PCOS Gives You Acne

When I was 11-years old and started going through puberty I also got acne.  It's pretty normal.  Almost all teenagers deal with acne.  My acne wasn't severe, just annoying.  My periods were always irregular.  When I was 14, my mother took me to a gynecologist to find out about my irregular periods.  Unfortunately, she took me to her MALE gynecologist.  I was completely traumatized.  My mother didn't really consider how it might affect me to have some strange man touching my lady parts.  She had almost always been to male gynecologists and it never bothered her.  My aunt was the gynecologist's medical assistant and I think she thought that would make me more comfortable.  That wasn't the case.  Not only did I have some strange man looking at my hoo-ha, but my aunt could see me too.  I had mentioned to my mother once or twice in the past that taking me to a male gynecologist was really upsetting to me.  I think she thought I was just being dramatic.  It wasn't until a few years ago that I was like, no really Mom.  I felt completely violated and I cried in my room the rest of the day.  She apologized.  I forgave her.  We live and we learn.

A word of advice to all mothers of teenage daughters, please take your daughter to a FEMALE gynecologist for their first time.  Going to the gynecologist is awkward enough without the additional trauma of having a man touching your private parts. 

The gynecologist said it was normal for overweight people to have irregular periods and said they would probably regulate themselves as I got older.  He was wrong.

When I was 18, my gynecologist (now a female) put me on Ortho Tri-Cyclen to help regulate my periods.  A side effect of that birth control was that it gave me beautiful skin.  Another side effect was that it made my hair fall out in handfuls.  I think I'd rather have hair and deal with zits than lose my hair and have great skin.  Hair loss is a very unusual side effect of birth control.  My mother had the same problem when she took birth control.  She lost a great deal of her hair while taking birth control.  Her hair never thickened out after she quit birth control.  Neither did mine.  It's such a rare side effect, that it isn't even listed as a possible side effect on the inserts in most birth control pills.  After losing way too much hair, I quit taking birth control.  I decided I would rather have irregular periods and acne than lose all of my hair.  Bald isn't a good look for me.

When I was 25, something weird started happening to me.   I started getting a lot of acne on my neck and chin.  I would get an occasional zit, but this was a full break out.  I would try to cover it with makeup, but that never really works.  I was really embarrassed by my skin.  It's bad enough being fat, but then you add thin hair and zits, and your self-esteem gets completely obliterated.  I tried all of the traditional store-bought acne remedies and none of them worked.  Most of them made my breakouts worse. 

When I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2001, my endocrinologist prescribed an acne medication for me.  It helped prevent a lot of the breakouts, but you weren't supposed to take it if you were trying to get pregnant.  I used it for a few months, but my desire to have a baby was greater than my desire to not have zits, so I quit using it. 

In the last few years, my breakouts have lessened in severity.  However, last month I had a horrendous breakout.  Lots of really big zits on my neck and lower jaw (by the way, when you have breakouts like this, they are hormone related).  I felt like I was a teenager again.  I was so embarrassed by my skin. 

PCOS is a real pain in the you-know-what some days.  There is nothing like being a wife, a mother, and being almost 40-years old and having skin like you are 15-years old (and not in a good way).  I haven't found any over-the-counter remedies that prevent the breakouts.  However, I have found that if I have a bad breakout, if I steam my skin, wash it with hot water and soap, and then clean it with rubbing alcohol, it will help dry up the zits and help my skin clear up more quickly.

The really annoying thing is I take really good care of my skin.  I clean it with Oil-of-Olay Daily Facials and I always put Oil-of-Olay Moisturizer on my face and neck.  I'll be 40-years old in May and I don't have any wrinkles (not even crows feet around my eyes). 

I still have acne though.