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Day 1 With New Treatment

Posted by MissSac17, 22 August 2012 · 243 views

azelaic acid new treatment day 1 worried white-heads milk shampoo

Hey so I thought I would actually start a little blog, I like to express myself through writing.  The reason I have started today is because I have a new treatment cream - Azelaic Acid.

I went to my doctor a few weeks ago pretty down about my acne and she gave me a wee booklet to read over, it had a list of alot prescription treatments.  A few I have tried and found that I either got impatient or they just did not work for me.  For a long time I was using a topical gel called Adapalene? Im sure that's what it was called, I found that it worked particularly well, however I found that my skin got used to it and it stopped working as well as it had been.  Although my period did come back this year and since then my skin has been getting worse so perhaps that was the culprit...

Anyway! So far I had actually stopped using shampoo, its been 3 weeks.  I know, it sounds grosssss.  But I think Im onto something.  I wash my hair mostly everyday with water and I have used a T-Gel anti-dandruff shampoo twice during this time.  But recently I have ordered shampoo from The BodyShop, this shampoo I have ordered does NOT contain Sodium Loryl Sulfate - which is actually an irritant for acne sufferers -- so I have read anyway!  Il let ya know how I get on with that.

I have also given up milk and it's been a week.  To say I miss it in my cups of tea is an understatement.

But onto the point.  Okay so this Azelaic Acid cream I got today, well it is the first time putting it on so we will just see how it goes.  So far my routine is:

Wash face with lukewarm water, barely touching face. Pat dry and leave to dry naturally.
Cleanse with Neutrogena - VisiblyClear Spot Stress Control, leave to dry.
Then this Azelaic Acid.

I dont have a mosturiser as of yet. However, what I found when putting on the Azelaic Acid was that it was hard to rub in effectively, perhaps because it is a cream?? And also when rubbing in, I had to stop rubbing it in as much as I found that my smaller hard whitehead pimples starting rubbing away :S It was like their heads were coming off....Im quite worried about how my face will look tomorrow. So far it looks as if this cream will be a night-time only thing though.

PaulH85

Aug 22 2012 02:33 PM

As I understand it, Azelaic Acid works by stopping bacteria growth in the skin so, in theory, sounds like an ideal choice. Not something I've ever used so can't offer any experience with it. I've always been a little wary of topical products, mainly because I'm my own worst enemy so I'd either be too impatient to give them time, or I'd be too enthusiastic and apply excessive amounts, which of course creates further problems of its own. Be interested to see how it works for you though, fingers crossed you see positive results and improvements you can be happy with.

Sounds like you're in the process of making a few changes which could help a lot. Certainly with things like dairy, my experience has been that there's a lot to be gained from tweaking things a bit. I definitely found a connection between my acne and dairy, especially hot milk and cooked/melted cheese. I cut those out and, honestly, my skin improved quite a lot. It sucks not being able to indulge in melted cheese-engulfed pizza whenever I like, but I guess it's healthier not to and if it's helping my skin as well, it's a win-win situation.

I was never one for wearing topical treatments during the day, even the ones that claimed to be "invisible" or "tinted" or whatever. Usually find it a lot less stressful to save treatments for the night time routine as there's no need to make sure it's fully absorbed and so on... would often end up giving myself a fright when looking in the mirror in a morning! :lol:

MissSac17

Aug 23 2012 07:38 AM

Hey thankyou for your reply! I appreciate it. Well Im really hopeing it does help, I was pretty concerned when putting it on though as I noticed that as I was apply it, it rubbed off some of the heads of my spots. Hmm. But I will give it time, so far Im only going to use it at nighttime. I was actually thinking about buying Benzoyl Peroxide and using that through the day?

Yea Im extrememly happy that Ive stopped using shampoo as much and really only purchasing products which have reasonable/exceptionally good ingredients in them. BUT this whole milk thing is knocking me back for six. Its only been 8 days without it but I am certainly starting to have some withdrawl symptoms of it being in coffee or tea, however I have not frank coffee for 8 days either...so perhaps its a good thing? lol

Well done for having the will power to not eat that gooooood pizza! Your a strong man. Im so glad that I never liked pizza aha

PaulH85

Aug 23 2012 04:24 PM

Personally, I've never favoured Benzoyl Peroxide because it burns my skin, but that's just me. The general rule seems to be that sometime,s less is more and it's better to go for a low percentage one. Some of the over-the-counter stuff is like 10% and it's pretty harsh for a lot of people. Best to go for something 5% or less because it means you can use regular applications as maintenance and as part of your daily routine without it causing extra discomfort. Also a good idea to phase it in and increase the application once your skin starts getting used to it.

I bet it won't too long before you get used to the whole no milk thing. Never know, may even find something you prefer instead. I've never been one to rely on a morning cuppa or whatever so that's never been an issue. Was quite partial to hot chocolate made with milk though and that was one of the main things I had to cut. Kind of boring but I just replaced it with water which I guess is better for the skin anyway so that's another win-win.
It was a little harder giving up the regular pizza and some of my favourite foods which made up the bulk of my diet, but the results were great and the window of opportunity to find more healthier alternatives was a bonus. I don't suppose my skin will ever be perfect and I'm never especially happy with it or confident in how I look, but knowing that those changes have been enough to keep the acne at bay after thirteen years of persistent breakouts has been enough for me to keep my routine going and start to learn to enjoy the results as best I can.

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MissSac17

Aug 24 2012 09:30 AM

Well Im certainly pleased that you found a routine which works for you after all these years

it is hard to deal with sometimes but I think with the right support, (ie. this website) you dont feel alone and can, even just for a moment, not be too hard on yourself.

Agaian I appreciate your reply