35 replies to this topic

[averagejoe88]

Alright everyone, time to bite the bullet and try the regimen!

I'm 22 and my acne is at the worst levels of my life, unfortunately. Not sure what happened, but I feel like I've tried everything. Duac, antibiotics, OTC medications and most recently Differin (which hasn't done jack). I was on the verge of breaking down and trying accutane, but then I read the negative reviews here and got really freaked out because the stuff has ruined lives... literally.

At any rate, I certainly don't have the worst acne ever, but it is pretty damn severe and will keep me from going outside at least once a month because it gets so bad. I'm not some SOB story... I am still very outgoing when my acne permits and I've done well for myself... but I want clear skin like nothing else so here we go.

Day 1: Applied the cleanser & treatment (used Cetaphil Lotion for moisturiser) last night. This morning, it looks pretty much like it did last night with the exception of three very very large whiteheads (diameter is like too big to pop, not sure what to do) on my chin/smile-line. I think this time I am going to take the gentle approach and see what happens when I don't pop them. I'm usually semi-aggressive with popping or trying to pop, and I think that is a reason I continue to see acne. I'm going to go as gentle as possible from here on out.

As a note: I am also going to be using something I haven't tried before, a Vitamin B complex (CVS generics) and Fish Oil (Nature's Made 1200). Hopefuly that helps make an additional difference.

Alright, going to hop in the shower and start my first day of acne regimen treatment now, wish me luck!
-Joe

[accushame!]

good luck joe! might wanna try a diff moisturizer .. oh and make sure to take it slow with the BP!

[averagejoe88]

good luck joe! might wanna try a diff moisturizer .. oh and make sure to take it slow with the BP!

Thanks, what do you recommend? I bought Cetaphil based on Dan's recommendation here: . I haven't used it before and I do think (after my first application) that it seems to leave my skin a little extra oily (then again, I think I used too much because it is my first time).

[Kairasa]

I used Cetaphil moisturizing lotion before purchasing Dan's regimen products, and I must say, it worked quite well.

Good luck and welcome to the org! =)

[averagejoe88]

Day 2: Alright, so I think I actually do like the Cetaphil as of now... it goes on a bit stronger than the moisturizers that I am used to, but it is keeping my skin flake-free. I am on the full recommended dosage of Dan's BP, despite the recommendations to start slow. The reason that I am comfortable doing this is that I already dried the hell out of my skin in the past by using Differin, haha, so I think I'll be alright. To my dismay, my skin does have a slight "burning" sensation on my forehead and the outside of my face... but it is not peeling and I think that just this area is acting up because it was the region I was not applying Differin to (I was targetting my cheecks and smile zone, which are totally fine thus far).

At any rate, the progress is VERY good so far. My face is a lot better already, and while I know it is way too close to tell, my face was at the worst levels it ever was before starting the regimen so it is natural that it looks better now -- hopefully it holds because I am happy so far and I'm almost back to what I would call my "steady state" of acne. I am trying in general to be very gentle with my skin, which I hadn't really done effectively in the past, and so far I am liking the improvement. Still have bad acne at present, but it is at least bearable as is.

[IamfinallyCLEARandHAPPY]

dude just make an effing blog..

Edited by iwantobeclearnow, 21 May 2011 - 12:46 PM.

[averagejoe88]

dude just make an effing blog..

dude... just tell me what you mean by that

Thought this was the way it was done... no need to be rude.

[accushame!]

dude just make an effing blog..

lmao.. i don't know wtf she's talking about or why she needed to be so rude about it, but a "log" in the acne.org regimen LOG section of this forum is perfectly fine and will allow you/others to keep track of your progress and ouuuccchh you're a brave one starting with the 2 pumps! good luck with that you must have some tough skin haha

[averagejoe88]

dude just make an effing blog..

lmao.. i don't know wtf she's talking about or why she needed to be so rude about it, but a "log" in the acne.org regimen LOG section of this forum is perfectly fine and will allow you/others to keep track of your progress and ouuuccchh you're a brave one starting with the 2 pumps! good luck with that you must have some tough skin haha

Who knows, haha but thank you for the direction! My skins been through a lot, I am hoping it can handle two pumps... so far so good though!

