26F Worsening acne and facial hair - but not PCOS?

Women's Health

Hey y'all! 26F, 5'8",124lbs, USA. Caucasian. Low alcohol intake, no other substances, routine exercise, healthy diet and I avoid dairy. Not on birth control b/c lesbian lyfe.

  • Starting in ~2016 or so (when I was 22.5), my persistent acne began its multi-year saga. I was using benzoyl peroxide, then nothing for a while, then tazarotene .05% in early 2019, then bumped up to .1% several months ago. Not much change, regardless of medication.

  • Since around ~2016, my acne has steadily gotten worse regardless of what I do topically, and the amount of black facial hair I have has more than doubled. All my acne is on the lower half of my face - many hard plugs (Keratin? Sebum?) and also large, deep painful pimples that do not surface. Body hair going wild.

  • I got a battery of hormone levels tested and all were within normal range, though I know that this wouldn't reveal any hormone sensitivities if I have them.

  • I did have an ovarian cyst a two years ago that went away on its own, and had an 80-day gap between two periods this year. I spot old blood after penetrative activities.

None of the docs I've seen (2) have indicated that PCOS might be the issue here, nor have they suggested what I can do or referred me to anyone. Should I see a dermatologist? Endocrinologist? Gynecologist? What could this be and what would the treatment be? Spironolactone? Hormonal BC?

Thank you! <3

Posted Dec 1, 2020, 2:22 AM UTC

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laymans-medicNot Verified•

Interesting that your hormone levels were within normal limits as it sounds like you might have higher than normal testosterone levels. I also wonder if you might have a pituitary gland issue? PCOS could also explain the facial hair symptoms. A gynaecologist may medicate you on the contraceptive pill if it’s a hormone imbalance, so I would start there.

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