62 replies to this topic

[willow569]

The scrub looks ok as far as comedogenic ingredients are concerned. However, I would be concerned about how gentle this product is. Does it indicate it is a gentle scrub or for sensitive skin? You need to be careful with scrubs - most are too harsh and can cause micro-tears in the skin, which can aggravate acne. You need a scrub with scrubbing beads that do not have sharp edges. If the CVS products does not say that it is a gentle scrub, i would bet that the scrubbing beads are too rough.

This may surprise you (it did me!), but your BP product has 2 comedogenic ingredients! I underlined the ingredients for you. One gets a "3" on a 5 point scale (5 being the most comedogenic), and the other (isopropryl myristate) - is extremely comedogenic, it gets a 5 on the scale! I would definitely ditch that product.

The AHA souffle looks ok too.

There is another list on zerozits.com that I didn't have a chance to check yet. It also lists the irritant level of common ingredients - so you might want to check your products to make sure that they are both non-comdeogenic and non-irritating. Go to zerozits.com, click on "articles' and go to the one titled "Be an Acne detective". Its a very comprehensive list.

When you do find a good 5 or 10% BP product, I would still ramp up slowly like the regimen recommends. Even if you have used a lower strength BP before, you can still get a lot of irritation and dryness if you don't start off gradually.

You mentioned that the breakouts have spread to your neck? Are you using any products there?

Wow thanks for responding!

I actually did not do the gradual step up for the BP because i had already been doing Dan's regimen for a while and my skin is pretty tough. Should I start over again? I guess it's different when the AHA is thrown in.

The Ingredients list is as follows. (My BP or facial scrub doesn't specify that they're non-comedogenic, but I assumed they wouldn't be since they indicate it's to fight acne)

Scrub:
water, ceytl alcohol, PPG-15, stearyl ether, polyethylene, microcrystalline wax, steareth-21, polysorbate 60, potassium cetyl phosphate, xanthan gum, frarance, menthyl lactate, ferric ferrocyanide (sounds scary!), jojoba esters + 2% salicylic acid

BP:
10% BP + aluminum hydroxide gel, bentonite, carbomer-940, dimethicone, glyceryl stearate SE, isopropryl myristate, methylparaben, PEG-12, potassium hydroxide, propylene glycol, propylparaben and purified water

Moisterizer: says it's non comedogenic

AHA: Alpha Hyrdrox Souffle (not mousse, oops) 12% AHA
Water, Glycolic Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Stearic Acid, PEG 40 Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polysorbate 60, Steareth 2, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein (Peptides), Green Tea Extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Xanthan Gum, PVM/MA Decadiene Crosspolymer, Imidazolidinyl Urea, BHT

Let me know if you see anythin funny or if I should start over etc, thanks!

[jkitten]

Hi everyone I'm new, still trying to get comfy around here but I love it so far!

Anyhow, I'm very interested in this regimen since non-inflamed acne is what plagues me. However, I'd really like to use BHAs (salicylic acid) instead of glycolics or other AHAs. I read the actual regimen, and saw that Laura said that sal. acid could work but it's not strong enough...but there are a few serums out there that are from 3-8%. I'm thinking of trying it, but not sure on which strength to go. My skin tolerates 2% and 2.5% salicylic acid very well with mild dryness. Should I start at 3, or 4%? Or is it too risky and should just stick to the original regimen?

Also, about the scrub...I find most of them that have polyethylene beads in them are quite expensive, such as DDFs, Sage, etc. I'm thinking of just getting the beads alone and just adding them to my usual face wash. I do the same when exfoliating my body (I use micro dermabrasion crystals mixed with lotion or body wash)...this should be ok, right?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[murfirhea]

Hi everyone I'm new, still trying to get comfy around here but I love it so far!

Anyhow, I'm very interested in this regimen since non-inflamed acne is what plagues me. However, I'd really like to use BHAs (salicylic acid) instead of glycolics or other AHAs. I read the actual regimen, and saw that Laura said that sal. acid could work but it's not strong enough...but there are a few serums out there that are from 3-8%. I'm thinking of trying it, but not sure on which strength to go. My skin tolerates 2% and 2.5% salicylic acid very well with mild dryness. Should I start at 3, or 4%? Or is it too risky and should just stick to the original regimen?

Also, about the scrub...I find most of them that have polyethylene beads in them are quite expensive, such as DDFs, Sage, etc. I'm thinking of just getting the beads alone and just adding them to my usual face wash. I do the same when exfoliating my body (I use micro dermabrasion crystals mixed with lotion or body wash)...this should be ok, right?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I do a variation of that regimen. It is the pH of SA that matters not the percent. The pH of the SA lotion in my regimen is correct for proper exfoliation. The scrub that I use has polyethylene beads in it as well. Check out my sig for my regimen. This is the best my skin has ever been. BTW, I'm also an esthetician.

