Retin-A

[PhiMuLady150]

I recently visited a dermatologist because I have had little breakouts around my chin. I'm 26 and have had pretty good skin most of my life. The dermatologist told me it was a case of adult acne and wrote me a RX for Retin-A and also told me to investigate a birth control pill called Yasmin. I started the Retin A (3x/week for at least the next three months) about a week ago. She (the dermatologst) swear by it even though there are side effects. Right now, I am experiencing a little bit of peeling but she said that would subside in about 3 weeks. Anyone else ever been on Retin-A or taken a BC pill for acne?

[AlethiaSi]

I've never been on Retin- A but i've heard good things about it, but peeling i think is a common side effect.

my skin is so much better on BC, but pills didn't work for me, i was on the patch for 2 years and i absolutely loved it. Apparently, they just took it off the market but I'm going to try the ring, its supposed to be even better with less risks.

Almost all BC's help with acne though, so if you're open to it, that is a definate benefit, along with bigger boobs (but some ppl gain weight, i did... ) and less cramps.

[KSUViolet06]

I'd stick with topical (things that you put ON the skin) stuff for acne. I've never heard anything bad about Retin-A.

I don't recommend taking the pill just for acne. It has some weird side effects that I just don't think are worth it if you don't absolutely NEED the pill for contraception.

My regular family dr started me on the pill for acne, and it didn't help much. I gained weight, had headaches because of the hormones, and got nauseous alot. When I went back to my GYN (to see if maybe she knew what was going on), she told me that taking the pill just wasn't worth it if I didn't need it for it's actual purpose (contraceptive).

[BigRedBeta]

While Retin-A is not on the same level as accutane (which you wouldn't need anyways for pretty minor acne), it is known to cause birth defects in animal models...so to some extent, taking the OCs is precautionary measure.

As far as taking the OC's in general...in my limited knowledge as a second year medical student, there are a lot of benefits and few risks to taking OC's including a reduction in certain cancer risks. But if you are having any side effect that you don't like, tell your doctor - there are so many different preparations available, you could easily do better on a different pill.

[VAgirl18]

i was prescribed retin-a for a different dermatological issue and it severely burned my skin. it hurt to take a shower.

[AKA_Monet]

Retin-A is an old drug now. I remember when it first was released by the company. It was in the 1980's. Then the reports of the side effects were quite significant in the mid-1990's.

Birth control I think provides the "synthetic estrogen" compounds to counter act all the hormonal fluctuations during menstruation. I will get the MD Consult info when I can post it.

I would say, do a WebMD search on your drugs and find the pros and cons.

Now, you will probably grow out of your acne. But what you can do is change your diet to better fit your metabolism. You can try eating more fish that contain omega-3's or 6's. Moreover, you want drink plenty of water during the day and decrease your fried foods and caffeine including ALL chocolate.

Good luck.

[AlphaFrog]

Have you tried something simple, like Proactiv? It works for me when I have breakouts - and it's cheap and doesn't cause the peeling.

[ZTAngel]

A few years ago, I broke out on my forehead. It wasn't too bad but to me it was significant considering I hadn't had acne problems when I was a pre-teen or a teen. I tried Proactiv and it worked for me. It cleared my skin up within a week and I haven't had problems since (knock on wood). Anytime I see a pimple, I'll use Proactiv and it seems to take care of the problem almost immediately.

I have friends that have used Proactiv and had the complete opposite experience from me, though. It all depends on your skin.

[PhiMuLady150]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. I haven't been experiencing burning of the skin with Retin-A because my Dermatologost, pharmacist and my ethesitician told me it was extremely important to wear sunscreen/sunblock and even wear a hat if I knew I was going to be exposed to sun over longer periods of time. They say people's skin get burned on Retin-A because they don't protect themselves from the sun. The peeling is minimal and most of the time, I can calm it with my current skin care products. (I use SkinCeuticals, which is a GREAT skin care line, expensive but GREAT!) My diet just changed about a month ago to an "Eat Right for your type Diet". I'm an O- so that means lots of veggies, most fruits and beef and no caffine and not much alcohol either. I am really not keen on taken an OC just for my skin. Anyhow thanks again and if anyone new wants to weigh in that would be great!

