How can I get rid of my acne?

[PTYX89340]

Hi everyone,

So I've been dealing with acne for about 5 years now. It wasn't terrible at first, but it's been getting worse over time.

I didn't get my period until the age of 15, unlike my sister, mom, aunts, and grandmas, who got theirs around the ages of 11-13. My mom was thinking about to take me to the doctor just to check up on my health when I got my period soon after, so we never ended up going. It has been pretty irregular- I've gone up to three months in between periods and a couple of times, I've gotten it twice in a month (usually 5 days each time). They're usually pretty painful the first two days, and I break out a lot before and during.

I've tried an incredible number of things to get rid of my acne-
Drugstore cleansers and treatments
Natural/Organic facial products
Murad system
Proactiv
Diet changes (eliminating dairy, meat, coffee, sugars, chocolate, etc.)
Drink plenty of water
Avoid wearing makeup and hair products
Change pillow case every night
Cleanse face 2x a day
I've never smoked or drank alcohol

The list could go on and on. I'm really good about my hygene, and have never gone to bed wearing makeup.
I avoid touching my face as well.

However, the acne is still there. And the frustrating part is that, as soon as my skin starts to 'clear' up after my period, it relaxes a bit then I have scarring, and then my period again. It feels like my skin is never going to clear up and it makes me feel so insecure and self-concsious when people stare at it.

I've read about hypothyroidism and how it can affect acne. I'm not sure if I have that, but I definitely have some of the symptoms (acne, super cold hands and feet at all times, fatigue, always tired, and I can sleep for long periods of time), so I don't know if I should take any of that into consideration, or if I should talk to a physician about it.

I also have my first appointment with a dermatologist in two weeks, and I want to ask for Accutane. I've done a lot of research on it and although the side effects are scary, I'd rather deal with them for a while and get rid of acne, than deal with acne any longer.

Any opinions or comments on the subject would be of great help. Sorry that my post is kind of all over the place.

[Barb135]

Hypothyroidism can cause pre-menstrual acne.  

When you see the dermatologist, talk to her/him about this.  You need to have your thyroid hormone levels tested to make sure they are adequate and with all your symptoms, it sounds like they are not..

The tests you need to have done are Free T3, Free T4 and TSH... Free T3 and Free T4 are the actual thyroid hormones and TSH is a pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid to produces the T3 and T4.  Many/most doctors will tell you that it's sufficient to test just TSH, but don't settle for that, because TSH can often be in the normal range, but the actual thyroid hormones, T3 and T4 are too low...

Again, don't settle for just T3 and T4, the tests must be for "Free" T3 and "Free" T4 as those are the "usable" hormones...

You might also ask to be tested for thyroid antibodies, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb) to determine whether or not you have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune thyroid condition...

[Red_Star]

Drugs to treat acne such as Accutane and Retin-A are synthetic forms of vitamin A although they have a long list of possible side effects.

Acne was one of my symptoms of hypothyroidism. It was around my chin and on my upper back. Thyroid hormone is needed for conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A. I've had other vitamin A deficiency symptoms such as raised bumps called keratosis pilaris (also called chicken skin) notably on the back of my arms, dry skin (I had patches of snake like skin too) and night blindness. I also had a poor immune system with hypothyroidism too but that might be due to more than just vitamin A deficiency.

I found an interesting article entitled Vitamin A for Acne - Does it Work?...

"Vitamin A can play an effective role in controlling hormonal acne, but it does not typically address the ROOT CAUSE, which might be a progesterone deficiency, estrogen dominance, insulin resistance or androgen sensitivity.

It is best used for a finite period of time, while making the necessary dietary and lifestyle adjustments.

Vitamin A supplementation can be good if you have excess androgen activity, ie, if your skin is oily, and your breakouts are painful, inflamed, large and frequent.

Here are some other ways to tell if you might be Vitamin A DEFICIENT and need to beef up your intake not just due to your acne, but due to your overall health needs. Do any items on this list resonate with you?  

Night blindness (reduced ability to see in low light)
Impaired immunity, susceptibility to infections
Rough, dry skin, including hyperkeratosis pilaris (rough bumps on the backs of the arms)
Gut damage (which many acne sufferers have - see “Probiotic” for another supplement that might be useful)
Strenuous exercise and other stressors (ie lots of stress)
Alcohol consumption
Zinc deficiency
Consumption of polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils such as canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil. Olive oil is fine!)
Consistently low dietary fat intake"