7 replies to this topic

[bran88]

Hi everyone,
I know this is a retinoids forum, but it seemed like the most logical place for an azelex log. I am 24 and have had acne ranging from severe to moderate for over 10 years. I began trying a holistic approach around christmas time. At that time I was using 5% benzoyl peroxide which was keeping my acne mostly moderate, but it was still pretty bad. Once I cut out dairy (I already eat fairly healthy, lots of fruits and veggies and water), my acne disappeared over the course of 2 weeks!

I hated the way BP made my skin so dry and red so I decided to try going without it...well it's been a roller coaster since then, trying to eliminate different foods, add supplements and only making things worse. I've decided to go with minimal supplements, virtually no dairy, no nuts and otherwise I pretty much eat what I want (making sure to include lots of fruits, veggies whole grains, seeds and lean proteins). Finally I realized that I need both a dietary approach and a topical approach (at least I hope that will do it!)

So, I've changed my topical routine....here it is:

morning and night: use baby brush on wet face to very gently massage in kiss my face olive and honey soap ($1.99)
GENTLY pat dry skin. Massage in a thin layer of azelex.
If skin is dry (but it hasn't been) then use wild sage lavender rose moisturizer

I also use bare escentuals bare minerals makeup in the day time.

This is day 4 of my new topical routine, and there is a noticeable improvement (of course it could just be a coincidence, time will tell). My skin had been very flaky and not so nice, plus i had a moderate breakout that was healing (kind of), and now my flakes are pretty much gone and my acne is a lot better, but not gone by any means.

I haven't really noticed any side effects. I know a lot of people think that azelex makes the skin burn and tingle when you apply it, but I've only noticed the slightest tingling right after I apply it. So far I'm happy! Wish me luck

[bran88]

day 6:
i think i notice some of my old red marks lightening a little, but it could just be my imagination. My skin is very smooth, it feels a little, not oily exactly, maybe dewy is the right word. It's a welcome change from the flakes I had (which are all gone now), but I hope it doesnt get any more oily. I still have a perscription for clenia emollient cream at the drugstore and am debating whether i should contine with azelex twice per day, or use azelex once per day and clenia once per day since sulfur is supposed to absorb oil. On the other hand, the azelex does seem to be helping with the breakouts...

[bran88]

ok, i think i'm going to stick with the azelex, in fact i won't even use the clenia face wash. I want to give it a month or so on it's own to see if it can help.

[bran88]

day 9:
skin quality is a lot better, less red, no flakes. I feel that azelex is also helping with breakouts (both frequency and severity), but they haven't stopped yet by any means. It's supposed to be 4 weeks before seeing any significant reduction in breakouts though, so I've got quite some time to go.

I feel pretty sure that the clenia wash was aggravating my skin. a couple of days after i added it the eczema that azelex had gotten rid of started coming back. When I cut the clenia, the eczema has once again disappeared.

The ONLY downside of azelex so far is that my skin is more oily...however I definitely prefer slightly oily to dry and flaky...also it's not really oily. When my skin used to be really oily i was using 3 or more blotter sheets per day, when my skin was dry I wasn't using any. Now I have to use 1 around early evening, not a big deal at all so far.

I might not get to update very much for the next couple of weeks, it's going to be a very busy and stressful time. If my skin stays ok or gets better then i;ll know the azelex is working for sure!

[bran88]

day 14:

I think I can definitely say that I see an improvement in my scarred/enlarged pores! They really look smaller, I don't think I'm imagining it...

my skin is also definitely oilier (I'm sure the extreme humidity here isn't helping either) Still not bad though. My breakouts are status quo, i think azelex is helping, but i still have significant acne. Again I know i need to give it another month before i can make a judgement.

[bran88]

ok, it seems that the azelex was definitely making my skin oily, so i've decided to use azelex in the morning and clenia emollient cream at night (i'm not using the clenia wash because it seemed to overdry me). I've been doing this for the last 3 days. So far so good but impossible to tell so early. My skin is less oily at least which seems like a good sign.

I also began taking doxycycline for the last two days. I don't plan to stay on it for long, but i just can't wait any longer for decent skin. I think I will take the antibiotics for 2 or 3 months and then i'll see if the topicals + diet alone can sustain me.

Now i'm not sure if it's the addition of the clenia or the doxycycline or just a natural clearing but there is an improvement in the active acne in the last couple of days. I'll update again soon.

[bran88]

skin is doing pretty well. I've got a few here and there, but much much better than it has been. My routine is status quo.

[PWPager08]

Hey any new updates? I'm interested in trying out azelaic acid for my acne, redness, and redmarks. Overall I'm hoping that it will even skin tone. How is your skin doing?