[averagejoe88]

Day 3: Alright so maybe I went too hard on the BP, my face was really pretty dry this morning... though only on the areas on the outside edge of my face & forehead (where I wasn't using medication before starting the regimen). As such, I've dosed down to 1 pump and added jojoba oil to my moisturizer.

My skin took a step back from where it was yesterday, and I got a few tiny breakouts on both sides of my cheek. I'm going to push through because it was probably a 50/50 result of me 1) upping my moisturizer dosage and 2) having an initial breakout from the new system.

I'm hoping that my skin won't peel too badly from the dryness, though I know it probably will because it looks like I got sunburned right now on my forehead (haha)

[accushame!]

the new breakouts might be from the increased dryness/irritation of your face, so cutting down to 1 pump is a good idea! keep it up, you'll see great results soon if you follow the regimen correctly, promise

[averagejoe88]

the new breakouts might be from the increased dryness/irritation of your face, so cutting down to 1 pump is a good idea! keep it up, you'll see great results soon if you follow the regimen correctly, promise

Thanks for your continued help! Yes I had a bunch of small whiteheads come up again today. This time I'm going to leave them be... seems like every time I pop them they all come back, so unless they are absolutely massive I'm going to just let them go naturally. My face isn't as dry today (Day 5) and I might actually have avoided peeling because I notched it down and added jojoba at the right time. I'm going to keep up a 2/day BP regimen and try to go up to 1.5 pumps as soon as I can while lowering the amount of moisturizer. I've already seen that 3 pumps and 2 pumps of moisturizer do basically the same thing, so I'm going to conserve where I can and hopefully it will help things adjust faster.

[AmaraG]

Alright everyone, time to bite the bullet and try the regimen!

I'm 22 and my acne is at the worst levels of my life, unfortunately. Not sure what happened, but I feel like I've tried everything. Duac, antibiotics, OTC medications and most recently Differin (which hasn't done jack). I was on the verge of breaking down and trying accutane, but then I read the negative reviews here and got really freaked out because the stuff has ruined lives... literally.

At any rate, I certainly don't have the worst acne ever, but it is pretty damn severe and will keep me from going outside at least once a month because it gets so bad. I'm not some SOB story... I am still very outgoing when my acne permits and I've done well for myself... but I want clear skin like nothing else so here we go.

Day 1: Applied the cleanser & treatment (used Cetaphil Lotion for moisturiser) last night. This morning, it looks pretty much like it did last night with the exception of three very very large whiteheads (diameter is like too big to pop, not sure what to do) on my chin/smile-line. I think this time I am going to take the gentle approach and see what happens when I don't pop them. I'm usually semi-aggressive with popping or trying to pop, and I think that is a reason I continue to see acne. I'm going to go as gentle as possible from here on out.

As a note: I am also going to be using something I haven't tried before, a Vitamin B complex (CVS generics) and Fish Oil (Nature's Made 1200). Hopefuly that helps make an additional difference.

Alright, going to hop in the shower and start my first day of acne regimen treatment now, wish me luck!
-Joe

Hi Joe,
I have had pretty good results on using BP twice a day with moisturiser. I use Dans BP but only use 1 pump, more than that just doesnt absorb for me but it seem sto work fine. Everyone is different.
Foor moisturizer I use neutrogena sensitive skin without sunscreen, and I just use a simple face wach either cetaphil or purpose. I dont scrub or use anything harsh.
Hope it works for you, me I really never had much issues with dryness maybe because I have been using it for years but not enough of it.
Also I found thet just cutting down on sugar--not going to try and cut out all sources I am not the type to obsess over my diet--helps a lot. I still have it here and there but getting rid of the major sources which will spike you rblood sugar levels (soda, cake, candy, that kind of thing) soda is the worst) has helped me not get as much inflamation. I dont like the fish oils but will eat nuts and avocados and I think that has benefits as well. B 5 vitamins and zinc.
Anyway good luck!

[accushame!]

Yeah I don't like Dan's moisturizer at all since it makes my face yellowy but I'm glad it's working for you! What cleanser are you using?

Oh and maybe try spot treating the whiteheads (put a little glob of BP on them 2-3 times a day and let it dry), see how that works for you! (i love BP as a spot treatment)

[averagejoe88]

Yeah I don't like Dan's moisturizer at all since it makes my face yellowy but I'm glad it's working for you! What cleanser are you using?

