37 replies to this topic

[Addie]

AHA or BHA with retinoids can be difficult because of excess irritation, but if they work slowly into it, it's doable for some people. If you don't get results after a few months on Tazorac and Benzaclin, I definitely recommend trying it. I got very little result with Tazorac until I started using BHA in addition to it. My doctor knows I'm on this combination and doesn't see a problem with it.

[theComfyCat]

AHA or BHA with retinoids can be difficult because of excess irritation, but if they work slowly into it, it's doable for some people. If you don't get results after a few months on Tazorac and Benzaclin, I definitely recommend trying it. I got very little result with Tazorac until I started using BHA in addition to it. My doctor knows I'm on this combination and doesn't see a problem with it.

Exactly. I'm using AHA/BHA exfoliants with my tretinoin regimen without a problem, but I alternate the days I use the tretinoin and exfoliants... and my skin isn't very sensitive.

When adding something potentially irritating to your regimen, you should definitely start out slowly, and it can be a good idea to take a break from the Taz on days you use an AHA or BHA.

I recommend that you check out the oily skin issues board for more ideas on how to deal with the oil. Or you could just get some oil blotting papers to use throughout the day.

Edited by theComfyCat, 29 September 2009 - 01:43 PM.

[Indoubtibly]

Well

DAY 38

I have to admit my face is doing better (knock on wood 3x) not many big breakouts for awhile now, got one on my right temple but it seems to be going away almost as quick as it came, my face is peeling like razy though, kind of embarrasing going out and thinking it's all good, go to the washroom and around my lips is peeling like crazy! sometimes it takes me ahiwle to get ready cause I have to try and get all the peeling skin off and then moisturize like crazy.

Face is still really oily, buddy made a comment about it yesterday when he went to grab my nose (for what reason I don't know) and his hand slipped right off lol kinda sick. He knows that I'm using Taz thoguh, kinda explained to him it makes my face really oily, it is the only thing I hate right now, oily face with peeling skin quite the combiniation, I've tried slowly using Jojoba oil

Right now my regimen

1st day:
Morining
-Wash face with Dove soap
-Apply Benzaclin to active areas
-Moisturize with Lubriderm

Night
-Wash face with Dove soap
-Apply Benzaclin to active areas
-Moisturize with lubriderm + 1 drop of Jojoba oil

2nd day:
Morning
-Wash face with Dove soap
-Apply very little if any Benzaclin to active areas
-Moisturize with Lubriderm

Night
-Wash face with Dove soap
-Apply pea sized amount of Tazorac

So thats how my regimen has been for the past while and so far so good liek I said other the the peeling which is driving me up the wall. I think I'm going to keep this going because I do see an improvement, my face may still be slightly red also but it's something I will take for now for clear skin later, I noticed also while my skin is peeling and flakey that after I aplly moisturizer it seems to slighlty hide it but later on feels as if some of it has turned into some acne on my face I'm assuming it's because I am semi-clogging my pores? any help on the flakey skin would be great, Jojoba oil I want to take in slowly because of me breaking out before due to it I believe.

[Indoubtibly]

Also forgot to mention that it seems as if I have a bunch of little red bumps small ones more less around the center of my face I guess but thats what I was thinking the flakey skin could be causing, is this possible?

[Indoubtibly]

ttt...?

Also, scratch the Jojoba oil it's not for me, used it a few times and I started to get a few break outs again, almost positive it's the Jojoba because until I started using it I didn't have many if any breakouts and they were small, got a couple big sore ones after the Jojoba was added

[Indoubtibly]

Day 49

Update:

Well my face is continuing to clear up, 2 days now I have gotten up so late I had to run out the door and it was nice to not really have to worry about my face, I mean I still have peeling skin, it's dying down though, got a random pimple on my neck lol but other that I haven't had many new breakouts really. I love the fact I can go out and not have to worry about people looking at me (atleast to much lol) but I can still get clearer for sure, gonna see if I can see my derm today or tomorrow just for a check up and see if I should start going Taz every night, my face has gotten a lot smoother than it was in the past, I can't wait for completely clear skin! Gonna ask about using a aha also. I do have Neutrogena Healthy skin moisturizer, it has a 15 spf also with aha, was wondering if I should try that out, I'm just afraid to stray form my regimen cause it's actually working! lol what do you guys think? I'll throw a picture up today or tomorrow to if I can remember

[Indoubtibly]

so no body to answer any of my questions?

[Indoubtibly]

Day 53

Well have had a couple more breakouts but I have been outside alot ately, got wind burned once or twice, and haven't been watching what I have been eating lately, slowed down on water also, but I am going to my derm this week hopefully andsee what they say about my progress so far.

I am currently doing 2 days with taz at night one day off, just one more small step before I go everyday til I see my derm.

But seriously all of October and no one could answer my questions?

[dwhaa]

Day 53

Well have had a couple more breakouts but I have been outside alot ately, got wind burned once or twice, and haven't been watching what I have been eating lately, slowed down on water also, but I am going to my derm this week hopefully andsee what they say about my progress so far.

I am currently doing 2 days with taz at night one day off, just one more small step before I go everyday til I see my derm.

But seriously all of October and no one could answer my questions?

