When I encountered acne.org back in December 2005, I was depressed and desperate. I had recently turned 20 and I had worse acne than I did back in high school. Birth control didn't help get rid of the painful red bumps scattered all over my face, six months of Proactiv didn't help, medicated washes didn't help, spot-treating didn't help, masks didn't help, salicyclic acid lotions didn't help, and I was terrified of the prospect of going to a dermatologist to be prescribed antibiotics that would cause me painful yeast infections. I was dubious about the regimen because I had used benzoyl peroxide in the past as part of Proactiv, but I also didn't have any other accessible acne treatment options, and I was completely sick of my skin. I read all about Dan's gel, browsed dozens of reviews and testimonials, and decided to open up my wallet and take a risk. I ordered two tubes of Dan's gel, figuring that I didn't have much to lose besides a little money.

The regimen sure enough ended up working for me, and so I keep coming back here to help out other people who feel angry/depressed/confused/frustrated about their skin. I can't say enough about getting yourself into the right state of mind to try the regimen, so I want to use this thread to prepare people for it in an honest, realistic way. The DKR works wonders, but if your expectations are too high, you are impatient, or you experiment with other things at the same time, you will run into problems.

Start off on the right foot with recommended products, and get rid of your old acne topicals. Just because you have the Proactiv acne scrub or your mom's face cream lying around doesn't mean that you should try them with the regimen! I know it's frustrating to spend money on things that don't work, but it's better to get rid of your old ineffective products than to try to start the regimen with them. Wait until you can get all the proper supplies and then begin the regimen, rather than using some 10% BP you have lying around or other old products that might interfere with your results. If you can't bear to throw them away, put them somewhere where you won't be tempted to use them while you try the regimen. I strongly recommend ordering Dan's gel to begin with so that you start with the best (and most cost-effective) product available. If you live outside of the US or aren't comfortable ordering off the internet, then pick up another 2.5% benzoyl peroxide (like Neutrogena On-the-Spot) from a drugstore, but Dan's gel is so much gentler, better-textured, and cheaper that you should try to start with it if possible. I believe I saw good results relatively quickly because I started off with Dan's gel.

Your acne will not clear up instantly on the DKR. If you actually do see miraculous clearing within days of starting (as some people on the boards claim), please realize that you have likely not seen the last of your acne. BP dries out your acne at first, but then you aren't using enough during your first week or two to actually prevent future breakouts, so they will probably come back until you have upped your dosage enough and held it at that level for a while. I still had breakouts for the first 6 or 7 weeks on the regimen, and many people take even longer before they clear. My pimples started disappearing more quickly and weren't as severe at that point, but acne is still acne. Be prepared to give the DKR a three month trial, and be prepared to still have acne for most of that time.

It is more important to get your skin used to the benzoyl peroxide for the first month or so than to actually achieve clear skin. It is better to go slowly and take more time to work your way up to a full-finger application than to use too much gel too soon and backpedal because of irritation and dryness. Even if you've used benzoyl peroxide before in other systems, you probably were not using nearly as much BP as you will be on the regimen. I had used both the Proactiv face wash and lotion twice a day for six months and plenty of 10% BP creams in the past, and still, my skin took time to adjust to the small amount of BP I started with. Follow Dan's recommendations for BP dosage--or use even less if you feel that your skin is overly irritated. You might not clear up as quickly as you want, but you can avoid many of the problems that new regimen users complain about by going easy with the BP.

Try not to think about your skin. When you start clearing up a little but not completely, you might hold your skin to a higher standard than you did before and become more frustrated with it. If you are constantly obsessing over a new breakout or thinking about how you're not clear yet, you might even do things that interfere with the regimen. Resist the temptation to check your skin out in mirrors all the time or to pick at active acne! Aside from reapplying moisturizer as necessary, you don't want to be touching your face; the best way to do this is to not think about you skin at all. Don't dwell on why you're not clear yet and don't worry about some visible flakes or redness. Think about what your skin will be like in a few months, not how it is now, and know that breakouts or dryness right now won't matter at all in a short time.

