So heres my story

Up until i was 15 i literally had flawless skin. Whilst boys my age broke out left right and center i stayed clear as a bell. My skin was always soft and perfect. I took pride in it.

Then, turning 16, the nightmare began. All over my tzone, especially my forehead, i errupted in spots. These spots stuck around for the next two years until i decided to do something.

Proactiv solution was that something. Moving to university in England around the same time and having extensive exercise and an improved diet helped no doubt. Cutting out junk food from my life i have no doubt was a smart move. The occasional pack of quavers was allowed.

My face cleared over the course of about three months. The red marks were fading fast and no new acne was appearing. My face only saw the odd pimple and all i had to do was quickly cleanse every day and every night or so fling some BP from Proactiv into the mix. Months past being clear. Sometimes i just washed with water

Then, suddenly, towards the end of the year, when i returned home from university, my skin errupted. a few small spots i attacked vigorously with products. this only spread the problem.

A summer of hellish, inflammed, nasty and angry acne later and im still battling a few spots.

I've started doxycycline last week on 50mg once a day in conjuction with BP. but i really want to make sure the only thing i use on my face is apricot scrub because im SICK of plastering chemicals on my face.

I am seriously at a low. I was used to feeling confident and attractive in my own skin last year, and now i have people asking me what happened? I want to know the same thing

Anyone tried Cipro for acne? Ive read on bodybuilding forums of people on steroids who have taken it for there acne.

Hey everyone,
In May 2006, I was prescribed Differin and Evoclin which more or less cleared me up (but not completely). But in September, I stopped my Differin/Evoclin regimen because I broke out really bad ( one break out and I gave up). Anyway, after I ended that regimen, I decided to try the DKR. Although the DKR has helped many people, it had an incredibly negative effect on my skin. I was left with more red marks, more pimples, and an even lower self confidence.
Now, my skin is at the worst it has been in months and my confidence level is suffering hugely. However, on Feb. 27th, I went to the derm and he prescribed Differin 1x/day, Evoclin 2x/day (because they worked well before), and 100mg Doxycycline 2x/day. In 6 weeks I have a check up appointment. If the Doxy isn't working, then he is going to prescribe a different antibiotic. If worst comes to worst and that antibiotic doesn't work, he said he'll give me accutane.

My exact regimen is as follows:

Morning:
Doxycycline 100mg
Cleanse w/Cetaphil + pat dry
wait 15 minutes
Apply Evoclin

Night:
Doxycycline 100mg
Cleanse w/Cetaphil + pat dry
wait 15 minutes
Apply Evoclin
wait 15 minutes
Apply Differin


And here are two photographs of the horror as of 2/27/07 (front and right side--some reason I forgot to take a pic of my left side, but it is similar to my right):

http://img99.imageshack.us/my.php?image=22707hw8.jpg

http://img339.imageshack.us/my.php?image=227074uf1.jpg


I am planning on updating with new pictures once a week, though I will probably post my thoughts daily. If I have the best possible results, I should be clear of active acne in about 2 months; ideally, the redmarks should fade in about 6 months (or by 8/27/07). I'm really excited for this log and to be updating with photographs so we can all really monitor my improvement. (as memory sometimes lies)

-Routhman

I just started Ortho Tri Cyclen yesterday. I was thinking of quitting Doryx because I read that it conflicts with the efficacy of contraceptives. How long does it take for Doryx (delayed release tablets) to leave your system? I don't want to get pregnant because of acne!

