Hey all I also posted this in the birth-control sub but am I just the only unlucky one when it comes to birth control in regards to getting super bad acne? I take oral contraceptives because I’m reluctant of the other options (also I don’t like pain so anything that needs to be inserted is a no-go).

I had clear as fuck skin in high-school (after battling w/ acne prior, which cleared up by which I believe was using benzoyl peroxide adapalene) but I think once I started college some little bumps started coming back. Then my mom wanted me to get on birth control so my doctor prescribed me sprintec (i’m not sure the dosage sorry) and I think for the couple of months I was on it my acne got worse. I’m trying to remember but I think I just got non-painful whiteheads everyday though little bumps kept forming on my face. I got off of it because I hated the side effects (I also gained so much weight in such a short amount of time) and those bumps still stayed but regarding the whiteheads I believed they stopped forming so frequently.

Then after some time I asked my doctor to prescribe me something that won’t cause so much acne and she prescribed Apri 0.15mg desogestrel and 0.03mg ethinyl estradiol. I don’t remember if my pimples were painful or not but I do know that I did get whiteheads every morning again and the small bumps formed more frequently around my face. I hated this so much I immediately stopped like after a week I think. Then after that my acne was kind of fluctuating; some days it was like i was having a good day and then other days it was just horrible.

Now just recently my psychiatrist sent a referral for the obgyn to get on another round of contraceptives, this time i was prescribed junel fe 1.5/30. I currently am on month 2 week 2 and my acne has been HORRIBLE, nothing like I have experienced (or that I can remember) before. Every morning when I wake up I have extremely painful whiteheads, if not whiteheads I have painful red “pimples” without any pus or anything and it seems trapped under the skin. I know I shouldnt but every time i pop them (the ones with the whiteheads already formed) they always come back, and even when i do leave them alone it goes away for a week before coming right back and it leaves a dark scar either way. My skin has never been this bad , ever, and I’m so scared that I won’t see an end to it or any improvement.

I went on a little vent/rant here but I guess I’m posting to see if there are others who have experienced or are still experiencing the same situation as me, and if there are any tips or advice it would greatly be appreciated because I’m at my wits end. Also apologies if this sounds weird or doesn’t make sense I’m writing this at 4:00am.

My current routine as follows:

I take doxycycline 100mg twice a day.

AM; - Cerave foaming facial cleanser (I usually use hyaluronic acid at this point on damp skin but I haven’t used it in a month because I haven’t gotten around to buying it bc busy) - Either just cerave daily lotion OR cosrx snail mucin all in one cream on damp skin, let it absorb, AND THEN cerave daily lotion - supergoop unseen sunscreen

PM; If I have makeup then I use the kose deep cleansing oil and then I follow the steps in AM for PM. If I don’t have makeup that night then my routine is as follows

• benzoyl peroxide face wash 10%, i leave it on like a mask to dry for 10-15mins or so (my derm in high-school prescribed this exact thing to do and it worked before 🤷‍♀️)
• once face is dry i apply adapalene 0.3% and then let it absorb for about 15mins or until it’s dry
• cerave daily lotion