i've been off birth control for about a month (bad luck in getting another package)

so i'm supposed start it again...but within a month my face has gone from nice and smooth to the rocky mountains...

all around my chin and my cheeks have broken out in small painful bumps

i cried this morning when i looked in the mirror...
it's horrible...and it's sad that i'm relying on birthcontrol for my face 2 look nice again

but i get selfconscious...i'm afraid people stare @ me for that reason only
and i hate makeup because it makes me itch and my face hurts already...


i dunno...just thought i'd vent...
still feel ugly...

and for all you fucking haters NO this isn't an attempt 2 get compliments, so FUCK YOU... i just wanna know if other girls have gone thru this and what they did in the mean time
i'm using black opal which is a product "for women of colour" it does help a bit...but gotdamn...

i feel like shit...isn't it funny how your day can start out alright, then it turns in2 fantabulous and then it ends up u feel lower than shit by the end of the night?


... as u were.

This past year has been the worst ever for my face. Ive had the ugliest acne. In my teens i never had acne this bad. I never had to use foundation until 6 months ago. Funny thing is my left side of my face breaks out, but my right side is ok. I used to have one, two three pimples a month. Now it seems like i get 3 new breakouts a week.....Ive tried everything.

nero, u rock

neosporing
lemon juice and flouride toothpaste??

i don't have any of those...my toothpaste is a cinnamon "whitening expressions" kind...like gelly...


it's not that i'm trying 2 impress anyone...i just get really...embarassed when i go 2 classes...

i feel hiddeous.

well stop using the black opal makeup because obviously it is irritating your skin. I can't use any type of foundation because it will irritate my skin, so you may have to do without anything on your face for it to clear up by itself before you can get to your b.c. pills.

when i was on the pill, it didn't help clear up my face, just helped soothe cramps because i get severe cramps without any kind of birth control. Also i stopped using b.c. pills because of weight gain. I gained like 30 pounds, I went from a size 12 to 16 in a year. So far i've lost 18 pounds of it and started using the patch which is better...but since the recent news about it causing blood clots in young women and one even died, i'm not sure if i'm going to continue for long, i'll have to ask my doctor about the blood clot discovery though.

i've been off birth control for about a month (bad luck in getting another package)

so i'm supposed start it again...but within a month my face has gone from nice and smooth to the rocky mountains...

all around my chin and my cheeks have broken out in small painful bumps

i cried this morning when i looked in the mirror...
it's horrible...and it's sad that i'm relying on birthcontrol for my face 2 look nice again

but i get selfconscious...i'm afraid people stare @ me for that reason only
and i hate makeup because it makes me itch and my face hurts already...


i dunno...just thought i'd vent...
still feel ugly...

and for all you fucking haters NO this isn't an attempt 2 get compliments, so FUCK YOU... i just wanna know if other girls have gone thru this and what they did in the mean time
i'm using black opal which is a product "for women of colour" it does help a bit...but gotdamn...

i feel like shit...isn't it funny how your day can start out alright, then it turns in2 fantabulous and then it ends up u feel lower than shit by the end of the night?


... as u were.

SammiJ said:

I'm no xpert, but taking a zinc suppliment certainly helps and avoid washing your face with soap.

and don't b so hard on yourself, it happens.

i've been off birth control for about a month (bad luck in getting another package)

so i'm supposed start it again...but within a month my face has gone from nice and smooth to the rocky mountains...

all around my chin and my cheeks have broken out in small painful bumps

i cried this morning when i looked in the mirror...
it's horrible...and it's sad that i'm relying on birthcontrol for my face 2 look nice again

but i get selfconscious...i'm afraid people stare @ me for that reason only
and i hate makeup because it makes me itch and my face hurts already...


i dunno...just thought i'd vent...
still feel ugly...

and for all you fucking haters NO this isn't an attempt 2 get compliments, so FUCK YOU... i just wanna know if other girls have gone thru this and what they did in the mean time
i'm using black opal which is a product "for women of colour" it does help a bit...but gotdamn...

i feel like shit...isn't it funny how your day can start out alright, then it turns in2 fantabulous and then it ends up u feel lower than shit by the end of the night?


... as u were.

npgmaverick said:

Yes. Everything I've ever read tells you to stay away from most acne cleaners, too. Anything with laur... err.. lauryl sulfates?!

etc.

Nero said:

i'm gunna go check my facial stuff right now

SammiJ said:

You're not ugly, Sammi, don't ever say that about yourself.

Yeah, you need to find a good one without that particular sulfate. It tends to act precisely opposite and just irritate you more.

