I was trying to get rid of this on my own, but I realized that I need help.

I went to my GP yesterday, and she started me on a skin regime. If this doesn't work, she'll refer me to a derm. But I'm hopeful.

Since I was around 11, I've had a couple floating pimples at all times, probably hormonal. I only broke out on my forehead and chin. My skin was good all-around, but I was always pretty self-conscious.

My normal regime was to was my face with Dove and a buff puff in the shower every morning, and then put lotion (any kind) on.

When I was 19, I started using my friend's old Cleocin. It worked great, and my skin was perfect- the best it ever was.

I stopped using the Cleocin abruptly. I got an eczma rash on my cheeks that went away in a week with Hydrocortasone cream. Then I got a few pimples, the worst of which were a pair on my right cheek.

I started breaking out more and more. The two pimples on my cheek left large red marks that eventually turned brown.

I was self-conscious about my worsening face for a year.

Last summer, when I was 20, it started looking great, and I was jogging every day. Then I stopped jogging, and my face EXPLODED.

I semi-recovered, but the the two old marks on my cheek became pimples again. And more and more pimples joined them. They all left marks.

I was getting a pimple every week or so, and every single one left a mark.

I HATED my face.

I tried a bunch of regimes from this site. Nothing made a change.

I came home for Xmas, and my face looked worse than ever.

HORRIBLE- a quarter-sized patch of severe acne on my cheek. Additional redmarks on my chin. A large active zit on my chin, and a few tiny ones that have been there for a month.

I went to the Dr. yesterday, and she gave me Differin gel (2x/day) and Minocin (100mg/day).

This is a log of my (eventual) recovery.

Nothing much is happening... but I'm hopeful. I'm starting to peel, the pores on my nose are starting to smooth out and shrink, and my feels soft.

Patience. I'm going to make sure I keep it this time.

DAY 4

I'm feeling good. The minocin seems to really be taking the inflammation off of the horror spot on my cheek.

And I'm peeling like crazy now.

No new spots.

Hopefully, the good news will continue

DAY 5

More of the same. Am adding lotion, since my skin is REALLY peeling, and getting raw. All workable though.

DAY 6
Parts of my face- my upper lip, parts of my cheeks- are raw, and red. My upper lip is downright painful. I'm going to leave the night-time differin off of those areas.

Otherwise, all goes well. No new spots, and I think the old ones are VERY slowly healing. My suspicion is that the healing is from the inside- they are still very visible, but they seem to be shallower, if that makes sense. I get the feeling that they are on their way.

I AM sad about my face being so red and uncomfortable. I hope it goes away after a night of rest.

Either way, I'm happy with this regime, because I really am hopeful. I'm sticking it out no matter what!

DAY 7

My skin seems to be doing some things:

1. My upper lip is still WAY too red. I'm trying to tone it down, and I'm leaving off the Differin in the area.

2. The MONSTER on my cheek is looking a lot better- I think the old pimple marks are wearing away into shallow (very shallow) scars. They're still very visible, but they seem to be drying from the inside, from the Minocin.

3. The active pimple on my cheek is still there, and still big... I think it's been wearing away from the inside too. But I wish it were just gone! At least I'm hopeful that will all this differin and antibiotic, it won't leave much of a mark when it's FINALLY gone.

4. The active pimples on my chin and upper lip are both now small whiteheads. So, on the upside, they've shrunk. On the downside, they are now at least as visible. Hopefully, this is the bad part that comes right before they disappear (FINALLY!)

5. The overall texture of my skin is pretty nice, but my coloring is blotchy-ish. My forehead seems to have what could become zits, though I'm hoping not.... it's a reasonable hope, I think, based on how they look.

I've decided to continue with my 100g of Minocin beyond the 7 days that the Dr. recommended, because it really seems to be working, especially in the last couple days. She said that if I noticed that 50g wasn't working as well, I should go back to 100g anyway... so, I'm just skipping the 50g trial period for now. For another week maybe? Not indefinitely, but I as long as I'm seeing results, I don't want to change my program.

It's a slow solution, but it's long-term. I'm very pleased with how this is going, and I'm still hopeful

DAY 8

I took 100g of Minocin again today, though I'm past the 7 day mark. And the other "big" news is that I picked.... yeah, I know.

I had had a couple active pimples, and a couple potential pimples... they made white heads, from the medication- small, seemingly easily healed white heads. Anyway, the white gunk wouldn't get exfoliated, so I just tried to pop them.

One was sucessfully extracted, but the other two I tried.... I dunno, I couldn't get it. I ended up making my face red and splotchy in those areas.

