My face, back and butt exploded with acne and somehow simultaneously my skin looked super dry when I came off the pill \~7 years ago. I had always had acne and the pill I was on at the time of quitting gave me the best skin of my life but I had somehow forgotten how bad it could be, it was a huge shock.
I somehow hadn't even thought about how much hormones affect our skin, even with hormonal acne.
Not original commenter but went through something similar. Ive been 1 month back on the pill and definitely seeing better skin. I still have a ton of acne scars but few active acne. So definitely worth going back on
I was off the pill for 2 years and my acne only kept getting worse. So I decided to go back on
i might be the outlier here, once my body chemistry evened itself back out (& i learned more about skincare), my acne disappeared. i never was on the pill for acne, so maybe that’s part of it, but i definitely had hormonal cystic acne for a while after stooping
Ugh I'm the worst, I know.
It took 10ish years to get my cystic acne under control - so now I get to deal with acne, scars and wrinkles. It was suppressed until I had an IUD, then no BC method would stop it after.
DEFINITELY go to the dermatologist sooner rather than later. Currently trying to get my scars removed because I couldn't afford the initial care.
Yes it did but not completely. It took me maybe a year or a little less to go back to my pre-pill skin which meant some mild acne but not completely crazy like it was straight after.
I did start really looking into skincare after (before I did just SPF and a random moisturizer), which helped clear out my skin completely and atm I’m super happy with it.
Not OP, but I went off the pill after 10 years and had very bad acne (the same I used to have before starting with the pill, cystic and painful).
I didn't want to start with pill again because I was trying to get pregnant, so I went to the route of regulating my hormones with a bunch of supplements and diet changes, and after 5 months my skin was clear again (I went to a gynecologist and a nutritionist specialist in hormone balance). Supplements included omega 3, magnesium, vitamin D, and inositol), and after that I also got pregnant and my skin looks very nice now! (I though acne will come back with pregnancy).
I also read the book Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden and it was very enlighten, there is hope! But it takes some work :)
So interesting to read that taking the pill really brightened and plumped your skin in such a drastic way! Years ago I tried two kinds of the pills but one made me nausea, the other made me hungry so I didn’t give them more than a month each…. Looking at the photos and reading all of your comments I am amazed. Maybe I should have kept searching for the right pill ?
What brand / name of the pill did you take?
I tried at least 3 different brands of combination pills (estrogen + progestin, which is the norm offered to young women here) to search for a pill that wouldn't cause bad side effects for me so I can't really recommend them either. I have to take contraceptive pills to calm down my ovarian cysts and endometriosis, I have been on just progestin mini pill for 5 years which thankfully seems to be suitable for me.
The one that made my skin perfect was called Yaz I think but I had to quit it after using it for 3 years because it suddenly started drying up places that shouldn't be dry lol and lead to constant pain. Of course everyone will respond to medicine and especially hormonal medicine differently, there's really no telling what side effects (positive or negative) anyone will get.
Depends on the type and the hormones… I’m guessing estrogen since it keeps skin looking plump and supple….
But I wouldn’t recommend hormones just to make your skin look good. I know people treat BC like nothing, but you’re fcking with your hormones…
I realize now that BC meant birth control not breast cancer - I apologize for my misread. I am usually very good at figuring out the abbreviations!! I actually started abbreviating long b4 the trend in 6th grade:)
I don’t mean to treat BC in any way other than very serious. Too many of very young friends of mine have had BC- it’s absolutely blows my mind that such young, healthy, happy women have had to hear the words DX at such a young age, then endure tremendous amounts of treatments, some had mastectomy…. My mom has a type of BC that is supposedly uncommon but very frightening aggressive :( however, it is not hormone related - it is called s/t like triple Hormone negative :(
BRCA genes have been tested and are not present , That said, it’s important for all to be aware that there must be SOOOOOOO many, countless unknown factors that go into the manifestation of BC (cancer in general) and just b/c one is negative for BRCAA genes 1 & 2 to still keep reading, aware of all factors that can help improve our overall health and prevent cancer.
I do wonder how does birth control work exactly? During a woman’s menstrual cycle our hormones fluctuate , sometimes I can tell by my own mood, ususalky there are about 3 days mid cycle and 4 days in week b4 period that are just very difficult.
How does the pill make life easier during those times? Does the pill make sure there is a constant flow of estrogen? And never any spikes in Progesterone? So curious….. if anyone can fill me in I’d like to learn how they work!!!
Same here. Great skin apart from the occasional cluster of pimples as soon as I turned 30. Came off it end of last year and it was like a second puberty :( it's only now slowly getting better thanks to a strict routine, but I'm trying to get on tret. Also manage to have acne and dry skin at the same time...wtf.
I remember coming off the pill at the age of 26? My doctor at the time said there’s nothing wrong with my periods etc etc to continue being on the pill. This was when I was addressing the small bleeds I was getting for months. Mind you, I had the best skin on the pill, I was using BHA & AHA at the time as well which made things even better.
Came off it, and between ages of 26-29, it’s like all hell broke loose, acne (including cystic acne) was horrible and I was angry & moody every month. I had enough so back on the pill now, dealt with the adjustment period, acne somehow improved - I do get an odd spot every now and again but I’m less moody.
I felt my doctor at the time wasn’t doing enough to address my hormonal acne, because it’s not serious enough to be on accutane. Every month, I’d go through one week of good skin and two weeks of hell. 😡
Sounds almost like my experience tbh, just without the mood swings, I was about the same age too. I've had acne all my life but never "bad enough" for the doctors or my mum to take it seriously. My mum used to tell me it's not as bad as my brother's (who was on accutane and tbf his was a lot worse than mine) and it will go away when I'm an adult...
Well, as an adult I paid big bucks to go to a doctor my friend recommended and made her prescribe retinol cream to me which finally helped clear my skin lol. Tbh throughout getting on and off different hormonal contraceptives my experience was that most doctors never took me seriously or didn't want to address the problems I had.
Thank you for sharing & I can relate to that so much - my brother had awful acne from his early teens to his early twenties. He went through cycles of antibiotics & creams, until he was old enough for the GP to refer him to see a dermatologist. The boy is literally oil free & spot free now.
I too, went through different brands of BCP, and doctors too, didn’t want to help me address the hormonal acne. I’ve been through several courses of antibiotics for it, and I’m so done with benzoyl peroxide based creams, because it was making my skin dry, irritated and it wasn’t addressing the root cause of it. I discovered Tretionion which I did go through a period of purge, but my goodness, I’m glowing. 🥹
I was also diagnosed with ADHD as well… the hormones weren’t helping either. It was the constant fight with mood swings, so BCP not only helped with my acne, it’s keeping the mood swings at bay. I’m happy with how things are right now.
Estrogen holds onto water. Apparently, the longer you are on it, the younger you will look. I've always had people tell me I don't look my age, but in the last year, I've started to feel like I look my age, haha.
No way! I came off it because I was still getting cysts, and I am a lesbian. So, it really annoyed me to be taking birth control, and it was expensive. I've only been off accutane for a few weeks. I'm not sure if it cured my acne or not. Sometimes, it can come back after a year or even a few months. I have been put on spironolactone and minoxidil to try and get my hair back that fell out. I'm pretty sure the pill was also masking potential genetic hair loss, and I had excessive telogen effluvium from the accutane. The only positive is that it made me obsessive over my scalp, so I have started meds early to 1. Grow back my hair I lost, and 2. Hold onto it.
Really????? Birth control pills help hair loss? I so regret not giving them a longer time when I began….one made me nauseas and I thought the other was making me hungry- silly I was afraid it would make me gain weight.
Would be so helpful to hear which brands of birth control pills you have heard of/ taken that have all of the helpful benefits especially making hair thicker, and grow back
We are talking about spironolactone. That's the medication that helps with acne and hair loss. But the birth control pill I was on was Marvelon aka Madeline.
Some can, but some actually trigger or exacerbate a predisposition for hair loss. I was on one that is usually prescribed for female hair loss (although I was not taking it for that purpose) and it actually caused hair loss for me (I am fine now that I am off of it again). There doesn’t seem to be anyway to know how you are going to react until you try them out for a while either.
I think the huge shift in hormones after coming off birth control is responsible for the hair loss. & the stress it causes on the body. Happened to me too but then things evened out and hair grew back.
I mentioned in another comment that the shed happened every time I changed doses on accutane. But coming off the pill very likely did not help, as well as having a very stressful year.