[jkitten]

Really? I was wondering about the percentage, because on Laura's Regimen, she says that over the counter SA products are 'not strong enough.' I've had good results using 2 or 2.5% SA, but feel deeper exfoliation is needed. Are you saying that say, a 1% SA that is properly pH balanced will be better than a 2%? Also, how do you know what percentage of pH is needed for proper exfoliation?

I checked out the scrub, and I actually used to use that a while back! I'll def look into it again. In the meantime, I purchased a travel size Clean&Clear Morning Burst Scrub, and I like it so far. My only issue with commercial polyethylene scrubs is that they're not exfoliating enough, and I like my scrubs to have a decent grainy-ness. Of course I'm very gentle when using them, and my skin needs the extra scrubbers. I'll finish up with the Morning Burst and go ahead and purchase the beads separate thank you for the recommendation!


EDIT TO ADD: I forgot to mention, the pH of the BHA product I'm interested in, is 2.3

[hadituptohere]

Has any one else had any more success or failure with this regimen? This is exactly the kind of acne I have, although i do get a few cysts and pustules from time to time ...

did anyone else think that the whole "Scrub vigorously" thing is counter to what we've been told for years?

[willow569]

Has any one else had any more success or failure with this regimen? This is exactly the kind of acne I have, although i do get a few cysts and pustules from time to time ...

did anyone else think that the whole "Scrub vigorously" thing is counter to what we've been told for years?

Scrubbing is ok for non-inflamed acne, but not for inflamed acne. If you rarely or never get inflamed and your skin isn't super sensitive, a scrub with gentle exoliating beads works just fine. If you do get inflamed acne though, you might not want to use a scrub.

[spoofy2]

What if you have extremely sensitive skin? BP doesn't really take well to my skin either...It just never really worked for me.

[willow569]

What if you have extremely sensitive skin? BP doesn't really take well to my skin either...It just never really worked for me.

Well, maybe try a very gentle scrub just a few nights a week and see if bothers you. And BP by itself doesn't do a lot for non-inflamed acne. Usually you need an exfoliant in addition to the BP or a fairly strong BP which helps dry the skin and peel out the impactions. If your skin is sensitive, that method might not be a good option for you. You might consider a 10% mandelic serum or 10% glycolic, along with gentle exfoliation. If you can't find a gentle enough scrub, you might also try the baby brush exfoliation method (or even just using a facial cleansing brush). Its not quite as effective as a good, gentle facial scrub IMO, but if you can't handle a scrub, it might be an option for you.

[tuan209]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

[willow569]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

Mandelic does exfoliate - both on the surface of the skin and also within the pore. I have not had very good luck with BHA myself. My esthetician who specializes in treating acne also has found BHA's to be ineffective for most of her non-inflamed acne clients.

[tuan209]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

Mandelic does exfoliate - both on the surface of the skin and also within the pore. I have not had very good luck with BHA myself. My esthetician who specializes in treating acne also has found BHA's to be ineffective for most of her non-inflamed acne clients.

Thanks for the reply Willow! What would you recommend for an exfoliant? Should I try a mandelic product, or do you suggest something else? I have a very mild case of non-inflamed acne, and it seems like the BHA is not working thus far. Could you recommend me a daily regime?

So far this is all I am using:

Day

Aqua Glycolic Cleanser
Paula's Choice Moisturizer w/ spf

Night

Aqua Glycolic Cleanser
Paula's Choice 2% BHA
PC Moisturizer

I am trying to keep my regime to a bear minimum. I am thinking about replacing the 2% BHA with the Nucelle Mandelic 10% serum. Would you recommend the 10% serum or should I go with the 15%?

Thanks
Tuan

[PinkSushi]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

Mandelic does exfoliate - both on the surface of the skin and also within the pore. I have not had very good luck with BHA myself. My esthetician who specializes in treating acne also has found BHA's to be ineffective for most of her non-inflamed acne clients.

So does this mean the often repeated thing about 'BHA gets into the pore wheras AHA's just exfoliate the surface' is just plain wrong? Maybe it's because you can only buy BHA in really low concentration. I tried BHA a few years ago and it did nothing but give me itchyness, redness and contact dermatitis, pretty sure I'm allergic to that stuff.

[willow569]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

Mandelic does exfoliate - both on the surface of the skin and also within the pore. I have not had very good luck with BHA myself. My esthetician who specializes in treating acne also has found BHA's to be ineffective for most of her non-inflamed acne clients.

