I would like to share my sagely advice :)

Hello everybody,

this is a long post, but I believe you will find it informative. It is my 'coming out of the closet' if you will

First....I owe you guys on this forum more than I can really express. I would like to thank all of those who put time and thought into there posts, and actually know their stuff. I have frequented this site over the past 3 years and it has always been a refuge. I have had what derms have decribed as "moderate" acne, mainly of the cystic type. I have sensitive skin as well. I'm 23, and it has been very stressful for me going through the ups and downs. I know more about medications (thanks to this site) than any dermatologist I have been to. I mean that as a fact. I almost laugh when I go to them.

With that said, let me quickly summarize what I have done, what I found works, and what I find I a load of BS. I have tried most everything that has received praise on this site, some of the methods even receiving worked, Let me summarize:

1. The Regimen (Used Dan's products for 4 months or so) - Not bad...but not for me. Here's why. BP is good as what it does, and that is killing bacteria. It not the best at penetrating pores, which is why Dan's method work once you are able to put a whole crapload on your face. It work at getting rid of the more superficial acne closer to the skins surface, but did not help with the cysts. Plus it made my face itchy and uncomfortable. Next move (don't get mad that I didn't try it longer...it was sooo itchy and annoying)

2. Oral Antibiotics

a. Bactrim (2 weeks) - Made me break out in hives....also had a few beers and blacked out (like 3 beers). Next...
b. Doxycycline (3-4months) - Minimal affects, yet noticeable. No upset stomach. took for three months and it did OK. Recommended, but for temporary relief....it'll come back.
c. Minocycline (3-4 months)- supposed to be stronger and more effective, yet it didn't really do anything. No side effects. Worthless for me.
d. Erithromycin - Made me fart worse than the Klumps. Luckily I was around guys for the week or two I was on this and they found it hilarious. Once the farts lost their comedic value, I decided to stop this for fear of losing friends...LOL!


3. Topicals

a. Differin - Tried when I was about 17, hard to remember why I stopped, but the topical retin-a type stuff just tends to dry out aggravate my skin too much. Next...
b. Clindamycin/BC combo DUAC - Did alright....but ran into same problems as Dans regimen. I was on this while on one of the orals I believe.

b. Finacea - Weaker than watered down weak sauce...plus it's not pleasant to rub in. More for rosacea, not cystic acne...my derm was stupid.

c. Paula's Choice 2% BHA - THE BOMB!!!!! This shit made a new man out of me (for awhile). My regimen was to shave (electric) in the morning, wash with Spectro Jel, and then wait ten minutes and put a thin layer of this stuff on my face (but not my nose...for some reason it made my nose oilier and red at the tip...weird). No moisturizer, the salicylic acid, green tea extracts and some other indredients in here provided all I needed. I used this stuff for almost a year...the best year of my acne career! Still got occasional zits, but they healed faster. Then it turned on me. I was getting weird, unpoppable zits. Almost like my face was rejecting it. Lame.....next! (p.s. try it if you haven't, its pretty cheap and lasts like 5 months)

4. PROPECIA (WTF? read on...)

Now to something more interesting. I also have slight thinning of the hair on my crown area, which I guess I can attribute to my grandfather (thanks grandpa!), so I decided to cave in and try propecia. No extra hair, but my acne vanished in almost one month. It was either an insane coincidence or propecia actually helped my acne. If you are a dork like me, check it out. Propecia is a 5-alpha-reductase-inhibitor (or something like that), which is a chemical responsible for sebum production (it also attached to hair follicles and causes them to shrink). Anyway, there has been other reports of people having a sebum reduction due to this. In fact, Kinerase offers a product called Clear Skin moisture light which contains an avacado extrac that block this same chemical, check it out. Anyway, I was super happy with my skin, life, etc... until I broke out in hives 3 months into treatment. FML! Acne returned after 5 months

5.Other products I've tried

a. Tea Tree oil - super minimal effects, not even worth the smell. Works ALRIGHT for sebhoric dermatitis (fungal infections)
b. Sudocrem - Super gross, annoying cream that is hard to wash off and does nothing.
c. Hydrocotisone cream - I know, not the greatest idea to use steroids. Well, the don't really do anything for deep zits because of minimal penetration. Plus it has parabens and mineral oil typically
d. Glycolic acid gel (Paula's choice) - noticed nothing
e. Scotch tape - for exfoliation (doesn't work at all. It''ll get like 1-2 dead skin patches and leaves the rest...really ineffective)


So after all of this, I am back at square one. I have been using Cereve products for the past 8 months (cleanser and moisturizer twice a day), which I thought were working great for about 4-5 months (started them coincidentally along with propecia). But now even these Holy Grail moisturizers make me feel slightly itchy/tight in the face area. I also take Fish oil...multivitamins, and eat healthy as hell as well as exercise.

I was about to request Accutane from my derm the other day (because I have tried a reasonable amount of products ), so I called my parents and told them. I told my dad all I had been through, and when I told him about using moisturizer twice a day, he immediately said "well there's your problem...you're putting all that crap on your face...it can't breathe!"

Now...as callous as that statement is, he most definitely has a point! Between the cleansers and lotions I use daily, I must have upwards of 30 chemicals on my face at any given time. He told me that he never used more than warm water, and he has never had a problem!

I know....I know...genetics. But hey, it my F*ing father, my closest genetic equivalent! All my friends who are clear don't really use anything either, I just never have had the courage to try. So starting last night, I have sworn an oath to try at least 3 months of putting NO CHEMICALS on my face....period (unless I am going out in the sun for an extended period).

This is the only way I will know 100% that I am in fact bringing this affliction upon myself. So...I know the "Water only method" has been tried before by posters here, but I would like to start another "log" if you will, aimed at the poor bastards like me who have tried everything under the sun and who are afraid of Accutane.

Anybody want to be updated? If so, I will upload photos and progress. If not....screw you guys LOL! Take care yall....thanks in advance for the support.