633 replies to this topic

[LionQueen]

I'm going to use a oil free cleanser my mom has
and then apply the mandelic acid and then wait

I guess this would be okay if not i'll change to paulas choice gels because people seem to be sayig good things about it

Sure .... if you have real trouble with the mandelic, you can always switch. The Vivant is really a terrific product, and well worth trying; unfortunately, not everyone's skin can handle it. I wish they'd make a 12.5% alcohol-free version!

[LionQueen]

Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can be used together, though my position is slightly controversial. If you're interested I'll explain more. You can use salicylic acid with either treatment as often as twice daily, though you may want to use it only once a day or once every other day until your skin gets used to it. How often you use it ultimately depends on your skin's specific needs.

It's great that you brought this up, because I definitely feel that they can be used together successfully, assuming that both products are well formulated. I think the DKR specifically says not to use SA while on the regimen, but I'm assuming this is because most salicylic products out there are such crap.

Anyway, I'd like to hear more about your position on this. My understanding is that BHAs layered under other products (retinoids, BP) actually help the second product penetrate more deeply into the skin. So long as you are cautious and don't have problems with dryness and irritation, you can actually get some really good synergy going.

[gimnasta]

LionQueen, can I use aha and retin-a together? Or will it irritate my skin? Would it be better for me to use a bha in conjunction with aha?

[LionQueen]

LionQueen, can I use aha and retin-a together? Or will it irritate my skin? Would it be better for me to use a bha in conjunction with aha?

Tell me more about your skin and what you are trying to accomplish.

[gimnasta]

LionQueen, can I use aha and retin-a together? Or will it irritate my skin? Would it be better for me to use a bha in conjunction with aha?

Tell me more about your skin and what you are trying to accomplish.

I have mild acne, with some scarring. I had moderate acne but went on bc and Benzaclin and it cleared up perfectly, then I started getting comedones on my forehead. Mostly closed comedones and blackheads now. An occasional papule or (rarely) cyst. I have been using aha 12% daily but feel like I need more. I want to get rid of the little bumps on my forehead (about 7) a few blackheads on my nose and chin, also to prevent breakouts more effectively than my current regime, which is aha 12% at night and Benzaclin to spot treat. I seem to have grown tolerant to Benzaclin.

Ohh, I just read in a different forum that you visited Spain! Where did you go? I was in Sevilla/Granada/Cordoba last year. Beautiful country. My acne was so horrible during that trip!

[LionQueen]

I have mild acne, with some scarring. I had moderate acne but went on bc and Benzaclin and it cleared up perfectly, then I started getting comedones on my forehead. Mostly closed comedones and blackheads now. An occasional papule or (rarely) cyst. I have been using aha 12% daily but feel like I need more. I want to get rid of the little bumps on my forehead (about 7) a few blackheads on my nose and chin, also to prevent breakouts more effectively than my current regime, which is aha 12% at night and Benzaclin to spot treat. I seem to have grown tolerant to Benzaclin.

Ohh, I just read in a different forum that you visited Spain! Where did you go? I was in Sevilla/Granada/Cordoba last year. Beautiful country. My acne was so horrible during that trip!

We were in Andalucia as well .... we rented an apartment on the beach, near Malaga, and traveled from there. Beautiful country, as you say, but the air pollution in the cities was dreadful. I suspect it may have had something to do with my skin troubles.

Anyway ..... if I were you, I think I would shelve the AHAs for now. There are other products that will address your skin issues more directly. AHAs exfoliate the surface of your skin and are great for getting rid of dead skin and red marks, but you need to be focusing on your pores right now.

Have you used Retin A before? It may be more powerful than you need, and some people find it quite irritating -- it's often more trouble than it's worth for treating mild acne. If you tolerate it well and can get a prescription for it easily, then a low-concentration Retin A Micro would probably be fine. Otherwise I'd recommend one of the milder OTC retinoids: Diacneal or Green Cream or one of the Vivant or Jan Marini products.

