LOG.

Righto. Hey all, im Tom- 22 years young, mod acne sufferer since about 14.
Tried alllssooorrrtts of treatments over the years inc. numerous prescriptions from my doctor and dermatologist, which were all, well, useless in the long run.
Last 3 years- bar some slight, short-term improvements here and there, i havent had a day without mil/mod 'all-over face' acne (thats the best i can do description-wise). Its not a world-ender, dont get me wrong, but as the years tick by, the more of a nuisance it becomes- il be graduating next year and entering the big wide world, so now is the time to shift it me thinks.

To try and keep it short - ive pale and VERY sensitive skin. So much so, ive had nurmous run-ins with contact allergies in the past- from hair gels, to shampoos to cleansers (and even some moisturizers- score!). Had some similar (albeit milder) symptoms during the regimen a while back, which scared me off after a meagre week or so. However having trialed 5 and 10% quinoderm along with some pretty piss-poor generic brand cleasners and moisturisers its not surprising things got a bit red and scaly (niiiccee....).
On reflection, im pretty confident i just didnt give my face enough time to adjust and/or was using terrible supplies; so here i am once again- this time, equipped with dans instructions a few solid months of product trial and error under my belt. Always got some steroid creams on hand if things start to go pear-shaped...

So my starter regimen is as follows. Just to note- ive ordered some of dans bp. well alot of it -about 17quid plus postage gets you 12ounzes- 340grams! thats actually a lot less than it costs to buy the same amount of panoxyl in the uk (any order under £18 is custom charge free remember people!) ...
but in the meantime il give a small tube of panoxyl 2.5 a go just to get the ball rolling until dans stuff arrives.

Also, the nick lowe products wont be a permanent fixture thats for sure- theyre basically what ive been using for the last couple of months (with some success) and contain a low % of salycilic acid in them. Briefly, the moisturiser is very thick and works alone as a treatment (and isnt to 'moisturising' to say the least)- and goes a weird colour when used with bp...like green. They are also very expensive (for me anyway- at £20+) and not feasible in the long run - but i figure il stick with them over the next week and use them during the day just to give my face a bit of time to adjust to the bp, which il use at night.

sorted.

Thought id pop a few zinc tablets here and there aswell...

Morning/Early Afternoon
Dove sensitive soap followed by Nick Lowe sebum control toner
Moisturise with Nick Lowe oil control moisturiser
30mg of zinc gluconate

Night
Dove sensitive soap followed by Nick Lowe sebum control toner
Panoxyl 2.5% (low dose) soon to be dans bp...
Moisturize with Simple regeneration age resisting day cream spf15 (as recommended by fellow uk regimen users)
15mg of zinc gluconate

Il update every couple of days i guess with the grizzly details.

My camera is SOMEWHERE in my house. A cupboard perhaps? who knows.
Il try find it over the next week or so and get some weekly progress pictures on the go...

feedback, questions, comments, advice, stories, anecdotes, jokes, banter and amusing quips are all welcome.

cheers all!
Tom.

Nick Lowe/Blemish Complex/Clean and Clear...

Well, im at a bit of a dead end product-wise (as always). My dove extra senstive/olay combo is failing miserably, so im in desperate need of something new to complement the regimen. Therefore ive been browsing boots/superdrug in search of an acne-designed cleanser/moisturizer beyond the generic (+useless) clearasil/oxy type brands.
Came across a few things (slightly more pricey)- 'Nick Lowe's anti-blemish range' http://www.drnicklowe.com/antiblemishrange.html
that has a 'sebum control' and oil control cleasner and moisturizer with salycilic acid.
Also theres a 'Blemish complex clarifying cleanser' that boasts some rave reviews but it a striking 20 quid!
Only other medicated moisturizer i could find was 'clean and clear dual action' - a steal at 2.50...

has anyone used/does anyone use these products??? because they all look like they are worth a crack. any advice would be awesome before i start throwing my money away.

thanks a bunch,
Tom.

Has anyone tried this- Panoxyl 10% wash?

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/panoxyl-wash-10_1_9768.html

interesting...
has anyone had any luck with benzoyl peroxide washes like this one? Im STILL having a lot of trouble with dryness and redness from the regimen, even though it seems ive tried every moisturizer out there....

I think there was a big thread about a regimen that uses an oxy 10% wash instead of a bp topical, that quite a few people had some success with. Sounds like itd be ideal to use it twice a day instead of having bp on all the time...Dont quite know the full story mind and I dont want to start throwing my money away, so any opinions/experiences are very welcome!
thanks,

Tom.

Olay, Simple or anything reasonably cheap!?

Hey everyone- i know there is a moisturizer thread every couple of topics in this forum so sorry if its a bit repetititive- but ive been through past threads and tried most of the recommendations so ive managed to narrow it down a fair bit...
Ive tried Olay (both the normal and sensitive lotions) with reasonable results, Eucerin 5% cream with poor results (very disapointed considering the good reviews), Neutrogena oil control moisturizer, which was great until its changed formula, E45 and baby lotion, which i regret using with a passion.

Anyway- Ive moderate acne and still using the olay with quinoderm 5- but i swear it does cause the odd breakout despite advertising it-self as 'non-greasy' - can anyone vouch for it as a regimen moisturiser?

the simple range seems like its got a good following- but theres two different ones- the 'light hydrating' and the 'daily replenishing' - anything of note to distinguish the two??

Havent had much luck with trial and error in the past! So itd be brilliant if i could find something affordable that doesnt block pores and moisturses well

thanks a bunch,
Tom

Are cleansers/moisturizers really worth it?

These days it seems like every ingredient in cleansers have some sort of potential as an irritant or pore-clogger. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate/Sodium Laureth Sulphate/Phenoxyethanol/Baraben's/Propene Glycerol/Cocamide's/Lanolin to name a few...Even some of the most 'sensitive' cleansers such as cetaphil contain a selection of supposedly harmful preservatives, fragrance chemicals and harsh detergents.

Not that these warnings are misplaced, ive tried endless amounts of cleansers, lotions and creams- from clearasil to eucerin to obscure 'all natural/organic' brands- and theyre are all equally irritating/do little for my spots.
I guess im posting to vent a bit of fustration. I only use water at the moment due to the sensitivity of my skin, which leaves my skin greasy and spot-prone. But, on the flip side, every cleanser/moisturizer i use seems to elicit some form of reaction or make things worse. Beleive it or not, even when i use hair gels and shampoos my skin reacts quite badly. I know im an exception to the rule, but any thing that has the potential to cause an allergic-like reaction is worth avoiding in my book, even if it deemed 'dermotologically safe'.

So basically i wondered if a) does anyone know of any cleansers/moisturizers that i might be able to get away with? i.e avoid all of these common chemicals.
b) Im a tad neive, so from everyones experience, is it even worth pursuing a cleanser/moisturizer regimen? What are the benefits compared to using just water?

Thanks for all your time,
Tom.