So, the current report:

The grossness of my dark, enlarged pores on/around my nose continue to clean out and smooth- albeit slowly. My upper lip is toning down, and is no longer really red, or peel-y. The MONSTER on my cheek continues to improve, though the active pimple there is now maybe an open comadone.

I also think that I've had a cyst brewing on my forehead for about two months, and it won't go away.

I'm depressed about my skin tonight. I really thought by the time I went back to school, maybe my skin would be at least near-clear. But no, no, no, no.

This SUCKS.

But I'm going to continue on and keep hoping.

DAY 9

My skin texture and tone is really looking better! At the end of the day, it started getting a little greasy-looking, but that's normal.

Everything is shrinking and evening out, and I'm starting to get a bit of a glow.

I'm feeling really happy about it, and hopeful.

It's a tenfold improvement since I started. WOW!

Doing OK- no change.

DAY 11

No change (for the better) at all... I'm feeling kind of down.

But I'm not going to do anything differently.

It's going to take, say, 3 months to clear you.

The reason seems to be that your skin needs to turnover once or twice to clear away the blocked pores and damage done by the acne bacteria. By now the P.Acnes bacteria should be well under control (that was the improvement you saw in the first week or so), but from here on, it will plateau and you will continue to break out due to the pores that blocked before you went on the mino for a good few weeks yet.

DAY 15

First off: I've lowered my dose to 50 mg/day of the minocin. I was only supposed to take 100mg for 7 days, but I took it for a few extra.... I don't really think it's a big deal.

In other news, I've gotten one new pimple. It's small, and WAY off on the side, by my jaw. Still, it's my only new one, so I'm not too happy about it. The Aloe usually gets rid of the inflamation that would turn into a new pimple, before anything can happen. But since this one was too far on the side for me to see, it snuck by. Well, hopefully I've still caught it before it could do any real damage

Otherwise, the dark gunk in my pores in my nose are lightening slowly but surely. My skin texture otherwise is very good, though I have slight redness on my upper lip (I've stopped the differin there forever). The monster is also slowly but surely lightening. I see now that I have a couple scars there, but they aren't too bad, and I'm confident that EVENTUALLY they will go- they're small and shallow. Weirdly, the redmarks on the parts of my face OTHER than my cheek, don't really seem to be doing much. But those are a lot newer... the old marks are almost gone, but even on my cheek, the newer ones are still relatively dark. I guess since they were more vibrant to start with, it's going to take more time.

I also have a few skin-colored bumps on my forehead that I'll be happy to be rid of, eventually.

All in all, I'm not DELIGHTED, because of course this treatment is very slow... but it just keeps getting better, and I'm still confident that I will come out of this clear! (even if it takes 10 more weeks)

DAY 20

Well, no good news. I have a huge active pimple on my chin. The small active one on the side of my face is almost gone, but is still visible. There are two flesh-colored bumps on my forehead (smallish), and one that was a flesh-colored bump, that now has a whitehead, though it is still small and otherwise fleshcolored. There are also two small (hard?) bumps under my chin on the right, one on the left. And the pimples that were active (two, large- one at MONSTER, one on left chin) are now wearing away because I've been putting aloe vera on them, as well as all my active stuff.

Isn't this a nightmare? Plus, the gunk in my pores on my nose are not really getting any better. I guess that was the minocin.

Since I lowered the Minocin dose, I've noticed that I've had more active pimples come up. Ok, so it's also getting to be my period. And I started class this week, so I haven't been getting much regular sleep... or taking my pills at a regular time.

I would go back to the original dose, but antibiotics ALWAYS give me yeast problems, so I REALLY don't want to.

Anyway, who wants damn antibiotics? I'm just going to wait for the differin, and use the aloe on the pimples. I'll use up my minocin (I have around another month worth of 50mg/day doses), but then it's only the differin.

Ok, so here's the good news:
My skin tone and texture is EXCELLENT, as is my color (I have a nice blush in my cheeks, and am not blotchy. I was having trouble with redness and peeling on my upper lip, but vasiline has taken care of that really quickly. The MONSTER marks are fading. Slowly (more slowly than in the very beginning) but very definitely.

Here's what I do every day:
Morning:
Wash face in shower with buff puff and dove bar soap. Apply small amount of differin. Apply Aveeno lotion (15 SPF). Spot on a little aloe if I have a truly heinous spot.
Night:
Wash face with hands and dove bar soap. Apply small amount of differin. Apply Burt's Bees lotion (no SPF). Spot on a little aloe. 1 50 mg Minocin pill (in the evening, not RIGHT before bed).

