I am 1.5 months pre-op, and for about 5 months now, I've been having terrible acne on my chin. I think they are stress/hormonal because they are cystic in nature, always in the same place and painful. I'm having a terrible time leaving them alone because they are so painful. My question is...although most people report an increase in acne after their surgery, did anyone have acne pre-op, and see an improvement after the surgery instead? I don't see the point in seeing a dermatologist at this point as my hormones are going to go bananas after my surgery anyway. If it's still terrible a few months post-op I will go. I'm just looking to see if anyone had a more positive change in acne after the surgery.

I never had bad acne but I usually had at least one small zit somewhere on my face, usually around my chin. I'm 4 months post op and just got my first zit yesterday. My fiance and my parents both noticed that my face had cleared up a lot post surgery. I recently changed my makeup foundation so that's probably what caused this little one to pop up yesterday.

terrible acne on my chin.

@@curlychic32

i haven't had acne since i was a youngun in the dinosaur days!!! LOL

sorry you have those blasted painful pimples

i can tell you are a smartie, stop picking them!!!!

stress, hormones could be a reason for the acne

i never heard that acne gets worse after surgery

but who knows??

you are being sleeved in 1.5 months

IMO i would wait on seeing the dermatologist

i am a smart cookie LOL, but i'm not in the medical field

i don't know if you are drinking more Water in preparation for WLS?

drinking LLLLLots of water is good for your skin

once you are officially sleeved you must drink at least 64 oz

if you are not drinking a lot of water now, then start today

good luck with surgery

speedy recovery

kathy

Hi @@curlychic32 -

I didn't have a problem with acne before the procedure, but I find myself having a few issues now - particularly noticeable on my nose. I talked to my doctor about it and she said it's likely due to all the toxins leaving my body and the increase in exercise causing more sweating. I just wash my face twice a day now and it seems to control everything nicely.

Hope this helps!

I had no change either way. Still a problem. Actually I went to the derm yesterday and he prescribed antibiotic, cream, gel, and a washing regimen. Said no peanuts, shellfish, caffeine, butter, or high fat dairy.

I always had awful skin, just awful. A combination of crappy diet and hormones.

My skin is so much better now. It didn't happen over night - may have even had a few out breaks post-op. But I look at my skin now and it's so much better.

I drink lots of Water, and eat right. IMO that goes a long way towards healthy skin. I still get a pesky zit from time to time, but it comes and goes so fast. Not like the never ending outbreaks I used to deal with.

I have PCOS and have struggled with acne breakouts on my chin since college. I was prescribed Spironolactone when I was nineteen, and had taken it perpetually up until my surgery in August. It had initially given me flawless skin with invisible pores and a glow, so I was enamored by it. Even when it no longer was effective at preventing cystic acne, and contributed to my skin becoming parched and numerous health problems (including significant weight gain), I was terrified that if I stopped taking it I'd have an acne apocalypse. Still, I slowly eased off it prior to the surgery because I have very low blood pressure (unusual for being overweight) and was worried that taking it while I was consuming far fewer calories during the month of recovery would be problematic. I'm very happy to report that for the most part my skin has improved since surgery, and I never resumed taking the medicine. Spironolactone had been drying my skin out, causing the appearance of fine lines. My skin completely smoothed out and cleared up post surgery. My periods are also completely regular now. I think the weight loss has helped to alleviate PCOS, which in turn has helped with my acne. Stopping the medicine helped to prevent it from becoming so dry and irritated. My diet is also a significant factor because I'm not consuming nearly as many carbs or sugar as I was previously. The last awful breakout I had prior to surgery was following my birthday when I'd had cake and other sweets. For me, sugar is a definite culprit for my breakouts. For others it might not make a difference.

Be very careful with taking B12 and other B Vitamins if you're acne prone. It's a bit paradoxical because they can actually help to heal and prevent acne for some people, but cause or exacerbate acne in others. The amount you're taking is also very critical. I had a horrific breakout right before Christmas that I am certain was caused by the B12 I'd added to my supplementation. It was a war zone of cysts and other funk all over my chin, and it took a month to heal. My dermatologist had given me B12, and I'd been taking it along with my Multivitamin (which has B12, but in a smaller quantity than what was recommended for VSG patients) without any problems. When I ran out of it I simply bought more B12 from Trader Joe's. I later realized that the problem was it was twice the amount of B12 as what my dermatologist had given me.

I'd also begun taking Probiotics from Trader Joe's and believe they were fuel to the acne fire. Again it's something that for some people can be helpful for acne, and worsen it for others. I'd been taking it because of a Stanford medical study about how probiotics had helped VSG patients to lose more weight and prevent B12 deficiencies. Since I've stopped taking the B12 supplement and probiotics my skin has healed dramatically. I'm just taking the multivitamin and trying to be mindful about eating nutritiously.

I had a little bit of acne issues, even at 50 years old. Could keep it under control with a good acne face cleanser. Now my skin is very dry, even my face. I have to exfoliate often. So it is better, yes. I might add I am not drinking enough water.

I'm pre-op so can't speak about how surgery affects it, but I have noticed that 2 things cause my acne to flare:

dehydration - which may be why some people see acne after surgery. When my face dries out in winter, I get acne in the driest areas. A good face lotion will stop it, so I know it must be related to the dryness.

excess sugar in my diet - I'm a diabetic so it may be worse in my case than others, but if I don't eat sugar (or not much) then my skin is clear, but if I overdo it - breakouts will follow.