Since when does Cetaphil have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate!?!

So, I just spent a crapload of money (errr, $8) to buy shampoo without SLS, thinking that SLS might be contributing to my acne. I've been using it for about a week and a half now.

THEN, today I go and read the back of my Cetaphil cleanser...SODIUM LAURyL SULFATE! WTF? How can it be "non-comedogenic" with that ingredient?

Anyway, I'm mad. Does anyone know of a very gentle cleanser (preferrably a liquid one) that does NOT have SLS?

sodium laureth/-el sulfate vs. ammonium laureth/-el sulfate

So, I hear that SLS in shampoos can aggravate acne. Virtually every shampoo has them, but I do have a bottle on hand (White Rain; Sunflower) that has ammonium laureth sulfate. Does this have the same negative effect?

progestin-only BCP's: ortho-micronor & others

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new here, so bear with me. I'm Halina, and my acne is moderate to severe (depending on the time of the month). My breakouts are continuous, but worse right before my period begins.

I currently take Ortho-Micronor, a progestin-only birth control pill. I can't take any of the "normal" ones with estrogen in them because I'm a migraine sufferer, and I had those "visual disturbances" on Triphasil that indicate a potential danger for having a stroke. So, they took me off of them and said I could never take estrogen again.

I've always sort of suspected POP's can make acne worse; mine seemed to get worse after starting the Micronor (which I've been on for...at least two years, if not three). Trouble is, I did have a 1.5 stint with Paxil that definitely played games with both my face and my horomones. So, I can't really tell what did what...but all I know is that I'm left with a facefull of acne that responds to very little.

Anyhow: what's your experience with progestin-only pills? Do they really make acne WORSE, or do they just not offer the acne-healing benefits of normal BCP's? I need to be on SOME type of BC at this point, for obvious reasons, so I don't want to just ditch the Micronor for a couple months to see what happens.

Argh. Thoughts?

switching from Benzomycin to the regimen

Hi everyone. I have been using a prescription 5% BP / erythromycin combo for a couple months with no luck. Now, after finding this site, I'm going to try the regimen...Sorry I don't know all of the weird acronyms and site lingo yet!

Anyway, Because I've been using 5% BP, do you think that I can start right into applying a LOT of 2.5 right off the bat? Or should I start the regimen like I've never used BP before? What was beneficial for everyone else?

Thanks everyone! I totally appreciate your help.
Halina

paxil messed my face up!

Hi everyone! I'm Halina, a 23 year old graduate student. My acne is worse than ever nowadays, so I'm happy to have found this site (especially before going out to spend a bundle on Proactiv or something).

Anyway, here's my personal history. I started getting acne when I was 15 or so. It wasn't that bad, and BP and/or salicylic acid usually cleared things up. My acne was much worse in the winter than in the summer, so I believe that the sun had positive effects on my skin. I now know this isn't necessarily the case!

So, I went off to college with a decently clear face -- a couple breakouts here and there. Then, during my sophomore year, my face got worse -- still nothing earth-shattering, but enough to finally get me out to a dermatologist. I explained that BP & SA weren't really doing as much for me as they used to, so she put me on the oral antibiotic Doxycycline. I was told to stay on it for three months, but I had to stop in the middle of the second month because I had gotten three yeast infections in a matter of about four weeks. Not good!

So, the dermatologist gave me Differin and BP/erythromycin gel. I used both of these for awhile with some success. Then, I got on birth control pills (Triphasil) and my acne cleared completely. Unfortunately, I also started taking Paxil a few months later for panic attacks.

All was well, face-wise, on birth control & Paxil. But then, I had to switch birth control pills because I started to experience vision problems; I started taking a POP birth control pill (progestin-only). I've heard it's the estrogen that really helps to control acne, and this new pill had no estrogen; thus, the acne came back. I would call it mild/moderate. I used OTC products during this time with some success.

Time warp: first year of graduate school. I wean myself off of the Paxil due to its nasty side effects that I finally begin experiencing. Within a week of my last dose, MY FACE IS COMPLETELY CLEAR. Unfortunately, within another month, my face is a wreck -- the worst it's ever been. And that's how it's been ever since -- I stopped Paxil in January of 07, so, for about eight months now I've had really bad acne. I am once again using BP/erythromycin gel, and it's not doing a damn thing this time. I feel very stuck.

My acne is worst right before my period begins, so it's clearly horomonal in some way. It's as if Paxil did some damage to the way my hormones level off. I did some half-assed research a few months ago and started taking some daily zinc to see if that would do anything; it only gave me an upset stomach. I take vitamin E now (200iu) and a B-complex vitamin; I haven't seen any positive results from that yet, either. I am unwilling to try any other type of oral remedy (other than vitamins), and I guess I'll be starting today or tomorrow on the regimen that's listed on this website.

Does anyone have any suggestions or useful links for horomonal acne information? Any positive success stories that might actually show me some promise?

I'm attaching a really depressing baseline photo.

Thanks for listening
-Halina