I also strongly recommend the Paula's Choice BHAs. You can use these in tandem with retinoids, but it will be easier to incorporate both into your regimen if you are using a milder retinoid than Retin A.

You should only start with one new active product at a time, so I think I'd recommend using the Paula's Choice BHAs first .... they are quite inexpensive, and it's possible that they'll be enough for you. After you've been on them for 4 weeks or so, you could think about introducing a second active product, such as a retinoid.

Or, if you are very anxious to try Retin A or another retinoid, you could get going with that first, and possibly introduce the BHAs after 6-8 weeks if you are tolerating the product well but are not satisfied with your progress.

[gimnasta]

I have mild acne, with some scarring. I had moderate acne but went on bc and Benzaclin and it cleared up perfectly, then I started getting comedones on my forehead. Mostly closed comedones and blackheads now. An occasional papule or (rarely) cyst. I have been using aha 12% daily but feel like I need more. I want to get rid of the little bumps on my forehead (about 7) a few blackheads on my nose and chin, also to prevent breakouts more effectively than my current regime, which is aha 12% at night and Benzaclin to spot treat. I seem to have grown tolerant to Benzaclin.

Ohh, I just read in a different forum that you visited Spain! Where did you go? I was in Sevilla/Granada/Cordoba last year. Beautiful country. My acne was so horrible during that trip!

We were in Andalucia as well .... we rented an apartment on the beach, near Malaga, and traveled from there. Beautiful country, as you say, but the air pollution in the cities was dreadful. I suspect it may have had something to do with my skin troubles.

Anyway ..... if I were you, I think I would shelve the AHAs for now. There are other products that will address your skin issues more directly. AHAs exfoliate the surface of your skin and are great for getting rid of dead skin and red marks, but you need to be focusing on your pores right now.

Have you used Retin A before? It may be more powerful than you need, and some people find it quite irritating -- it's often more trouble than it's worth for treating mild acne. If you tolerate it well and can get a prescription for it easily, then a low-concentration Retin A Micro would probably be fine. Otherwise I'd recommend one of the milder OTC retinoids: Diacneal or Green Cream or one of the Vivant or Jan Marini products.

I also strongly recommend the Paula's Choice BHAs. You can use these in tandem with retinoids, but it will be easier to incorporate both into your regimen if you are using a milder retinoid than Retin A.

You should only start with one new active product at a time, so I think I'd recommend using the Paula's Choice BHAs first .... they are quite inexpensive, and it's possible that they'll be enough for you. After you've been on them for 4 weeks or so, you could think about introducing a second active product, such as a retinoid.

Or, if you are very anxious to try Retin A or another retinoid, you could get going with that first, and possibly introduce the BHAs after 6-8 weeks if you are tolerating the product well but are not satisfied with your progress.

I really want to try the green cream...it sounds promising. I have used retin-a before and I have a tube of .05 available. I have dehydrated combo skin. I am 24 but have some fine lines on the sides of my mouth and one on my forehead. Thats why I switched to the AHA. The benzaclin was just so drying and I felt like it was making the lines look worse. If I wanted to use any of the products like green cream or the bha should I wait to use them? I am worried about having a bad reaction if I immediately started using something new.

Thanks for all your help! I really want to try something different but my skin is clearer now than it ever was so I am very hesitant to mess it up again. Hopefully I can transition successfully.

[LionQueen]

I think the Green Cream/BHA combination is just awesome ... my skin looks better than I ever dreamed it could. If that's what you want to try, here's my recommendation:

Start by ordering some GC samples to make sure your skin reacts OK to it. If you order from www.lindasy.com (fast shipping and awesome customer service!), you can get a 4-pack of samples for $10. I'd recommend the GC-3, GC-6, mild oatmeal cleanser, and Vita-Oil.

If you have normal skin, try the GC-3 every night at first (it goes on right after cleansing) and see how it goes. If you have any redness or soreness, cut back to every other night. You can continue to spot-treat with Benzaclin in the AMs, but it would probably be best to eliminate the AHAs for now.