Not a lot of work, at least. Week 3 almost down. Only 8 more to go (sigh).

DAY 21: Three week mark!

Well, I'm slightly happier today- I got to sleep in, and when I woke up, I saw a marked improvement, especially in the MONSTER. The biggest problem I have concerning my skin as a whole is that it is very crusty/flaky. But what can you do? I just use more lotion, when I can.

I think I'm allergic to the minocin, and am stopping it as of today. I've been VERY itchy, all over my head, everywhere, the last couple days... and am maybe starting to get hives. Plus, I've had other problems with antibiotics in the past (though I've never taken an oral antibiotic for my skin before). The dr. put me on a low dose for that reason, but I think I just don't interact well with them generally, and am quitting before my (possible) hives get worse.

DAY 22

The hives are terrible. I have them all over my scalp, and one huge one (that I had been thinking was a pimple, until I started to realize how strange the shape was) on my chin. Itchy, itchy, itchy!

I used different shampoo and conditioner today, and am still off the minocin.

I took a couple benedryl this evening, but I don't know if that has done anything (it's for hayfever, but it's still an anti-hystamine, so hopefully it will do something).

That's the big update, I guess

keep updating...i'm interested in how well the Differin works for you. I'm also using it ....


How bad would you say your acne is? Mild...mod?

My acne is mild verging on moderate. I've got a gross spot on my cheek where pimples just kept coming and leaving redmarks, etc. Other than that spot, I've got pimples, but they are pretty mild (sometimes I have a few bumps, sometimes a few teeny "micro" whiteheads, maybe one "real" pimple once in a while)

DAY 26

I haven't been sleeping, so I shouldn't really expect my skin to look too good (for some reason, sleep REALLY effects how my skin looks day to day). But regardless, this morning my skin looked better than it has in.... I don't know HOW long! I've still got that gross hive on my chin, though it's flattening and fading, and no longer itchy. Otherwise, all marks and pimples were drastically reduced this morning.

I've changed a couple thing in my "regime" and I think that they are the reason I'm looking better:

Morning:
Wash face in shower with buff puff and dove bar soap.
Apply a "pea" of differin. (let dry)
Apply aloe vera gel all over my face. (let dry)
Apply Aveeno 15 SPF lotion.
Apply teeny bit of vaseline around my eyes/on my lids, my upper lip, my nostrails (where skin was flaking before)

Evening:
Wash face with hands and dove bar soap.
Apply a "pea" of differin (let dry).
Spot treat with aloe vera, and vaseline whereever I need it.

It sounds like a lot, but it's all pretty simple, and everything but the differin is both cheap and easy to get .

I'm feeling pretty hopeful about all this mess, because I haven't gotten a new pimple on or near the MONSTER since I started the differin. And I only got one there the month before that, so maybe the spot is FINALLY healing. My biggest problem at the moment is the dark, ugly hive. But even that is lookingbetter every day.

THANK GOODNESS!

DAY 30

Ok, so I went to my follow-up appt, and my regime changed (slightly) again. For some reason, my GP really wants to give me an antibiotic....but this one is topical.

Now, I'm using cleo. swabs every night, along with differin and spot treatment with aloe.

In the morning, I just use the differin, aloe, and lotion.

No pills, at least, but the swabs smell DISGUSTING!

My face isn't looking phenom, but maybe that's because I'm on my period. A couple of minor but red and annoying pimples cropped up. Might be going away already.

It's slow going until... April? Ugh. I still have A LOT of hope that all will be well and good- and will stay that way- once I get through the beginning stages of differin. But it's such a pain not to just plain be clear right now .

Oh well, what can ya do? At least it's getting better all the time.

Keep it up...i'm going on my third week of Differin...

Started using it twice the first week...then 3 times this week....i'm not sure what i'm going to do this week..but atleast 3 times a week.


So far i'm clear anyways...i want this damn redness gone...plus i like how Differin makes your pores smaller & it puts your skin shedding rate into a more reasonable one that is acne friendly.

DAY 32

I'm getting happier with my skin every day. It is altogether smoother, and it really looks like I'll never get another pimple on the MONSTER again! I had one that had been trying to come out since before I started this treatment, and yesterday it came to sorta a tiny head- and now it's gone! The whole area looks lighter and lighter, too.

Everything is looking better, really. A long way from perfect, a long way from where I want to be- but the longer I stick with this, the more hopeful I am.

Yes, it's taking a long time, and it's going to take a lot longer- but I have hope that I really will, relatively soon, not need to worry about my skin any more. And that's awesome!