Peeling, redness, and flaking will eventually go away, but it may take a couple of months and some product changes. Let's be honest: your skin just probably won't look that great while you are beginning the regimen. You'll still have active acne, your skin will be drier, you might have flakes or areas of redness, your skin might look parched, it's just not a pretty picture at the start. Many people think that it gets worse before it gets better, and I agree. You just have to power on through it and look to the future. You can try switching cleansers and moisturizers to help with flaking or redness problems, but please realize that you can only do so much while you are still adjusting to BP. Even with the best recommended products, for the first few months you will still deal with some degree of redness, dryness, and flaking. Those problems do go away eventually! Again, try not to dwell on the state of your skin or do things that are counterproductive in the meantime.

Don't be tempted by other treatments while on the regimen. Other acne treatments like salicyclic acid (beta hydroxy acid) or sulfur can compoud your irritation with the regimen, so don't touch those at all, especially while you are still adjusting to the regimen, In fact, BP deactivates topical retinoid products aside from Differin, so you definitely can't have those on your face at the same time! When you see an acne face wash at a store, just skip right over it and purchase something unmedicated. Even though you think you might get clear faster by using multiple treatments, you'll just end up with lots more irritation and perhaps even more acne than if you had just stuck with BP. Other kinds of skin treatments tend to do more harm than good. Scrubs can tear up your skin, masks are overdrying, and homemade facial concoctions are ineffective at best. Some people really like the idea of natural skincare and want to incorporate in things like aloe vera and tea tree oil, but the results from adding in extra steps like these to the regimen seem to be by and large unsuccessful. Just keep in mind that if you insist on using more products and aren't getting the results you hope for, the first thing Dan, Brandy, and other regimen veterans will tell you is to get back to basics and ditch the extras. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as lactic acid or glycolic acid moisturizers really do help with flaking and dryness, but you should wait until your skin is used to the full dose of BP before trying these. The more complicated the regimen, the harder it is to figure out where it goes wrong!

If you can't make time to do the regimen morning and night, then the DKR is not for you. Twice a day, every day. If you do the regimen only once a day, leave out steps, go through the process hastily, or miss applications, then you should expect less than ideal results. I skipped a couple non-consecutive applications due to late-night partying and timing of washes recently, and what do you know--even after nine months of straight DKR use, I still got some small pimples by my mouth. Slacking off is fine so long as you are willing to pay the price, but again, it is an actual price. If you balk at setting aside a good half-hour each morning and evening to wash your face, apply BP, allow it to absorb, and moisturize, then you should look into other acne treatment options. Patience and diligence is absolutely key.

Don't expect a flawless complexion when all your acne is gone. Many people complain about redmarks and scars and how the regimen doesn't address these acne artifacts. It's simply not that easy! An AHA used once or twice a day over several months can help fade hyperpigmentation, but it might not be enough to get your skin completely mark-free, especially if you had moderate-severe acne before the regimen. I didn't even know I had acne scarring until I had cleared up, and then I had a whole new skin problem that I had never thought about before! Now I have accepted that I can't do much about my mild scarring without spending lots of money on treatments, and that even so, my skin still looks so much better now than it did a year ago. So when you do clear up, please don't expect to have baby butt smooth, unblemished skin. Have realistic expectations about what your acne-free skin will look like. I much prefer easily concealable light marks and minor dents over big red inflamed pimples, but if you feel otherwise, then don't bother treating your acne.

Breakouts can still happen. I still get small pimples nine months later when I slack off, as I have not grown out of acne. The regimen can keep virtually all acne at bay when you follow it diligently, but even so, you might still get little pimples in problem areas once in a while. The more persistent your acne, the bigger the consequences of missing an application and the more likely minor breakouts might continue. In order to maintain clear skin, you will need to keep buying cleanser, BP, and moisturizer, keep making time to do the regimen morning and night, and keep being gentle with your skin. The regimen effectively prevents acne, but if you stop, your pimples will come back (unless you have grown out of acne). It is up to you to decide if you can stick with the regimen for the long haul.

