I have been on doxycyclene for almost 2 months now and it sort of seems to be working. However it has made my skin very sensative to sunlight. Because of my job, I have to work out in the sun all day, and my skin is becoming very red and tender. It is cold out also so my skin is already dry and sort of flaky. I am also applying retin-a and clindamycin, which further dry my skin out. It's getting to the point where I think that the sun and might be doing more damage to my skin than the acne would, but i'm hesitant to use more than a small amount of sunscreen because it is so oily and i know it'll make me break out. does anyone have any suggestions, maybe an acne-friendly sunscreen or something? right now all i'm doing is moisturizing with a ton of cetaphil.

also, a few questions about doxycylene. how long does it take for the full effect to kick in, like i said i've been on it for about 2 months. and also, is the sensativity to sunlight only at first, or does it stay as long as i keep taking the med. also, i know antibiotics tend to loose effectiveness after a while. how much longer do i have until i'll need to switch (i'm thinking about taking accutane sometime next year if i can)?

Also, is there a difference between the cetaphil moisturizer and the cetaphil cleanser? mine says Cleanser, but it also says it moisturizes so i've been using it like a moisturizer.

There is a distinct difference between Cetaphil Cleanser, Cream, and Lotion.

Cleanser is meant to wash with, and is rinsed off. I wouldn't leave a cleanser on as a moisturizer ...

Lotion is a moisturizer, mostly recommended for the body, but there has been some talk of using it on the face here, and it's supposedly non-comedogenic, etc.. so you should be OK.

Cream is a very thick ... cream (duh!) that heavily moisturizes. It's non-comedogenic also, but because it's very heavy, you might only want to use it if your skin is pretty arid.

moved to Antibiotics subforum