75 replies to this topic

[tikvica]

My acne history started about seven years ago, when i somehow got stuck with those huge painful cysts (nodules?). i went to a couple of derms, but everybody tried curing me with some creams and stuff. finally, almost a year later, i found a derm which prescribed me tetracycline which made my acne disappear within 2 months. completely!
for about 2 years i was completely clear, but then these zillions of flesh coloured bumps started appearing out of nowhere. 100% of my cheeks and good part of sides of my neck were covered with it. i went to the same derm that cured me of my previous condition, but she only suggested regular exfoliations and extractions with a medical facialist and glycolic acid peels.
This was keeping my skin in much better condition, as i was going to my facialist twice a month for extractions and twice a year for glycolic acid peels. my routine was cleansing with Johnson&Johnson soap free Softly Foaming Facial Wash (which is amazing, and i think i'm gonna return to it after trying almost all other cleansers suggested here), 10% glycolic acid toner (made by a pharmacist here) and Clinique Dramatically different moisturizing lotion. this i've been doing for around two years. I wasn't completely clear, but i was much better than when my acne started.
then, half a year ago, i started breaking out like crazy. i went to the derm, she really pissed me off b/c she said i was just fine, and trust me, i wasn't. so i went to another derm, which prescribed me with Dercome Clear BP wash and Skinoren cream (active ingredient azelaic acid). she also told me not to use anything besides these products, not even a moisturizer, but after a week or so i realized that i can not possibly live without one, so i did continue using it on top of this. after a few weeks, i realized that skinoren does nothing for me besides peeling off my skin and making it feel extremely red, flaking, dry and itchy, so i discontinued using it and stayed with only BP wash. although my skin did look a bit better, i wasn't happy and started searching around the net and came up with this website. hundreds of posts that i've read made me believe that Clear SKin Regimen is maybe what would help me too.
i could not find any of the products in serbia, but i travel to london very often, so tried to find'em over there. tough luck with bp, so i ordered Neutrogena online. at the time, i could not find my favorite cleanser any more, so i switched to Neutrogena Clear Pore wash and was already using it when i started the regimen. everybody said i should use sth more gentle, but i could not find anything suggested here and didn't want to try new stuff at the time i'm starting the regimen, so i just stuck with this one as it was working very nice for me.
neutrogena arrived and i was really truly amazed what it did to my skin only after two days, so i gave the whole regimen a go. i was really respecting the routine and everybody could notice the difference.
as i started the regimen i realized that the clinique moisturizer that i love and that i've used for such a long time just doesn't work for me anymore as my skin is much more dry, so i started experimenting with different moisturizers. so far tried neutrogena norwegian formula, eucerin dry skin relief and eucerin hydro protect. the only one i'm very happy with is eucerin dry skin relief, but it doesn't have the spf, so i use hydro protect in the morning till i find sth that would suit me more.
as for the cleansers, i read that many people said that salicylic acid combined with bp can be too irritating for the skin, so i decided to try sth milder. as i've already mentioned, nothing of the suggested cleansers could not be found either in the uk or serbia, but luckily, i went to the states a few weeks ago and bought all the recomended cleansers (cetaphil, purpose bar and purpose liquid wash) to try. i started with cetaphil, but after just a few days i can tell that i'm not very happy with it, as my skin just doesn't feel clean. it also does not get the make up off, even though i first take it off with neutrgena cleansing wipes, then wash with setaphil, i cans still feel that there is sth left on my face. so, i decided to use it in the morning only, and left neutrogena clear pore wash as my evening cleanser. still got purpose to try when i finish cetaphil.
i also bought puredeming IG R-ALA and i must say this is one of the best products i've ever used. my skin retrieved a great colour and IG evened out my skin tone, as my skin looked pretty dull and discolorated on the regimen. + i use much less moisturizer now that i use the IG.
oh, and i also managed to get my hands on the CSR gel and i must say it's much better from neutrogena, less drying and finaly i can apply the recomended amount int he morning as with neutrogena i looked like a snowman, so i had to apply half the amount.
i switched to mineral make up and i love it b/c my face feels so clean even when i have it on, which wasn't the case with a range of oilfree foundations that i used to use. i threw all my old make up away once i got the mineral!
well, 2 months later, and my skin is almost completely clear! a few white bumps (old) on my chin and left cheek, but hardly visible. haven't noticed any new ones for quite some time.
i still need to find the perfect moisturizer and the perfect cleanser (JOhnson&JOhnson seems to be so hard to ind these days, maybe they've discontinued it?), but so far i'm very happy with my skin and it feels clean, healthy and glowing.

