{"id":9881,"date":"2026-05-31T03:55:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=9881"},"modified":"2026-05-31T03:55:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:55:21","slug":"spots-on-my-jaw-ruined-my-life-i-tried-everything-after-they-appeared-from-nowhere-then-my-gp-told-me-about-this-1960s-pill-it-worked-like-magic-and-women-swear-it-also-gives-you-thicker-hair-pe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=9881","title":{"rendered":"Spots on my jaw ruined my life. I tried everything after they appeared from nowhere. Then my GP told me about this 1960s pill. It worked like magic – and women swear it also gives you thicker hair, perter breasts AND boosts weight loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It wasn\u2019t until her 30s that Jessica Line began to develop acne.<\/p>\n

The radiologist had always had perfect skin \u2013 even through her teens. But suddenly she found herself experiencing painful flare-ups of angry bumps across her jaw and lower cheek.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was a humbling experience,\u2019 says Jessica, from Surrey. \u2018I didn\u2019t want to leave my house when my skin was breaking out \u2013 I would cancel plans and stay home. It really affected my social life.\u2019<\/p>\n

Keen to sort it out quickly \u2013 and finding over-the-counter creams and serums ineffective \u2013 Jessica decided to try Accutane, a powerful medication used to treat severe, persistent acne.<\/p>\n

At first the drug seemed to work \u2013 with the acne gradually clearing up over the nine months she was on it. But a year after the course of pills ended, the spots returned.<\/p>\n

Not willing to do another round of Accutane, which left her with incredibly dry skin and unable to be out in the sun for too long, Jessica was at the end of her tether.<\/p>\n

So when her GP suggested taking the blood pressure medication spironolactone off-label \u2013 a drug prescribed for an unapproved purpose \u2013 she agreed to try it.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Jessica <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Jessica Line says: \u2018I didn\u2019t want to leave my house when my skin was breaking out \u2013 I would cancel plans and stay home’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"She <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

She gave Accutane a go, but stopped after it left her with incredibly dry skin and unable to be in the sun for too long<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Within five months her skin was crystal clear, and remained so even after coming off the medication four months later. \u2018I was amazed,\u2019 she says. \u2018My skin had never looked so good.\u2019<\/p>\n

Spironolactone is not a new drug. Developed as early as the 1960s to lower blood pressure, doctors soon noticed it had positive side effects in female patients.<\/p>\n

It left them with significantly less oily skin and fewer breakouts, while others reported their hair getting thicker or even growing back after patches of hair loss.<\/p>\n

Researchers later discovered that spironolactone was blocking the effect of male sex hormones such as testosterone.<\/p>\n

Increased levels can cause sebaceous glands in the skin to produce more sebum than the skin needs \u2013 causing oiliness and blocked pores. By stopping the effect of testosterone, spironolactone was reducing acne and thickening the hair of female users.<\/p>\n

Because of its effects on male sex hormones, the drug is not suitable for men as it can cause side effects such as breast growth and erectile dysfunction.<\/p>\n

But a growing number of women have taken to social media in recent months to express their amazement at what some have dubbed the \u2018magical life-changing pill\u2019. In videos posted on social media platform TikTok, young women with glowing skin make gushing statements such as \u2018I owe my life to spironolactone\u2019.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just credited with improving skin.<\/p>\n

In one viral TikTok video, viewed more than 2.5 million times, a young woman dances happily with text on the screen reading: \u2018Spironolactone made my acne completely go away, made my boobs grow and also made me lose weight.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
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\"A <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A growing number of women, including Jessica, have taken to social media in recent months to express their amazement at what some have dubbed the \u2018magical, life-changing pill\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"\u00bfI\u00bfve <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve prescribed it for many patients and haven\u2019t really seen any severe side effects,\u2019 says\u00a0consultant dermatologist Dr Magnus Lynch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While experts say spironolactone has been prescribed off-label to treat hormonal acne for decades now, they\u2019re now seeing more and more women coming in requesting it explicitly.<\/p>\n

But how much of it is merely social media hype? And what\u2019s the truth on claims about its effect on weight and breast size?<\/p>\n

According to consultant dermatologist Dr Magnus Lynch, it is a very effective and safe drug. \u2018I\u2019ve prescribed it for many patients and haven\u2019t really seen any severe side effects,\u2019 he says. \u2018Most people get on quite well on it.\u2019<\/p>\n

According to health service guidelines, spironolactone is suitable for women over 18 with moderate to severe acne that has failed to respond to both topical treatments and antibiotics.<\/p>\n

\u2018The most common side effects are irregular periods, occasional dizziness from the blood pressure-lowering effect, and more frequent urination,\u2019 says Dr Aleksander Godic, consultant dermatologist at Clapham Park Dermatology in London.<\/p>\n

Spironolactone can also cause breast tenderness and swelling, explains Dr Godic, which may lead some women to think their breasts have grown. \u2018But it\u2019s not a side effect that happens to everyone,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n

However, spironolactone is not without its downsides, says Dr Lynch. It\u2019s not suitable for pregnant women and will be most effective for hormonal acne sufferers, who tend to see painful, under-the-skin spots form on the bottom half of the face, rather than those struggling with blackheads and whiteheads.<\/p>\n

\u2018The main disadvantage is that it\u2019s not as effective as Accutane, which usually requires just one six- to nine-month course of treatment,\u2019 he says. \u2018Spironolactone only works while you\u2019re taking it, though it can be taken for several years.\u2019<\/p>\n

For Jessica, minor side effects were well worth the relief she now feels. \u2018I recommend spironolactone to everyone,\u2019 she says. \u2018There\u2019s no shame in taking the help that\u2019s available. And it worked wonders for me.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t until her 30s that Jessica Line began to develop acne. The radiologist had always had perfect skin \u2013 even through her teens. But suddenly she found herself experiencing painful flare-ups of angry bumps across her jaw and lower cheek. \u2018It was a humbling experience,\u2019 says Jessica, from Surrey. \u2018I didn\u2019t want to leave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bunyad_sub_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}