Hey everyone,

I've done what I'm about to describe a few times to take care of my skin if it starts acting up and getting flaky, and I thought I ought to share it. It might be similar to something you're already doing if you use jojoba oil before applying BP. I think of it almost like a combination of a mask and a scrub, but very different in a lot of ways, and simpler than most homemade concoctions.

You would want to do this BEFORE cleansing your face or taking a shower, either morning or night is fine. You pour a good amount of jojoba oil into your palm, probably 10-12 drops worth or so, but basically just a large amount so that you can rub it all over your face. You start dabbing the jojoba oil all over your face, and once you have it all on there, you start massaging it in with your finger tips. At first, just lightly spread it around, but then build up pressure a little. Be very careful around active acne if you have it, but definitely rub in the jojoba oil. Don't be aggressive, but you don't want to be quite as gentle as you are when you apply BP, for example. You should feel some grittiness to your skin as you massage the jojoba oil in, which is a combination of the skin that was flaking off and maybe some residual BP/moisturizer, since after all, you haven't washed your face yet. The massage helps to loosen a whole bunch of flakes and is also good for your circulation as a bonus. I give my face a massage for several minutes straight, just rubbing it in and picking up more and more grittiness. You might put a couple more drops of oil on very dry patches partway through to help loosen those flakes even more. When you feel like you've loosened all that you can and that new gritty stuff isn't coming up (or if you get the the point where you think your face will start to get raw if you go for much longer, which means you should have used more jojoba oil, I suspect), then stop. Just leave the jojoba oil on your face for about another 10 minutes so that your face is really nice and moisturized, like leaving on a moisturizing mask. Then, just wash it off! You might want to wash your face off in the shower since the heat will make removing the jojoba oil easier if your cleanser is really mild, but it shouldn't be too hard to clean up. You mostly just want to get rid of the grittiness and leftover crud you had on your face, nothing wrong with leaving some jojoba oil behind. Then do your regimen as normal following cleansing, perhaps even using more jojoba oil before BP if that's what you like to do.

You might wonder if this is excessively irritating. I think it's a good deal less irritating than using a brush of some sort to physically remove flakes, and since a lot of people seem to be able to handle that as it is, this should be tolerable for even more people. I also think it's less irritating than a scrub because you're loosening the flakes with a moisturizing oil (technically jojoba oil is a liquid wax but whatever ), rather than ripping them off with some abrasive bits. Plus, as a bonus, you have this moisturizing, protective barrier on your face for a little bit while you're massaging the jojoba oil in and leaving it on for the 10 minutes, so it's like a therapeutic moisturizing mask. If you know that jojoba oil makes you break out, obviously, this is not the flake treatment for you, and if you have such sensitive skin that massaging your face for a few minutes would leave you feeling irritated, then this is also not for you. For everyone else, though, I think this is a nice way to deal with flakes as they come up, either as regular treatment several times a week or just something to do once in a while when they get bad.

Hope this helps! If you try this and like it or hate it, definitely leave feedback so that others may benefit; after all, I'm the only person with my exact skin, so I don't know how other people will handle it. I wouldn't expect perfect results at first if your face is very dry and has too many flakes to deal with, but if you try this every other day or so, I think you'd see an improvement in your skin's texture and dryness pretty quickly.

Hey guys and girls,

We're currently putting together a page of before and afters to give other members a better idea of the kind of results to expect. I think this will be a nice addition to the Regimen section and hopefully inspire more people to try the Regimen out.

Your photos will appear on a new before and after page with your member name and a link to your gallery (if you have one), along with a list of products you used to achieve your results.

If you're interested in helping out please email your photo's to paul@acne.org, if you could also include a the brand face wash, Benzoyl peroxide and moisturizer used.

