u/-NanaBubble-

Hello everyone!

I don’t post much on Reddit, so please be kind if I make any mistakes :). I wanted to share my acne journey: what I tried, what didn’t work, and what finally helped. I wanted my post to be the most useful.

I would like to start my post by saying that everything i've done was with a doctor. This is only my personal experience. If you’re struggling with acne, seeing a professional is really important.

Background

I come from a family with acne. My siblings struggled with it too, and both went on Accutane. I started developing acne around 16, and I’m now 24.

In terms of severity, it was considered moderate to severe (sometimes severe) by doctors. The photos I took don’t fully reflect how bad it actually was. they are more “reference pictures” than a true representation.

Right now, I’m in the process of getting tested for possible PCOS, but nothing is confirmed yet. I’ll update when I know more !

What I tried (and didn’t work for me)

Over the years, I tried quite a few things (no Accutane though):

-Birth control (Diane 35): started around 16. it worked extremely well and completely cleared my acne. But my doctors later considered it too risky, so I had to stop. After that, no other birth control worked for me, and they even worsened it.

-antibiotics (3 months): one of my biggest regrets. They didn’t help my acne and caused serious digestive issues. I now have ongoing stomach problems and I’m being followed by specialists because of it.

-Skincare products: I’ve tried a lot ! way too many to list here, if you want to have my opinion on a product , i'll be glad to answer it :)

-Diets: I experimented, but nothing made a noticeable difference.

What actually worked

Two things changed everything for me :

-Cutting out fragrance in skincare (I’m allergic)

-Spironolactone. this is what truly cleared my acne

Spironolactone timeline

I started around March 2025, and my experience was very progressive.

At first, I saw no improvement at all, which is important to mention:

March 2025 : 75 mg -> no results

June 2025 100 mg -> no results

September 2025 125 mg -> finally saw changes. It worked fast : within about 3-4 months, my acne cleared almost completely and i was left with the scarring.

After that, we gradually reduced the dosage and i'm now at 50 mg per day and my skin is stable.

Side effects: none noticeable for me (but I’ve always been on birth control, which may play a role).

My current routine

Morning:

-SVR Sebiaclear cleanser

-Dr. Althea 345 cream

-Azelaic acid 20% (prescription)

-Sunscreen

Evening:

-cleansing

-Same moisturizer

-Tretinoin 0.05% or benzoyl peroxide (alternating nights) (This is prescription, please ask a doctor their opinion to construct a routine)

Scarring & treatments

My acne is now under control, but I still have some scarring.

So far, i have done :

-3 TCA peels

-1 microneedling session

Feel free to ask any questions.

What’s next

-Continue current routine

-Gradually rely more on tretinoin and stop benzoyl peroxide

-More microneedling to target remaining atrophic and inflammatory scars

If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer. Even the most personal ones. I really want this to be as helpful as possible.

Take care of yourselves, and love yourself ! :)

Bye bye <3