Hello everyone! 

I’ve been struggling with acne for more than 5 years, but, in the past 3 years I’ve been struggling with hormonal cystic acne more than regular acne. What’s the difference? As many of you who have struggled with acne,   sure you’ve encountered the angry red pumps around your chin, jawline, and lower cheek areas. This is hormonal. It’s like where a beard would grow if you were a dude. The culprit behind this is testosterone. I’ve done my testosterone blood serum test a while ago (before this medication which I’ll get to later) and it was never above normal. So what’s the deal if it’s not excessive? Well, my doctor told me that my body could just be very sensitive to it and doesn’t react to the average to slightly high levels before my period.  

I know my body very well and noticed that dairy and coffee has also played a factor in breaking me out. So, I completely avoid those (on occasion i cave in and eat some flaming hot Cheetos and take some lactase pills). 

To combat my hormonal acne, my doctor prescribed me antibiotics for a few months during my worst breakout (picture above). Stick to it! Never taper off of antibiotics if you see an improvement! Unless you have an allergic reaction, and what not (doctor will tell you what usual side effects you’ll see). If you do, the bacteria will become more resistant and it will be harder to deal with. Finally, I’ve looked up info on this pill that lowers androgens, which is. Spironolactone. It’s helped a tons! I’ve been to a dermatologist in the past around 4 years back and she’s only prescribed me tretinoin topical applicator and Cerave products.

Speaking of products, here’s the ones that’s helped me over the time!

￼#CeraVe - Salicylic Acid Facial Cleanse - [FiveStars] - This is a gentle and effective cleanser that hasn’t given me any issues! The lather does a good job in removing any makeup and dirt. 

￼#CeraVe - CeraVe Moisturising Cream- [FiveStars] - Cerave is my favorite skin care line! This cream is smooth and doesn’t feel irritate or harm my skin in any way! It feels a lot more refreshed! 

￼#CeraVe - Resurfacing Retinol Serum - [FiveStars] - this has been a good serum to help me recover from hyperpigmentation and post acne redness. I’ve used it 2 x a week. I use it at night and leave it on for 15 minutes before applying moisturizer.

￼#insta natural - Deluxe Vitamin C Serum- [FourStars] - the bottle is not effective in protecting this serum from direct sunlight but it’s been a blessing to use! It feels nice and does a good job on brightening my skin. I use it every morning before moisturizing. 

￼#THE FACE SHOP -  Rice Water Bright, Light Cleansing Oil- [FiveStars] - this is an amazing makeup remover and super gentle on my skin! It’s super effective and washes off just fine! 

￼#The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%- [FiveStars] - perfect! 

I hope this helps you guys! 😊

Edit: I would like to mention the fact I’ve had two microneedling sessions done on separate years (2020-2021). I can see minuscule improvements from those sessions.

My hormonal acne journey

However, it can seal in your skins pores if you leave it on for more than 8 hours. I got a few white heads from this...

I love everything about this product! It has decent coverage and it has uv protection! Not to mention its eco friendly!

It does a good job in removing makeup and other unwanted germs! Doesnt leave my face overly dry. Good lather. Never had a breakout from using this.

ingwashere