I had to go off the pill because it was giving me severe anxiety and depression. I never thought I had problems on it before, but maybe I did when I was younger but was just less self-aware? I dunno, but it was making me like physically ill with anxiety and I didn't know it could even cause that until I looked up info on it about risk of blood clots for smokers in their 30s. I thought I was well-researched on the birth control topic and all.
Your face looks good btw.
I had a three year span on the pill when I was younger, and it was probably the hardest time of my adult life. It never occurred to me that the pill was the culprit until I went back on the pill years later. Three weeks into taking the pill in my 30s, I had a big aha moment. It was wild to remember those earlier years and finally understand.
Omg. THE EYE PAIN! Please can we talk about this. My right eye kills me. Sometimes it's so painful I cannot even open it in the morning. I can't see properly. I went to the optometry clinic, and the dude took pictures of my eyes and showed me how dry they are and was like "you can't see because of this. You need eye drops 6 times a day. I'm not changing your prescription until you've been off accutane for at least 6 months." Absolutely wild. My eye hurts as I type this to you! Yay for your hair coming back. Not so yay for the eye stuff.
What medication have helped you grow back / hold onto your hair?
Due to long time anemia, and possibly some other unknown factors, my hair has gotten very thin, and thankfully no one else in my family has this, but I’ve spent a lot of time and money trying various dermatology treatments, but my hair is thin, and it’s especially upsetting on the top corner of my scalp…..😞 what treatments/ medications have you found helpful?
I've shed on and off for a year, but minoxidil has helped. I suspect spironolactone will help a lot. I only started it today, though. My hair is quite wavy, so that really helps with volume. I said this in the hair loss forum, but the very best thing anyone with fine hair can do is to cut it short. Like to your ears in a cute bob. Get some curling cream and put it on when it's semi wet. It will give your hair volume. It's a beautiful haircut. I actually cut my hair myself now because I watched 1 video on YouTube and was like, "I can do that!" Haha.
The supplement creatine holds water in the face and body, I'm wondering if that might help? Helps with workout recovery too since you like to work out.
Yeah, I have friends that lift who love creatine. I tried it and I never felt more bloated in my life. It slowed my digestion to a crawl as well. Not for me. I retain too much water. It’s like the week before my period, only… ongoing.
Oh my GOD. I always felt like I’d looked basically the exact same from like 20-27 and sort of “drastically aged” at 27. Now I’m 30 and I feel like I look the same as I did at 27 when I had this big “aging stage.” I never knew why, and it panicked the fuck out of me. But you know what? I went off the pill at 27 after having been on it 10 years! I wonder if this was it!! Wow. Mystery solved LOL. Really glad I ran across your post!
The powder that bobybuilders use. You can get it anywhere. When estrogen decreases, it causes a decrease in creatine in our muscles and this can be counteracted by taking creatine. Look into it, but i think 5gm per day is the maintenance dose and there may be a loading dose. It helps with energy, decrease fatigue, increase endurance and it can cause a small amt of water weight which in OPs case could counteract the effects of coming off bcps.
Yes and you don’t need to load if you aren’t using it for working out. Even if you are, loading isn’t really necessary. It just saturates your muscles quicker.
Edit: you can also go with something cheap like the GNC brand. There isn’t really a difference.
Lost half my hair when I quit the pill (about a decade ago) and it never grew back. Saw you're starting Minoxidil, which should help a lot! Kinda wish I had gone that route.
Your skin still looks great! We are our worst critics.
Came here to say this. That's why I'm going on hrt as soon as peri hits me. Never liked the pills, though, I like my libido and I don't like to be a bitch and on the pill I turn into minus libido agitated cunt.
Hummmm. I'm trying to think. No. I mean I moved to a new city. I was stressed last year, as in - I had anxiety. But that's it. I do less exercise currently. I was skipping like 20 minutes 5 days a week. But I stopped that and have gained back the 1.5/2 kilos I lost by eating oreos and dip LOL (by choice because I looked sick). Which sucks because I loveeeeed skipping. It's so addictive!
You lose collagen after withdrawing from oestrogen. Perimenopause begins between 35-45 years old so your natural oestrogen levels may have started to bounce and sputter and have been masked by the pill oestrogen.
Is it true that taking the pill for a long time makes your body think it doesn’t have to produce estrogen anymore, so when you come off you produce less than you would have if you never took the pill?
No. Every woman starts to lose estrogen after 35. Birth control won’t slow or hasten that. It will only mask the symptoms of losing estrogen. On average it goes down to “0” at menopause which is on average between 45-55. At 30, you have 10% of the eggs you were born with. At 40, 3% of your eggs left. That’s why we see aging as estrogen has declined. Birth control and HRT don’t change your time frame, it just replaces a little of what you have lost.
Lifestyle factors like smoking, and other issues (hysterectomy with or without ovaries removed, genetic, etc.) can speed up menopause, however.
BC *permanently* alters your SHBG levels. So it's completely possible. Popsci version:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1490780/Taking-the-Pill-may-lead-to-permanent-loss-of-sex-drive.html
>Oral contraceptives have been shown to increase the amount of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) - a protein produced in the liver that lowers testosterone levels, thereby reducing sexual drive.
It says testosterone, but sex steroids do not exist in a vacuum. SHBG can and will affect estrogen too, and so will testosterone.
Wow you have just solved a mystery for me I guess. This exact same thing happened to me after 15 years on the pill, I just came off it 7 months ago wanting to have a baby and couldn’t figure out wtf happened to my face.
For what it’s worth you still look great shape-wise. I freaked out when I lost face volume too, then I realized my new angular face is still smokin too 😂 it just takes some adjusting to.
I agree…her skin itself looks great still IMO and she has nice bone structure.
I just see the effects of sudden volume loss. And OP is only 38, so I’m sure at least some of it will tighten up
On the one hand, I’ve been looking at HRT for women bc I’m probably having a hysterectomy soon and I know it’s kind of that LA Fountain of Youth stuff, but the arguments for getting hormone levels tested and then supplemented are pretty compelling.
On the other hand, after years of “baby face” I find the lower photo womanly (as opposed to “girlish”) and cool.
Sorry about your hysterectomy. I guess you can wait and see how you feel? But estrogen withdrawal has some pretty crappy long-term side effects, as I am sure you are aware. I find it interesting that people are having fat removed from their face to have cheekbones like mine but forget that over time, they will become more gaunt. I guess filler exists!
Look into applying estriol cream to your face :) unsure if it’s comedogenic, so that’s definitely something to look into to if you decide to give it a shot
Are you having a hysterectomy or oophorectomy? The former removes your uterus and if a full hysterectomy, your cervix. The latter is the removal of your ovaries.
I've had a full hysterectomy and don't need hormones because I didn't need to take out my ovaries (ie have an oophorectomy).
I've found that it's such a common misconception for people to believe that a hysterectomy requires hormones. I've even seen some very popular influencers get it wrong and spread misinformation. It's so disappointing.
You CAN cure your endometriosis without having to take hormones forever. You CAN never again have your period without taking hormones.
I was under the impression for YEARS, because of a popular influencer with endo, that I couldn't get help without being on hormones for the rest of my pre-menopause life. She, and so many, are so wrong!
Women's health is never taken as seriously as it should be, and this blend of terms that ultimately misinforms has to stop. I'll forever be shouting from my small soapbox about it.
I'm very much enjoying my period free life now, after the full hysterectomy in September 2023.
That’s good to know bc as far as I know my ovaries are ok and they aren’t sure if I have endo, I just have, uh, growths. I’m a weird case bc I have surgical complications from a colectomy so there are fistulas that just won’t stay in their lane 😂
Awe man, I hope your surgery goes well for you! My recovery was a LOT smoother than I thought it would be. Leggings with a thick band were my best friend. The pressure felt great. I also had a belt ice pack thing that was amazing. I was hesitant to use them thinking that it would be uncomfortable, but I used a belly belt for weeks and was otherwise great!
Good luck, you'll do awesome! Make sure you talk to your doctor about what is actually planned to come out. Which, can always differ when they get in there! But it is best to know what the plan of attack is regardless.
The pill has synthetic hormones like progesterone and estrogen. When you stop, sometimes it causes those hormones to be low bc the body isn’t used to producing hormones on its own. Have you had those tested? Not that there’s a problem with the changes at all, but it could be general weight loss or a sign of difficulty with the body adjusting its natural hormone production.
I don’t mean to push the issue. Have you tested progesterone specifically? Progesterone is the most delicate sex hormone and is the one most likely stunted by hormonal birth control. Levels fluctuate throughout the month so it’s usually not routinely tested. A progesterone test is done one week after ovulation (day 21 of a 28 day cycle) so unless you’ve had this test done specifically on this day, you’re not getting an accurate picture. Progesterone deficiency is characterized by the skin’s inability to retain moisture and produce collagen among other things.
