Hormonal imbalances and BC pills Posted: 06-16-08 20:19pm
I have a problem with excess androgens
that cause my skin to become extremely
oily as well as causing my skin to break
out in a lot of acne. If I have a problem
with progesterone, etc., I'm not sure but
I do know I produce too much androgens.
I have dealt with this since I was in my
teens and even though Diane 35 works for
me(I've been taking it since my early
twenties), I'd rather not have to take
that all of the time just to keep this in
check. Are birth control pills the only
way to "correct" a hormonal imbalance?
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Carifairy
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 2610 Location: Charlotte n.c.
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Posted: 06-16-08 20:30pm
Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
The only way to correct a hormonal
imbalance sometimes is to add hormones to
balance things out. Some women choose to
live with their condition rather than use
birth control hormones..
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worrywart01
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 701 Location: ,
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Posted: 06-17-08 02:19am
I too had problems with acne as a pre
teen..horrible problems..my mom took me to
the dermatologist and the doctor put me on
a generic form of Accutane...its a very
very strong prescripted medicine which
some dermatologists hesitate to
prescribe...it has been supposedly been
linked to severe depression and mood
swings in some and causes bad birth
defects if you were to get pregnant(only
temporalily while you're on the
medication)...i was about 12 when it was
prescribed and convinced the doctor not to
put me on birth control since i swore it
would be unnecessary, i had to sign a few
papers saying so and i was finally put on
"accutane"(or, the generic form
anyway)...my skin started clearing and now
years later i really have no acne at
all...except maybe that occassional
blemish caused by "that time of the
month"...i maintain my skin by using
"differin"cream..you may have seen ads for
that..and really have no problems...i
would suggest seeing a dermatologist about
your problem and if differin doesn't help
at all(warning:differin does cause bad
peeling for the first week or two of use
until your skin adjusts) then maybe birth
control wouldn't be such a bad thing? I'm
currently on birth control now and my skin
does great with it
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Red_Rose
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 24 Location: Canada
Posted: 06-17-08 09:39am
Carifairy
wrote:
Unfortunately, the answer is
yes.
The only way to correct a hormonal
imbalance sometimes is to add hormones to
balance things out. Some women choose to
live with their condition rather than use
birth control
hormones..
Great, just great. If I only had the
odd pimple here and there and my skin
didn't get so oily, I'd just live with it
but my skin gets so oily that the problem
areas(the T zone and upper back, for those
who don't know) get so bad that my upper
back will actually permanently stain my
clothes and sometimes, you would think I'm
sweating even though I'm not because the
oil occasionally drips from my forehead.
As for my acne, I'm currently trying to
find work and even though many workplaces
say they don't discriminate against those
with acne, you know for a fact that they
do but they just never say it. If my face
were covered in acne, my chances of
getting a job would be even less then what
they are now.
You know, I don't think I'd have a problem
taking these pills if the companies that
made them didn't feel the need to rip off
those who actually need them for a problem
like hormonal imbalances.
Here in Canada, Diane 35 ranges from
$45-52 and the CyEstra, which is a generic
form of Diane, is in the mid $30 range.
With the job find being so crappy, I'm
always forced to go off of them about a
few months of the year because I can't
afford them! What angers me the most
about this is that pills like Alesse are
only $7 at the sexual health clinic yet
the ones I need are a fortune!
worrywart01,
I've been seeing my dermatologist since I
was six and even though the acne I had
during my teen years was so bad that you
couldn't even find a bare patch of skin
that didn't have acne on it(my acne was on
my back and shoulders), it still wasn't
severe enough to go on Accutane or any
generic form of it. Once it cleared up on
my back, it moved to my face which was
when I started taking Diane 35.
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Carifairy
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 2610 Location: Charlotte n.c.
Thanks: 12
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Posted: 06-17-08 11:00am
Have you called around to get different
prices from different pharmacies or
providers?
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worrywart01
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 701 Location: ,
Thanks: 64
Thanked:8
Posted: 06-20-08 15:03pm
maybe you should seriously consider
switching dermatologists and getting a
different opinion? mine acne was bad, but
it definitely wasn't severe, it was just
something I could never get rid of like
you and we'd tried antibiotics,creams etc
and it wasn't working for me...so as a
last resort we talked about it and he said
it was up to me since my acne was severe
but he would put me on accutane(generic
form) ..and like i said the general
concern was depression, but things were
fine for me and its definitely something I
dont regret,clear skin now was definitely
worth it...i understand your pain and
frustration though, i went through
freshman and sophomore year of high school
and it really does alot to your self
esteem
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worrywart01
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 701 Location: ,
Thanks: 64
Thanked:8
Posted: 06-20-08 15:04pm
also if you are unwilling or the
dermatologist still does see the need to
prescribe you accutane i would start
looking at differin cream if you
havent...it helps control oily skin and
clears your face up, i've found that I
have to put it on every other day thought
or it dries my skin out, and sometimes
I'll just use it for spot treatment..good
stuff
If I only had the
odd pimple here and there and my skin
didn't get so oily, I'd just live with it
but my skin gets so oily that the problem
areas(the T zone and upper back, for those
who don't know) get so bad that my upper
back will actually permanently stain my
clothes and sometimes, you would think I'm
sweating even though I'm not because the
oil occasionally drips from my forehead.
As for my acne, I'm currently trying to
find work and even though many workplaces
say they don't discriminate against those
with acne, you know for a fact that they
do but they just never say it. If my face
were covered in acne, my chances of
getting a job would be even less then what
they are now.