oh, and i also use neutrogena clear pore treatment for nose and forehead which are acne clear, but prone to blackheads, and this one is really keping them off my face.
i'll try to post some photos these days..

[tikvica]

used scrub this morning, the first time since i started the regimen. i know i'm not supposed to, but i really had some nasty looking dead skin cells on my nose. so i just concentrated on the areas on my face that are not acne prone, like nose and forehead with only a gentle couple of moves on the rest of my face. i'll know if i get any new breakouts that it's b/c of that, so i'm gonna exclude it completely.
i must say my nose and forehead are remarkably clean. they are prone to blackheads, but for the last few months i've been doing a scrub 1-2 times a week (i use body shop seaweed foaming facial scrub) and neutrogena clear pore treatment at night, these areas look amazing. it's glowing! not a single blackhead on my forehead and maybe 2-3 on my nose (but you can't see them really, unless you look real closely).
well, at least some parts of my skin look amazing
tomorrow my long travels are over and i'm planning to start a new fitness regimen to prepare my body for the beach. that includes going to the gym every morning and cycling in the afternoon, and it's really hot outside, so we'll see how that amount of sweating will affect my skin (which, btw, decided to put the recovery on hold for the last couple of days: not a single new whitehead, but the ones that are left aren't going away really).
i'm gonna see my facialist in a few days, and i haven't seen her since i started the regimen, so i'm really looking forward to see what she's going to say about my miraculous improvement !

[No I'm Amy]

Good luck! hehe.

[tikvica]

thanx

[tikvica]

so, after a few days using cetaphil...
already mentioned that i don't feel very clean after it so decided to do a little test last night. didn't wear makeup for three days, so my skin was clean of any colours, just regular dirt you collect during the day. so washed with cetaphil (thoroughly, may i mention) and then cleaned my face with a toner, and the cotton pad was completely brown and black! so, this thing did not remove any dirt from my face at all!
decided to use it only in the morning untill i finish the bottle, but certainly not gonna buy any more

[tikvica]

ouch!
was sooooo tired last night and just fell asleep, ie skipping all the washing and bp and blahblah
nothing happened this morning, though, no new bad guys coming

[tikvica]

No news, really
old ones stile smile at me in the morning, new ones are afraid to show up...
i've noticed in the past few days that my skin is not at all dry any more. even if i don't put the moisturizer, my face looks just fine
maybe it's this cetaphil thingy (though i still wash with neutrogena in the evening), or maybe my skin just got to know each other with bp so is producing more moisture or whatever.

[Brandy]

Hi there!
Cetaphil gentle cleanser does NOT clean well, especially if you have oily skin or wear makeup. That cleanser you mentioned in your first post seemed fine, the Johnson & Johnson one.
Looking over your list of stuff, I notice you aren't really even on the CSR. You have way too many products listed. The CSR uses a gentle cleanser, 2.5% bp, and an oil-free moisturizer. That's it! No scrubs or anything else needed.
Give me a PM if you need any help!

