Woman Swears Spironolactone Cleared Her Cystic Acne in Just Four Months
If you haven't heard of spironolactone, it's a prescription drug used to treat health issues like high blood pressure and heart failure. However, what most people don't know is that it can be used as an acne treatment, too. Alice Lang, a 23-year-old blogger from North Wales, discovered this after nearly 10 years of struggling with acne and experimenting with a wide range of prescribed medications, including birth control. Lang recently opened up to Popsugar about her experience, and how spironolactone ultimately saved her skin.
It was while she was working in Vietnam — Lang is an avid traveler — that her blemishes became more severe than ever, and she realized it was time to explore other options. Before visiting a new doctor, Lang did her own research and stumbled upon spironolactone while looking into polycystic ovarian syndrome (or PCOS), which is a hormonal disorder known to cause acne. Once she read more on the drug, she decided to visit a dermatologist in Vietnam, explained her findings, and convinced the doctor to let her try the treatment under her supervision. "I began taking 50 milligrams a day. It didn't work at all for around two months — in fact, my acne seemed to get worse at first," Lang told Popsugar. "But suddenly, my acne began clearing up and now, four months later, I have no acne at all. It's amazing!"
Lang posted about her experience using spironolactone on her personal blog in January, along with several striking before-and-after photos to show how much her skin improved. "Here is a [before-and-after] photo on Spironolactone," she wrote. "The top image is what my face looked like at this stage (the reason there's yellow patches is because the only thing which would help heal my spots was turmeric — which also stained your skin for a few days. What a mess). The bottom image is now (makeup free)."
It's pretty evident that spironolactone made a significant difference in Lang's skin health, but her experience made us wonder: Is the drug actually safe to use as an acne treatment? According to Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, yes it is.
"Spironolactone is my special weapon against acne in adult women and is a very safe medication," Zeichner tells Allure. He says the drug is perhaps the most effective tool he has to treat hormonal breakouts, as it's formulated to block oil production. "If the oil glands do not make as much oil, there will be fewer blockages in the pores, less food to feed acne-causing bacteria, and less shininess," he says. Spironolactone results typically appear within a few weeks, but Zeichner says the drug reaches "peak effect" at around three months.
The one caveat? While spironolactone will prove effective as long as you're on it, when, and if, you go off of the medication, your body will revert back to developing pimples, says Zeichner. Like with most medications, there are side effects, such as breast tenderness, irregular periods, and potentially birth defects. So if you're contemplating pregnancy, talk with your doctor before going on the drug.
All of this to say: If you struggle with hormonal acne and have yet to find a treatment that works for you, make an appointment with your dermatologist for more information on spironolactone.
For more acne reads:
Blogger With Acne Shares Makeup-Free Selfies and Messages of Support
Acne-Positive Blogger Dropped From Campaign for "Skin Issues"
Now, find out how to clear up cystic acne in four easy steps:
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