Many thanks

Paul

I got a PM from someone who was confused about whether AHA was a required element of the regimen. It is not. I love Eucerin Skin Renewal, which contains lactic acid--a very mild AHA, but AHA is not at all required. In fact, glycolic acid, which is the usual form of AHA, is usually too much for people when they're first starting out on the regimen.

I have been trying lots of samples of moisturizers from various manufacturers in an attempt to make a replacement moisturizer myself, and have found that AHA is not required for adequate moisturization. However, the various manufacturers who have been scurrying to make us a moisturizer have not hit on something that's as good as Eucerin yet. Some of the samples I've tried are too stinky, some are too thick, and some leave my face too tight. Therefore, to prevent severe flakiness in some people, I recommend the addition of AHA as discussed at http://www.acne.org/aha.html for the time being.

I'm going to try KissMyFace moisturizer as soon as I can get some and see what that's like. Since Eucerin was discontinued from Drugstore.com and I still haven't gotten my manufacturers to make the perfect replacement, we're gonna have to try some new ones 'til we find a good solution. In the meantime, if your skin gets super dry with whatever other moisturizer you're using, the addition of AHA might help, but is in no way required.

http://www.acne.org/regimen_poll.php?anchor=poll

Click that link then click on "view results".

If you have been on the Regimen for at least 3 months, please vote in the poll.


You can also view the Success Stories here: http://www.acne.org/success.php

I've been on the regimen for about 6 months now and it's cleared me up tremendously. But i'm still having one problem. About every two weeks the skin around my mouth and goatee region gets dry. To avoid this I have been putting 2 pumps of moisturizer on since I started getting this problem, but I'm still getting flakes. What should I do? Should I switch moisturizers?

It's been exactly 5 weeks since I started using the Regimen. My skin is looking remarkably clearer. However, the first four weeks were a challenge for me. I dealt with severe dryness, swelling, redness and breakouts. I don't think I would have stuck with it, if it wasn't for the "What to Expect ", and "Biggest Mistakes" pages, where Dan lists what happens each week when starting the Regimen.

I want to echo Dan's advice, to follow the Regimen precisely and stick with it. Here are some details of what I experienced week-by-week this first month using the Regimen (note: I used only the products from Daniel Kern's line: Acne.org cleanser, treatment, moisturizer, AHA+, jojoba oil):

Week 1: breakouts worsened. I had a lot of whiteheads on my chin and around my mouth especially. I didn't pick at them because I did not want the breakouts to increase. The BP felt tingly, but did not burn. My face did feel itchy the first couple of days. There was one night I had a difficult time sleeping because it itched so bad.

Week 2 and 3: My face got really really red. It looked like I had a sunburn, except for the circles around my eyes where I didn't apply BP. Any kind of sun exposure even for a couple of minutes increased the redness. So I bought a couple of big hats. Sun is not my friend right now! My face also looked fatter because it was swollen from using the BP. This didn't alarm me because I've used two other topical creams prescribed by my dermatologists in the past that caused my face to swell the first couple of weeks using it. My face was also very very dry. I figured out that I needed to use more than two pumps of moisturizer and more jojoba oil. I doubled the dosage and spot-treated dry spots during the day. This has worked really well for me. Dryness is still present, but tolerable.

Week 4: Swelling and redness is gone! Thank God! Dark spots are present from old acne (even though I didn't pick at it...bummer) but breakouts are very light, if any. When pimples do arise, I spot treat it right away with the AHA+ on top of the BP. My biggest breakout this week was just five pimples that popped up two days before my period, but now they're gone. I am still using double the amount of moisturizer and jojoba oil on my face to control dryness. Since things are going as promised, I started taking a high quality fish oil (2 tablets) and chelated zinc (80 mg) daily.