[tikvica]

hey, brandy,
thanx for posting
i promise i use the scrub only when i really feel i need it which happened last week the first time after starting the regimen. and i promise i was really gentle on the areas i use bp on
i just can't stand if the skin on my nose is rough, and that's mainly where i used it.
as for the big list of products, i use puredeming 3-4 times a week to get my skin hydrated and healthy looking and glowing (i do love this product!), and BP wash instead of BP gel when going to the beach, b/c BP is photosensitive, so it may leave marks if exposed to the sun.
my comedones are (were ) spread on my cheeks, chin and sides of neck, and that's where i use the regimen. other areas, like nose and forehead are just normal, average nose and forehead that sometimes like to socialize with blackheads, so i treat them differently
this regimen suits me up untill now, the bp is working perfectly, my skin is almost clear, it's not dry any more (just it's usual dryness, b/c my skin is not oily, my puberty went away long time ago), and i think everybody should modify the regimen on their own way after some time, because everybody's skin is different, like a fingerprint.

so, good news!
i went to my facialist 2 days, she hasn't seen me since is started the regimen, and she was truly impressed! her opinion is so important to me, she knows my skin better than i do, she has known it for years. she also said that, not only my skin is much clearer, but also that it's soooo healthy looking and glowing. she extracted most of the old stubborn spots that wouldn't go away, so, now i can finally say that my skin is 99% CLEAR!
i am so happy, i've never been this happy with my skin, ever!
i feel like crying now...

[Brandy]

So glad it is working for you.

[tikvica]

must say that i'm getting used to this cetaphil thingy. it felt weird at first, not lathering and all, but now it feels ok. still think that it's not a good cleanser, as it does not take all the dirt off, but i think it's ok to use in the morning. will ditch the neutrogena clear pore (will use it on my back as it has minor problems with blackheads) till i finish the bottle)

[tikvica]

ok, guys, finaly some pics
to show how proud i am of my new face
my right cheek is completely clear, except for one scar
my left cheek still has some consistent little thingies that are visible if you look very close, and lot of red and brown marks that are very close to extinguishing and 2 ones that are huge, but they do show signs of fading[attachmentid=5301][attachmentid=5302]

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[tinman]

Wow, you're really beautiful!

Two and a half months on the regimen? Looks like it's working a real treat. Congratulations!

[tikvica]

thanx
yes, i'm pretty happy
i started noticing the difference after only two days
my skin wasn't extremely bad, though. i mean, it was a disaster for me, but not as bad as one would think when you say acne
up untill now i had zillions of closed comedones that were jumping on top of each other and a cyst popping up on top of those every once in a while
so, yes, i guess it has worked really fast for me comparing to some other people here, but everybody's skin is different and reacts differently to everything...

btw: i love your log! i think you're the funniest and the most positive person in this forum. just keep it that way and you keep all of us feeling much better

[tikvica]

everything going as usual, except i've got a tiny red bum on my jaw line and it doesn't look like my regular pimples look like. maybe it's just caused by irritation or sth (like, leanin on my hand...)
but, it's not bad and it's already passing away slowly
gonna put a bit more b on it 2nite

[tikvica]

ok
went sailing for a week which means not exactly a surrounding meant for thourough personal hygiene
put nothing in the morning except for spf 50, did put bp in the night (skipped only one night ), but my face is a disaster after those seven days
ok, not really a disaster, much better than when i started the regimen, but i was soooooooooooo happy with my skin and now i have to put make up again untill i fix everything (must say i was so relieved i didn't have to use makeup anymore, it was such a great feeling)
ok, so my skin got a few dozens of tiny tiny white bumps on my right cheek, but they are alost not visible so it's ok. on my left cheek it's a bit different story: it's white bumps: they are fewer but bigger
also got 2 pimples on my chin and one on my left cheek and all three of them left a red mark, + got 2 very painful bumps, you know those that you can barely see but oh you can feel them: on is on right side of my jaw line and the other on my cheek, somewhere between nose and upper lip
luckily, those huge 2 red marks under my left eye are significantly smaller, i don't know if it's the sun, but HURRAY!
ok, enough complaining, now have to go back to the regimen precisely by the book, so hopefuly in a month everything will come back to where it was 10 days ago
so, i'm gonna do a 30% glycolic peels, 6 of them, starting last night, hopefully to take these red marks off and give it some life after this extensive sun exposure, and also before yet another extensive sun exposure (yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay)
oh, and, my neck is very dry and flaky, and it wasn't on the beginning of the regimen, so decided to leave it alone a bit and see what happens (it's completely clean now, so let's hope it stays that way)

[tinman]

Hey there, Jasmina

It won't take a month for your skin to get back to how it was - probably just a couple of weeks. I had my own little disaster of a holiday which caused me to breakout badly last week, but now I'm just about back on track. So keep the faith, you'll be fine.

