posted 05-16-2003 11:37 AM            

I had a complete hysterectomy 5 years ago at the age of 33. I had been able to control my acne until the year before the surgery with spironolactone, shich blocks the male hormone . Then one day my body changed and the hormones became "stronger" than the meds, so the acne started all over again. Even increasing the dose didn't help. Then I had the surgery and they all said that during menopause your skin will be radiant and glowing.........HUH!!!! My skin has been the worse it's ever been in the last 5 years. I have tried everything from the estrogen patches (which supply VERY LITTLE estrogen considering what you lose when the ovaries are removed)...so the testosterone in the adrenal gland is left to "compensate" for the estrogen loss...anyway, I also have tried to treat the acne with antibiotics, creams, lotions, and accutane......nothing made it go away, although the accutane helped, but I was still suffering. In january of this year I began taking a birth control pill called yasmin. Crazy since I no longer have any cycle..but I thought I would try it and it has relieved my menopause symptoms almost 100% and made my acne better. Along with this I also take 50mg of the spironolactone to further block the male hormones and the yasmin contains a progestin that is similar to 25mg of spiro, so along with the added estrogen, I am blocking the other male hormones...or at least some of them. My sex drive is better because I feel better about myself, and the hot flashes and night sweats and other nasty menopausal symptoms are pretty much gone.
I was terrified to use this birth control pill for HRT, but I am soooo glad I made the decision to try it. It's not perfect, but the last 5 years has been @#$# for me and menopause has been a complete nightmare....I would suggest researching something like this. I thought I was the only menopausal women out there to use BC pills for HRT, but It turns out I'm not alone. I pray that it continues to help me. The only side effects I have had is slight weight gain, but I think thats from feeling better. I lost a lot of weight from being depressed and worried all the time, but now I'm back from 98 to 107. Also, I have had a noticeable increase in my breasts of about 2 cup sizes and some breast tenderness. I would rather have that than cystic acne though.......anyway, sorry about the long post, but I , until recently, have thought I was alone with this awful menopause and the acne that comes with it. I hope you can research this and find something that works for you.
By the way, I post about this on the acne baord all the time ...

posted 05-17-2003 12:30 PM            

Although I did not get acne during peri-menpause or menopause, I did get it starting at age 21 and till (age 38)peri-menopause !

It stopped when I went into peri !

When I was 21 and started breaking out (not large acne, but many), I went through two dermotologists. They both prescribed tetracycaline. No great improvement. Later on in years, I found that salicylic acid topically worked like a miracle for me.

I am not a doctor, but I do not recommend tetracycline or ANY other antibiotic for acne. #1. It doesn't help the acne. #2. You build up an immunity to antibiotics so if you really need to take an antibiotic for what it's menat for , it won't work. #3. I knew a woman who ruined her stomach from taking antibiotics for acne.

posted 05-19-2003 05:05 PM            

I used everything on the market to no avail til I tried witchhazel. It is a mild astringent you can get in any drug store. I have had no problems for almost 20 years (except for those occassional period pimples) It is still working for me even in perimenopause. When I forget to use it, I start breaking out again

good luck