Review on birth control pills (Ortho Tri Cyclen) for acne

I wrote this entry a while ago, haven't posted it due to being busy. Here it is finally, I took the picture recently so that you can get a better understanding of this drug:


It's been exactly 28 days since I started taking Ortho Tri Cyclen for acne. I just wanted to give you guys an update on how this is for me so far. There are lots of mini reviews and experiences on people taking this for acne on acne.org. Good ones and bad ones. Do go there and check it out if you want to get a feel of this drug from real people suffering from acne.

So Ortho Tri Cyclen has four different pills, each 7 pills. The first three have different dosage of norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol. The last seven have no hormones and your period is suppose to come sometimes during those 7 days. see picture below as to what this drug looks like.

I started on Sunday 28 days ago. What I noticed most is the texture of my skin changing after 3 or 4 days of taking this. It was a lot softer and smoother to the touch which I never had before. If you have curious, you can see some of my before photos in an earlier post, post name hyperlink it. My skin was very rough and dull. I still broke out while on this drug. A little bit here and there. Nothing major and usually goes away within a day or two. My period was irregular because it came when it was suppose to right in the middle of the pills and lasted at least 14 days.

I didn't notice any symptoms such as weight gain, vomiting or upset stomach. But again I only took it for 28 days. Overall, I didn't feel any different other than the changes with my skin. I have some pictures of my skin for your reference. Again, you can find the before pictures in my other post. I will give more updates for Ortho Tri Cyclen after I finish another pack.

How to use Bare Minerals makeup on a daily basis for acne coverage

I know no one wants to cover up forever; we all want perfect healthy glowing skin. But there are tough times and acne coverage can help tremendously with self confidence. See my review on Bare Minerals makeup. So here's how:


First put a little bit of moisturizer all over face (see below, moisturizer is free of parabens, synthetic fragrances and artificial oils). Since, I have oily skin, I just use a little bit of that. I got the sample from Bare Minerals and it seems to be compatible with my skin. Didn't cause any more than usual breakouts.

Secondly, I put the Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer all over face in a very thin layer. I use just one pump from the bottom and that is enough for your face.

Let the primer dry before proceeding to the next step. It takes a minute or two. Then I like to do pre-conceal with my foundation on all my red spots and active acne. This is done with the Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush (see picture below). What I do is just dab the brush in the foundation powder and pad it on the areas that I want extra coverage.

After all the spots are covered, I use the Full Flawless Application Face Brush (see picture below) and do the swirl, tap and buff on my entire face for that final result. At this point, all my redness is pretty much completely covered. My face actually looks a little too white.

Next I use the Flawless Face Brush with Warmth All-Over Face Color on my forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. I guess it gives you that healthy glow and also contours the face a little. Well, I like how it looks on me. So, I use it every time but you don't have to if you just want coverage on the acne.

Last step, I use the Flawless Face Brush with the Mineral Veil - original formula. I heard from various online sources that this helps with excessive oily skin which is what I have. So I just use a thin layer of this to finish the look.

Oh, one last thing, the SPF 20 Concealer in Summer Bisque is for extra coverage. If you are seeking more coverage than the foundation, this is what you use on top of it for even more coverage. I don't tend to use this often because I think the foundation does a very good job at coverage.

Here is a picture of everything I have.
 

Moisturizer for oily, acne prone skin?

I never used moisturizer in my life because of my skin conditions, oily and acne prone. I thought I never needed to moisturize my skin because it over moisturizes itself. When I was younger, every product I put on my face causes some more acne. So, I stopped using everything and just stick to Neutrogena's acne-prone soap for the longest time, maybe 4 or 5 years now.

With my most recent breakout, it made my acne skin care routine change for the better I think. The breakouts, red spots and marks made me want to use makeup for coverage.  The SA at Bareminerals gave me a sample size moisturizer which she says should not irritate my skin.

I use very little bit every morning on my face after I wash my skin in the morning. I feel like it has not made my skin breakout more than usual. The makeup feels better on my skin when I use this underneath. Overall, it is a pleasant experience I think. So I went back and bought the full size moisturizer which was 30% off. How cool is that? It comes in a very cute packaging and on the back it says" free of parabens, no synthetic fragrances, no artificial oils". So it is suppose to be all natural which means it won't irritate even my ultra sensitive skin.