If you can use GC-3 without any trouble, switch to the GC-6 and try using it every other night.

If you get dry at all, the Vita-Oil is a terrific nighttime moisturizer ... you only need a few drops. Just be sure that you wait at least 30-45 minutes after applying GC to moisturize; otherwise you are interfering with the retinol ---> retinoic acid conversion.

If you decide to use GC, you should be sure that your skin is well-adjusted to it before adding in the BHAs. This could take awhile .... I'm guessing 4-6 weeks, though everyone is different. Anyway, once you are able to use Level 6 every night with no irritation at all, you could add in the BHAs .... and also start thinking about gradually transitioning to Level 9, which is a truly awesome product.

[Little did he know]

Hi.
Lionqueen, I've got a few questions for you if you don't mind.
I'm pretty sure I've got the same type of acne as you, mostly just clogged pores that occasionally become inflamed and turn into whiteheads. My skin type is combination/oily (really oily when I'm back on the east coast for some reason, maybe just winter?) and I have some minor/moderate discoloration covering the region of skin under my eyes, as well as my nose.

So, my planed course of action is the following.

For the next week, I plan to begin using the 2% BHA Gel that you linked to. Then, once I'm back home (from vacation) to use the Level 3 Green Creme in conjunction to the BHA. Once the GC runs out (I'm guessing a month because it's just the sample size) progress up to level 6 if my skin has adjusted to the green creme well enough.

So, my questions. Does this seem like a reasonable course of action to you? How long do you think it will take for me to see noticeable results under this regimen (check the link in my signature for the other planned products)? Do you think the GC will do anything for my discolored skin tone? And are there any other products that you think could be beneficial to my skin tone that I didn't mention?

Sorry to drop a load of questions on ya, but I'd appreciate any guidance.

[The_Snow_Queen]

Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can be used together, though my position is slightly controversial. If you're interested I'll explain more. You can use salicylic acid with either treatment as often as twice daily, though you may want to use it only once a day or once every other day until your skin gets used to it. How often you use it ultimately depends on your skin's specific needs.

It's great that you brought this up, because I definitely feel that they can be used together successfully, assuming that both products are well formulated. I think the DKR specifically says not to use SA while on the regimen, but I'm assuming this is because most salicylic products out there are such crap.

Anyway, I'd like to hear more about your position on this. My understanding is that BHAs layered under other products (retinoids, BP) actually help the second product penetrate more deeply into the skin. So long as you are cautious and don't have problems with dryness and irritation, you can actually get some really good synergy going.

First, I'll outline some of the benefits of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid:

Benzoyl peroxide is considered to be the most effective over-the-counter disinfectant for fighting the p.acnes bacteria. Not only is it considered to be somewhat gentle (though I know a lot of people experience irritation from the treatment), it also penetrates into the hair follicle to kill the bacteria thriving inside a blemish. And lastly, the p.acnes bacteria do not become resistant to benzoyl peroxide overtime.

Salicylic acid exfoliates both the skin's surface and inside the pore, helping to increase the penetration of other treatments. In addition, salicylic acid has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, improves barrier function, and helps stimulate collagen production. In short, salicylic acid not only helps fight and prevent clogged pores, but it can improve the overall health and appearance of the skin.


Dan and some dermatologists recommend the avoidance of salicylic acid when applying a benzoyl peroxide product. As I've mentioned before, salicylic acid has gotten a bad reputation for being very harsh because most products which contain it are poorly formulated. Some common irritants salicylic acid products typically contain include alcohol denat, SD alcohol 40, other drying alcohols, witch hazel, menthol, peppermint, eucalyptus, and lemon. It is my belief that most people who say not to use salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide together are thinking only of the poorly formulated salicylic acid products which dominate the market.