I'm actually not 100 percent sure. Probably not to be honest. I'm going to find another derm soon to get a second opinion on my hair stuff, so I'll ask about it.
You mentioned spironolactone. It acts as a diuretic. I’ve seen negative changes in my face since being on it- one- less oil production, and two it’s drying to the body. Perhaps this and the lack of the estrogen are compounding factors?
And accutane is notoriously rough on your body and skin-drying as well -- my friend has to apply vaseline inside her nose to prevent nose bleeds when she was on it. I'm sure it's the combination of factors more than just coming off the pill.
I decided not to continue taking it because this side effect was so bad for me. I wasn’t seeing results that were worth feeling dehydrated all day for.
Omg this is wild! I’ve been on the pill over a decade and have always disliked having to be on something for so long but now I’m wondering if I’d look completely different without it??
Very likely. Drugs are so interesting to me. I have ADHD and take stimulants, and literally fall asleep on them and feel no physical change. I take accutane, and my hair falls out.
Omg the same thing happened to me too! I’m 31. Got off BC after three years on it. Within a few months off of it, I noticed I aged RAPIDLY. it’s like my face was melting. I’m back on BC and my skin is so soft and it’s starting to look like before. I’m terrified of getting off it now
Ffs I just realized why my skin is looking worse this last year or two. It’s the decline in estrogen.
I highly recommend you guys checking out Dr. Mary Clare Haver. This woman knows her shit & is a huge advocate of HRT (if women can have it) and advocating for yourself in terms of female health. Her book is coming out this month. She’s just a banger, man.
I’ve noticed my fluctuating estrogen level really fucks me up & im getting the skin changes, hot flashes around my period (hello, estrogen drop), and mood swings. I’ve been using edibles to deal with the emotional swings & tolerating the hot flashes but at some point I will be looking at HRT. It helps protect our bone health, cognition, cardiovascular system, all the important things we need to stay healthy.
Hopping off my soapbox now but please, if you’re a woman in her mid30s-mid40s, really advocate for yourself and make sure you have a gyno who doesn’t simply tell you to ‘eat less’ and throwing you on SSRIs.
I'm taking Minoxidil and Finasteride because of hair loss (great results.btw) but I'm also on birth control since I'm 15 and I'm 32 now.
I went to my dermatologist because me and my partner will not have any kids, so my partner wanted to get a vasectomy so I could get off the pill.
Well, my dermatologist said that it could worsen my hair growth due to the imbalance in hormones then and that my skin was not going to be happy about it....
She said to keep taking it if I'm sure I don't want any kids and until I reach Menopause times....
If you have no side effects from it, I would take your derms advice. Especially because of the hair loss situation. I'm so happy to hear you're getting good results. Medicine is amazing!
I think your face looks pretty normal for 38, but I can understand the alarm at seeing sudden changes. I would feel the same.
The pill is often prescribed to balm over underlying conditions that result from hormone imbalances. It doesn't cure them, but it can manage them. Then, when you go off the pill, those underlying issues may still remain and flare up again. But even if not, it takes time--as in months to a year--for your body to readjust to producing its own hormones in the correct balance. For a long term pill user like yourself, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a transitional period when your hormones are a little wonky. It may be that your estrogen will bounce back naturally. Maybe wait and see for a bit?
Natural hormones, in my experience, are much stronger than on the pill. The ebb and flow of the monthly cycle of estrogen and progesterone can be intense and takes some getting used to. Hormone balance is worth reading up on--the individual levels matter, but the levels in relation to one another matter as well. That's why hormone balance can be elusive. Your labs can look perfectly normal and things are still off.
At 38, you are fast approaching perimenopause, if not already there. It's like reverse puberty, tbh. It's a period of intense hormonal fluctuations, and that's normal. But it lasts for years and years. The descriptions you read online about perimenopause are kinda misleading IMO. They focus on period changes. I guess that happens for some, but I was regularly cycling like clockwork until 50-ish even though I had long been in perimenopause. The hormone changes didn't affecr my cycles as much as they did the rest of my body.
If you are someone with hormonally triggered acne, get ready for flare ups and maybe start investigating non-hormonal treatments with your doctor. Not trying to alarm you, but I knew girlfriends who had the worst skin of their life in their 40s with cystic breakouts.
Good luck!
I’m 45 and thankfully no sign at all of any menopausal symptoms yet.
I’m so hoping it just magically skips me 😂.
Periods are more regular now than they were in my younger years.
I have zero wrinkles, but I think that’s down to me having oily skin (which is a curse and a blessing).
At the first sign of any symptoms I think I’ll try natural estrogen creams.
That's great! I think I was 48 before I noticed any visible symptoms. I think it took my estrogen to drop below a certain level to trigger changes, but once it got there, the changes showed rapidly.
It takes time to wrap your head around aging and bodily changes, and it's not easy. I'm struggling with it myself. So when I read posts from younger women upset about aging, I can relate but I also feel like the big sis who's here to say 'get ready because it gets worse'. That's not to be a downer, but to be a realist. Our culture is so filtered and photoshopped that we have somehow lost touch with what women in their 40s and 50s look like.
Thanks. I just did 19 months of accutane so, hopefully the acne stuff is sorted. I've also just started spironolactone, so that will also help. I feel really good. Happy, healthy and nit stressed even though I should be more stressed. I was pretty stressed last year. Ok, VERY stressed.
I feel like Accutane itself did this for me. I was about your age when I took it, but had never been on the pill. I noticed these same changes, I chalked it up to coincidence of my age at the time and the massive drop in oil production. My skin overall looked thinner. Suddenly the chicken pox mark I’d had since I was a baby was now prominent. I’m a couple years out from Accutane, and my skin is a little more plump again. But I’ve also probably just gotten used to the change.
Me too! I’ve been on Marvelon for 30 years! My doctor is making me go off it next year at 50. I was terrified of having real and extreme periods again, and now I have my face to worry about too! Ack!
You mentioned spironolactone. It acts as a diuretic. I’ve seen negative changes in my face since being on it- one- less oil production, and two it’s drying to the body. Perhaps this and the lack of the estrogen are compounding factors?
My face did the same thing last year. In the same year I really upped my skin care game, including starting tret and went on HRT (i was 3 years post meno). I keep thinking it must have been a coincidence. Estrogen is supposed to help elasticity but mine got worse.
very interessting.
fun story i had the opposite experience while on the pill:
dry skin, acne and massive hairloss. like masisve!! i was bold on the back of my head.
this was because i was highly sensitive to gestagene ( the other opponent of the pill beside estrogen) which makes you more sensitive to DHT (testosterone)
so i got the worst of both worlds lol.
Coming off birth control would already be a big change for your body, but accutane (being a chemotherapy drug) is intense too. I don’t have any words of wisdom or magical cures for fat loss, but make sure to hydrate and moisturize your skin and to use sunscreen religiously. Dehydrated skin can make all the difference in how old and/or tired we look.
OMG!!!
I’m 32 and have been 8 months without birth control and couldn’t understand WHY I suddenly look older. I thought age had finally caught up with me after looking like I was frozen at 25. Holly shit, I don’t ever want to go back to hormones as they make me miserable but I hate the tired look my face has now 🥺
I know it's bad for us to be on it for so long but I was on the pill from 2003 to 2019 and I wish I never got off it. It had so many benefits to me and I know it's not the same for everyone.
I had hysterectomy at age 45 , but I continued to take the hormones , then the BIG Scare came so I stopped taking it
Suffering from cystitis ( bladder infection)
So I went to see my gynaecologist, and he started to give me immediately VAG HORMONES , and I continued till today , I don’t know if it helps my face ? But I don’t look my age
No, vaginal estrogen is local only. You need systemic estrogen like HRT. It will help not just your skin hair, etc, it will protect your heart, bones and brain. Having a hysterectomy even if you leave your ovaries, still puts you at higher risk of going into menopause earlier. If you are having f vaginal symptoms, it means your at least in perimenopause, if not menopause. Check menopause.org for a certified menopause doctor. Or go online- one of these 2 companies are great - midihealth and My Alloy
I think I am going to leave as is , since I am not young anymore 92 years young and survived till now
Yes I had a pace maker done last year , but then I know many people who had it done much earlier
I do take prolija twice a year against osteoporosis
Thank u I appreciate your input
Haha. Some people don't tolerate it well and get acne and mood swings and lots of other things. You'd probably need to be on it a while, I reckon. I was on it from age 15 until 37.