Week 5: Swelling and redness is still gone. Dark spots are still visible (I read that it may take 8 months to 2 years but they will dissipate over time), and I have just a small blemish by my lip and that is it. A holistic pharmacist that I buy my supplements from told me it takes about a month for the zinc and fish oil to start kicking into effect. I will continue taking 80 mg zinc and high quality fish oil daily. Also, I do not use any dairy products. I stopped over a year ago. If you want to read more about how dairy is connected to acne, please go to Dave's blog and read under "Dairy".

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi everybody,

I'm hoping I can find some help here. I just discovered the Regimen and am thinking about trying it, but I'm wondering if it will be helpful for the type of acne I have. I tend to get a few very big very deep cysts on my chin every month. It usually happens around the same time-- every doc I've been to attributes it to hormones. I was helped a lot by spironolactone and bc pills, but had to stop it because of some major side effects that weren't skin-related. I keep my skin very clean, as well as my diet.

I'm wondering if I should try the Regimen for this type of acne. Anybody had or heard about success with this type of acne? Also, my skin gets very dry easily so I'm worried about applying the BP all over my face when only my chin needs help. Can I spot treat the shin using the regimen, or it is something that needs to be used all over the face?

I feel lucky that I don't have the acne everywhere, but the chin is pretty bad for me and it's leading to some deeper scarring. Help! Thanks in advance.

Hi. I have been on the regimen for nearly 4 months and it has gotten me pretty much acne-free. I have successfully moved down to 1 pump twice a day and it seems like this is probably as low as I'll go with it.

Unfortunately, I still have flakiness issues...so I was wondering if anyone has tried to cleanse, and then when your face is still moist, put on moisturizer. And then wait for it to dry, and use BP. I guess the idea behind it is to trap moisture into your skin.
Has anyone tried this, if you have does the regimen still work for you, and did it help get rid of flakiness?

Right now I'm just doing it at night when I do the regimen, and hoping that I'll stay clear. If I do, I'll try doing it both times I do the regimen a day.

Hi guys,

I'm really new to this regimen (week 1), no horror stories however i have these weird bumps only on my right cheek - they are tiny and not pimples. Could this be caused from lack of moisture? Has any one else experienced these? and any tips of removing them??

thanks, i know it has to get worse before it gets better, but this is weird.

Like Dan, I only ever took quite a low dose of accutane. I can't remember but I think I actually just took 20mg a day.

It worked perfectly at the time, totally clearing my acne, which was moderate in nature (no cysts, but it covered my face apart from my forehead).

Shortly after finishing my 4 month course of accutane, my acne returned, although in a much less aggressive form. I guessed it wasn't bad enough to require further accutane treatment, and researched for other "cures". I found Dan's regimen, and started buying lots of little oxy on-the-spot tubes of benzoyl peroxide.

This was well over 6 years ago, and I have applied the regimen almost every day since then, although obviously moved onto his fantastic acne.org products. It clears my face up very well, although I do still get the odd spot. Right now I seem to have quite a few actually - not sure why.

I guess I should be more grateful that I have a solution, and I am very happy that I can control the acne. However, I'm just so fed up of having to go through this routine. It's a bit of a handicap. It takes a good 10 or 15 minutes to apply, and people always think I'm a bit weird the way I spend so long in the bathroom and can't just go to bed without having to apply all these magic potions to my face. If I go travelling (which I like to do regularly), it's really difficult to do the regimen when you're in some dodgy hostel in south American or Thailand or somewhere, when there's often no mirror of proper facilities. I still seem to ruin a lot of clothes too. Even though I am really careful about washing my hand after I've applied the BP, it just seems to end up in some places. Collars get bleached, and so do some trousers round the pockets. I also think the stuff is making my crow's feet and laughter lines by the mouth worse.

It's really awkward when I start a relationship with a new girlfriend and I have to explain about the regimen. And I find that if I let hair get in my face, that can break me out, so I end up having to explain that I can't kiss with her hair touching too much of my skin.

I just want to be free of this thing. I'm almost 30 and I'm still getting acne. I really thought this would have ended by now.