Another reason why some advise against using salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide together is because both treatments make the skin more sun-sensitive. This should definately be a concern, but users of these treatments shouldn't worry too much if they properly use broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher sunscreens and are smart about trying to avoid staying in the sun too long. (In case anyone reading this doesn't know, broad spectrum sunscreens adequately protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreens which are not broad-spectrum protect mainly against UVB rays; they may provide some protection against UVA rays, but not enough. If your sunscreen doesn't contain titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, avobenzone, mexoryl sx, or tinosorb, it does not offer broad-spectrum protection and should be replaced).

I find it odd that Dan recommends the avoidance of salicylic acid products in the DKR when he encourages the use of alpha hydroxy acid products as an optional way to help reduce red marks. They are both chemical exfoliants, and well-formulated salicylic acid products may actually be gentler because of salicylic acid's anti-inflammatory properties.

Anyway, as one can see by the benefits benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have that were outlined in the first portion of this post, they can compliment each other in the battle against inflammatory acne. If you don't have inflammatory acne, you may as well not waste your money on benzoyl peroxide products because they work mainly to disinfect, and bacteria isn't a problem for those with non-inflammatory acne.

How often you use benzoyl peroxide and saliylic acid depends on you. You can use salicylic acid as often as twice daily and as little as once every other day, and you can use benzoyl peroxide as often as twice daily and as little as once a day. At what times you apply these treatments depends on your personal preferences and how well your skin reacts. If you experience too much irritation lessen your applications, and if you feel like you aren't getting good enough results or simply wish to see how your skin handles more frequent applications of these treatments, increase your applications.

[LionQueen]

I'm pretty sure I've got the same type of acne as you, mostly just clogged pores that occasionally become inflamed and turn into whiteheads. My skin type is combination/oily (really oily when I'm back on the east coast for some reason, maybe just winter?) and I have some minor/moderate discoloration covering the region of skin under my eyes, as well as my nose.

So, my planed course of action is the following.

For the next week, I plan to begin using the 2% BHA Gel that you linked to. Then, once I'm back home (from vacation) to use the Level 3 Green Creme in conjunction to the BHA. Once the GC runs out (I'm guessing a month because it's just the sample size) progress up to level 6 if my skin has adjusted to the green creme well enough.

So, my questions. Does this seem like a reasonable course of action to you? How long do you think it will take for me to see noticeable results under this regimen (check the link in my signature for the other planned products)? Do you think the GC will do anything for my discolored skin tone? And are there any other products that you think could be beneficial to my skin tone that I didn't mention?

That sounds pretty reasonable, although the GC-3 sample is highly unlikely to last you a whole month. Level 3 is very mild stuff; if you have normal skin, you will probably get through the sample in a week or so and be ready for Level 6.

GC is very good for discoloration ...... but be a little cautious using it under your eyes. If you are planning to focus on that area, you might even want to get a bottle of GC-3 just for your eye area while you use GC-6 on the rest of your face. The skin under your eyes and on your neck is more sensitive to retinol than the rest of your face, so just go slowly there to avoid irritation.

You may find that you need a good moisturizer with the BHA and Green Cream combination. I highly recommend one of Diana Yvonne's hyaluronic acid serums ..... I am hooked on the Red Tea serum right now, which I mix with just a drop of her clear emu oil for a daytime moisturizer. It may sound weird if you're used to commercially packaged moisturizers, but it's great for your skin.

Once you are fully adjusted to the BHAs and Green Cream, you might try out the Triple C serum from Diana Yvonne as well .... it's wonderful for skin tone and brightness. I use it daily in the AM and can't live without it!

[Little did he know]

I'm pretty sure I've got the same type of acne as you, mostly just clogged pores that occasionally become inflamed and turn into whiteheads. My skin type is combination/oily (really oily when I'm back on the east coast for some reason, maybe just winter?) and I have some minor/moderate discoloration covering the region of skin under my eyes, as well as my nose.

So, my planed course of action is the following.

For the next week, I plan to begin using the 2% BHA Gel that you linked to. Then, once I'm back home (from vacation) to use the Level 3 Green Creme in conjunction to the BHA. Once the GC runs out (I'm guessing a month because it's just the sample size) progress up to level 6 if my skin has adjusted to the green creme well enough.

