Spironolactone for Hormonal Acne | 30 Day Update

And so goes the ongoing story of a girl in her mid-twenties who just can’t get her f*#king skin to cooperate. Listen, it’s an uphill battle. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We will get there and we will prevail eventually. But it’s going to take time. That’s the harsh reality of conquering hormonal acne. It creeps up on you quickly, but takes time to mend.

There are a multitude of reasons why you could have developed hormonal acne: hormone imbalance, gut issues, stress, food intolerance, and the list goes on. Thus being so, there is a varying list of remedies to help improve your skin. On the long list are some prescription options – two of them being Tretinoin and Clindamycin (which I have been prescribed now for 10 months).

Another item on the list of prescriptions that has been proven (in small dosage) to control acne: spironolactone.

Spironolactone is a medicine typically used to treat high blood pressure. Ironically, in lower doses, it can block the male hormones in our bodies which are known to cause oily skin and clogged pores. It is also a diuretic, which means it will make you pee a lot, so it’s important to consult your dermatologist and primary care doctor if you are interested in seeing if this is the right medication for you. Pro tip: drink a shit ton of water to ensure you are maintaining your hydration properly.

With all of this being said, here is a history of my skin issues and how Clindamycin and Tretinoin have come in to save the day. If you’re more of a video person, you’ll enjoy this version. They are nothing short of miracle workers.

HOWEVER, my skin is still not in check. Though exceedingly less than before, I still suffer from under-the-skin painful bumps. My skin is still blotchy and red, and my acne still gets rather enflamed. Essentially, I haven’t rid of it yet. This leads me to my new prescription (recommended by my dermatologist): spironolactone.

Disclaimer: I have read in several blog posts/articles that major changes on spironolactone aren’t seen until month 3 and on. However, I wanna give y’all the tea on how it’s affecting my skin in the first month. Enjoy!

Here is my 30 day skin diary after starting spironolactone.

After 1 week on spironolactone:

I have noticed an increase in breakouts and the intensity of them. Prior to starting this medication, my acne was maintainable with the occasional painful hormonal blemish. When it did flare up, it was concentrated. This week I have spots in new locations. Less than ideal, obviously. Also v painful. Alas, I read that this was happen so I am gritting my teeth and baring through it.

After 2 weeks on spironolactone:

This week I’m having the same issue, just trying to stick it out. Beauty is pain and beauty takes time, so I need to be patient. If I can achieve crystal clear skin in the long-term, I’ll suffer in the short-term. I have a couple new spots that are large and painful. Otherwise, I don’t notice much difference in my skin (as far as oil production).
*Interesting to note that I got a blemish on my back this week, which is very rare for me. I wonder if there is a purging stage to this and that’s what brought it to the surface.

After 3 weeks on spironolactone:

Not much has changed in my skin this week. MAYBE, if anything, I notice I am a little more on the dry side (typically, I am v oily and have a shiny t-zone by noon). No more large breakouts, but my skin isn’t calm. I have some redness and small blemishes, more than typically. I shall check in next week!

After 4 weeks on spironolactone:

Wowwwww my skin is fucked HAHAHAHA – all we can do is laugh really, am I right? Listen, we will prevail. It’s all trial and error and if I didn’t document this then I’d be suffering ALONE. I just stole a peek at my skin in the bathroom at work, and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty. It’s patchy, flaky, dry skin season bitchessss.
Again, obviously not happy about it.
However, I can see it through for the long run gain. Here’s hoping my 3 month progress report shows a bit more clarity (in my skin & goals for this medication).

My final wrap up

So that’s THAT. Fun stuff. Not gonna lie, I’m ending this a little bitter. It’s a bummer to not see results after a month on a new medication, which is seemingly making my skin worse. But I will say, everything I’ve read said things start to improve around that 3 month marker. I am hanging in there and believing in that 3 month revolutionary morning I wake up with crystal clear skin. Lol. Okay, a little over-dramatic as far as expectations are concerned, but that’s what I’m known for.

Signing off with dry, flaky skin. Cheers to the 3 month check-in which will *hopefully* bring more positivity. Here’s an adorable photo of myself to boost morale. Cheers.

Xoxo,
KS Loves

I love to meet new people!
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest

5 AFFORDABLE products to heal acne scarring

“I just want to go to work without a face of foundation.”
Same, sis.

At some point or another we’ve all been there. Acne scarring. The spawn of Satan.

Whether you’re cursed with hormonal cystic acne under your jaw, or pesky pimples you just can’t help but squeeze, your skin can get damaged.

They always said, “Don’t pop it! It will be way worse for you in the long run,” but who listens? We’ve all picked at our skin at least once. Some of us more than others (lol) and that’s why I’m coming to the rescue with FIVE relatively affordable products that penetrate deep to renew the surface of your skin and bring forward a fresh face.