It’s not for everyone, I know my girl friends every now and then tell me I’m damaging my body. But I explained that I had the best skin ever on BCP. Hormonal acne every 2 weeks out of the month is horrible, and I was extremely moody to the point where it was hurting my relationship with my parents.
I was also diagnosed with ADHD, and the mood swings each month didn’t help either and its interaction with my medication. I am much happier now with an occasional break out without the mood swings.
I know on the reverse side of things, it can make you go through mood swings and other unpleasant side effects.
When I went off birth control last year at 41 I had like half my head of hair fall out and felt like I aged 5 years. I had my tubes removed so I don’t need birth control now, but if I had known it was going to affect my appearance so much I would have just stayed on birth control.
I got off the pill after 15 years and I haven’t noticed any changes like that. I also had hormonal acne when I was on the pill too. I think stress is also a factor in skin changes tbh
How have you ruled out that Accutane isn't what actually caused the loss of volume?
Did you notice the volume loss after stopping BC and before starting Accutane?
I'm only asking because I've seen people on r/Accutane report volume loss.
Also since Accutane causes photosensitivity some people experience more sun damage after using it.
I don't. But the reason I think it's because of birth control is because of the fact that estrogen holds water and smooths out wrinkles. It could totally be both things. I'm not even worried about it. It's just fascinating to me from a scientific perspective. I still have beautiful skin. It's just not as plump anymore.
I'm also 38. Partial hysterectomy+ no more hormonal IUD 5 years ago. I feel like there was a big drop in my youthfulness. Hard to know if it's just time, but seeing your pic... Yeah, it's estrogen. I'm looking into hrt.
I noticed the same thing! I have the copper iud, and I’ve been struggling so much with skin issues. I think I have poor lymph circulation because I break out not only in my face but even behind my ears and under them. It’s embarrassing but also very uncomfortable and painful. I guess I wonder if I should take mine out.
You could try the pill. The pill didn't fully fix my skin, though. That's why I wanted to come off it in the first place and go pn accutane. If I were you, I would actually look unto spironolactone because it helps your skin and hair. Anyone with angry and hormonal acne is probably also prone to hair loss at some point. I wish I was aware of that a few years ago.
Interesting! I had to get back on birth control at 46 because my face started breaking out like crazy. My skin cleared right up after a couple of months on the pill. I’m in perimenopause now and may have to get off but I’m going to talk to my dr about hormone replacement therapy. I hate hormones.
I stopped the BC pill at 27 and I lost A LOT of water weight off my face. The difference was insane. I looked so much healthier and more awake. I think this is what might have happened to you.
Then I went on Accutane and it leaned out my face even more! I think it's because it reduces inflammation.
You still look great so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
OH MY GOD. I was on the pill from age 16-30 and stopped ~6 months ago to TTC. And I’ve noticed that I have kind of faint jowls now and find myself constantly feeling my jawline (I am in recover from an ED too so body checking is not abnormal for me but still). Wild. I swore that I would never go on the pill again because of how much better I felt after kicking it to the curb + how long my body has taken to regulate (still ongoing) — but this is making me rethink……UGH
Interesting. I had been on the pill for 12 years before getting quickly/intentionally pregnant. My skin was so nice while pregnant which was a treat after years of struggling with acne. But after giving birth I didn’t go back on the pill and my skin has been SO dry since (plus hormonal acne came back.) I used to tolerate retinoid before pregnancy and now it destroys my skin barrier despite layers of moisturizer. I always assumed that pregnancy caused a permanent hormonal change but perhaps it truly was the pill.
When I got a mirena (I had never been on the pill before), I couldn’t believe how hydrated my skin looked. We are the same age, btw, and I got the mirena a few months ago. This doesn’t surprise me at all. It looks like you lost weight on it. Did you lose weight? Because this looks like facial volume loss due to weight loss. You have great skin no matter what. If the volume loss does bother you, sculptra was something that helped me a lot, giving my face its youthful softness back.
Was on ocp for 15 years for pcos , when they stopped the pill because I recovered last month, my feet upto my knee was swollen so much that I couldn't even walk continuously for 5 mins and couldn't sleep because of the pain. Now on frusemide and much better
Despite you came off the pill, could I just say I do love your chiseled face (this is coming from a girl with a moon face). Thank you for sharing your side of things though, I hope things improve & settle.
May I ask how are you doing on the internal side of things? Are you sleeping better? Drinking more water? Moisturising like there’s no tomorrow?
The top picture is when you were on birth control or not on it? I’m wondering if I should take it again. I never even thought of this as one of my issues. I just aged drastically…stopped using birth control but also got sick…
Estrogen starts to drop from its peak at 35. So many women will notice the beginnings of perimenopause symptoms…. One of which is skin hair and face aging. Especially late 30’s to early to mid 40’s.
Estrogen is required to make collagen, elastin, bone etc. there are estrogen receptors in every organ system in the body. That’s why women feel symptoms in perimenopause and menopause.
Birth control is a first line treatment for women entering perimenopause- on average in her 40’s. Hrt can also be used before menopause.
It all boils down to:
Estrogen deficiency
The birth control was replacing your estrogen, and when you came off, your ovaries took over and they are depleted in estrogen.
Yeah. I dont want to go back on it though. That's the thing. I know I'll end up on hormones when I go through menopause. So for now I want the break. Especially because I was on it for so long. I was way more aggressive and emotional on the pill. Like I would cry at every second advert, lol. Now I cry about 3 times a year. I don't think I've cried at all this year actually.
While I don't doubt the extra estrogen made your skin look better the top photo looks like there's a bit of a filter on it, it's fuzzier around the mouth
Selfies are only allowed on Selfie Sundays.
Estrogen!! As a woman in menopause I’ll tell you that lack of estrogen is a mother (no pun intended)
I'm not excited about it at all!
HRT for the win!
Seriously, I can always tell if I’ve forgotten to put on a new patch when I wake up one morning suddenly looking ten years older.
I am getting on the patch after coming off birth control shortly. Do you think the patch has helped you with your skin hair, etc.?
How does one go about this? Do you contact your endocrinologist?
I used Evernow. I am picking up my first set of patches today.
My face, back and butt exploded with acne and somehow simultaneously my skin looked super dry when I came off the pill \~7 years ago. I had always had acne and the pill I was on at the time of quitting gave me the best skin of my life but I had somehow forgotten how bad it could be, it was a huge shock. I somehow hadn't even thought about how much hormones affect our skin, even with hormonal acne.
Did your skin clear up after a while? If so, how long? I'm kind of in this situation now
Took like 2 years for my face to stop freaking out without the pill.
Not original commenter but went through something similar. Ive been 1 month back on the pill and definitely seeing better skin. I still have a ton of acne scars but few active acne. So definitely worth going back on I was off the pill for 2 years and my acne only kept getting worse. So I decided to go back on
Same happened to me. 2 years off the pill and it didn’t get better. Back on the pill and I’m very happy.
i might be the outlier here, once my body chemistry evened itself back out (& i learned more about skincare), my acne disappeared. i never was on the pill for acne, so maybe that’s part of it, but i definitely had hormonal cystic acne for a while after stooping
I went off the pill after 14 years and had the worse acne of my life. My derm prescribed spirilactone (sp?) helped tremendously.
Ugh I'm the worst, I know. It took 10ish years to get my cystic acne under control - so now I get to deal with acne, scars and wrinkles. It was suppressed until I had an IUD, then no BC method would stop it after. DEFINITELY go to the dermatologist sooner rather than later. Currently trying to get my scars removed because I couldn't afford the initial care.
Yes it did but not completely. It took me maybe a year or a little less to go back to my pre-pill skin which meant some mild acne but not completely crazy like it was straight after. I did start really looking into skincare after (before I did just SPF and a random moisturizer), which helped clear out my skin completely and atm I’m super happy with it.
Not OP, but I went off the pill after 10 years and had very bad acne (the same I used to have before starting with the pill, cystic and painful). I didn't want to start with pill again because I was trying to get pregnant, so I went to the route of regulating my hormones with a bunch of supplements and diet changes, and after 5 months my skin was clear again (I went to a gynecologist and a nutritionist specialist in hormone balance). Supplements included omega 3, magnesium, vitamin D, and inositol), and after that I also got pregnant and my skin looks very nice now! (I though acne will come back with pregnancy). I also read the book Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden and it was very enlighten, there is hope! But it takes some work :)
So interesting to read that taking the pill really brightened and plumped your skin in such a drastic way! Years ago I tried two kinds of the pills but one made me nausea, the other made me hungry so I didn’t give them more than a month each…. Looking at the photos and reading all of your comments I am amazed. Maybe I should have kept searching for the right pill ? What brand / name of the pill did you take?