So, my questions. Does this seem like a reasonable course of action to you? How long do you think it will take for me to see noticeable results under this regimen (check the link in my signature for the other planned products)? Do you think the GC will do anything for my discolored skin tone? And are there any other products that you think could be beneficial to my skin tone that I didn't mention?

That sounds pretty reasonable, although the GC-3 sample is highly unlikely to last you a whole month. Level 3 is very mild stuff; if you have normal skin, you will probably get through the sample in a week or so and be ready for Level 6.

GC is very good for discoloration ...... but be a little cautious using it under your eyes. If you are planning to focus on that area, you might even want to get a bottle of GC-3 just for your eye area while you use GC-6 on the rest of your face. The skin under your eyes and on your neck is more sensitive to retinol than the rest of your face, so just go slowly there to avoid irritation.

You may find that you need a good moisturizer with the BHA and Green Cream combination. I highly recommend one of Diana Yvonne's hyaluronic acid serums ..... I am hooked on the Red Tea serum right now, which I mix with just a drop of her clear emu oil for a daytime moisturizer. It may sound weird if you're used to commercially packaged moisturizers, but it's great for your skin.

Once you are fully adjusted to the BHAs and Green Cream, you might try out the Triple C serum from Diana Yvonne as well .... it's wonderful for skin tone and brightness. I use it daily in the AM and can't live without it!

Excellent, thanks a lot. I'll look into those other products for sure.

[StrLight]

the gel came yesterday and i used it last night! i washed my fash with the t-zone face wash, applied the BHA gel to the whole of my face avoiding the eyes. after like 15mins i put some of dans bp gel on my face but not my nose then moisturised my eye area.

on my nose i only get backheads so do i just apply BHA or bp aswell? and when did it take you to see noticeable results?

thx

[abner12]

I've used the BHA gel 2 nights now and have my first zit in over 2 months. I dont know if thats a good thing or not. My face isnt dry or red and doesnt seem to be irritated by the gel. The place where my zit came up is the same place a pesky zit used to show up when I was using retinols about a year ago. I haven't seen any differences in my skin other than that... and really didn't expect to because most products take some time to see the results.

[The_Snow_Queen]

the gel came yesterday and i used it last night! i washed my fash with the t-zone face wash, applied the BHA gel to the whole of my face avoiding the eyes. after like 15mins i put some of dans bp gel on my face but not my nose then moisturised my eye area.

on my nose i only get backheads so do i just apply BHA or bp aswell? and when did it take you to see noticeable results?

thx

If you don't have inflammatory acne on your nose, there's no need to use benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide acts as a disinfectant, and is not a factor in non-inflammatory acne.

[The_Snow_Queen]

I've used the BHA gel 2 nights now and have my first zit in over 2 months. I dont know if thats a good thing or not. My face isnt dry or red and doesnt seem to be irritated by the gel. The place where my zit came up is the same place a pesky zit used to show up when I was using retinols about a year ago. I haven't seen any differences in my skin other than that... and really didn't expect to because most products take some time to see the results.

The blemish was forming long before you got your BHA Gel. Clogged pores take around two weeks to form.

I usually recommend giving a new regimen two months to see results, and at the very minimum one month. Of course, if you're clearly having a bad reaction to the regimen and not just a few new breakouts you should definately stop as soon as you suspect a problem.

Good luck!

[beckjan]

I need help trying to figure out a regimen with the products mentioned in this post.

