Hey guys. As promised, I will be recording a log of my treatment. It consists of 100MG Minocycline and BenzaClin 5% Benzoyl Peroxide. If you dont already know, both are considered antibiotics, with Minocycline taken in pill form to kill the p.acnes bacteria from the inside, and the Benzoyl Peroxide gel applied on the face to dry the skin and kill external bacteria. I'll try to update every few days, with pictures every 1-2 weeks. Wish me luck.



DAY ONE: Acne is mainly on sides of face and forehead. I also have mild acne on my chest, shoulders, and back, but those arent as important as my face in my opinion.
-FOREHEAD: http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5714/s4021480fq4.jpg
-SIDE OF FACE: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5163/s4021482nw7.jpg
Oh...and sorry I look like I'm high lol. It was past midnight and I was exhausted.
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DAY THREE: Sides of face are slowing fading away. My forehead has improved somewhat as well. My chin had a miniature whitehead, but I popped it. Also, where my chin hair is growing in, I Had a large pimple. It wasn't that much inflamed but it was still large. I popped it as well. I know popping isnt the best for you, but oh well. And one more thing: The sides of my nose are incredibly dry. This is due to the BP 5%. I'll have to stop applying it on there and use moisturizer instead.
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DAY FIVE: I can already notice a difference, especially in my forehead. I havent had any new pimples. My face is as dry as a desert though! Its even peeling. Looks like I will have to apply moisturizer at night now. Oh well. Pics will be posted in a few days.
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DAY TWELVE: Sorry I havent posted in a week. Been busy. I'm pretty stressed out, and I've had a couple of minor pimples, but I just apply the BP and watch as they go away with a day or so. A lot of redness and marks have continued to fade on my sides. I Have a pimple on my neck, but I'm sure it will go away. Below are some pics people!

FACE: http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8656/s4021502sl9.jpg
SIDE OF FACE: http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/889/s4021503hu0.jpg
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DAY NINETEEN: Looks like its gotten a little worse. I have a small patch of whiteheads on my forehead and this pimple on my nose that hurts. One of the best things about this medication though is that these things normally go away within a day or less. Pics will be updated in a few days.
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DAY THIRTY: My skin is a bit dry. I had a couple whiteheads on my forehead, but nothing serious. My sides are clearing up. I have been informed that you need to wait 2 hours before or after eating to take this. This might be why it hasnt shown a huge difference. I've got an inflamed area on my lower mouth. Hopefully it will subside soon.
FACE:http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6959/s4021511dn8.jpg
SIDE OF FACE:http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7871/s4021512ta9.jpg
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DAY THIRTY TWO: Wow. I looked at my chin today and saw that my comedonal acne had greatly diminished. I'm amazed. The swelling on my chin has went down, and it looks a bit better. I hope that my acne will be gone in 2-3 months. Yay. Oh and sorry my hair is all "puffy", I ran out of hair gel...lol.

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/8808/s4021513hu6.jpg
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/6038/s4021514ee3.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6619/s4021515be3.jpg
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DAY THIRTY FIVE (estimated, I lost track): Crap crap crap crap crap. I ran out Benzaclin, and being the idiot I am, used Dan's BP for 3-4 days. Big mistake. I broke out with several (minor) pimples. They're not that bad, but its still not the best. Anyways, I got some more Benzaclin today and used it. Hopefully it will get rid of those.
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DAY FOURTY ONE: Skin is looking better. The only real pimple is on the area of the bone connecting your neck and face. I quickly popped it and applied the Benzaclin. This antibiotic combination is really something. I still have have some previous marks lingering, but they are slowly fading (The BP slows fading I Think). Hopefully in a couple more months my acne will be gone. =)
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DAY FIFTY TWO: Skin is lookin nice. Very nice. Below is a pic of my face.
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/8729/s4021524kk9.jpg
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DAY SEVENTY THREE: Ouch. For a few days, I missed morning dose and did double dose those nights. Bad mistake apparently. I am broke out across my chest, my shoulders, back, and neck. Tiny pimples. Ones that wont even pop. Any tips on getting these suckers gone? (Oh, but my face is still clear besides a miniature whitehead)

From the sounds of it things seem to be clearing up nicely for you so far. :]

I'm also on 100mg of Minocycline a day, though I'm currently using a 1% Clindamycin gel.

I wish you luck on further progress.

Updated with Day 12.

UPDATED with Day 19.

I'm on the exact prescription you are on, except I'm on RetinA Micro at night as well and with BenzaClin in the morning.

I'm glad things are working out for you - don't give up! :]

Read the instructions about Minocycline. You should take that with an empty stomache. This is very sensitive medicine and food (containing iron & calcium) can destroy it. Eat nothing for at least two hours after taking the pill. Read : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minocycline

Ya I'm taking Minocycline 50mg twice a day. I've been on it for about 2 months, and I am almost clear. The two hour thing I wait that out but it can be very hard. I ate some oranges at 11pm tonight and have to stay up until 1am. Then it also says not to lay down for a half an hour.

But my regime consist of that anti biotic, oxy 10% benzoyl peroxide morning and night. My diet is absolutely no dairy, or sugar. I eat only fruit, vegetables, some meat, lots of vitamins (Fruit supplements/vege, vitamin C, Calcium, & Acidophilus.) I really try to live stress free to, get good amounts of sleep, change my pillow cases daily, and not touch my face.

Oh wow. Its TWO hours? My pharmacist said an hour. Great. I refill today, so I will start doing that. Thanks for that tip. Oh yeah. UPDATED.

Updated with day 31.

no.. you can eat one hour after taking the minocycline... you just cant have the calcium or iron for 2 hours afterwards...

but you cannot eat two hours prior to taking it.

im on a similar plan... minocycline 100 mg, one in the morning, two at night.
duac in the am
taz in the pm.


it is indeed working. im on day 30.
im just waiting for the complete clear/all red marks gone.
woohoo

A thought...

Sorry if you've heard this before, but have you ever considered that your hair could be aggravating the acne on your forehead? The extra oils, any hair product you might use, plus just the friction of what seems to be very curly hair against your forehead could be making the situation worse.

Just my two cents. My mom always said that the only place she ever got acne was her forehead, and that was when she had bangs. (::shakes fist angrily at mother:

Its probably true. I just really dont want to cut my hair because I'm gonna donate it in a couple years. I'm hoping my medication will counter it.

Understandable. Well, good luck!

Updated.

Day 41 update.

Day 52 update.

Your skin is looking great! I just got put on Minocycline 100 MG twice a day. I hope my results are as good as yours, in time. All the best.

Day 73.

I'm on the exact same thing as you are, however, it doesn't seem to be working all that well. More zits seem to be popping up than the ones that are going away. Any suggestions?

I did the same thing except with Retin A at night and it worked really well for a while