The placement of the acne suggests that there may be a big hormonal component. And if your menstrual cycle affects your skin to this degree, then it is likely that hormones play a big role. What's your diet and lifestyle like? Have you been tested for PCOS or any other hormonal issues? Are you diabetic or pre diabetic? Topicals can be very helpful but if your acne is caused primarily by internal factors, you will need to get those sorted out to see some consistent relief

On 10/26/2018 at 7:28 PM, leelowe1 said:

The placement of the acne suggests that there may be a big hormonal component. And if your menstrual cycle affects your skin to this degree, then it is likely that hormones play a big role. What's your diet and lifestyle like? Have you been tested for PCOS or any other hormonal issues? Are you diabetic or pre diabetic? Topicals can be very helpful but if your acne is caused primarily by internal factors, you will need to get those sorted out to see some consistent relief

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Hi! Thank you for replying to my post. Yes, it seems like a week or two before my period my acne becomes more intense.
My diet could always be better. I am working on limiting dairy products and I do have a sweet tooth. I like to have some dark chocolateevery day to curve my sugar cravings and if it's not that I might have a dark chocolate covered banana.
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week to take low-impact exercise classes called Barre and I also walk my dog for 30 minutes almost every day.
I have askedmy primary care doctor if its possible that I could have PCOS. She says no because my periods are regular and I am not obese. I myself think that it can still be possible that I could have PCOS since I am hairy (but I have always been naturally hairy). I have peach fuzz on upper lips, a happy trail down my stomach (with a few long black hairs), and some light hair on the sides of my face plus having hormonal acne. I went to get an OB-GYN's opinion and she says we can't be sure until I reach age 25. I can't remember why she said that age. What would be the most accurate way of diagnosing PCOS? How do I get "tested"?
I did a pre-diabetic test last year on December 29th. It was for Hemoglobin A1C. My percentage was 4.8%. My doctor says that is excellent and that anything < 5.6% is normal. Maybe it could have raised since then? It's almost been a year.
If its internal factors, what could they be? My gut health? Mental health (stress)? I noticed my bowel movements change from time to time, off and on through stages of my menstrual cycle. I heard probiotics help. In the end, I think its mainly hormones and not my diet. Thank you again!

Most likely hormonal - not even necessarily related to your period, but related to the stress hormone coritsol. Are you an easily stressed/anxious person?

My acne was cystic and similar to yours...it flared when I was very anxious (which is basically all the time, lol), but didn't notice too much of a change around my period.

I'm not sure I would do the peel, as that sounds like it might be harsh on your skin (and any irritation can cause further acne)
Give the Retin-A a try and see how it goes. Just make sure to have a good moisturizer and stay out of the sun.

Yes, it's cystic. I would go on Spiro and/or a BCP like Yaz, Ocella or Yasmin, those are the best for improving acne. I would recommend a gentle chemical peel, but not glycolic acid, it's too irritating. I would go with salicylic,mandelic, and/or lactic acids. Due to personal experience I would stay away from Retin-A. The only retinoid I would recommend is Tazorac. I would do all 3 of these things to get the best, quickest results.

My acne was never as severe as your picture, but it was still pretty bad. A good way to know if it's hormonal is just to get on birth control again. At least then you'll have clear skin relatively quicklyand you'll know what you're dealing with. I would recommend asking about Yaz or a yaz generic if you go this route and it generally takes 3 months to start working.

I was on a yaz generic for 4 years and just recently quit because I wanted to cure my hormonal acne naturally (which I did). Normally people have a really hard time curing acne after they get off bc because their hormones are wack af but my acne fully disappeared in like 3 or 4 months AND HERE'S WHY.

First thing... I know you're only 21 so maybe the first thing is to be patient. I know a lot of people who just didn't have to deal with it anymore once they turned about 25. This was theoreticallytrue for me. I got off birth control at 24 about 4 months ago and just turned 25 at the beginning of the month. My skin has never been clearer and I'm on 0 medications.

NEXT, and this one is really easy, try washing your face with selenium (aka head and shoulders shampoo, i use extra strength). It smells weird but holy shit it works. I also use a benzoyl peroxide exfoliant every couple days and an all natural vitamin E moisturizer after each use. I only wash my face once a day and I never wear make up.

LASTLY, try Paleo. This can be very hard to get into but if you need help I can recommend some easy foods to start out with. Trust me, this works very well and it's an insanely healthy diet for your body. The only thing I'd say to stay away from is anything real greasy (like bacon) as that broke my face out.

Has anyone ever got a cortisone shot injected into a cyst? I did and I currently see a little bit of indenting I'm super scared it's going to get worse! Will it get worse? How long does it take to return to normal?