Did it seem to improve my skin in any way? Probably no. If you have oily acne prone skin, you should also give moisturizer a try because it might actually help you produce less oil. I know it sounds crazy; but some people actually experience less oiliness with the use of the right type of moisturizer.

Visit to the Dermatologist

So, December 14th is finally here and I got to see the dermatologist. I couldn't sleep the night before I was kind of anxious and worried at the same time. What if he prescribe me Accutane? Is it going to permanently solve my acne problems? What if not? What am I suppose to do if he will not?


I went there and told him about my situation. Also, showed him my pictures at the worst time in the month where my forehead was full of red pimples. Then, he asked me to tell him my history of all the drugs/treatments I have been doing for acne. I told him all the over the counter and prescription medicines that I took; which included many face washes, different antibiotics, gels/creams and Accutane. He specifically asked me about Accutane which I told him I only took it for one month on low dose (10mg) per day. He said it's not enough to get rid of my acne. So, naturally I asked him for Acctuane. But he refused; instead gave me more gels/creams that I have used in the past. So what a waste of time!
My mom said I should not fill the prescription, which I agree. My mom suggested that I go see my primary care doctor again and see if he has anything else that will help. So we went on December 18th to see him. I waited over an hour to see him because he had so many patients. Well, it was good after all because at least he didn't say anything about it's going to go away and give me more gels/creams. He said that he thinks that birth control pill, more specifically Ortho Tri Cyclen is going to help with my problem. Come to think of it, my acne does tend to flare up significantly around the time of my period. Other times, my skin tends to heal and there are less acne. So, I got the Ortho Tri Cyclen the generic one Trinessa. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will have a beneficial effect on my skin. I will write another post on exactly how it is affecting me so far.

Bare Minerals Review for Oily, Acne Prone Skin

**Update 1/5/2014: here is my recent review of the Bare minerals makeup after three years of continuous use.

 

So, my skin was bad enough that I wanted to cover it with some makeup. I was never a believer in makeup because of my skin being so sensitive. But at this point, it is bothering me when I am at work or have to interact with people. Those of us suffering from acne know that how much we are embarrassed by our skin. To be honest, I even notice people with bad skin and I have bad skin. It just how we see people and subconsciously judge people based on appearance.


OK, before I go on and on with this. Let's talk about Bare Minerals makeup. I bought this makeup more than a month ago because of the sudden outbreak of my acne. Here are all the products I have:

Matte SPF 15 Foundation in Golden Fair

Mineral Veil - original formula

Warmth All-Over Face Color

SPF 20 Concealer in Summer Bisque

Full Flawless Application Face Brush

Well-Care for Brush Conditioning Shampoo

Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

Flawless Face Brush

Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer

I know it seems like a lot of products but I only purchased the SPF 20 Concealer in Summer Bisque and the Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer separately. All the other stuff came in a kit that was like supposedly save you money when you purchase everything all together. It came out to over one hundred dollars total. Yes, I know it's expensive. But my acne was so bad to the point that I just wanted to stay home. And I am sure that anyone that had terrible breakouts felt the same at some point. I got all this at Macy's and the lady there was very nice and put all the products on me. I didn't make the purchase right away because I was afraid that it can irritate my skin. So, I let it stay on me for a day to see if it itches or causes any discomfort. And at the end of the day, I felt fine and decided to go back and buy it.

If you plan to purchase this or any makeup for coverage, you should definitely have the sales person put it on you first. My motto is don't buy any makeup that you haven't tried because it will always have a chance to irritate your skin. No one wants to waste money!

Now, that I have been using this makeup for more than a month. Here is what I think of it. The coverage is pretty good even compared to liquid foundation. The redness is totally covered which is what I am primarily concerned about. Acne is raised so people can still tell you have acne when they are up close. It gave a boost of confidence and now I finally feel like I can look people in the eye when they are talking to me. My skin still gets oily at the end of the day; this makeup can only help me stay oil free for 1/2 day even with the oil control foundation primer. It makes my itch better.

Okay, here are some pictures of my skin before the makeup and after just for your reference. I know it's bad but bear with me.