Around the age of 23 or so, I started getting acne. Around that same time I started waking up at night thirsty. To this day no doctor sees a connection but they both stand out in my mind. I asked my general physician at the time about it and she said they aren't atypical, to just keep a glass of water on my nightstand, and to change my pillowcases more often (how insulting! lol)
About 25 or so. Even with a lot of make-up it was obvious.Over the years the acne got a lot worse. I asked several doctors about it but was always told that it was due to something small I could change: stress, face towels, facial cleanser or my moisturizer. I tried going without make-up for a year (no difference), to wearing healthier cosmetics. I tried nearly everything. I did go through phases where it would go away for a couple months, but then it would come back and I had no idea why.
A good phase, around age 28.I tried everything. I experimented so much. Washing my face more often, less often. So many different cleansers and topical treatments. All the meanwhile I was developing scars on my face, pitting and brown spots. The acne went from being tiny pimples that made my skin feel like sandpaper to deep, painful cystic pimples that came in clusters of 5 or 6. It went from being mainly on my forehead to covering my cheeks, then jawline, and now back up to my cheeks and very occasionally chin or forehead.
Totally depressing. I have to wear a few layers of foundation when I go out to not feel like complete scum. (Aesthetics are really important to me.)
I figured out how to apply make-up to hide most of it.
This is me just a few months ago.
To contrast, without make-up you can really see the marks and scars.
This is me a couple weeks ago, feeding my new niece.
Recently I saw an endocrinologist. It didn't seem normal to me to have acne at my age. I am now 32. But like my GP, she said that my hormonal levels were completely normal, that there was nothing wrong with me. I asked why I had acne then, and she said there are a variety of reasons. I may have a sensitivity to testosterone that was triggered in my early 20s, when it first started. She said a lot of women have acne and I should see a dermatologist.
I'd been avoiding seeing a dermatologist for years cause I kept thinking if I could just figure out the reason for it I could cure it that way. I thought a dermatologist would just prescribe some meds that would temporarily treat it but not get at the root cause.
Well, I finally gave in. I was surprised to get an appointment with one in under a week -- specialists usually are booked a month or two in advance, in my experience.
It was the nicest medical office I'd ever seen. Gorgeous, high quality furnishings and finishings. Solid oak reception, Persian rug. . .not original artwork, but not fast food artwork at all. There were also brochures for a variety of cosmetic procedures. Quite a few, actually. . .
I had to wait 70 mins to see the dermatologist! I was getting ready to leave when he walked in, and apologized. I think he'd forgotten about me or something. He asked me a couple questions, looked at my face, and prescribed 3 creams. I am trying to conceive so my options were a bit limited. I was surprised at how little he asked me. He didn't even care what cleansers or creams I'd been using, if I was under stress or if I changed my pillowcases every night! ha!
After he wrote my prescription, when I thought we were all done, he asked me to stand up and show him my stomach and back. I thought that was weird but I did. Then he escorted me to the other side of his office where a lady was waiting to sell me a package of glycolic peels. If I bought a package of three I could get them for $140 each. Hmmm.
I chatted with her for a bit, she was very kind and personable. I told her I'd like to wait to see how the meds work. That my skin actually healed very quickly, the problem was the acne just never stopped blooming. (Secretly I thought I'd come back for a peel once it was all gone cause I do have some slight pitting on one cheek.)
I filled the prescription that night. I actually said, "GOOD LORD!" when I saw how much it costs. We don't have insurance for medication so I paid for it all out of pocket: about $160. Meanwhile I had thought paying $10 for a tube of benzoyl peroxide gel was crazy.
It's been a week now and I have to say, the creams seem to be working! The first couple days I did get a mass of teeny pimples all over my forehead. So I stopped using the overnight cream on my forehead and that went away. The real test will be ovulation, as that is usually the absolute worst.
I usually get 5 or 6 cystic pimples every single day. On a good day only a couple, on a bad day over a dozen. In the last week I have gotten ONE actual pimple, and it isn't a cystic one, it's just a little one on the surface. It doesn't even hurt!
Here's an old photo of me that I actually like. I am not photogenic and it's taken real guts to share the photos
in this post, so as a narcissistic boost to myself I will also share this one.
Hope that's ok :)I'm tempted to think this is it, my acne might actually go away for good and my skin can heal and I can start to feel beautiful again. I have never felt uglier than I have in the last few years and it's been really tough on my self-esteem (other things have happened too, this is just one of a few things that have piled up on me.)
Wish me luck! I'll update later on with further results.