Keeping acne under control after going off the pill

March 20, 2018 8:10 AM

I'm going off the birth control after many years of being on it and having pretty good skin (not perfect, but I'm happy with it). The only time my acne has come back was during my pregnancy when it looked pretty bad. If you went off the pill and anticipated that your acne would come back, did you start using any products right away or did you wait for it to appear again? Did you use the previous products or did you need to try something new?
posted by trillian to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Best answer: Skin can change a lot with age, and pregnancy can do all sorts of weird things to the body, so I'd wait and see how your skin reacts before changing anything in your normal routine. And if you do notice mild acne, don't go too hard at first. If it's been a while since you've needed to use acne products, start with gentle formulations first; you may find that your skin is more sensitive, less oily, or more prone to dryness this time around, if in fact you do get a flare-up -- and you may not!
posted by halation at 8:17 AM on March 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: My skin has gotten a LOT more sensitive as I've aged. It's mildly infuriating.

In advance, I'd get the Corsx pimple patches. They're basically very thin silicone bandages, and you can put them on top the blemish to help it heal/drain. They are very gentle, and at least for me, they're super comfy. This is one of my fave reviews of them.

I also had to switch around and do a modified Kbeauty approach. It seems like it'd be super time consuming, but I find that it's really relaxing. Adeline Koh of Sabbatical Beauty has some good infographics on the steps and a printable to use to track your products.

If you want any product recs, let me know! I like the comm around SB but I generally go cheaper because I'm broke. :(
posted by spunweb at 8:50 AM on March 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Agreed that age can play a huge factor - I went off BC at 32 and was very worried I was going to have my normal hormonal acne which I’d had for 20 years. However it’s been manageable since then (2 years including a pregnancy), not perfect but ok. I use Sunday Riley UFO dry oil and it seems to be helping keep things at bay. I would start using products preventatively just in case.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 9:07 AM on March 20, 2018

I second the recommendation for sunscreen every day. FWIW, moisturizers with sunscreen often don't have enough coverage to make a big difference (for me at least) so I use two separate products. Because my acne is largely hormonal, I also take a small dose of spironolactone every day. I also use a retinol night cream, less for acne and more for general skincare. I've tried a few Korean skincare products, like the cleansing oils and sponges, which are a lot of fun and good but no panacea for me. As long as you don't mind dealing with potential outbreaks, I'd personally just start with sunscreen and moisturizer and take it from there.
posted by smorgasbord at 11:50 AM on March 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I went off the pill a few times in my 30s and in ALL instances I got terrible hormonal acne around my jawline (think: painful cysts). This didn't happen immediately after stopping the pill, but perhaps a small handful of months later it began (slowly at first...then worse and worse). :/

The third and final time I stopped the pill I had happened to hit upon a skincare regime that helped to keep things at bay. Of course, it is possible that my increasing age had something to do with it as well, but I feel fairly confident that the skincare regime plays a significant role, bc if I deviate too much, at "that time of the month" the skin issues will begin to crop up again.

The key product for me? One I ran across here on a previous skincare thread: mandelic acid serum from MUAC. I use a handful of other things with this (and if you pm me I can give you the whole 'routine'), but I think this is the critical element. I use one drop in the morn and two drops at night (mixed with a moisturizer/serum to help spread it further). And you can spot treat with it the moment you feel anything bubbling up underneath.

The other thing that is critical (for me) is to minimize physical exfoliation (no more than once/week with a SOFT facecloth) and focus instead on 'chemical' exfoliation (AHAs & BHAs).

So while I wouldn't necessarily start using mandelic the minute you go off the pill, I would advise keeping this info in your back pocket should -- a few months down the road -- your skin start misbehaving.
posted by Halo in reverse at 2:29 PM on March 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I got lucky and found that I had aged out of acne by the time I stopped the pill. So I suggest waiting a bit for signs of trouble.
posted by 8603 at 7:27 PM on March 20, 2018