[/font]I have been battling cystic acne since the age of 15 and recently discoverd doxycycline cleared me 100% the 3 weeks I was on it for other medical reasons. Note - I ran a 6 month cycle of accutane at 16 years old with not good results and bad bad sides affects. So here is it is 150mgs of doxy a day ...2 in the morning and 1 at night


[font="Comic Sans MS"]
* week prior to medication I had a cyst on my cheek and on the back of my neck

Day 1 5//07 %100 clear

Day 2 6/1/07 %100 clear

Day 3 6/2/07 ( small white head on chin )

Day 4 6/3/07 %100 clear

Day 5 6/4/07 %100 clear

Day6 6/5/07 %100 clear

Day7 6/6/07 %100 clear

Day8 6/7/07 %100 clear

Day 9 6/8/07 %100 clear

day 10 6/9/07 %100 clear

Day 11 6/10/07 %100 clear

Day 11 6/11/07 %100 clear

Day 12 6/12/07 %100 clear

Day 13 6/13/07 %100 clear

Day 14 6/14/07 %100 clear

Day 15 6/15/07 (Small pimple on side of neck) (very tiny pimple near nose)

Day 16 6/16/07 %100 clear

Day 17 6/17/07 (small pimple on back of neck)

Day 18 6/18/07 clear

Day 19 6/19/07 clear

Day 20 6/20/07 clear

Day 21 6/21/07 clear

Day 22 6/22/07 clear

Day 23 6/23/07 clear

Day 24 6/24/07 ( small white head above lips almost not visable )

***** NOTE ****** The medication seems to be stoping my normal acne dead in its tracks. Whenver I get a Pimple it dies off before it has a chance to peek. Still no Cystic acne since Day 1. On average I would say I developed 10-14 full size cysts in a 6 month period. So with almost being a month cyst free I am really in heaven now. I hope it lasts

Day 25 6/25/07 Clear

Day 26 6/26/07 Clear

Day 27 6/27/07 Clear

Day 28 6/28/07 :::CYST:: Back of earlobe -

Day 29 6/29/07 Clear

Day 30 6/30/07 Clear

Day 31 7/1/07 Clear

Day 32 7/2/07 Clear

Day 33 7/3/07 Clear 6/28 - 7/01 I had a series of small white heads on the back of my neck

Day 34 7/4/07 Clear

Day 35 7/5/07 Clear

Day 36 7/6/07 Clear

Day 37

So heres what I'm doing:

Morning:
Wash face (Dove bar)
Stringent Neutrogena Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acid
Benzoyl Peroxide in the morning

Morning:
100 mg. Doxycycline


Night:
100 mg. Doxycycline

Night:
Wash face (Dove bar)
Stringent Neutrogena Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acid
Retin-A all over face at night

Problem Areas: Temples of the side of my face, lower right side of mouth region.

Background:
I am 23 and have had acne for the past 5 years. It's been a roller coaster with breaking out sometimes and then being pretty good at other times. Now I'm trying to fix the problem with: antibiotics and retin-a. Hopefully I'll see results and get cleared up.

ive had acne since i was about 14 so ive been on different antibiotics for 8 years in total,my acne wont seem to clear anymore on them so my doctor has advised me to come off minocycline and see what happens,ive also been refered to a derm..
i dont what to expect,my acne right now is mild/moderate,so im expecting it to get worse but 8 years of antibiotics cant be good for the body so maybe it wont be so bad,anyway ill keep u informed..
going to derm 14th september,he better give me accutane,im getting too old for acne!!

My one friend is trying to tell me he took antibiotics and did retinA and it made his lips dry... I dont believe him! he had HORRIBLE acne and then all of a sudden it was clearer then anything.. and antibiotics dont make your lips dry do they??