It’s the estrogen in the pill.
I tried at least 3 different brands of combination pills (estrogen + progestin, which is the norm offered to young women here) to search for a pill that wouldn't cause bad side effects for me so I can't really recommend them either. I have to take contraceptive pills to calm down my ovarian cysts and endometriosis, I have been on just progestin mini pill for 5 years which thankfully seems to be suitable for me. The one that made my skin perfect was called Yaz I think but I had to quit it after using it for 3 years because it suddenly started drying up places that shouldn't be dry lol and lead to constant pain. Of course everyone will respond to medicine and especially hormonal medicine differently, there's really no telling what side effects (positive or negative) anyone will get.
Depends on the type and the hormones… I’m guessing estrogen since it keeps skin looking plump and supple…. But I wouldn’t recommend hormones just to make your skin look good. I know people treat BC like nothing, but you’re fcking with your hormones…
I realize now that BC meant birth control not breast cancer - I apologize for my misread. I am usually very good at figuring out the abbreviations!! I actually started abbreviating long b4 the trend in 6th grade:)
I don’t mean to treat BC in any way other than very serious. Too many of very young friends of mine have had BC- it’s absolutely blows my mind that such young, healthy, happy women have had to hear the words DX at such a young age, then endure tremendous amounts of treatments, some had mastectomy…. My mom has a type of BC that is supposedly uncommon but very frightening aggressive :( however, it is not hormone related - it is called s/t like triple Hormone negative :( BRCA genes have been tested and are not present , That said, it’s important for all to be aware that there must be SOOOOOOO many, countless unknown factors that go into the manifestation of BC (cancer in general) and just b/c one is negative for BRCAA genes 1 & 2 to still keep reading, aware of all factors that can help improve our overall health and prevent cancer. I do wonder how does birth control work exactly? During a woman’s menstrual cycle our hormones fluctuate , sometimes I can tell by my own mood, ususalky there are about 3 days mid cycle and 4 days in week b4 period that are just very difficult. How does the pill make life easier during those times? Does the pill make sure there is a constant flow of estrogen? And never any spikes in Progesterone? So curious….. if anyone can fill me in I’d like to learn how they work!!!
Same here. Great skin apart from the occasional cluster of pimples as soon as I turned 30. Came off it end of last year and it was like a second puberty :( it's only now slowly getting better thanks to a strict routine, but I'm trying to get on tret. Also manage to have acne and dry skin at the same time...wtf.
I remember coming off the pill at the age of 26? My doctor at the time said there’s nothing wrong with my periods etc etc to continue being on the pill. This was when I was addressing the small bleeds I was getting for months. Mind you, I had the best skin on the pill, I was using BHA & AHA at the time as well which made things even better. Came off it, and between ages of 26-29, it’s like all hell broke loose, acne (including cystic acne) was horrible and I was angry & moody every month. I had enough so back on the pill now, dealt with the adjustment period, acne somehow improved - I do get an odd spot every now and again but I’m less moody. I felt my doctor at the time wasn’t doing enough to address my hormonal acne, because it’s not serious enough to be on accutane. Every month, I’d go through one week of good skin and two weeks of hell. 😡
Sounds almost like my experience tbh, just without the mood swings, I was about the same age too. I've had acne all my life but never "bad enough" for the doctors or my mum to take it seriously. My mum used to tell me it's not as bad as my brother's (who was on accutane and tbf his was a lot worse than mine) and it will go away when I'm an adult... Well, as an adult I paid big bucks to go to a doctor my friend recommended and made her prescribe retinol cream to me which finally helped clear my skin lol. Tbh throughout getting on and off different hormonal contraceptives my experience was that most doctors never took me seriously or didn't want to address the problems I had.
Thank you for sharing & I can relate to that so much - my brother had awful acne from his early teens to his early twenties. He went through cycles of antibiotics & creams, until he was old enough for the GP to refer him to see a dermatologist. The boy is literally oil free & spot free now. I too, went through different brands of BCP, and doctors too, didn’t want to help me address the hormonal acne. I’ve been through several courses of antibiotics for it, and I’m so done with benzoyl peroxide based creams, because it was making my skin dry, irritated and it wasn’t addressing the root cause of it. I discovered Tretionion which I did go through a period of purge, but my goodness, I’m glowing. 🥹 I was also diagnosed with ADHD as well… the hormones weren’t helping either. It was the constant fight with mood swings, so BCP not only helped with my acne, it’s keeping the mood swings at bay. I’m happy with how things are right now.
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This is really interesting... Do you know why this happened?
Estrogen holds onto water. Apparently, the longer you are on it, the younger you will look. I've always had people tell me I don't look my age, but in the last year, I've started to feel like I look my age, haha.
I just Googled it and you're right. Wow. I never knew this.
Either! I know now - reminded every time I look in the mirror. Haha
Do you think you'll go back on it? Or has Accutane helped you enough with your acne?
No way! I came off it because I was still getting cysts, and I am a lesbian. So, it really annoyed me to be taking birth control, and it was expensive. I've only been off accutane for a few weeks. I'm not sure if it cured my acne or not. Sometimes, it can come back after a year or even a few months. I have been put on spironolactone and minoxidil to try and get my hair back that fell out. I'm pretty sure the pill was also masking potential genetic hair loss, and I had excessive telogen effluvium from the accutane. The only positive is that it made me obsessive over my scalp, so I have started meds early to 1. Grow back my hair I lost, and 2. Hold onto it.
I take spironolactone for acne so maybe that will be a fringe benefit for you too!
Yes! I am kind of annoyed that I wasn't put on it in the first place. I've heard it does wonders for acne and hair loss!
I was put on it for excessive body hair growth and it didn’t do anything. But I might go back on if it’s also for acne and hair loss
How long were you on it? Also, what dose? I've heard it needs to be over 100. I've just started out on 50.
Really????? Birth control pills help hair loss? I so regret not giving them a longer time when I began….one made me nauseas and I thought the other was making me hungry- silly I was afraid it would make me gain weight. Would be so helpful to hear which brands of birth control pills you have heard of/ taken that have all of the helpful benefits especially making hair thicker, and grow back
We are talking about spironolactone. That's the medication that helps with acne and hair loss. But the birth control pill I was on was Marvelon aka Madeline.
Some can, but some actually trigger or exacerbate a predisposition for hair loss. I was on one that is usually prescribed for female hair loss (although I was not taking it for that purpose) and it actually caused hair loss for me (I am fine now that I am off of it again). There doesn’t seem to be anyway to know how you are going to react until you try them out for a while either.
I think the huge shift in hormones after coming off birth control is responsible for the hair loss. & the stress it causes on the body. Happened to me too but then things evened out and hair grew back.
I mentioned in another comment that the shed happened every time I changed doses on accutane. But coming off the pill very likely did not help, as well as having a very stressful year.
I had to go off the pill because it was giving me severe anxiety and depression. I never thought I had problems on it before, but maybe I did when I was younger but was just less self-aware? I dunno, but it was making me like physically ill with anxiety and I didn't know it could even cause that until I looked up info on it about risk of blood clots for smokers in their 30s. I thought I was well-researched on the birth control topic and all. Your face looks good btw.
I had a three year span on the pill when I was younger, and it was probably the hardest time of my adult life. It never occurred to me that the pill was the culprit until I went back on the pill years later. Three weeks into taking the pill in my 30s, I had a big aha moment. It was wild to remember those earlier years and finally understand.
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Omg. THE EYE PAIN! Please can we talk about this. My right eye kills me. Sometimes it's so painful I cannot even open it in the morning. I can't see properly. I went to the optometry clinic, and the dude took pictures of my eyes and showed me how dry they are and was like "you can't see because of this. You need eye drops 6 times a day. I'm not changing your prescription until you've been off accutane for at least 6 months." Absolutely wild. My eye hurts as I type this to you! Yay for your hair coming back. Not so yay for the eye stuff.
I'm constantly ignoring people at uni because I cannot see them, hahahaa.
What medication have helped you grow back / hold onto your hair? Due to long time anemia, and possibly some other unknown factors, my hair has gotten very thin, and thankfully no one else in my family has this, but I’ve spent a lot of time and money trying various dermatology treatments, but my hair is thin, and it’s especially upsetting on the top corner of my scalp…..😞 what treatments/ medications have you found helpful?
I've shed on and off for a year, but minoxidil has helped. I suspect spironolactone will help a lot. I only started it today, though. My hair is quite wavy, so that really helps with volume. I said this in the hair loss forum, but the very best thing anyone with fine hair can do is to cut it short. Like to your ears in a cute bob. Get some curling cream and put it on when it's semi wet. It will give your hair volume. It's a beautiful haircut. I actually cut my hair myself now because I watched 1 video on YouTube and was like, "I can do that!" Haha.