Oh and maybe try spot treating the whiteheads (put a little glob of BP on them 2-3 times a day and let it dry), see how that works for you! (i love BP as a spot treatment)

Day 7: One week in and my skin is "meh." I've upped the BP back to two pumps, twice a day, with no crazy dryness anymore (probably because of jojoba addition). I'm still breaking out every day, which isn't great, and I think it is because of either the jojoba or moisturizer choice (cetaphil). I still think it's too early to tell, as it's only been a week, but I am going to remove jojoba and see if my skin starts to get mega-dry on me.

As a response to accushame (not sure if you meant me or Amara), I am using Dan's Cleanser and Dan's BP Treatment... the moisturizer is the only thing I'm different on because of the negative reviews. I'm being extra careful not to pick or pressure my face, though I have been draining the huge whiteheads daily -- I seem to get one thats a monster every day

[accushame!]

yeah the cetaphil/jojoba made me break out a bit too, but others seem to like it. try the olay moisturizer or dove, if you can find it.

[averagejoe88]

Day 8: Actually ended up picking up Lac-Hydrin Five based on recommendations here... I just put on my second use (last night, then this morning) and my skin is definitely smooth + not feeling like its about to break out all the time like when I was on Cetaphil. It burns a bit for the initial 15-30mins and my face is a bit pinker than usual, but it is nothing that would stop anyone on the street and I can deal with the slight burning sensation until my skin can hang in.

Additionally, I'm using a new razor on the recommendation of Dan and others on here, the Gilette Sensor Excel twin-blade... so far so good (although it tore through one blemish that I should have worked more carefully around, my fault... should have learned the blade a bit better before attempting). I've found that Dan's Cleanser simply doesn't work as shaving cream -- I don't know how the heck he is coaxing that level of foam out of it, so I am getting something more non-comedegenic tomorrow that will actually work for me. I do think shaving is a huge irritator for me (for example, when I let my beard grow I notice that my acne gets a bit better evey time), and if I can get it fixed I might be a LOT better off.

No real changes in the level of acne yet, but I think the changes I've made are going to help!

Edited by averagejoe88, 26 May 2011 - 12:20 PM.

[averagejoe88]

Day 10: Ugh, well, another step back today. I've been drinking heavily these past few days for the memorial weekend (actually took a spill as a result so not only has my face broken out from the hard drinking but it is also scraped badly), haha I'm sure you all can understand. At any rate, I'm going to take it easy this week and hopefully my face will snap back.

On a better note, I got a new shaving cream in from Paula's Choice and it worked a LOT better than the cleanser from the regimen... which gave me like 0 glide and resulted in some small cuts. I'm digging the two-blade razor a lot better than my old three-blade.

[averagejoe88]

Day 14: Week two mark just hit today. I'm getting used to the process and all, I'm also up to the full dosage of BP (3 pumps) twice daily and my skin is holding up fine in terms of dryness. I tell ya, Lac Hydrin 5 as a moisturizer is money in the bank.

My acne still looks meh, this week I've turned a policy of just not popping anything. Unfortunately, I am getting that painful under-the-skin acne all around my mouth now -- not sure what exactly it is called (hear WAY too much medical terminology on here and I can't sort it all out), but basically its like a big pimple that is totally under the skin, no head, painful on touching. I think I'll take my "hands off" policy an extra week (started on monday of this week) just to see what happens. My face is definitely improved from day 1, but I am unsure how much of that is the regimen and how much of that is just because I was at an all time low two weeks ago and my skin is hella-cyclical in breaking out.

[averagejoe88]

Day 17: Dry. As. Heck. Man I was 100% fine and then I got put on some darn antibiotics... unfortunately I don't think my skin was all the way used to the 3 pumps of Dan's benzy, so once I combined it with the antibiotic my skin is dry as anything. So yeah... I'm going to have to deal with some extreme flaking, but I really don't want to go down a notch on anything (and I have the entire week free to get used to the dryness). I think what I'll do is go to 2 pumps during the day, keepign 3 at night and add 1-2 drops of jojoba oil to my moisturizer.

Let's hope this works... kinda upset because I seemed to be handling the three pumps pretty well. Just ordered some more acne.org regimen products plus Dan's AHA+, which I haven't used before (although my moisturizer has like 2% alpha hydrox or something smaller than the 10% in Dan's).