I noticed some people wanting to know what the deal is with solodyn so i figured id do one of these things to keep myself occupied.

i started the antiiotic on october 18 2007 so its been almost a month, and im pretty pleased with the results. i dont have to severe of acne, when i started taking it i had a few pretty bad zits around my left jawline, some blackheads on my nose, and a few red marks on my cheeks that arent really noticeable. so far the medicine has cleared most of it up. the red marks have actually started to fade a little, although shaving makes them worse. the zits on my face have pretty much receded completley and im just left with some red marks, which apparently should go away in about a month according to my dermatologist.

i use differin .3 gel in the morning as well as mario badescu buffering solution on any zits i have at night. i also use the eucerin redness relief mask to battle pretty bad sunburn i got from being outside with the differin on

all in all though im pretty pleased i havent had any side effects and ive only seen improvements, hopefully things will keep getting better

i am going to the doctor next week to hopefully get prescribed antibiotics for my skin. however, i'm not sure my doctor will consider my skin bad enough to put me on them. i am hoping that because i am almost 23 that will help since i don't feel like i should still be struggling with this. i was on birth control in college and my skin was flawless, but over the past year and a half since coming off my skin has gotton progressively worse and even though my face is not covered in acne, there is never a time when i dont have at least 3 or 4 active spots with extremeley clogged pores that are so tempermental that they can become inflamed at any time. its really affecting my self confidence at this point and the stress is only making my skin worse. i've tried pretty much all other treatments i could get my hands on without a prescription, but i feel like nothing is working.

anyways, i was wondering if any of you could give me some insight on who is usualy prescribed these drugs and does it have to be cystic acne? i mean, i will find out next week obviously, but i guess i just want to be prepared and know if my doctor will think i'm requesting something unreasonable. if any of you who have started treatment have pictures up of what your acne looked like before you started, i would love to take a look and get an idea of where i stand and if these treatment is a reasonable option for me. thanks!

ive had acne since i was about 14 so ive been on different antibiotics for 8 years in total,my acne wont seem to clear anymore on them so my doctor has advised me to come off minocycline and see what happens,ive also been refered to a derm..
i dont what to expect,my acne right now is mild/moderate,so im expecting it to get worse but 8 years of antibiotics cant be good for the body so maybe it wont be so bad,anyway ill keep u informed..
going to derm 14th september,he better give me accutane,im getting too old for acne!!

i think this is an allergic reaction, but i dont want to stop using it, if it clears up my skin i dont mind having itchy swollen hands and joints, also my parents just spent alot of money buying several months supply of it, so i dont want to let it go to waste. my doc said it might be from the bactrim, and that i should stop to see if it goes away...

I've had problems with acne for 12 years (am currently 27), and this latest bout seems to be related to low estrogen. The dermatologist has whipped out the big guns: Duac am, Tazorec pm, and 800/160 Bactrim daily. I'm reluctant to go on the oral antibiotic for these reasons: I know from experience it's only a "band-aid" - I can't possibly take this forever! Plus, I don't want to develop resistant bacteria or suffer any side-effects (even if these are incredibly rare). Bactrim seems like a very strong drug to use for anything more than a serious infection that is threatening one's physical health (though my self-image is definitely threatened by acne). My gut says stick with the topicals, but I've got six bottles of this stuff, plus a derm's recommendation ... any input would be GREATLY appreciated.

Somewhat long story short, I used to have moderate acne as a teenager(20 now) but as soon as I started taking Mino 100mg 1x a day my skin made a turn for the best. And I was on that for about 2 years straight. Eventually my derm wanted to ween me off of it so he handed me an emergency 1 month supply of pills, 2 trial size thingies of Benzaclin and sent me on my way.(This was Nov 2006)

7 months had passed and not a single breakout, and I thought I had finally beaten acne. All I would do is wash my face and apply some Neutrogena On the Spot BP. But nope, it came back fast and furious. I got my emergency pills at the pharmacy that same week, but nothing could stop it. It got pretty bad, and had to go to the derm again but this time he gave me Doxycycline 100mg 2x a day. It was making my stomach ache so bad, and my mom had to call the derm back because I arrived at work looking like a sick dog and throwing up in the bathroom.( 13 bucks/hr untaxed, I love working with my mom lol )

We went to this derm in the same medical building we work at, and I told him what happened blah blah blah. And he said if Mino works for me, and we know that it does, why the hell should we stop using it. He gave me 120 Mino pills 100mg 2x a day plus a tube of Duac and it's what I've been on ever since.