Nero said:

yeah none of my stuff got that in it

im just waiting 2 start my birthcontrol again
i miss it

SammiJ said:

I never tried birth control. I always feared it. I went to do it once. Got as far as the Planned Parenthood building, and decided against it. I freaked out cos I read it could make you gain weight. I figured, Noel has a steady supply of jimmy caps and I like my skinny body. I'd shit if I gained 10 lbs or something. The fact I'm small is one of the only things I have going for me.

ARGH, and I read about the blood clots. And then I got freaked out about altering nature and all that.

I couldn't do it.

Nero said:

the blood clot thing is only something 2 be feared if u smoke
it's still a risk but it's deffinitely not a big risk

and i never gained any weight
actually....i lost 10 pounds when i went on it
[Edited 9/21/05 19:45pm]

SammiJ said:

I'd be nothing if I lost 10 lbs.

That'd put me at 107. I'd be like death!

Of course, I don't smoke. I hate smokers. Total slobs. I'm getting off topic, though.

Self Magazine is awesome a lot of times for giving you little tips about how to fix all sorts of stuff, from razor burn to an acne problem to all sorts.

I love Self.

Nero said:

i've been abstaining from magazines LOL
but next time i'm at the supermarket i'll give it a looksee

thanks for all the suggestions and anecdotes

SammiJ said:

Oh self is good. I could always mail you my old copies. I get them free. Cos I'm that damn good. Self and Money are my saviours.

And Archaeology.

Nero said:

i think i'll look for a copy 2morrow

but a mud/clay mask has been just applied...im keeping it on for an hour.

Well, as someone who has dealt with hormone related breakouts due to meds I was on (and this was far past my 'young' years. I was 31 or 32) and experiencing terrible acne on my face, chest AND back - and I'd suffered the usual adolescent pimples but never before in my life had I had the big under-the-skin pimples and blackheads and zits until I had to take those various hormones - and felt the resulting emotional upset and trauma of feeling very ugly, I know *exactly* how you are feeling right now.

All I can offer is the following:

~make sure you cleanse with a gentle cleanser and rinse well
~as someone else already stated, keep your skin clean but don't OVERwash (or scrub or irritate the skin)
~after you wash, use a mild astringint. Witch Hazel has worked really well for me in that regard. It helps dry up the pimples/acne and kill germs/bacteria, but isnt' too harsh on your skin
~drink lots of water. it really does help your skin

I've tried the toothpaste trick before, and it does help dry up the individual pimples. Also, another thing I've learned about is using an aspirin mask....some people's skin is too sensitive for this but for some, like me, it REALLY helps. The salicylic (sp?) acid in the aspirin helps dry up the the pimple and also take down the inflammation and redness.

All you do is take about 10 UNCOATED aspirins (you can get them cheap at WalMart or someplace) and put a bit of water or Witch Hazel on them to make a thick paste. You can apply that paste directly to your face if you want, although it's rather crumbly and doesn't stay on too well alone like that, imo, so I mix it into a face mask of some sort - Queen Helene Mint Julep mask is REALLY good for this because just in itself its a good acne mask, and it's cheap. I apply the mask to my entire face, but some people with more sensitive skin just dab the plain aspirin paste on the individual spots instead.

Leave it on until the mask dries and rinse off. Your skin will feel very smooth afterwards.

Another 'home beauty' trick I discovered that sounds weird but does help is to take a cotton ball and rub Milk of Magnesia on your face and let that dry, and then rinse off with cool water. It does essentially the same thing as the aspirin mask, and helps control oil if you have oily skin.

I really do understand and empathize with how you are feeling and what you're going through. Just try, though I know it's not easy when you feel this way, is to keep reminding yourself that the outside doesn't matter in the end...it's your inside that truly makes one beautiful. When I was feeling like you are now, I tried to focus on other areas of myself to try to get through "the uglies"; take a bubblebath and put on some nice smelling moisturizer afterwards, or do your nails (feet too! ), or color your hair.

One last thing that I can suggest that might help you out - go over to www.makeupalley.com and visit the skincare board. That's where I've found some very helpful suggestions when I was dealing with the hormonally induced acne situation.

Take care. I hope I've helped a little. And remember...you're beautiful.
[Edited 9/21/05 20:01pm]

I'm so feelin ya sista... Lately I cry everyday when I look in the mirror...such is life I guess.

u know...one day, i'll try that apirin remedy...sounds interesting...
and witch hazle...i've heard of that...i suppose i can get that @ a health store?