Calling fellow PCOS'ers......Acne...Skin tags

Options
Have any of you found a product the helps with the severe adult acne associated with PCOS??? I am tired of spending money in everything you can think of and still looking like a teenager.

Also have any if you had skin tags removed? Do they come back?? I recall seeing a clip on OTC skin tag removal cream...anyone else ever heard of that and know the name of it and if it works???

Thanks for your input in advance!!!!

Replies

  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
    Options
    There's a PCOS group on here - I'm sure someone there will be able to give you support and ideas.
  • bambi_woodward
    Options
    I had skin tags removed a couple of years ago and I've been lucky that they've not returned. I was told that it's usually sign of insulin resistance (of course with the PCOS) and that once that was on the way to being resolved they would go away.

    As far as acne, I look like I did when I was 13! I have tried everything from chemical peels to antibiotics with no help. A couple fo things that I have been trying that seem to help (and are cheap!) are colorless iodine and baking soda. Both will dry up active acne (at least for me) I just make a paste out of the baking soda and wait for it to dry and rinse off. I go between that and the colorless iodine. I just use it after I wash my face in the evenings. It stinks, but it works! Hope this helps!

    Bambi
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,352 Member
    Options
    ^ This is correct. The acne and the skin tags are from the insulin resistance.. With weight loss and watching your diet, they will go away. I used to have really bad skin and several small skin tags under my arms and they are now gone.
  • southernyankee716
    Options
    I have skin tags and I consider myself lucky to only have a few under my arm pit. With my hair regularly falling out, skin tags are the least of my worries. :ohwell: They seem to come (weight-gain) and go (weight-loss). I haven't heard of a removal cream but I'm interested to find out more. My husband has a few he would love to see gone.

    As far as acne- I was prescribed Spironolactone (Aldactone). Don't quote me but I believe it works by blocking the excess androgen production (something like that). Anyway, my acne has cleared up wonderfully. Spironolactone also helps to stop/prevent hirutism (excess hair). I couldn't go a day without it. Note: Spironolactone is not safe for pregnant women or women trying to become pregnant.
  • mabrywynn
    mabrywynn Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    I have 'unexplained' PCOS...so all of this sounds familiar. I am finally at a place where I feel comfortable with my own skin....unfortunantely it has come to me needing to be on Accutane (for the third time - once in high school, once right out of college and now that i am 30). But the combination of that, birth control, eating clean and exercising seems to be the key. I did try the spiralactone (sp?) and sadly i am allergic to it.

    as for washes/masks try Glytone - you can get them on dermstore.com and the products works wonderfully. My dermatologist recommends it and I use it when I am not on accutane (too much to do both at the same time).
  • Hopelessbird
    Options
    I'm trying to get pregnant this year so I can't use pills or medicated creams. I get a Jessner peel every 4-6 weeks from a local spa. Pricey (50-125 per sessions) but my acne cleared up 90% and the scars lightened up.

    The cystic acne actually goes away after a few hours of the peel and almost all disappear by 3rd day - then my face peels/flakes for a week. The peeling helps reduce hyperpigmentation from old scars. The other benefit is my wrinkles started to disappear

    I have only had 4 sessions done so far and my skin has improved significantly. I don't need to use other products anymore - just cetaphil and sunblock. I will continue getting the peels until I am back on the pill.
  • mabrywynn
    mabrywynn Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    can you do those peels pregnant?

    when I was pregnant my doc put me on Amoxycyline (sp?) for acne + an in office acne peel once a month (fine with being pregnant) and you can use the glytone products during pregnancy
  • Hopelessbird
    Options
    I was curious about Glytone so I checked it out.

    If you are unsure if the prduct you are using is unsafe, you can always go to the FDA tranparency website. I work for a biomedical company so I can navigate the FDA database well. I dont know if I should trust Glytone since they got a corporate warning letter from the FDA and over 100 reported complications. The FDA rarely sends out corporate warning letters.

    FYI, glytone is filed as a cosmetic use product - not the same FDA filing as other acne medications. So glytone never had to do as stringent trials and tests like Accutane or Retin-A.

    The recommendation is not to get any acne peels/washes/creams while pregnant/breastfeeding because a lot of cosmetic products cannot prove that they are safe for infants.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    Options