I'd imagine that things are going to change(for the good or bad, I don't know) because if anyone saw my first topic that I made in this forum, my unit(US Army) got its orders and I'm being deployed over to the Sandbox. After training we were allowed to go home and await orders, hence the unshaven beard and long hair in the first pictures.

Morning:
Take 1 pill, empty stomach
Neutrogena oil free acne wash
Clinique(Skin supplies for men) M lotion
On occassion: spot treatment with Duac

Night:
Take 1 pill, empty stomach
Neutrogena oil free acne wash
Duac on affected areas with spot treatment on larger pimples.

Don't pay attention to the toothbrush, I was multi-tasking ok lol.
Day 1 pictures:
Left side:http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/5287/acne1001on6.jpg
Right side:http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4269/acne1003zi2.jpg
Forehead:http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2681/acne1004ej3.jpg

Day 17 pictures:
Left side:http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/8374/acne2001st6.jpg
Right side:http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9744/acne2004zk6.jpg
Forehead:http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/6008/acne2003ot3.jpg

I'm off now. I've been wanting to watch that Harry Potter movie, and I just now managed to drag a friend with me. Gotta live life to it's fullest, before ya get sent over there.

Oooook..So here is my first post, hopefully this thing will help me out a bit lol..I was kind of dissappointed to come to the "anti biotic" part of logs and see there's hardly any : ( I don't know exactly how to do this..but I'll give it a shot..
Some background if anyone cares to read it haha, I had really bad acne really early on, like 5th grade it started..My mom kept taking me to the derm over and over again, and finally I had ABSOLUTELY 100% clear skin by the time I got to high school (thank God!) I don't remember exactly what creams and such that I was on, but I was taking Minocycline once at night..Well, all through high school it was amazing, til right before my senior year..I broke out like MAD crazy! Waaaay worse than I ever remembered it, I was soo upset, it was my senior year..I went from being this tall skinny tan blonde that people were scared to talk to, to this ugly thing everyone ignored..My friends looked at me like I was disgusting, I wasn't invited to get togethers anymore, it was horrible : ( I want to put pictures up, but I'm new and computer stupid ha, if anyone could tell me how I would definately put some up! But anyways..I got put back on Minocycline 2x a day, and my face got alright, no way as good as it was, but a lot better..Then right before my first year of college, BAM..horrible again..so the derm put me on Doxycycline 1 time a day..Well for like 4 months that didnt really do anything, so I took myself off of it..I called to make an appt the first week of March, couldn't get in til the first week of May, which is about 3 weeks away, sooo I put myself back on Doxy, this time 2x a day, maybe I just wasn't taking enough? Well it's been almost 4 weeks, and now I have sooo many little pimples everywhere, I'm just totally depressed, I don't know what to do..STILL 3 more weeks of this, and then after that I just don't have much faith that the derm will do something right..I'm not sure how you are supposed to do the regimen thing (Computer stupid) so I'll just type mine out..

Morning:
Take 100 mg Doxy
Wash face with Purpose in the shower
Pat dry
Put on Clindimycin
Purpose moisturizer
Make up

Night:
Wash face with Purpose
Pat dry
Apply Benzaclin
Take 100 mg Doxy

So yep..that's about it haha..Any feedback would be AMAZING! I'll try to update this thing as much as possible, probably like everyday, I think it might make me feel better : ) But again, any help with the pictures would be great, I'd like to see my journey too, hopefully it will be a successful one!

Ok here it goes.

I am currently on track to get back to the clear skin I had only last year. I had acne pretty much from 2001-2005 and after a steady attack with Retin A and Minocycline it dissapeared and I thought it was all good.

But I was wrong, and I let it go

Now I am not that great, got a decent batch of pimples on my forehead mainly on the left side, some along my mid cheeks and the odd one around my chin (might get pics up when I shave hehe).

