"Here, you have to try this," my friend Nancy
said, sliding a yellow tablet to me across her bathroom vanity. "It
changed my life." No, it wasn't some hot new party drug, but rather,
spironolactone, a prescription diuretic commonly used for people with
high blood pressure—and sometimes prescribed to women with acne. After
hearing me bemoan the hormonal acne that had been clogging my chin and
jawline, popping up right around my period, Nancy thought it might help
me, but as for me? I was less sure. I used to be a nurse practitioner
and was really familiar with the drug, but had never heard of it being
used for acne.
Does
it really work for acne? "Yes!" Nancy said. "And the best part is that
it gets rid of my bloating, too." Curious, I made an appointment with my
dermatologist, went on "spiro"–as it is lovingly called by its
devotees–and indeed, it was life changing. Well, face changing anyway.
According to Dr. Rachel Nazarian,
a dermatologist specializing in acne at New York City's Schweiger
Dermatology Group, hormonal acne is cyclically occurring with your
period, and usually shows up along the jawline and chin, presenting as
"deep, tender" lesions. You know the ones. They pop up, so the medical
theory goes, because certain lucky ladies have an increased sensitivity
to circulating testosterone. (Yes, women normally have testosterone
floating around in their systems.) The testosterone causes oil glands to
go into hyper-drive, causing breakouts. So in addition to its
pee-inducing and blood pressure reducing qualities, spiro works to
decrease circulating testosterone in a few different ways. And the less
testosterone there is, the less havoc on your skin. You can read more here!