Admit it, we all want to go to work/school without foundation – that’s the end goal. At least for me, it is a 2019 resolution LMAO

It pains me to even include a ‘before’ photo when my acne was active, red, and inflamed, but would this blog post hit home if I didn’t also show you my ‘after’ (which is really just my current skin status)? Probably not

Alas, here are the comparisons over the past 8 months.

August 2018

 

October 2018

 

March 2019

Okay, great, now that we’re past that. HERE is how I’ve healed my acne scarring.
Pssst – if you want to know how I cleared my acne, that full story-time is here on the blog, and also in this video.

The Ordinary rosehip seed oil – priced at $9.80

– my absolute FAVORITE drugstore-priced hyper-pigmentation cure-all
This shit is magic. It has helped lighten my dark spots tremendously. I first heard about this product from Thataylaa, as she used it on her post-accutane journey to heal her scarring. When I heard it was under $10 – SOLD!
PROS
– nourishes the skin and is intensely hydrating
– relatively scentless (what little scent is has is not irritating)
– lightens dark pigmentation (leftover from acne scarring)
– organic and natural
– extremely affordable HEYOOOO
CONS
– I would recommend applying at least 30 mins before laying down for bed, as it doesn’t sink into the skin immediately (don’t want you to ruin your pillowcase)

Mario Badescu whitening mask – priced at $24.00

Contains kojic acid and extracts of licorice root, mulberry, and grapeseed to help maximize its brightening potential on your skin.

Farmacy bright-on vitamin c face mask – priced at $38.00 – the most expen$ive, I know (but the mask above can be used instead)

Contains vitamin c and fruit-derived AHAs to target brightening in your skincare.

I love BOTH of these face masks. They are my ride-or-die’s and I have repurchased each of them. I discovered the Mario Badescu mask in a trio kit for Christmas a couple years back. Similarly, I discovered the Farmacy mask in a Boxycharm. You never know what you’re going to fall in love with.I use both of these masks on my scarring interchangeably. I do not favor one over the other, but will say that at 2 oz of product (vs. 1.7 oz) and less $$, the Mario Badescu mask is more bang for your buck.

Pixi glow tonic toner – priced at $15.00

This toner is a godsend. I noticed immediate results within a week of using. It smoothed the texture of my skin, and has noticeably calmed my redness + brightened my complexion.Unfortunately, when it comes to clearing cystic acne, this did not do the trick for me. HOWEVER – it’s worked miracles for evening my discoloration to get me back to that flawless base I was striving for ;)I kept a sort of “skin diary” when I first started using this and recorded my observations after 4 weeks use.

Tretinoin (topical Accutane)

*prescription from my primary care doctor – price can range based on your insurance (pro tip: ask your doc if you can get a generic version, this is what I did to cut the cost into 1/3)

This is going to be my holy grail. I know that’s annoying, considering it’s a prescription. But hear me out.This is the main rock star when it came to clearing my cystic acne. Completely rid me of those pesky under-the-skin blemishes that just wouldn’t quit at closing time. lol. Furthermore, once my acne was cleared, I continued to use Tretinoin (still do).

Tretinoin is a vitamin A derivative that can be applied topically to treat acne. This shit will fucking BLAST the blemishes off your face. It’ll take awhile for the purging to settle down, but once it does, you’ll have brand new skin.
PS – My doc told me it’s one of the hottest items on the market for anti-aging.

I kept a “skin diary” when I first started this as well if you’re interested in the side effects.
Keep in mind: you must first consult your doctor about your skin concerns to see if Tretinoin is a good fit for you. You are also not supposed to use this if you are pregnant or trying to bake a baby in your oven (I didn’t want to forget to caution you!)

SO THAT’S EVERYTHING. What are your thoughts? Do you use some of the same products? Are you thinking of testing out any of these? This has been my ritual routine for 8+ months now and I have seen tremendous results. Thank you for reading along!

Xoxo,
KS Loves

I love to meet new people!
YouTube: youtube.com/katrinasm
Instagram: ksloves
Twitter: ksloves_
Pinterest: ksloves_

My Skin Diary: 30 Days on 2 Prescribed Topical Gels

Wow. I can’t believe I’m actually writing this post and opening up every single skin issue I have to the outside world. BUT – that’s what blogging is all about, right? Sharing your observations and finding people who might be going through the same situation. If in any way this can help someone find the strength and perseverance to beat adult acne, THEN KNOW I AM CHEERING YOU ON. And if this helps encourage you to finally make that dermatologist appointment, I’m extremely excited for you.

Where to begin. So basically, here’s a general timeline of my skin and its conditions:

Teenager: no issues at all. I had typical breakouts any teenager has and my skin would go through phases but never anything that made me feel uncomfortable to walk outside without foundation covering me up.

Ages 20-23: same dealio. No big issues and very manageable. My skin has always been combination and never 100% clear but for the most part I would live my day to day life not worried about skin issues AT ALL.

Enter 24-25: adult cystic acne – out of nowhere. HOW FUN. I struggle with huge under-the-skin blemishes that are painful and rarely come to a “head,” for lack of better wording. My problem areas are my chin and jawline, and most recently the higher part of my cheekbones. It. Is. Miserable. As you can imagine.