I managed to get a fresh prescription of Minocycline and Retin A and I am taking 100mg of the Min and applying Retin-A at night.
I am 23.5 days through my first month of Minocycline and it has done good especially on my cheeks but my forehead is being more resilient.

I have an appoitnment to see my derm on the 18th July as I haven't seen him since last year and hopefully he can fast-track my treatment somehow.

My skin isnt that happy at the moment, its kind of itchy in some places and sometimes sore and dry. But overall its adapting to the treatment. From what I remember (it was a while ago) it was like this as well last time I did it.

Ok now to the actual regimen (work-in-progress) which needs work:

Morning:
Wash face (at the moment I use Clean and Clear Oil Free acne wash with Saylic acid)
Take Minomcycline after breakfast

During the day:
Apply icepack every few hours to help with the swelling

Afternoon:
Take Minomcycline after my afternoon meal like 8pmish
Wash face with acne wash again
after my shower I apply Retin-A

I am thinking of using Neutrogena deep clean gentle scrub to help unclog the pores probably in the morning?

which you cant see in this pic somehow anyway it cleared my face with the creame even though it wasnt exactly much but it worked.
I have like...3 months and 3 weeks to go in my course to

pic of me

I actually caught the sun during football thats why my face looks redish Was right when I came home from it earlier.

I guess as its a log thing I could take a pic in a week to .

So i've been doing the minocycline 100mg + clindaoxyl gel for about a week and a half now. I really just used the gel on my back but since i finished the clindaoxyl gel (it was old..from last year) i started using solugel 8 + clinda on my back and face today...
apparently since i started though, my back is starting to clear up and my has completely cleared. My problem spots are mostly the forehead, nose area and chin..but since the forehead has cleared up..hopefully the others will too..
i go back to the doctor on wednesday..though i'm really not looking forward to it...last time i was there i was poked about 10 times (about 4 in my face and 6 on my back) with anti-flammatory needles. needless to say the pimples did go down..but those needles hurt..the back more than the face surprisingly...

i've been told to use minocycline after i eat to prevent upset stomach..but from what i've read..everyone esle takes it on an empty stomach..i guess that's why i haven't been feel as wonky as all the other stories i've read, but i'm still tired and a little dizzy. what should i do?!

Hey guys.... im totally new to this, ive just registered hoping this internet thing will be usefull for me to see how I gradually get better. As of yesterday, I have been perscribed minocycline, clindoxyl gel as well as Retin-A cream. Im 17 yrs old and i have had acne for the better part of two years and hoping that it will come to a stop (hopefully) some time soon.

My regimen:

Morning: In the morning my local doctor advised me to put on clindoxyl gel as well as take a pill of miunoclycline. Im supposed to take two pills a day for the first 10 days then use only one pilla day.

NightTime: I was advised to clean off the clindoxyl gel... wash my face with a mild soap ad wait 20mins for face to dry. Then im supposed to apply Retin-A cream before going to bed and take an other pill of minocycline. Again... only for the first 10 days i take 2 pills then on after only 1 pill a day.

I've just started today and so far... nothing special obviously is hapenning. Not getting any drowsiness side effects from minocycline. Though right after takng i felt quite sleepy but thats probably just my mind playing tricks on me again...

I have been battling cystic acne since the age of 15 and recently discoverd doxycycline cleared me 100% the 3 weeks I was on it for other medical reasons. Note - I ran a 6 month cycle of accutane at 16 years old with not good results and bad bad sides affects. So here is it is 150mgs of doxy a day ...2 in the morning and 1 at night



* week prior to medication I had a cyst on my cheek and on the back of my neck

Day 1 %100 clear

Day 2 %100 clear

Day 3 %100 clear

Day 4 6/3/07 %100 clear

Day 5 6/4/07 %100 clear

Day6 6/5/07 %100 clear

Day7 6/6/07 %100 clear

Day8 %100 clear

* I have been getting blurry vision since 6/3 So I called the derm and they said from now on take two 50 mg tabs at night only.