[tikvica]

thank you, you kind young man, for thy faith
i really hope so
it already looks better
BUT! and this is a big but (as you can see)
sth strange happened, starting yesterday: for 2 days in a row i'm waking up with severe itching on my jaw line and whole neck and extremely puffy eyes. yesterday it was much worse than today, b/c my neck was even red and my right eye looked like a doughnut. today no redness, just extreme itchiness and eyes less puffy, but still not the eyes you would want to show in public
i have no clue what that is - can it be some kind of allergy? but to what? i did not change any products i use, it can not certainly be BP, b/c of course i do not use it on my eyes and i stopped usng it on my neck a few days ago and that leaves me with the rest of the products i'v been using in past 2 days, which are:
cetaphil gentle cleanser
eucerin dry skin relief
bare minerals make up (but i don't use that one on my neck)
neutrogena makeup removing towelettes (i don't use those on my neck either)
so i don't really know what this could be! i've been using all of these products for some time now
and it's very strange b/c it's only eyes and neck (btw, i got some strange spots around the eye area and on my eyelids during sailing, like tiny red/brown marks, but they're all gone now, except for one on my left eyelid that turned into a very dry peeling area, approximately 2x5mm, but i an see it going away
i'm very worried about what can this be: i don't have sensitive skin, i'm not prone to allergies (except for some xtremely strong fragrances, found in some perfumes)
the good thing is that there's no redness today, so that gives me hope
anyone have any clue what this might be?

[tikvica]

situation:
all whiteheads almost invisible, which is good
but! those ugly pimples that showed up during sailing not so good: the two on my left side of chin are still inflamed, little devils, they are small though, but very red and burning. of course, i haven't brought hydrocycline, which is very mild topical antibiotic and it kills the burning of the pimple in one night. i guess that leaves me only with waiting
the one on my right chin side is not visible at first sight, but it's actually huge underneath the skin
luckily, brought my supplies of ichtiol which my derm prescribed for those that just keep growing on the inside so hopefully it's gonna vanish after 2-3 nights. when i start tu put the thing, which i've been to lazy to do up untill now
the one under my left eye, which created a sexy bermuda triangle with two huge red marks i've had for a while now is getting smaller, so that gives me hope
but, all of this is in the shadow of my still itching neck, which is, from this morning, expanded to my cleavage. no redness still, except from the extreme scratching and eyes not pufy any more, but i have no clue what this is and why it's not going away

[Little Nikke]

but, all of this is in the shadow of my still itching neck, which is, from this morning, expanded to my cleavage. no redness still, except from the extreme scratching and eyes not pufy any more, but i have no clue what this is and why it's not going away

Hmm... sounds to me like eczema, maybe? I occasionally get it on my face, particularly on my neck and eyes - extreme dryness and itchiness, followed by flaky, cracked skin that moisturizer does nothing for. I'd get it checked out by a doc before doing anything (confirm the diagnosis!), but my doc recommended 0.5% hydrocortisone cream (absolutely no stronger than that!) and to be extremely careful around the eyes, not to get ANY in them. I did this under a docs supervision, and I suggest you do the same (the eye area can be very tricky). You may want to try the hydrocortisone on your neck to see if it helps right away though. It's not terribly expensive and works great to reduce itching from insect bites or extreme dry skin in any case. You don't want to overuse hydrocortisone though, your skin can develop a tolerance for it and you have to increase the dosage. I don't use it more than about 5 days in a row, then don't even look at it until my next outbreak (anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months). Hope that helps!