did experience a slight initial breakout since this is a new med, but nothing like the generic initial breakout. Just a scatter of papules around my mouth and whiteheads along my forehead.
Another thing I wanted to say, we all know the doctors and pharmacists tell us that there is no difference between generic and name brand, apart from the inactive ingredients. I have no clue how this can be possible, because I just feel it that they are different, like the hormones are different. And I'm going through the symptoms of initial breakout again (breast soreness especially), and initial breakouts only occur on new medications, so that would mean this is not completely identical to the generic, or else I wouldn't experience this all over again.
I will keep all of you updated, so far it's too early to tell. I'll get a better feeling on this pill a few weeks from now, if I get reduced breakouts, if my oil is cut down..
Hey! I just read your log and I was wondering how your skin has been doing? I was on the name brand OTC for two years and my skin did really well on it. When I switched gynos, she put my nuva ring and then loestrin. Both completely ruined my skin! I have been getting large cysts on my cheeks, chin, and jawline so my acne is obviously hormonal. I asked her today to switch me to OTC and she gave me tri-sprintec. I know that they are supposed to be the same but I have heard other people say there is a difference.
I am wondering if you have noticed any difference between the two pills?
Hey! I just read your log and I was wondering how your skin has been doing? I was on the name brand OTC for two years and my skin did really well on it. When I switched gynos, she put my nuva ring and then loestrin. Both completely ruined my skin! I have been getting large cysts on my cheeks, chin, and jawline so my acne is obviously hormonal. I asked her today to switch me to OTC and she gave me tri-sprintec. I know that they are supposed to be the same but I have heard other people say there is a difference.
I am wondering if you have noticed any difference between the two pills?
haha generics = THE DEVIL! By the way, I wonder where the heck Betsy went. I miss her ='( Betsy come back!
Anyways back to my update girls, it's been a few weeks since my last post.
2nd Pack Brand Name OTC
drum roll.......................I'm LOVING the name brand OTC so far. I just took my first pill of the 2nd pack.
Few things I noticed that are different from the generic vs. the name brand.
1) My period is lighter. WAY lighter. On Tri Sprintec, I was bleeding tremendously like I wasn't on hormones or anything. I was leaking through my clothes and I've never done that since puberty.
2) No more huge cysts!!! Only been getting small papules!!! AMAZING. This is only the 1st month after the switch.
3) REDUCED OIL. My skin is back to normal as it was on Ortho Novum high dose BCP and Yasmin. I only have to wash my hair once a week and it still looks amazing. My skin, I don't need to blot every half hour!
4) (might not apply to all of you) My eczema is getting better. Almost back to normal.
that's it for my update, will update again in a few weeks. Good luck to everyone!