Da 9 6/8/07 %100 clear

day 10 %100 clear

day 11 6/10/07 %100 clear

Background:
You can tell from my date of registration that I'm an ACNE veteran. I've been suffering since 11, and is now 20 years old. My acne used to fluctuate from mild to moderate before the age of 17, and then it had gotten progressively worse.

I've tried alot of things suggested in the forum, from baking soda, egg white mask and pure lemon juice to salicylic acid, differin and Dan's regimen. Dan's regimen worked well in keeping acne at bay, but in exchange I had to endure consistently red/raw skin, and a period of nasty initial break that would've easily gotten me a dermatologist referral for accutane. I figured that my skin could not tolerate topicals, so I dropped them altogether.

I decided to go cold turkey on all acne products, and took a completely holistic approach to treat acne.

Bad idea.

My diet and holistic log.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Water-liver-oil-Vit-t149497.html

So here I am, going back onto antibiotics. I've quited tetracycline few months back (after being on it for about week) because of the fatigue it brought about. Seeing that I have no other option (Accutane causes hairloss, and my hairline is already receding. ACNE and baldness are just important choices I had to make :/) I've decided to give it another go.

I got given doxycycline, and was told to take ONE 50mg capsule DAILY. Now, that's very low and the usual dosage of doxycycline should be 100mg daily. I'm not here to critise the doctor's professionalism though.

My regime:
. Trying to get optimal amount of sleep (8hours+)
. Eat whatever I want, but trying to avoid soft-drinks, alcohols and glucose as much as possible
. Drink about 2 Litres of water a day.
. Wash face morning and night with cold water ONLY.
. 1 tablespoon of Seven seas cod-liver oil when up for it
. Using a Johnson's top-to-toe baby wash as shower gel AND shampoo (Low Sodium Laureth Sulphate content)
. 50mg Doxycycline capsule during dinner time, with food and half a bottle of water.

Day 2:
Popped my 2nd capsule. Face is breaking out though not severely. Post-acne pigmentation still an issue.

Rather good if you live in the south pole where there is no sun. >.<
Don't go out in the sun for more than 30 seconds you will get rashes.
It is way more sensitive to sunlight than doxy or tetra.
If your derm say here go on this say no.
Accutane next stop.
I do say though my face was clearing up.

Hey i stumbled across this forum and figured i should log my experiance on dyoxycycline because it looks like most of the ones logged were unsuccessful, and my acne is about medium so i think this medication will work for me.

sooo

i'm 16
skin is moderate
not really oily.


morning:
aveeno moisturizer as needed
put on clindagel (really easy to put make up on over. way easier then when i used differin)

afternoon:
take dyoxycycline pill 2 hours after i eat, then can't eat for 2 hours after that...
(this part sucks and leaves me feeling anorexic.)

night:
wash face with sodium sulfacetamide and sulfur wash
put benza clin on.

(i only take one pill a day)

day 5:
acne is still...going.
skin dryness is starting.
mouth is dry and lips chapped
skin a tad flaky.
skin tone is evening up though.
from a distance my skin looks clear hahaha
the worst thing about taking the Dyoxy-blah blah blah
is that i'm hungry almost all the time. and super tired because i'm hungry.
oh and i was just reminded by itching my neck
that i get kinda itchy.
my cheeks are the heaviest build up of acne.
if i'm gutsy enough i might post pictures of my current acne.

Starting tomorrow, Saturday Feb 17, I'll be taking Minocycline 100mg (oral) and Cleosin T 1% (topical).

I have moderate acne, in that it is persistent and cystic. It's centralized on my cheeks and chin, and I've used just about every product thus far to treat it.

This is another attempt.

Please remain riveted to this board as a miraculous transformation appears. >.>

Pictures coming soon. =D