[_Lisa_]

Yasmin & Yaz both made me breakout worse than ever before. My ob-gyn told me that only Ortho Tricyclen is proven to help reduce acne (although its believed that most BC pills will help), so he has switched me to Ortho Tricyclen.

I use a prescription face wash to help clear up any acne that develops (I can't remember the name of it right now, but its been awesome!) and the Ortho Tricyclen has really helped prevent acne from appearing in the first place.

Yasmin (and Yaz) were most likely recommended because they're the newest BC pills out there & like I said before, all BC pills are said to help with acne. If you go the BC route, I'd suggest going with Ortho Tricyclen, since its the only one thats been proven to help.

[BetteDavisEyes]

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

i was prescribed retin-a for a different dermatological issue and it severely burned my skin. it hurt to take a shower.

Same thing happened to me. It was awful. Imagine being a teenager with acne AND a burned face. At least it was summer so not a lot of people could see me. I had to stop taking it after the burns got bad. The only good thing I got out of Retin-A was minimal scarring from the burns.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

Yasmin & Yaz both made me breakout worse than ever before. My ob-gyn told me that only Ortho Tricyclen is proven to help reduce acne (although its believed that most BC pills will help), so he has switched me to Ortho Tricyclen.

Too bad it kills your sex drive and makes you gain tons of weight. Plus, I had spotting with it. I ended up changing OB/GYNs because apparently mine was in Ortho's pocket or something - I told him about the spotting over and over again and he refused to switch me.

It might work for you, but I know there's not enough $$ in the world to make me take it again.

[VAgirl18]

Originally Posted by BetteDavisEyes

Same thing happened to me. It was awful. Imagine being a teenager with acne AND a burned face. At least it was summer so not a lot of people could see me. I had to stop taking it after the burns got bad. The only good thing I got out of Retin-A was minimal scarring from the burns.

it was on a less sensitive part of my body and it still hurt like crazy.. and i NEVER have reactions to anything!!

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Too bad it kills your sex drive and makes you gain tons of weight. Plus, I had spotting with it. I ended up changing OB/GYNs because apparently mine was in Ortho's pocket or something - I told him about the spotting over and over again and he refused to switch me.

Wow! That sucks! I've not spotted or gained any weight, but I'm also on Weight Watchers so I'm watching what I eat very carefully.

Its definitely safe to say that different brands of BC will affect everyone differently, its important you find the one that works for you!

I started getting cystic acne at 26. In September 2005, my dermatologist put me oral doxycylin, plexion cleaning cloths, benzaclin, and differin (adapalene, a type of retin-a). She encouraged me to go on a hormone, either Seraquil (sp?) or birth control, Yasmin. I stuck with the oral antibiotic for 1 month and continued with the three topical treatments. I was clear in one month. I had three cysts until...

a nasty, nasty break out in November 2006. What a mess! I was put back on doxycyclin, but it did not help. I persisted with three rounds of doxycyclin in addition to the three topicals. Finally, over the Christmas holidays, my dermatologist called in azithrymycin (Z-Pack). Within 48, the cysts were gone.

Since cystic acne is stress related, I started working with oral medication in addition to the three topicals. I, too, was nervous about Yasmin. But, when I saw a cyst growing near my chin. It was also the first day of my cycle, so I decided to start the Yasmin. (I filled the prescription, but was hesistant to use it.)

Yasmin made me moody, nauseous, and larger-breasted but it has also made me skin 100% clear now. I have had three pimples since then. One white head, two pustles. The pustles dried up in a matter of days. When they scabbed, I put Neosporin on.

Cystic acne is often caused by extra testosterone. What Yasmin does is bind the "free testosterone" so it can't create cysts. In severe forms, it would be polycystic ovary syndrome. Only a reproductive endrocrinologist can tell you if you have polycystic ovaries- I've yet to get checked.

My regimen is now:

Plexion cleansing cloths 3x daily (generic Prascion, sulfur-based)
Benzaclin topical (am)
Differin (pm)
Yasmin OCP

PM if you want to talk more!