I want to completely change what I am doing now and start off with a new everything. My skin is very oily and I only breakout in my T-zone. My cheeks and most of my forehead are almost always clear. My old regimen was using a gentle face wash (Jason something was the name) and then alpha hydrox enhanced cream (10% aha). AHA's respond pretty well to my skin. I purge for a few weeks then stay mostly clear but my skin will look irritated. Right now my skin is really messed up from the purging of the alpha hydrox enhanced cream, but I still have a lot of clogged pores and small bumps. I'm going to let my skin rest for a week, only washing it once at night and try a different approach with this new regimen. I want to order products from the websites mentioned this week sometime. I need a cleanser, a bha product, and then either green cream 3 or 6. My skin is not super sensitive and I'm tight on money so I really don't want to have to buy first the level 3 of green cream when I know I will eventually have to go up to level 6. What's the best way to use both the bha product and green cream together? Could I use one in the morning and other at night? And for the cleanser, what would be best for oily/combination skin? The one that seemed the best for me was Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Cleanser. I read bad reviews for that mild oatmeal cleanser from lindasy on makeupalley. Would using the 2% bha gel and Green Cream Level 6 be too much to start with? Like I said, my skin is super oily and not especially sensitive.

[bailey39]

Anyway, as one can see by the benefits benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have that were outlined in the first portion of this post, they can compliment each other in the battle against inflammatory acne. If you don't have inflammatory acne, you may as well not waste your money on benzoyl peroxide products because they work mainly to disinfect, and bacteria isn't a problem for those with non-inflammatory acne.


Now I am a little confused about the difference of inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne.

I have been battling with mild, but persistent acne for about 6 months now (in my thirties, recently came off the contraceptive pill and think acne is hormonally triggered) and have been following the DKR. However, whilst the BP seems to have helped a little I wouldn't say it was amazing, and I still breakout. About a week ago I took the decision to come off the DKR in particular stop using BP, as I hated the blocked pores it was creating (top of cheeks around temples) and the way it exasperated red marks. I still gently cleanse, however I use 10% AHA cream followed up by Aloe Vera gel. I do this twice a day. Whilst the skin has not completely cleared up, it is no worse breakout wise and the blocked pores I managed to carefully extract and they are healing nicely.

Sooo, am I doing the right thing dropping the BP? If I have non-inflammatory acne (hence the need for definition), which is hormonally related, is BP really going to help me anyway?

I am happier without the BP so far, no more bleaching towels, the redness is subsiding and no the blocked pores have improved. It things go downhill massively, I guess I can always restart the BP.

Advice much appreciated

[The_Snow_Queen]

Anyway, as one can see by the benefits benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have that were outlined in the first portion of this post, they can compliment each other in the battle against inflammatory acne. If you don't have inflammatory acne, you may as well not waste your money on benzoyl peroxide products because they work mainly to disinfect, and bacteria isn't a problem for those with non-inflammatory acne.


Now I am a little confused about the difference of inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne.

I have been battling with mild, but persistent acne for about 6 months now (in my thirties, recently came off the contraceptive pill and think acne is hormonally triggered) and have been following the DKR. However, whilst the BP seems to have helped a little I wouldn't say it was amazing, and I still breakout. About a week ago I took the decision to come off the DKR in particular stop using BP, as I hated the blocked pores it was creating (top of cheeks around temples) and the way it exasperated red marks. I still gently cleanse, however I use 10% AHA cream followed up by Aloe Vera gel. I do this twice a day. Whilst the skin has not completely cleared up, it is no worse breakout wise and the blocked pores I managed to carefully extract and they are healing nicely.

Sooo, am I doing the right thing dropping the BP? If I have non-inflammatory acne (hence the need for definition), which is hormonally related, is BP really going to help me anyway?

I am happier without the BP so far, no more bleaching towels, the redness is subsiding and no the blocked pores have improved. It things go downhill massively, I guess I can always restart the BP.

Advice much appreciated

Inflammatory acne is red, swollen, and sometimes painful; non-inflammatory acne is not red or swollen (though the skin surrounding the clog may be a little pink from irritation and the clog can usually be felt or is visible as a tiny bump under the skin). Non-inflammatory acne includes blackheads (open comedones) and whiteheads (closed comedones) and can develop into inflammatory acne if bacteria becomes involoved, though if you're not prone to inflammatory acne your blackheads and whiteheads will usually go away without any problems.

