170 replies to this topic

[yazgirl]

Hi Eddy If,

I went from tazorac cream .05% to tazorac gel .05% earlier this year at my derm's recommendation. I am very happy with the .05 gel and will stick with it as it is plenty strong enough for me. I use it every 3-4 nights and I still peel to this day even though I only leave it on for 30ms. I'm also taking spiro 100mg which did wonders for my skin in combination with the tazorac gel. My t-zone is no longer an oil pit thanks to the spiro.

that's very interesting to read your journey with tretinoin and tazarotene. Btw do you have a plan to increase your tazorac being 0.1% ? or stick with 0.05 ?

[yazgirl]

Week 62 Update (Week 38 on Spiro & Taz):

Wow. It's been 9 months already. I've been pretty busy with a new job lately so haven't had time to update last week. The little zits on my forehead from the hike a couple of weeks ago have cleared so that confirms the hat theory since when I went hiking again without wearing the hat, the little forehead zits did not appear. I haven't had a major zit in so long.. but dealing with slightly drier skin issues due to fall coming with less humidity. I still peel when using the tazorac gel, which means it is still working for me. When I stopped peeling from the retin-a last year, that's when it stopped working and my face started getting zits again. Anyway, I'm using the tazorac gel every 3-4 nights, for maintenance. I leave it on for 20-30 minutes and then blot it off before bed.

Wishing everyone good skin.

[yazgirl]

Week 64 Update (Week 40 on Spiro & Taz):

I guess with all the stress of a new job, new apartment, relationship issues, and having my period has caused a big zit on my right chin! Hopefully it goes away soon as I haven't gotten a big zit anywhere on my face for a long while. I've been slacking on taking care of my skin.. sometimes even going 5 days without putting on tazorac gel because I'm too tired when I get home late at night.

I'm seeing the derm for a checkup in about 2 weeks. In the meantime, I need to step up my regimen and go back to using tazorac gel every 3 days. I'm still diligently taking the 100mg spiro every morning with my birth control.

[yazgirl]

Week 68 Update (Week 44 on Spiro & Taz):

I forgot to post in almost a month. Been extremely busy, too busy to worry about my skin everyday. I did go to my derm for my checkup and she remarked that I was doing great. She wrote me another prescription for spiro 100mg. I guess I will be on this course for awhile.

Anyway, the chin zit had cleared up by the time I saw my derm but now it's been 4 weeks and I have another big bump on my chin. It's really weird though because it's just a big hard lump. I guess I am due to getting these once a month. I guess it's not so bad.

I'm still wearing no makeup everyday (have no time and my skin is pretty good except for the chin spot). My only issue is the peeling every 3rd day after I put on taz. I've been trying to use it every 3-4 days but I've been so busy that I've been slacking off in my routine and using taz every 5 days or so.. mostly because I don't want to deal with the peeling and my skin is pretty clear. Even if I leave the taz on for only 5 minutes, I still peel. I guess that's a good sign that it's working since my skin always does get better after I peel.

On the plus side, I don't really have red marks anymore.. all those terrible red marks from zits last winter on my chin, forehead, cheeks.. I never thought they would go away!

[yazgirl]

Week 75 Update (Week 51 on Spiro & Taz):

I thought I would post before the year is over. I'm happy to report that my skin is still doing great. Since last time I posted, I haven't had any major chin zits or any other major zits in general on my face. The spiro has made a huge difference for me.. it puts no doubt in my mind that my acne was largely hormonal. All the cleansers and creams just did not work for me after I reached my mid-twenties.. even taz only worked on the clogged pores, it never stopped the those huge hormonal zits on my chin until I took the spiro. The sweet spot for me is 100mg of spiro, when I took 50mg, I still had some stubborn chin spots. I am very thankful that something out there is working for me!

Happy new year to everyone!

[yazgirl]

Week 77 Update (Week 53 on Spiro & Taz):

Happy New Year! This is the first year in ages where I've started the new year with good skin! I just realized that I have been on spiro for over a year! I started taking spiro last january. I remember thinking last year, is this going to work? I really hoped that it would and it did!

I want to use this time to reflect back and hopefully ease some fears of anyone who is just starting to take spiro or considering it. My advice is to give it at least 3 months and then if you don't see improvement from the 3-6 months stage, speak to your derm so that he/she can make the appropriate dose changes. My derm bumped me up to 100mg and that is when all the stubborn leftover cysts and zits finally died and went away! Another huge plus for me was that my t-zone became much less oily. I always used to blot several times a day and also used oil control gel but now I don't use either. My skin overall does not feel greasy at the end of the day, which is wonderful.

I have to admit, now that my skin is clear, I sometimes go to bed without washing my face but my skin still seems to stay clear. Perhaps it's because I never wear any makeup at all now? Whatever it is, I love that I can be a little lazy now and then with my skin. Hopefully 2010 will be another year for good skin!

[Shells82]

Glad to hear you are clear!! CONGRATS!!!

[yazgirl]

Hello.

I started this log 2-3 years ago and forgot to update in over a year. When your skin becomes clear, you stop obsessing and don't visit the acne logs like you used to.

Anyway, it's been a little over two years since I've been on spiro. I'm on 100mg of spiro daily. I can't remember the last time I had a huge zit to worry about, it seems like a distant memory.

I don't wear makeup anymore, ever. I used retin-a and tazorac when I first started spiro since I had many painful hormonal zits but I weaned off them once the spiro kicked in and my scars faded. Also, on spiro, my t-zone rarely gets oily. I used to blot my nose all the time before I was on spiro to get rid of the shine.

For those you deciding on spiro, I haven't had any negative side effects and it works for me. I'm grateful that my derm found a solution that works for me long-term. It could be an alternative for accutane or antibiotics I suppose, if your acne is hormonal (my derm said that mine was because of the painful zits on my chin).

Bottom Line - I am just grateful that my skin is clear and I don't have to bother with all the creams, obsessing over cleanliness, picking zits, etc.

[connect16]

Sorry, I wasn't able to read all 9 pages, but are you still using Retin-A? If not, why?

[Fedupofadultacne]

informative thread, thanks

[Espinilla12]

So all you are using is the spiro?

How has the spiro affected your menstural cycle.

By the way I'm glad to hear you've had success! congrats!