So does this mean the often repeated thing about 'BHA gets into the pore wheras AHA's just exfoliate the surface' is just plain wrong? Maybe it's because you can only buy BHA in really low concentration. I tried BHA a few years ago and it did nothing but give me itchyness, redness and contact dermatitis, pretty sure I'm allergic to that stuff.

You know, I asked Laura (my esthetician) about that. She said that her mentor, Dr. Fulton (the doctor who developed Retin-A, BP, and the Vivant product line) also says that BHA's don't quite do what they advertise. I'm not sure on the exact details, but Dr. Fulton is a derm and a chemist, so he is definitely an expert on how these ingredients work (or don't work). I don't think he uses BHA's much in his practice at all. I'll have to ask Laura about the specifics on that again. Laura does use BHA's on some of her inflamed acne clients though. I am wondering if with non-inflamed acne, which is often buried deep under the skin and may be tightly lodged within the pore - if the BHAs just aren't strong enough to penetrate that far or it just can't dislodge something that is that tightly wedged in the pore?

[willow569]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

Mandelic does exfoliate - both on the surface of the skin and also within the pore. I have not had very good luck with BHA myself. My esthetician who specializes in treating acne also has found BHA's to be ineffective for most of her non-inflamed acne clients.

Thanks for the reply Willow! What would you recommend for an exfoliant? Should I try a mandelic product, or do you suggest something else? I have a very mild case of non-inflamed acne, and it seems like the BHA is not working thus far. Could you recommend me a daily regime?

So far this is all I am using:

Day

Aqua Glycolic Cleanser
Paula's Choice Moisturizer w/ spf

Night

Aqua Glycolic Cleanser
Paula's Choice 2% BHA
PC Moisturizer

I am trying to keep my regime to a bear minimum. I am thinking about replacing the 2% BHA with the Nucelle Mandelic 10% serum. Would you recommend the 10% serum or should I go with the 15%?

Thanks
Tuan

I would recommend starting with the Nucelle 10% serum. Maybe just try replacing the 2% BHA with the mandelic and see how that works. If you don't get any irritation, then you could try using it twice a day or bumping up to 15% once a day. I also really like the mandelic cleanser by Vivant (not the cleanser by NuCelle though - I found that one pretty worthless). The Vivant cleanser is really gentle and can be used as a facial wash, body wash, or shampoo. Another good product for getting rid of non-inflamed acne is Derm A Gel by Vivant. It contains vitamin A proprionate and lactic acid. Its about the gentlest retinoid you can get. If you aren't getting full results from the mandelic after a couple months, you might try adding the Derm A Gel to your a.m. routine. I use it every day and have had very good results from it.

[LionQueen]

Willow,

Does Mandelic acid exfoliate the skin? Do you need to use something like a BHA in conjuction with mandelic acid?

Mandelic does exfoliate - both on the surface of the skin and also within the pore. I have not had very good luck with BHA myself. My esthetician who specializes in treating acne also has found BHA's to be ineffective for most of her non-inflamed acne clients.

So does this mean the often repeated thing about 'BHA gets into the pore wheras AHA's just exfoliate the surface' is just plain wrong? Maybe it's because you can only buy BHA in really low concentration. I tried BHA a few years ago and it did nothing but give me itchyness, redness and contact dermatitis, pretty sure I'm allergic to that stuff.

Mandelic is an unusual AHA in that it can penetrate and exfoliate the pores. I've always heard that it doesn't penetrate as deeply as salicylic, but I expect that depends somewhat on the product formulation.

I always had trouble with BHA products as well .... with the exception of the Paula's Choice BHAs, which are superbly formulated.

[92soul]

can someone reccomend me some products to use in lauras regimen please.
maybe some products i can find in ontario and in shoppers drug mart or another store in this area. please and thank you

[willow569]

can someone reccomend me some products to use in lauras regimen please.
maybe some products i can find in ontario and in shoppers drug mart or another store in this area. please and thank you

I think finding products in the drugstore for that regimen might be a bit difficult. If you are willing to order products online, I could probably make some products recommendations for you.

[Anna1226]

I've been following Laura's regimen for three weeks now. Where I was clear before, now I've developed several inflamed acne spots. Is this to be expected? Do I continue with the regimen?

[Scarlett0]

Hi everyone! I was just wondering: would this be a good scrub with microbeads for this regimen?

It's called Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp76496_333181_s...ub_oil_free.htm

[willow569]

Hi everyone! I was just wondering: would this be a good scrub with microbeads for this regimen?

It's called Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp76496_333181_s...ub_oil_free.htm

It contains salicylic acid, so it wouldn't be my first choice. You are probably better off using a nonmedicated scrub. If you are willing to order online, both Vivant and Face Reality carry really good non-medicated facial scrubs.