So I'm considering stopping the regimen and seeing how bad my acne flares up. If it is more than I can bear (which I can pretty much guarantee it will be), I think I'm going to try and get another course of accutane.

I realise this sounds like a moan, and maybe everyone's just going to say stop whinging (and give me this ) and be grateful that you can be clear. Anyway i thought I'd see what people thought, and if anyone else feels this way too after being on the regimen for a long time.

Hi everyone!

I’ve been a long time user of the Regimen, maybe four years now? Anyhow it has worked wonders up until recently. Sometimes when using the regimen in too strong of doses one area of my face would be blotched red. I would merely stop applying the BP to it and after time it would go away after a week or two.

However now it is happening more frequently and I cannot apply any BP to my face or else it becomes aggravated and seems to spread. I’ve attached a photo of what it looks like. They aren’t pimples or anything. Sometimes they are raised and if they are very irritated then a larger one may leak a little fluid.

This has been happening for the past couple weeks and I am trying to spot treat as needed but noticing since stopping double daily treatments my face is becoming very oily, back to the old days.. . and now recently single so it is the worst possible time.

I was curious if anyone has experienced this, knew what it was, or had any suggestions for combating it rather than just cold turkey on the BP and hoping for the best.

Thanks so much!

Well after suffering from acne since I was like 14 (Im now 21) I finally tried dans products after trying nearly everything else. On June 22nd I started the regimen and this has been my experience. Let me start off by saying without the support of this website there is no way I would have stuck with the regimen this whole time. Anyways, the first few weeks really got me depressed because I saw no results at all but i read everything and how I needed to give it at least 3 months and I told myself no matter what stick with it. A month past by and still the change was not really noticeable. I would clear maybe for a day or two and get all excited then I would purge like crazy. This continued to happen badly until the end of august beginning of september. As of right now the major purging I belive has stopped but I'm not 100% clear yet. I'm the clearest I have ever been. I still get a pimple here or there but nothing like the horrible minefield I used to have on my face daily. I actually used to wear makeup to cover some of it up (I'm a dude) and I havnt done that in like 2 months. My only problem is I still have just red marks around my nose area and chin and they dont seem to be fading at all. I also noticed the breakouts I would get didnt last nearly as long. Has anyone here had the red marks fade? If so how long did it take. Also, again if it werent for the message boards and this site I wouldnt have kept with it because you find yourself being so depressed and thinking your wasting time and money. When i would read other peoples storys I would get a little boost of confidence each time. As of right now I can say Dans regimen and products have been the best thing I've used so far.I'm not perfect yet but I'm sure I will get there thanks!

Hello Everyone!

I stumbled to this website a week ago and decided to join and see if anyone else is in the
same position i am.

i have been using proactiv for about one month and half, and it has cleared some
problem areas on my face (small forehead pimples) but i still have csyts on the side of my face.



Has anyone switched from proavtiv to the regimen?? what were the results?

thanks!
hopes to hear from yall

so ive been on Ziana once a day for about 2 1/2 months, and i dont really see a difference in my face, well...it seems like i get less big pimples, but i seem to have a lot more little ones that dont really come to ahead, just kinda looks like clogged poresaround my cheeks. Should i just stick with Ziana, or get on dans regimen. My acne is on the more mild side of moderate. Im just starting to worry that ziana wont work because it seems like ive been usign it for so long, almost done with my first 30 (g or mg? i forgot) tube.

Hello,

I've been on the site for awhile now, and my acne problems have stemmed the last 4 years. Due to various treatments, topicals, emotional health and exercise, I've had about a year of clear skin in the midst of that. In February of this year my skin became quite inflamed again and it's been on and off with a mild-moderate but frustrating and upsetting quality for about the last 5 - 6 months now.

I have avoided Dan's Regimen all this time, because my skin is extremely sensitive and I get very worried about putting chemicals on it, so have tried a lot of holistic alternatives. I started taking Dianette 6 weeks ago, due to my ongoing distress, but have had little success so far. Do you think the regimen could help?