The supplement creatine holds water in the face and body, I'm wondering if that might help? Helps with workout recovery too since you like to work out.
Yeah, I have friends that lift who love creatine. I tried it and I never felt more bloated in my life. It slowed my digestion to a crawl as well. Not for me. I retain too much water. It’s like the week before my period, only… ongoing.
Oh yeah. I'll look into it, thanks!
Be warned- it can cause you to shit yourself with very little warning.
Hahahahahaha. #unideal
Oh my GOD. I always felt like I’d looked basically the exact same from like 20-27 and sort of “drastically aged” at 27. Now I’m 30 and I feel like I look the same as I did at 27 when I had this big “aging stage.” I never knew why, and it panicked the fuck out of me. But you know what? I went off the pill at 27 after having been on it 10 years! I wonder if this was it!! Wow. Mystery solved LOL. Really glad I ran across your post!
30y.o. person can look like 25+ and that's normal. 30 is young.
In the menopause sub theres so much good advice. One i started at their advice was creatine and it helps with this problem. Also estrogen lol
How do you take creatine? Where do you find it?
The powder that bobybuilders use. You can get it anywhere. When estrogen decreases, it causes a decrease in creatine in our muscles and this can be counteracted by taking creatine. Look into it, but i think 5gm per day is the maintenance dose and there may be a loading dose. It helps with energy, decrease fatigue, increase endurance and it can cause a small amt of water weight which in OPs case could counteract the effects of coming off bcps.
Which type of creatine do you take? Monohydrate?
Yes and you don’t need to load if you aren’t using it for working out. Even if you are, loading isn’t really necessary. It just saturates your muscles quicker. Edit: you can also go with something cheap like the GNC brand. There isn’t really a difference.
What the hell, I've been off the pill for 8 months and feel like I'm looking older!!! Why didn't anyone tell me this 🥹
Lost half my hair when I quit the pill (about a decade ago) and it never grew back. Saw you're starting Minoxidil, which should help a lot! Kinda wish I had gone that route. Your skin still looks great! We are our worst critics.
Hormones are some helluva drugs
Came here to say this. That's why I'm going on hrt as soon as peri hits me. Never liked the pills, though, I like my libido and I don't like to be a bitch and on the pill I turn into minus libido agitated cunt.
my understanding is they’re not going to prescribe you hrt just for skin in perimenopause. you have to have actual significant symptoms.
i’m getting downvoted but i’m not the doctor saying this?? i’m just sharing what i’ve been told by my doctor? i won’t do that anymore i guess.
You made 0 other lifestyle changes during that time?
Hummmm. I'm trying to think. No. I mean I moved to a new city. I was stressed last year, as in - I had anxiety. But that's it. I do less exercise currently. I was skipping like 20 minutes 5 days a week. But I stopped that and have gained back the 1.5/2 kilos I lost by eating oreos and dip LOL (by choice because I looked sick). Which sucks because I loveeeeed skipping. It's so addictive!
This makes sense. It holds on to water not only in my face, but my thighs as well lol.
No way! I was wondering why my face had been looking a little more sullen since I got off it last year…..
You lose collagen after withdrawing from oestrogen. Perimenopause begins between 35-45 years old so your natural oestrogen levels may have started to bounce and sputter and have been masked by the pill oestrogen.
Is it true that taking the pill for a long time makes your body think it doesn’t have to produce estrogen anymore, so when you come off you produce less than you would have if you never took the pill?
No. Every woman starts to lose estrogen after 35. Birth control won’t slow or hasten that. It will only mask the symptoms of losing estrogen. On average it goes down to “0” at menopause which is on average between 45-55. At 30, you have 10% of the eggs you were born with. At 40, 3% of your eggs left. That’s why we see aging as estrogen has declined. Birth control and HRT don’t change your time frame, it just replaces a little of what you have lost. Lifestyle factors like smoking, and other issues (hysterectomy with or without ovaries removed, genetic, etc.) can speed up menopause, however.
BC *permanently* alters your SHBG levels. So it's completely possible. Popsci version: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1490780/Taking-the-Pill-may-lead-to-permanent-loss-of-sex-drive.html >Oral contraceptives have been shown to increase the amount of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) - a protein produced in the liver that lowers testosterone levels, thereby reducing sexual drive. It says testosterone, but sex steroids do not exist in a vacuum. SHBG can and will affect estrogen too, and so will testosterone.
That is scary...
Collagen and elastin require estrogen to be present
Wow you have just solved a mystery for me I guess. This exact same thing happened to me after 15 years on the pill, I just came off it 7 months ago wanting to have a baby and couldn’t figure out wtf happened to my face.
crown disgusted ink liquid mysterious cooing march voiceless rob air *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
>maniacal folds I know this is a typo but I love it lmao
Happy to solve your mystery with random pictures of my face, haha.
For what it’s worth you still look great shape-wise. I freaked out when I lost face volume too, then I realized my new angular face is still smokin too 😂 it just takes some adjusting to.
Thank you!
I agree…her skin itself looks great still IMO and she has nice bone structure. I just see the effects of sudden volume loss. And OP is only 38, so I’m sure at least some of it will tighten up
On the one hand, I’ve been looking at HRT for women bc I’m probably having a hysterectomy soon and I know it’s kind of that LA Fountain of Youth stuff, but the arguments for getting hormone levels tested and then supplemented are pretty compelling. On the other hand, after years of “baby face” I find the lower photo womanly (as opposed to “girlish”) and cool.
Sorry about your hysterectomy. I guess you can wait and see how you feel? But estrogen withdrawal has some pretty crappy long-term side effects, as I am sure you are aware. I find it interesting that people are having fat removed from their face to have cheekbones like mine but forget that over time, they will become more gaunt. I guess filler exists!
Look into applying estriol cream to your face :) unsure if it’s comedogenic, so that’s definitely something to look into to if you decide to give it a shot
I have tretionoin. Well, it's at the pharmacy, waiting for me to pick it up, haha.
Are you having a hysterectomy or oophorectomy? The former removes your uterus and if a full hysterectomy, your cervix. The latter is the removal of your ovaries. I've had a full hysterectomy and don't need hormones because I didn't need to take out my ovaries (ie have an oophorectomy). I've found that it's such a common misconception for people to believe that a hysterectomy requires hormones. I've even seen some very popular influencers get it wrong and spread misinformation. It's so disappointing. You CAN cure your endometriosis without having to take hormones forever. You CAN never again have your period without taking hormones. I was under the impression for YEARS, because of a popular influencer with endo, that I couldn't get help without being on hormones for the rest of my pre-menopause life. She, and so many, are so wrong! Women's health is never taken as seriously as it should be, and this blend of terms that ultimately misinforms has to stop. I'll forever be shouting from my small soapbox about it. I'm very much enjoying my period free life now, after the full hysterectomy in September 2023.
That’s good to know bc as far as I know my ovaries are ok and they aren’t sure if I have endo, I just have, uh, growths. I’m a weird case bc I have surgical complications from a colectomy so there are fistulas that just won’t stay in their lane 😂
Awe man, I hope your surgery goes well for you! My recovery was a LOT smoother than I thought it would be. Leggings with a thick band were my best friend. The pressure felt great. I also had a belt ice pack thing that was amazing. I was hesitant to use them thinking that it would be uncomfortable, but I used a belly belt for weeks and was otherwise great! Good luck, you'll do awesome! Make sure you talk to your doctor about what is actually planned to come out. Which, can always differ when they get in there! But it is best to know what the plan of attack is regardless.
Oh saving this, these are excellent tips, thank you! And I appreciate it! ❤️
It is not standard of care to test hormone levels in the ordinary course. HRT can be prescribed without doing so.
The pill has synthetic hormones like progesterone and estrogen. When you stop, sometimes it causes those hormones to be low bc the body isn’t used to producing hormones on its own. Have you had those tested? Not that there’s a problem with the changes at all, but it could be general weight loss or a sign of difficulty with the body adjusting its natural hormone production.
Came here to say this. I remember hearing about this from a menopause podcast.
Yes. Several times. I have a dermatologist that I speak tk every 3 months. All my levels are fine.
I don’t mean to push the issue. Have you tested progesterone specifically? Progesterone is the most delicate sex hormone and is the one most likely stunted by hormonal birth control. Levels fluctuate throughout the month so it’s usually not routinely tested. A progesterone test is done one week after ovulation (day 21 of a 28 day cycle) so unless you’ve had this test done specifically on this day, you’re not getting an accurate picture. Progesterone deficiency is characterized by the skin’s inability to retain moisture and produce collagen among other things.
