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.

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.

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

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

Hello everyone! I have been on the regimine for about 3+ years now.
I'm a 21 year old Male

I currently do the following:

Morning:
Wash face with regular Bar Soap(Used to use the cleanser, but apparantly my skin is not that sensitive to soap/chemicals, so after almost 2 years, realised it was a waste to use for ME anyway)
Apply DK AHA(This stuff is magical!! Probably decreased my acne another 25% or more on top of BP!)
Wait 15 minutes
Apply DK BP


Night:
Wash face with Bar Soap again
Apply a bit more DK AHA than in the morning
Wait
Apply More DK BP than in the mornings

The above has worked well, but didn't CURE it for sure. I still have at least 1 or 2 pimples on my face at any time. Never really 100% clear.

Anyway, on to the subject of this post:
I notices I would get painful pimples on the side of my face, (to the sides of my eyes, where sideburns grow) And I always cleaned that area well, etc, but always kept getting them! And on top of that, I would get them between my Eyebrows just above my nose.

Now, I happen to wear prescription glasses, and never really thought to clean them much. But then I was watching a show, (Don't remember which) And they said to clean your glasses often with Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol(75%) to help with that issue.. I though, meh, I doubt that's it.. but why not?

So... about 2 weeks ago, I have started to wipe my glasses down with the Alcohol every single morning. And I swear it's like magic!! I haven't had ANY bad acne in those areas since! And the only acne I HAVE had(Must be hormonal or something.. since I ALWAYS have a minimum on my face) has been on the edges of my jaw, and under my face near my jaw.

So, my question is: Am I crazy! Or has anyone else tried this to help?

If not, I suggest you do. Rubbing alcohol is like $3 for a LARGE bottle, and that will last months. Try it, see if it helps. It SEEMS to help me. Anyone confirm this experience?

It's been three weeks already, and my skin has never looked so horrible. I've almost done exactly what the regimen states, but it's getting worse. My skin is very red, it's flaking more than a snake, and I have whiteheads and cysts everywhere.

Why? ;_; Is this normal?

I was speaking with an esthetician friend the other day and she was echoing what Dr. Fulton says about the importance of ice in reducing inflammation. She in particular said oftentimes when she is able to get her clients to ice a developing lesion right when it starts that they can stop it in its tracks.

Has anyone had success icing lesions as spot treatment? I'm wondering if ice followed by glycolic acid is even better than glycolic acid alone...

For the past couple of years I've been using a beard trimmer to shave my stubble down because shaving was too painful over my acne. The regimen has cleared my up quite a bit now and I'm wondering would it be beneficial to start shaving again.. exfoliation and all that?

What you think?

Ok, so I have had acne for the better part of a decade. It's better now than it has been in the past, but I would love to be able to get rid of it.

I'm on doxycycline, and have been for about three weeks. I am seeing minor improvements, but nothing major. I wouldn't expect results for another while anyway.

Soooo. Should I start the regimen? I am on antibiotics and I have sensitive skin. Also, I work as a lifeguard in the summer, so I have a lot of exposure to the sun.

Does it work ? I have read that most people think it does, and that is encouraging. Is it worth it?

My skin is virtually clear after about 2 months of The Regimen (yayyy!!!!!!!!) but I have redness from the sides of my nose to the corners of my mouth, maybe from my skin stretching when I smile. How can I even my skin out more?

What is the goal to use a moisturizer? To make skin comfortable (not flaky) or it does something good to acne? If it just makes skin not flaky, but does not have medical effect to acne, I might not use a moisturizer because after all, it has the chance to cause comedos or acnes and I can bear the dry or flaky skin.
Thanks!

I mean, the difference between the colour of my neck and the colour of my face is striking and disturbing to me.

It was fine for the first week and a half, then one night I forgot to put moisturiser on after the treatment cream and I woke up with very chapped and red skin, and two days later this hasn't gone away, despite the tonnes of moisturiser I'm putting on.

Is this normal??

I'm thinking about starting the regimen, but I briefly read through some of the posts, and it seems like for some people, it stops working after a few months. I was wondering how many people have it stop working, and how many people still get good results after many years.

I use a 10% BP fashwash right now, and it doesn't work super duper well, but it does somewhat work. I still get a lot of acne on my cheeks, but I think that might have something to do with the way that I fall asleep on my side.

Anyway, thanks for any help and insight.

I just ordered the DKR and was wondering if it was okay to use it along with the Retin-a Micro Rx I have. I know it says that you really shouldn't use any other products, but I've been seeing results from the Retin-A (I've gotten over the intense peeling and redness) so I'd like to keep using it, but if it's not compliant with the DKR, I won't.

If anyone could help, I'd really appreciate it!

Hi everyone!

Would like to thank you guys in advance for any help/info you can give.

Started getting adult acne when I turned 25 after never having acne in my life...very traumatizing experience.

The derm put me on Duac and it worked great and cleared up my skin until I decided to go off it. Bad idea, my adult acne came back and was 10x worse.

Last winter, I went back on it and my skin cleared up again but since the winter hit, i'm starting to break out again.

1) If I start the regimen, i'm going to stop using Duac. Am I going to break out really bad again? I'm terrified of getting off of it but been reading so many success stories and would like to give it a shot.

Just wanted to get a few thoughts before I ordered the starter kit. Thanks!

hey guys n girls, first post..

i did the isotane thing for 9 months last year when i was 15, worked great but when i came off it came back almost as bad. i dont want to do it again since the side effects (for me anyway) were kinda bad, severe peeling and all that but i was real tired all the time so i couldnt play any sport...

anyways figured id try the regimen, got all the supplies from the website. ive been doing it for about 6 months, its worked great and im almost clear, the only thing messing it up is shaving. I use the gilette sensor and their sensitive shaving cream. I get irritation along my jawline which comes up red and ill usually break out the next day.