Thanks,

Grace

Now I know this is not recommended but what are peoples thoughts on this?

I'm very tempted to just wash my face with water for the day time and apply BP for night time application, the things I dislike about applying BP during the day =

- Redness at times
- Flaking if I accidentally brush my face on something
- Face looks oilier because of moisturizer
- If it rains/ I sweat sometimes its evident I have BP/moisturizer on
- Have to wake up 2 hours before i leave the house to make sure redness has subsided
- Staying over someones house (I can get away with sneaking into the bathroom at night and applying BP but in the morning it's a whole different story...)

I know it's not the way the regimen is meant to work but It would be a lot easier...

Opinions?

Hello everyone!

I've got a quick question. Is it necessary to moisturize your face before bed time? I've done some prior research on google, but I'm getting a lot of mixed answers- people are saying yes and no! This causes agony and confusion and I intend to end this god forsaken query of mine!

Also, is it okay to use Dan's moisturizer? Because that's all I got!

Day one on the regimen, I just want to know if anyone's tried erythomycin topical. I'm going to go the dermatologist this friday and get this since my dad and a lot of other family members have had great success with this. My ? is it alright to mix this antibiotic topical into the regimen. btw fast shipping acne.org will leave a great review

Hello all,

This morning marks my 5th day on "The Regimen". My acne was/is light to moderate, as before it was usually only along my jawline, and the acne itself were mostly papules. Mind you, they were not super inflamed, and I didn't touch my face much, I'm just tired of acne and the way it makes me self conscious when it comes to looking people in the eyes and holding a legitimate conversation without shying away.

Well now there's a problem, I've woken up on Day 5 after doing my once in the morning/once at night yesterday and I have whiteheads all around my mouth, some on my chin, as well as some on my jawline. I am 19 years old, and a college freshman, and I have never in my life felt more self conscious or sunken into myself when it comes to my acne. My face is dried up and peeling, it looks sunburned from the 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide that I use, my face feels stretchy and looks wrinkly, and now whiteheads, which have never ever occurred in an amount like this.

I am on the verge of breaking right now, I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless, I've tried many many products since I was 13 and I thought the DK Regimen was my savior. What is happening guys? Why is it getting worse and not BETTER?

Quick Note: I am using Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar for my Wash, PANOXYL 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide for my Treatment, and Walgreens brand Daily Moisturizer for my Moisturizer.(Same ingredients as Cetaphil brand Moisturizer, just cheaper.)

I have been using the regimine for several years now with no major problems. I stopped using the BP and AHA for about 2-3 months to try something else that was simpler because my face was pretty clear. When I went back to using the BP, I woke up in the middle of the night with burning and itching all over my face. It burned so bad that it would hurt to put anything other than aloe vera or benadryl on my face. I used a small amount so it didn't make sense. I of course didn't use anymore until the burning stopped, which took 2 weeks because it was like a sunburn process (red, itchy, peeling...). The same thing happened when I tried to use the AHA. So I waited a month and tried it again, the same thing happened. I am using a tiny amount so I know the amount has nothing to do with it. Is it possible to get an allergy to these products that you didn't have before? I don't understand, I used to use the full regimine before with no problems other than a slight dryness for the first week or two and it kept my face pretty clear. Now what can I do, I find something that works and now I can't use it without horrible and unsightly side effects.

Hi all, im from singapore and only recently purchased dan's products due to many good comments heard.

I have purchased AHA, BP and cleanser.

Current condition of face:
Mostly clear without any acne except the occasional few pimples coming once a while. faint red marks on few edges of faces.
Had several scars on cheeks due to bad acne previously.

Have not really thought of going for treatments like chemical peeling etc. Just wanted to try dan's product 1st to see if it helps.

Im intending to use cleanser twice a day, day and night.
Any suggestions on using BP and AHA? Have browse around forums and see recommendations that AHA is strong and shouldnt be used everyday?

Anyway, i have tried the BP and AHA tgt after cleanser. No stinging or whatsoever but AHA seems to cause skin to become oiler than usual.