I am using taz every night - after I moisturizer, it is going pretty well for me. AHA is a good option in the am - to help with the peelies during the day. I keep it in my car even so if I start to peel, I apply and it helps "dissolve" the dry skin.

Make sure you use a strong spf during the day if you are out in the sun. Sometimes I read that people have flare ups after they get a good sunburn or windburn from not protecting their skin. It may be just a coincidence.

Always good to add or change one thing in your regimen, see what happens and then add/change another. Then you know what caused a breakout or flareup or issue.

[Indoubtibly]

what are you using for a aha? yeah My face is doing alright I was out a bit at work this past week and got windburned a few times sunburned a little one day but my face took it pretty good, I'd have to say it's still continuing to clear up, I have my odd little break outs but nothing near as bad as I'd have before, not really many white heads popping up just red makrs and then they go away after a few days, I still haven't made it to my derm been to busy lately.

[Indoubtibly]

Here's a picture I took tonight, kinda crappy from my phone, I'll get a better one in the days to come, tell me what ya think! I know I know the hats on crooked lol

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[dwhaa]

looks good...hard to tell from the pic, but you look pretty clear. I am usuing lachydrin5 for an aha right now. seems to do well.

[Indoubtibly]

The picture makes it look better then it is lol, I'll have to find a better camera, surprising my face doesn't look so shiney in that pic either, I'll have to tempt some aha, I have a nuetrogena moisturizer with spf 15 and aha in it, was going to tempt it but am waiting for the weekend lol

Edited by Indoubtibly, 10 November 2009 - 12:34 AM.

[clueless123]

The picture makes it look better then it is lol, I'll have to find a better camera, surprising my face doesn't look so shiney in that pic either, I'll have to tempt some aha, I have a nuetrogena moisturizer with spf 15 and aha in it, was going to tempt it but am waiting for the weekend lol

cool hows ur skin going, ive been using differin cream 0.1 for 1month n 2 weeks, it didnt make me peel, burn or anything and its working pretty good im slowwwwlllyyyyyyyyyyyy getting better but i wanned to speed up the process so my derm gave me tazorac cream 0.05 is that alot stronger than the diff cream 0.1% ??? if diff didnt make me peel or nothing is it possible the taz 0.05 cream wont b strong enough?

Edited by clueless123, 15 November 2009 - 03:41 PM.

[clueless123]

okay this site is like useless to me, everytime i ask a question or post a reply no one ever comes back or even replys. I give up this site sucks.

[Indoubtibly]

Hi I would like to appoligize I have been very busy lately and haven't been on, I'll send you a pm also incase you don't read my thread.

I'm not sure what the diff is between dif and taz, but I will say that I still get some peeling and flakey skin and now I am on day 77 I will say also that my face is doing awesome from what it was, last night I was welding though and didn't have my mask down and today my face feels very sensitive and almost burns if I touch it(My bad) but I have had very few if any new breakouts recently, I went throug ha IB with TAz and wanted to quit but I stuck throug hand am happy I did, just wish my face wasn't so oily now, I haven't used benzaclin for almost a week now also cause I ran out and am broke so can't afford it lol $60 for that stuff is quite a bit, my face almost seems to be improving more with out which is quite odd I have to make an apt to see my derm though.

[Indoubtibly]

Haven't seen a derm yet and my face seems to be in between, I had pretty much no actives on my face (made me realize how many scars I have) was nice though, now I have a couple small ones that have come and are on there way out, because I never put Taz on the whole weekend lol whoops a little to drunk.

[Clear-as-Day]

Hey there,

I was on Tazorac and Benzaclin until yesterday, when I started Accutane. It looks like you're doing well now, but let me know if you have more questions.

Tazorac has actually been working well for me; my skin was just getting into a really good groove, but I decided a few months ago to try Accutane because Tazorac was the third topical retinoid I'd tried. Although they all helped temporarily and generally kept breakouts at bay, none of them were able to clear me up for good, unfortunately. My skin always seemed to get used to them and eventually break out again.

If your acne isn't as persistent as mine, you may have a better time with the topical retinoids. I was using Tazorac in the morning (and Benzaclin at night). I had the gel form, initially .05%, later .1%. I didn't have an initial breakout, probably because I'd been using retinoids for years by the time I switched to Tazorac. I was last on Differin, but my derm and I decided I needed something stronger. I like the Tazorac gel because it goes on with some moisture but then dries up pretty quickly. My face did get oily while on it, but I never attributed that to Taz because my face always gets oily no matter what I put on it.

Taz did irritate my face at first, as did Retin-A back when I used that, but my skin eventually got used to it, and then I didn't really have a problem. Every so often my skin would get super dry and peel all over as you described. It usually wasn't too bad, so long as I had a little bit of time to wash all the extra dead skin off and then re-moisturize. I figured these little dry spells were a sign that the med was doing it's job.

I use Dove soap on my body but not on my face generally because it can dry it out a little too much. I've been told that soap is sometimes just too harsh for the face, so I'd recommend a facial cleanser, like the Cetaphil one someone suggested. I recently started using that with Accutane. While on Taz, I was using a stronger acne cleanser from my dermatologist, but I wouldn't recommend that unless your derm recommends it. Pretty much any gentle facial cleanser should be fine. As for moisturizer, just make sure it has SPF!