If you are prone to inflammatory acne, benzoyl peroxide would benefit your skin by killing off the bacteria causing the inflammation. An alternative to benzoyl peroxide you can try is tea tree oil, which is best used in 5%-15% concentrations. The only product I know of which contains a high enough concentration of tea tree oil without additional skin irritants is Derma-E Tea Tree Antisceptic Cream. You can also buy pure tea tree oil and dilute it with a moisturizer (aim for roughly a 10% concentration of tea tree oil in the mixture).

If you are not prone to inflammatory acne you do not need a disinfectant like benzoyl peroxide.

You may consider a salicylic acid product such as those made by Paula's Choice, which will exfoliate both inside the pore and on the skin's surface. Paula's Choice makes some of the few salicylic acid products that have a low enough pH to allow for exfoliation and contain no unnecessary skin irritants.

Make sure you wear a broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher sunscreen during daylight hours to protect your skin from further damage.

[The_Snow_Queen]

I need help trying to figure out a regimen with the products mentioned in this post.

I want to completely change what I am doing now and start off with a new everything. My skin is very oily and I only breakout in my T-zone. My cheeks and most of my forehead are almost always clear. My old regimen was using a gentle face wash (Jason something was the name) and then alpha hydrox enhanced cream (10% aha). AHA's respond pretty well to my skin. I purge for a few weeks then stay mostly clear but my skin will look irritated. Right now my skin is really messed up from the purging of the alpha hydrox enhanced cream, but I still have a lot of clogged pores and small bumps. I'm going to let my skin rest for a week, only washing it once at night and try a different approach with this new regimen. I want to order products from the websites mentioned this week sometime. I need a cleanser, a bha product, and then either green cream 3 or 6. My skin is not super sensitive and I'm tight on money so I really don't want to have to buy first the level 3 of green cream when I know I will eventually have to go up to level 6. What's the best way to use both the bha product and green cream together? Could I use one in the morning and other at night? And for the cleanser, what would be best for oily/combination skin? The one that seemed the best for me was Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Cleanser. I read bad reviews for that mild oatmeal cleanser from lindasy on makeupalley. Would using the 2% bha gel and Green Cream Level 6 be too much to start with? Like I said, my skin is super oily and not especially sensitive.

If you're tight on money, you may wish to try just the cleanser and salicylic acid product for the first month or two. You can always incorporate Green Cream into your regimen later.

Salicylic acid can be used as little as once every other day and as often as twice daily, though you'd probably get best results if you use it at least once a day. I personally use Paula's Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid twice daily, and it still lasts for months.

Which salicylic acid product you get depends on your skin type and personal preferences. You said that your skin is not particularly reactive and that it is oily/combination, so I would recommend either the 2% BHA Liquid or 2% BHA Gel. The liquid version has a slightly lower pH than the gel, making it a little more potent. It also delivers the salicylic acid to the skin more quickly. The gel version has a slightly lower pH than the liquid but is still an excellent product; remember, less potent does not necessarily mean worse, especially for those with very reactive skin. I wouldn't think you would have a problem tolerating either the liquid or the gel, though, based on your skin type. As far as applications are concerned, the 2% BHA Liquid can be a little bit messier, though I personally don't have any problems. You can apply it to your face with your fingers or a cotton pad. The 2% BHA Gel is easier to apply and it is recommended for the product to be applied with the fingers.

I personally like all of Paula's Choice cleansers and prefer them to drugstore cleansers. Economically, the Skin Balancing Cleanser (which, by the way, would be a suitable choice for you) is not significantly more or less expensive per ounce than other decent drugstore cleansers.

If you want to try Green Cream now, you could start off using it regularly even if you're also regularly using a BHA product. You may wish to start off using Green Cream at night and salicylic acid in the morning, though if your skin is not overly irritated you can increase the application of salicylic acid to twice daily. If your skin is irritated, you may want to use one of the products only once every other day and then gradually work your way back up if need be.

Make sure you incorporate a good broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher sunscreen in your regimen.