And yes, I had been planning a dermatologist trip, but I wanted to test some products trial-and-error before I made that jump to spend money on a professional opinion. Plus, my mind kept telling me, “This is a phase, your skin will clear up. You are planning a wedding and have a new job, you’re just stressed!”

So I tried incorporating a toner, a new organic skincare line, coming up with a regimen of weekly exfoliation and face masks. Nothing was working. In fact, month after month it was just getting worse.

This cycle has been going on for roughly a year where my acne slowly began to take control of my feelings, emotions, and self-esteem. Honestly, I’ve had enough of this shit and decided I’d speak to my doctor before seeing a dermatologist (in case she could refer me to someone in the area).

My primary care doctor prescribed to me two topical gels:

1. tretinoin – to use nightly
2. clindamycin – to use daily in the morning

And then I went on to do my research. For starters, both were hella expen$ive and I was not about to drop a couple hundred on facial gels that would probably last me a month. I wrote into my doctor’s office and they managed to get me a lower strength of tretinoin and a different brand of clindamycin and it lowered the cost for me #blessed
In the first week of using clindamycin daily and tretinoin every other night:

I feel as if I’m purging – and for the love of all that is good in the world I HOPE I’m purging. lol. It’s pretty shitty, but my blemishes are now popping up in places I don’t typically get them (apples of my cheeks, in between my eyebrows). They’re not super dramatic and I could manage covering them up, but I’m definitely noticing an increase in pimples in random spots.

Something positive I’ve noticed, no new blemishes in my TRUE problem areas (chin and jawline). I’m hoping this skin is healing. I also have very soft skin every morning I wash it, as if the top layer of my skin has been exfoliated to reveal smooth skin underneath.

Changes in scarring/pigmentation: none

Second week of using clindamycin daily and tretinoin every other night:

This was the week my skin started to peel. It was a strange sensation as I smoothed moisturizer over my skin after applying tretinoin (and yes, I let it dry for 20 mins first) and my skin started to pill like a sweater shedding its threads lmao. I felt like a lizard shedding its skin. From there I tried my best to pat my moisturizers/oils into my skin for better absorption and this way I wasn’t peeling skin as badly.

I took a “1 week” progress photo of my skin and can tell a noticeable difference of the redness/irritation of current acne/scarring I had. It is looking much less irritated and stressed. My skin looks a bit healthy as if it is healing.

Still no issues with the shitty hormonal acne under my jawline – which was my main issuee. Hallelujah.

Changes in scarring/pigmentation: none

Third week of using clindamycin daily and tretinoin every other night:

This week has been the BEST as far as the shape of my skin. I have been extremely happy with the way it seems to be healing. I can maybe notice the faintest fading of scarring, but nothing noticeable to anyone else I’m sure. I am still dealing with peeling every night I apply the tretinoin (and to combat this I am still patting moisturizers and oils).

The most incredible miracle is waking up every day and not having a NEW BLEMISH on my chin/jaw. What a world it’s been to not feel bumpy under my chin. I feel a lot more confident and even made a trip to the coffee shop sans makeup – hey, this is big for me.

The only downside to this week is the fact I got my period *sigh* and had one medium sized cystic bump on my jawline. Literally.. small-medium sized. The easiest blemish to deal with. Typically around my time of the month I’d be covered in hormonal breakouts along my jaw/cheeks. I’d also like to mention the 1-2 pimples I did get went away within a day and a half and didn’t linger like acne monsters typically do.

Changes in scarring/pigmentation: maybe some faint fading

One month of clindamycin daily and tretinoin every other night:

HO-LY. GUACAMOLE. I’m so glad I took photos to document my skin at the start vs 30 days in. The difference is dramatic. I am not confident enough to show before and after yet, so if it continues to improve the way it has been, be on the lookout for a 2-3 month update and some photos of proof. I showed a few close friends of mine the before and after pics, and here is the consensus:

• noticeable difference in the diminishing of existing blemishes
• my skin looks much less inflamed and irritated
• certain areas of skin are almost completely rid of acne

I am EXTREMELY happy with where my skin is currently at. I do still deal with the occasional cystic blemish, but no where near the amount I was dealing with. It is so nice to only have to cover scarring and not large, painful bumps.

My skin still peels, so I will see if that continues to improve through the next 2-3 months. I’ve read it can take several months to truly transform your skin as well as rid of the peeling. I do plan to start using it nightly, but wanted to introduce my skin to it before I went HAM on the topical accutane, if you catch my drift lol

So that’s that! I hope this is helpful to anyone out there – and please comment below if you’ve experienced anything similar. Would you like to see before/after photos and an updated post 2-3 months into using the gels? Lmk and I will keep documenting my improvement.

Until next time!

Xoxo,
KS Loves 

I love to meet new people!
Instagram: ksloves
Twitter: ksloves_
Pinterest: ksloves_