Adding pictures for your entertainment. The first 2 photos are from 10 minutes ago, the last 2 are from 5 months ago (I don’t have good before photos because i have body dysmorphia and only click pictures to self loathe) 

Because I don’t gatekeep and am a D1 gate opener: now my monthly skin care routine costs me Rs 100/month ( prescription birth control that costs Rs 55/pack and a prescription 0.025% T (I don’t know why I can’t write the word in the post but sure)). 6 months ago it was benzoyl peroxide + azelaic acid + glycolic acid every month or so and a few of those hydrating serum thingies. 

I was reluctant to doing anything medical about this situation for the longest time ever but after a few months of research I realised that there’s no way out of this without prescription meds. Most of us don’t have acne because of dirt, diet or allergies, it’s because of hormonal imbalance. I have PCOS (PMOS now, not that the standard of treatment has changed). A lot of advice around this would revolve around eating better, making lifestyle changes etc and while that is true, PMOS manifests in 3 ways: 

1. **Hyperandrogenism:** High levels of androgens  
2. **Anovulation:** Ovaries fail to regularly release mature eggs  
3. **Metabolism** 

The third is just insulin resistance and that’s a different topic altogether (it makes it difficult to lose weight) but for me the primary manifestation was 2 (which is the case for a large majority of PCOS folks). Anovulation causes hormonal dysregulation and won’t be fixed by your basic everyday lifestyle changes, as hard of a pill that is to swallow. There is nothing wrong with going your entire life without fixing that hormonal imbalance but then I suppose you need to weigh the pros and cons of hormones for yourself. 

It was quite a journey and i know it’s not the easiest to seek medical help in India. The first gynaecologist I went to scolded me for my lifestyle and expressed concern over my infertility and inability to give my future husband children (i was 20 at the time and this was a doctor at our college’s medical center, which just so happens to be an old IIT in a tier-2 UP city so idk what made her think that was my ambition in life at that point). The second gynaecologist I went to prescribed a BC that made me bleed for 3 months straight. Finally, Gemini and I were able to figure out the right BC pill for me and I got it prescribed by 1mg/pharmeasy (because my actual gynaecologist said she only prescribes one type of BC to people my age, even if it makes someone bleed to the point where they need a blood transfusion). Things have been really nice since then and I’m not in debilitating pain for 10 days a month, every month. 

Outside of these 2 things, I don’t really have any upkeep as far as skincare is concerned. I use a really basic moisturiser, a hydrating face wash without any active ingredients and pharmacy sunscreen when I do touch grass. 

Thank you for listening to my ramble. I’m manic and can’t sleep 

A lot of you need a doctor’s prescription, not another serum