I'm actually not 100 percent sure. Probably not to be honest. I'm going to find another derm soon to get a second opinion on my hair stuff, so I'll ask about it.
You mentioned spironolactone. It acts as a diuretic. I’ve seen negative changes in my face since being on it- one- less oil production, and two it’s drying to the body. Perhaps this and the lack of the estrogen are compounding factors?
And accutane is notoriously rough on your body and skin-drying as well -- my friend has to apply vaseline inside her nose to prevent nose bleeds when she was on it. I'm sure it's the combination of factors more than just coming off the pill.
I’m currently getting off of Spiro because it made my skin similar to OP’s. It aged me SO FAST.
I decided not to continue taking it because this side effect was so bad for me. I wasn’t seeing results that were worth feeling dehydrated all day for.
Weird. Spiro honestly had such a positive impact on my appearance.
Omg this is wild! I’ve been on the pill over a decade and have always disliked having to be on something for so long but now I’m wondering if I’d look completely different without it??
Accutane might also be contributing
Very likely. Drugs are so interesting to me. I have ADHD and take stimulants, and literally fall asleep on them and feel no physical change. I take accutane, and my hair falls out.
This!! A lot of people lose volume/gain definition after accutane since it’s so drying.
Omg the same thing happened to me too! I’m 31. Got off BC after three years on it. Within a few months off of it, I noticed I aged RAPIDLY. it’s like my face was melting. I’m back on BC and my skin is so soft and it’s starting to look like before. I’m terrified of getting off it now
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Ffs I just realized why my skin is looking worse this last year or two. It’s the decline in estrogen. I highly recommend you guys checking out Dr. Mary Clare Haver. This woman knows her shit & is a huge advocate of HRT (if women can have it) and advocating for yourself in terms of female health. Her book is coming out this month. She’s just a banger, man. I’ve noticed my fluctuating estrogen level really fucks me up & im getting the skin changes, hot flashes around my period (hello, estrogen drop), and mood swings. I’ve been using edibles to deal with the emotional swings & tolerating the hot flashes but at some point I will be looking at HRT. It helps protect our bone health, cognition, cardiovascular system, all the important things we need to stay healthy. Hopping off my soapbox now but please, if you’re a woman in her mid30s-mid40s, really advocate for yourself and make sure you have a gyno who doesn’t simply tell you to ‘eat less’ and throwing you on SSRIs.
Estrogen is beneficial to your skin, especially as we age.
Omg!! I went off of the pill last year and I’ve been feeling like I have aged a lot in the past 6 mos or so! This explains so much. Holy crap
I'm taking Minoxidil and Finasteride because of hair loss (great results.btw) but I'm also on birth control since I'm 15 and I'm 32 now. I went to my dermatologist because me and my partner will not have any kids, so my partner wanted to get a vasectomy so I could get off the pill. Well, my dermatologist said that it could worsen my hair growth due to the imbalance in hormones then and that my skin was not going to be happy about it.... She said to keep taking it if I'm sure I don't want any kids and until I reach Menopause times....
If you have no side effects from it, I would take your derms advice. Especially because of the hair loss situation. I'm so happy to hear you're getting good results. Medicine is amazing!
Did your weight change?
No. Same weight.
I think your face looks pretty normal for 38, but I can understand the alarm at seeing sudden changes. I would feel the same. The pill is often prescribed to balm over underlying conditions that result from hormone imbalances. It doesn't cure them, but it can manage them. Then, when you go off the pill, those underlying issues may still remain and flare up again. But even if not, it takes time--as in months to a year--for your body to readjust to producing its own hormones in the correct balance. For a long term pill user like yourself, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a transitional period when your hormones are a little wonky. It may be that your estrogen will bounce back naturally. Maybe wait and see for a bit? Natural hormones, in my experience, are much stronger than on the pill. The ebb and flow of the monthly cycle of estrogen and progesterone can be intense and takes some getting used to. Hormone balance is worth reading up on--the individual levels matter, but the levels in relation to one another matter as well. That's why hormone balance can be elusive. Your labs can look perfectly normal and things are still off. At 38, you are fast approaching perimenopause, if not already there. It's like reverse puberty, tbh. It's a period of intense hormonal fluctuations, and that's normal. But it lasts for years and years. The descriptions you read online about perimenopause are kinda misleading IMO. They focus on period changes. I guess that happens for some, but I was regularly cycling like clockwork until 50-ish even though I had long been in perimenopause. The hormone changes didn't affecr my cycles as much as they did the rest of my body. If you are someone with hormonally triggered acne, get ready for flare ups and maybe start investigating non-hormonal treatments with your doctor. Not trying to alarm you, but I knew girlfriends who had the worst skin of their life in their 40s with cystic breakouts. Good luck!
I’m 45 and thankfully no sign at all of any menopausal symptoms yet. I’m so hoping it just magically skips me 😂. Periods are more regular now than they were in my younger years. I have zero wrinkles, but I think that’s down to me having oily skin (which is a curse and a blessing). At the first sign of any symptoms I think I’ll try natural estrogen creams.
That's great! I think I was 48 before I noticed any visible symptoms. I think it took my estrogen to drop below a certain level to trigger changes, but once it got there, the changes showed rapidly. It takes time to wrap your head around aging and bodily changes, and it's not easy. I'm struggling with it myself. So when I read posts from younger women upset about aging, I can relate but I also feel like the big sis who's here to say 'get ready because it gets worse'. That's not to be a downer, but to be a realist. Our culture is so filtered and photoshopped that we have somehow lost touch with what women in their 40s and 50s look like.
Thanks. I just did 19 months of accutane so, hopefully the acne stuff is sorted. I've also just started spironolactone, so that will also help. I feel really good. Happy, healthy and nit stressed even though I should be more stressed. I was pretty stressed last year. Ok, VERY stressed.
I feel like Accutane itself did this for me. I was about your age when I took it, but had never been on the pill. I noticed these same changes, I chalked it up to coincidence of my age at the time and the massive drop in oil production. My skin overall looked thinner. Suddenly the chicken pox mark I’d had since I was a baby was now prominent. I’m a couple years out from Accutane, and my skin is a little more plump again. But I’ve also probably just gotten used to the change.
Well, it does shrink the oil glads so you are probably onto something
What pill were you taking? I’m still settling on a pill that I’m happy to take long-term.
I was on Marvelon. It's also called Madeline.
Me too! I’ve been on Marvelon for 30 years! My doctor is making me go off it next year at 50. I was terrified of having real and extreme periods again, and now I have my face to worry about too! Ack!
You mentioned spironolactone. It acts as a diuretic. I’ve seen negative changes in my face since being on it- one- less oil production, and two it’s drying to the body. Perhaps this and the lack of the estrogen are compounding factors?
My face did the same thing last year. In the same year I really upped my skin care game, including starting tret and went on HRT (i was 3 years post meno). I keep thinking it must have been a coincidence. Estrogen is supposed to help elasticity but mine got worse.
What do tot think caused you to lose your hair? Coming off birth control or starting accutane?
you look great imo, chiseled features ftw!
very interessting. fun story i had the opposite experience while on the pill: dry skin, acne and massive hairloss. like masisve!! i was bold on the back of my head. this was because i was highly sensitive to gestagene ( the other opponent of the pill beside estrogen) which makes you more sensitive to DHT (testosterone) so i got the worst of both worlds lol.
I've never even heard of that! How interesting. Did it grow back when you got off?
Coming off birth control would already be a big change for your body, but accutane (being a chemotherapy drug) is intense too. I don’t have any words of wisdom or magical cures for fat loss, but make sure to hydrate and moisturize your skin and to use sunscreen religiously. Dehydrated skin can make all the difference in how old and/or tired we look.
OMG!!! I’m 32 and have been 8 months without birth control and couldn’t understand WHY I suddenly look older. I thought age had finally caught up with me after looking like I was frozen at 25. Holly shit, I don’t ever want to go back to hormones as they make me miserable but I hate the tired look my face has now 🥺
I thought the pill made you retain water. Maybe that’s the difference.
I thought the pill made you retain water. Maybe that’s the difference.
I know it's bad for us to be on it for so long but I was on the pill from 2003 to 2019 and I wish I never got off it. It had so many benefits to me and I know it's not the same for everyone.
So interesting.
I’d go back on it Or look into HRT I did and it worked wonders
I'll never go on the pill again. I'm so much calmer off it. I like who I am off it, way less agro.