So any advice on using dan's products?

Thx guys.

So I've only been on the regimen for 2 1/2 days and I was expecting redness and irritation, but my cheeks have been burning like crazy all day. I applied the steps this morning at 7am and still at 3pm my cheeks were hot to the touch and had a burning sensation. This has happened all day and it's so uncomfortable. Is that normal? I don't think I've been using too much BP, and the burning usually happens most after I put the moisturizer on. Does the burning/stinging sensation go down? I'm experiencing it all day.

Hi All,

Last friday (5 days ago) I developed 2 cysts on my right cheek...one on the cheekbone, the other closer to my chin. I had just started using a new powder - Physicians Formula talc-free mineral wear - four days previous. I was in week 3 of the DKR regimen and was already combating a bit of breakout and this just made things that much worse. Everyone always talked about bumps getting smaller as the weeks progressed, and this was the opposite, so of course I started scouring the internet for possible causes, as well as ranting in a post in this very forum.

What I found was that a) Some mineral makeup, namely Physicans Formula, can cause cystic breakouts, and b) Some people have had issues with Dan's moisturizer, possibly because it contains jojoba oil, and this can also lead to breakouts, sometimes cystic ones.

I of course chunked the powder the first chance I got and never looked back. I actually haven't had a new bump appear since the 2 cysts appeared, so I may have solved the problem. But then I started thinking that the night before I broke out I did a jojoba oil scrub to help remove some of my flakies and the next morning - bam - 2 cysts.

I hate to over-think this but I just want to know the true cause of my breakout. Does jojoba oil typically have a purging period where it helps the gunk from the nether regions of our face come to the surface? And if so, will this stop after a few weeks? I've been using jojoba with my moisturizer since the beginning, btw, so it's had time to do it's damage. Like I said, I've had no new breakouts since (thank god) but if, say, this friday I have another breakout of cysts, I might have to lay off the moisturizer/jojoba oil and find something new.

What do you guys think? Does anyone think jojoba may have caused them to purge?

I am on a benzaclin regimen at night and my skin is starting to dry up quite a bit. I moistuirze a lot after and in mornings to help prevent dryness, but i usually apply quite a bit to get rid of it.

My question is can you ever apply to much moisturizer?

I'm about 3 months into the regimen, and my skin's getting alot better. Here's some pics.. Also any idea how to get rid of the redness in the face? I think my skin would be alot better if the redness was the same color as my skin ;o

First week on the regimen :\:\

[attachment=23061:Week.jpg]



About month 3 on the regimen

[attachment=23062:Nov_2.jpg]



Help with redness

I have been on the regimen for a few weeks now and have a question about how much BP to use. In Dan's videos, he states that one finger length of BP from the tubes is the amount needed. He then proceeds to smear it gently around for about 5 minutes. I also use a finger length amount of BP and find that after 15 minutes of gently smearing it around that it is still not absorbing properly. I am either left with too much BP that won't absorb, or I'm left with white streaks. Am I using too much BP or smearing it around gently for too long? This is becoming a nuisance and I'm looking for advice. Thanks!

Im worried that if i apply to much moisturizer it will hinder the effects of the BP or rub it off?

is this true?

Thanks a lot

Alex

Okay my mother (yes I live with my mom ) complains and complains that she hasn't seen any results in the past month and she claims that I've gotten more pimples since, she claims that not every regimen or product works for everyone, I told her, how couldn't this regimen work, if its only a cleanser, BP, and moisturizer, its the basic elements in acne solution. SO, to show her that I'm clearly right and she's wrong, tell me if anyone has not seen any results while on the regimen?

Ive been using the regimen for a little over a month now and I have definitely seen some improvement. The only problem is that my face is pretty red and flaky/dry. The moisturizer that came with the regiment tends to burn my face and doesn't seem to relieve the redness or flakiness much. I don't know if I should use more or try finding a different moisturizer..