So dudes, any ideas? im open to anything, different razor, shaving cream, whatever....

sometimes i wish i was a chick and not have to do this! then i remember childbirth....

As a guy, there is no way I want to be washing my face every morning and night at college in dorms with a hall bath. I really need to get off of this. I've been on it for a year and a half now, and it works great for me. I want to just stop all together and see how bad I break out, but I can't bring myself to do it.

How can I make an easy transition? I want to either quit or take some type of pill to keep me clear. Any recommendations?

I just started the Regimen yesterday. I thought I'd give it a try. When I woke up this morning I found that my face looked a little better! So I have a good feeling about this. As a cleanser I use Spectro Gel for blemish-prone skin. It's fragrance-free and non-irritating... I find it works very well. It's rather expensive though. I went to the dermatologist a while ago and he prescribed a gel that has 1% clindamycin and 5% benzoyl peroxide. Before when I used benzoyl peroxide I didn't rub it into my skin... I just set it on top of my skin (yeah, that's stupid of me, I know). The moisturizer I used was Jergens... it's fragrance-free and has a blend of vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin B5. It doesn't say anywhere that it's non-comedogenic but I think it's still fine... it says it's dermatologist-tested so that's good enough for me.

I have a very, very pale complexion and I'm hoping if I keep at it all my redness and scars will fade. So I was just wondering... if my face does indeed clear up... but I'm still left with all those ugly red scars... would tanning even out my skin tone? Is it all right to tan while you're on the Regimen? I've never tanned before in my life, except when I was a kid. I like my pale skin, I just don't like my scars.

hi guys,

what am i to look for when buying a moisturizer?

just bought Garnier - Aqua Defense, getting a burning/sting feeling after i put it on (10mins after BP). im on my 3rd day of the regimen.

is it normal? was previously using a different moisturizer. changed as it was too greasy. (did not sting). current moisturizer has fruit water (anti-oxidant) and vitamin E. cant find what else is in it.

if someone could tell me what to look out or avoid for in a moisturizer, it would be really helpful.
thanks,

hey guys, i just ordered the regimen products, and i know im gonna have to use a smaller amount when i first start, i was just wondering when you know you should start to use more BP? Does it usually take about 4 weeks of small amounts of BP to get your skin used to it? My skin is very sensitive so I know i'll have to deal with the redness and stuff (kinda nervous about that).
thanks!

Hey guys..

I have been on the regimen for 5 weeks now... the first week i used Bengel 2.5% an indian BP brand... L8r i switched to Benzac 2.5% from Galderma... Though i started slow and gradually increased... as this is the 5th week.. I am using fulll Amount of bp... On somedays when i apply bp it stings and burns like hell and my face becomes red... but on somedays it doesnt sting it isnt red at all... Whats happening here i dont understand .. Dan told tht by the 5th week the redness would be totally gone... Help PLz!! and Btw i never had any sort of redness on my face before using BP!

Thank you!!!

OK SO THE LAST TIME I MADE A POST ABOUT SKIPPING THE BP AND JUST STICK TO WASHING AND MOISTURIZING. WELL AFTER ABOUT A MONTH WITHOUT USING BP, I ONLY GOT LIKE 1 OR 3 PIMPLES THAT HEAL QUICK, WHICH ISNT BAD AT ALL, I ALSO GOT SOME ZITS HERE AND THERE WHEN I USED BP TWICE A DAY, BUT I HAVE NOW CHANGED HOW I USE THE REGIMEN. DURING THE DAY, I ONLY WASH AND MOISTURIZE AND SPOT TREAT WITH AHA(SOMETIMES) THEN AT NIGHT I WASH, APPLY BP, AND APPLY AHA/MOISTURIZE. I PREFER TO DO IT THIS WAY BECAUSE I NO LONGER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BLEACHING MY SHIRTS, I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO POSSIBLY POST A VID OF MY RED MARKS PROGRESS BUT I DONT KNOW IF THATS POSSIBLE HERE? ANYWAYS HERES A PIC OF HOW MY SKIN LOOKS NOW, I KNOW I LOOK HIGH LOL BUT IT WAS LATE

[IMG]http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3668/img0308gt.jpg[/IMG]

Hi guys, I was just wondering if applying ice after cleansing could help fade red marks/ decrease the size of pimples.
I know that there was a thread created about this topic, but nobody was answering my question as the thread was "dead."

Hopefully this isn't illegal and I won't have to sort through all of Dan's junk e-mail as punishment.

My 13 y/o son has been using Dan's cleanser, treatment, and AHA for about 3 months now. His severe cystic acne seems to be a little better since using it. He has large scars on the back of his neck which the AHA seems to be really helping - the thick, scarred skin seems to be getting thinner, smaller. While Dan's regimen seems to be working a little, but not nearly enough, my son, myself, and his derm decided today that since he has been "fighting" the severe acne for about 4 years with all sorts of cleansers, meds, etc. and nothing has helped that it's time to try Accutane.

I know all of the side effects and the risks, so I'm not asking what anyone thinks of my letting him try the medication. What I'd like to know is if anyone here uses Dan's regimen AND Accutane at the same time? The derm told me to have him stop with the regimen as it will dry him out even more than just using the med will. She recommended just using Cetaphil Face and Body Wash and Cetaphil Dry Skin Lotion instead. I'd like to know what you think of his still using the AHA at least since that seems to be helping his scars and I'd hate for him to stop using that.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I'm hanging on by my fingernails here !! It's been SO long of a struggle for him that it breaks my heart. I just want to do what I can to help him!

I was wondering if it would help control the oiliness of my skin?
I have extremely oily skin.