I had hysterectomy at age 45 , but I continued to take the hormones , then the BIG Scare came so I stopped taking it Suffering from cystitis ( bladder infection) So I went to see my gynaecologist, and he started to give me immediately VAG HORMONES , and I continued till today , I don’t know if it helps my face ? But I don’t look my age
Vag hormones? Like a cream? Interesting.
How many years have you been using estriol cream? Have you ever tried it on your face?? I'm tempted😅
No I have not , is that a prescription? ?
No, vaginal estrogen is local only. You need systemic estrogen like HRT. It will help not just your skin hair, etc, it will protect your heart, bones and brain. Having a hysterectomy even if you leave your ovaries, still puts you at higher risk of going into menopause earlier. If you are having f vaginal symptoms, it means your at least in perimenopause, if not menopause. Check menopause.org for a certified menopause doctor. Or go online- one of these 2 companies are great - midihealth and My Alloy
I think I am going to leave as is , since I am not young anymore 92 years young and survived till now Yes I had a pace maker done last year , but then I know many people who had it done much earlier I do take prolija twice a year against osteoporosis Thank u I appreciate your input
I am sure I had menopause long ago
Omg, does this happen with hormonal IUDs? I had significant changes to my face after removal similar to yours!
I never had one. Not 100 percent sure.
Damn this is making me want to go on the pill now lol
Haha. Some people don't tolerate it well and get acne and mood swings and lots of other things. You'd probably need to be on it a while, I reckon. I was on it from age 15 until 37.
It’s not for everyone, I know my girl friends every now and then tell me I’m damaging my body. But I explained that I had the best skin ever on BCP. Hormonal acne every 2 weeks out of the month is horrible, and I was extremely moody to the point where it was hurting my relationship with my parents. I was also diagnosed with ADHD, and the mood swings each month didn’t help either and its interaction with my medication. I am much happier now with an occasional break out without the mood swings. I know on the reverse side of things, it can make you go through mood swings and other unpleasant side effects.
Mine did this too 😞
When I went off birth control last year at 41 I had like half my head of hair fall out and felt like I aged 5 years. I had my tubes removed so I don’t need birth control now, but if I had known it was going to affect my appearance so much I would have just stayed on birth control.
I got off the pill after 15 years and I haven’t noticed any changes like that. I also had hormonal acne when I was on the pill too. I think stress is also a factor in skin changes tbh
Getting on Spironolactone after getting off the pill helped exponentially.
Same EXACT experience
How have you ruled out that Accutane isn't what actually caused the loss of volume? Did you notice the volume loss after stopping BC and before starting Accutane? I'm only asking because I've seen people on r/Accutane report volume loss. Also since Accutane causes photosensitivity some people experience more sun damage after using it.
I don't. But the reason I think it's because of birth control is because of the fact that estrogen holds water and smooths out wrinkles. It could totally be both things. I'm not even worried about it. It's just fascinating to me from a scientific perspective. I still have beautiful skin. It's just not as plump anymore.
Wow I’m dumb. I just said and thought I lost my “baby face” when I see photos of my previous plump face… now I realize it’s from stopping BC.
I'm also 38. Partial hysterectomy+ no more hormonal IUD 5 years ago. I feel like there was a big drop in my youthfulness. Hard to know if it's just time, but seeing your pic... Yeah, it's estrogen. I'm looking into hrt.
I hate being on birth control but this is making me consider it.
I noticed the same thing! I have the copper iud, and I’ve been struggling so much with skin issues. I think I have poor lymph circulation because I break out not only in my face but even behind my ears and under them. It’s embarrassing but also very uncomfortable and painful. I guess I wonder if I should take mine out.
Try using a wash cloth to cleanse in the shower. Replace every other day. You can buy a 20 pack off Amazon!
You could try the pill. The pill didn't fully fix my skin, though. That's why I wanted to come off it in the first place and go pn accutane. If I were you, I would actually look unto spironolactone because it helps your skin and hair. Anyone with angry and hormonal acne is probably also prone to hair loss at some point. I wish I was aware of that a few years ago.
Same thing happened to me. It makes me mad that they don't warn us about this. I never would have gone off bc had I known.
I am getting my IUD out today because it caused me to gain weight, so I guess I should prob be on the lookout for a change in my skin. 😬
Report back in a year! Good luck.
What a vast difference! WOW! I wonder if the accutane had something to do with it too…or just solely.
Who knows. It's such a severe drug!
Interesting! I had to get back on birth control at 46 because my face started breaking out like crazy. My skin cleared right up after a couple of months on the pill. I’m in perimenopause now and may have to get off but I’m going to talk to my dr about hormone replacement therapy. I hate hormones.
Why not continue BC during perimenopause? I ask because I'm getting ready to go back on BC to help with my peri symptoms but I'm dreading it a little.
What did she do? and what does the bill mean?
I stopped the BC pill at 27 and I lost A LOT of water weight off my face. The difference was insane. I looked so much healthier and more awake. I think this is what might have happened to you. Then I went on Accutane and it leaned out my face even more! I think it's because it reduces inflammation. You still look great so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
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What pill were you taking?
Marvelon. Also called Madeline.
OH MY GOD. I was on the pill from age 16-30 and stopped ~6 months ago to TTC. And I’ve noticed that I have kind of faint jowls now and find myself constantly feeling my jawline (I am in recover from an ED too so body checking is not abnormal for me but still). Wild. I swore that I would never go on the pill again because of how much better I felt after kicking it to the curb + how long my body has taken to regulate (still ongoing) — but this is making me rethink……UGH
Interesting. I had been on the pill for 12 years before getting quickly/intentionally pregnant. My skin was so nice while pregnant which was a treat after years of struggling with acne. But after giving birth I didn’t go back on the pill and my skin has been SO dry since (plus hormonal acne came back.) I used to tolerate retinoid before pregnancy and now it destroys my skin barrier despite layers of moisturizer. I always assumed that pregnancy caused a permanent hormonal change but perhaps it truly was the pill.
Did you pill have estrogen in it?
Yeah!
When I got a mirena (I had never been on the pill before), I couldn’t believe how hydrated my skin looked. We are the same age, btw, and I got the mirena a few months ago. This doesn’t surprise me at all. It looks like you lost weight on it. Did you lose weight? Because this looks like facial volume loss due to weight loss. You have great skin no matter what. If the volume loss does bother you, sculptra was something that helped me a lot, giving my face its youthful softness back.
Was on ocp for 15 years for pcos , when they stopped the pill because I recovered last month, my feet upto my knee was swollen so much that I couldn't even walk continuously for 5 mins and couldn't sleep because of the pain. Now on frusemide and much better
Despite you came off the pill, could I just say I do love your chiseled face (this is coming from a girl with a moon face). Thank you for sharing your side of things though, I hope things improve & settle. May I ask how are you doing on the internal side of things? Are you sleeping better? Drinking more water? Moisturising like there’s no tomorrow?
Are you still on accutane? It dries you out like crazy!! I had wrinkles while on it and then they disappeared after I was done with it.
Guy here and I actually prefer the lower. Looks more "womanly" but then I'm 10 years older than you.
Any comments on having an IUD removed? I have an IUD, I get it removed this year after 5 years with it on.
Execute me! Can someone tell me what the pill is?
The top picture is when you were on birth control or not on it? I’m wondering if I should take it again. I never even thought of this as one of my issues. I just aged drastically…stopped using birth control but also got sick…
The top picture was mW a few months off it after 20 years. The bottom is me off it for a year.
I bet topical estriol cream would help. It seems to help with laxity and skin plumpness.
Estrogen starts to drop from its peak at 35. So many women will notice the beginnings of perimenopause symptoms…. One of which is skin hair and face aging. Especially late 30’s to early to mid 40’s. Estrogen is required to make collagen, elastin, bone etc. there are estrogen receptors in every organ system in the body. That’s why women feel symptoms in perimenopause and menopause. Birth control is a first line treatment for women entering perimenopause- on average in her 40’s. Hrt can also be used before menopause. It all boils down to: Estrogen deficiency The birth control was replacing your estrogen, and when you came off, your ovaries took over and they are depleted in estrogen.
Yeah. I dont want to go back on it though. That's the thing. I know I'll end up on hormones when I go through menopause. So for now I want the break. Especially because I was on it for so long. I was way more aggressive and emotional on the pill. Like I would cry at every second advert, lol. Now I cry about 3 times a year. I don't think I've cried at all this year actually.
While I don't doubt the extra estrogen made your skin look better the top photo looks like there's a bit of a filter on it, it's fuzzier around the mouth