15 replies to this topic

[ladymermaid]

Hi everyone I'm new here, I posted a thread like this in a different section, before I stumbled upon the regimen log section. Anyways,

I'm 21 years old, and have had bad acne all throughout my teens up until I was around 18-19 when it got dramatically better. I thought I was growing out of it, but then about a year ago it took a dramatic turn and all hell broke loose on my face. I've tried absolutely EVERYTHING with little to no results. In the past I've used the perscription Clindamycin (which was horrible), the Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil line (horrible), and Proactive (which surprisingly is the only thing that has slightly worked out of everything I've tried so far), but I'm still struggling.

The other day, I came home from class and just started to cry. I'm so insecure with the way my face looks. I see everyone else in class with flawless skin and it just makes me so angry with my body and why acne has to happen to me. It's not fair, and there's no one I can express my frustration to. I'm so happy to have found this community because I see many of you have gone through the same struggles as me.

I have nothing to lose, so I purchased the 3 part regimen and just starting my first usage about 40 minutes ago. When I'm done writing this, I'm going to put the lotion on, so I'm really writing this blog from the VERY start!

I guess the point I'm trying to make with this post is that I'm extremely nervous. Time after time I've heard amazing things about products, tried them, and only discovered that they work on everyone else except me. I know this isn't going to cure my face overnight, but I'm still terrified that it will never start working. I've read posts and various info on the site about getting started, but are there any other tips/advice you may have for someone who's first beginning the journey on the regimen?

I look forward to sharing my progress with you all! xo

[caitlyn2011]

Start slow and moisturize alot. Be prepared your face will look terrible red an flaky an itchy and make up will be bad the make up sticks to the flakes.I started slow like you should an i guess it wasnt slow enough for my skin so thats why i say start slow an see what happen.Good luck an be patient.My advice if your face gets painful cut back on bp because it will just get worse or at least for me it has.

[ladymermaid]

Thanks for the support!

I figure I have nothing to lose. Proactive completely dried out my skin to the point where it was flaking everywhere, so I'll be able to handle anything! I've been reading everyone's posts on the regimen and feel as if I have a pretty good idea how to follow it. I hope it works for me!

[caitlyn2011]

I think it will work for you.I still have faith it will work for me.Last night i used a little bp just on the broken out spots but tonight im going to use a small amount all over my face an start back very slow this time.I really have faith in this regimen.

[ladymermaid]

Thanks! Good luck to you as well! I used the regimen for the first time tonight, and it wasn't bad at all. I was anticipating extreme reddness and burning, but from what I've been reading that will start to show up in a few days I'm nervous!

[ladymermaid]

After my first full day of the regimen, my skin feels good! It's not oily anymore, it's not dry. It's just normal (for once). Some of my blemishes seemed to "burn" off (or at least that's how it felt No reddness (yet). Everyone talks about how the first couple weeks are terrible, so I'm anticipating that, but as of now my face has improved a bit. I'm feeling hopeful!

[ladymermaid]

1st Week!

I've managed to get through the first week! I was preparing for the absolute worst-- no improvement whatsoever! However, I'm pleased with how my skin looks. My acne has slightly improved. Even though I'm far from clear, my skin is flaking like a mofo, and the pores on my nose are a clogged mess, I can tell that the regimen is working and that my experience so far is normal for someone who's just starting off. I'm going to increase my BP usage slightly tonight, since it's been a week.

Overall, I'm happy with my first week. I'm only going to focus on what happens one week at a time, and measure my improvement in small steps, or I'll go insane.

Also, I've only had a tiny bit of reddness, which I'm guessing is a good thing considering that many people here seem to have been extremely red when first starting the regimen.

[ladymermaid]

Also, my skin is very tight It looks like I have wrinkles when I smile or touch my skin. Has this happened to anyone else? I hope the tightness goes away in a few weeks, or else I'm going to age very fast

[ladymermaid]

Got through my second week!

I must say, this past week was a bit frustrating. I had a few breakouts, and the dryness was rediculous. However, the BP seems to reduce the breakouts very fast, which I'm happy about. Now onto week 3!

[SpotsAway]

Good job! Today is my 5th day on the Regimen, and after what was pretty miraculous results in Days 1 and 2, I am finally breaking out a bit. Also, the BP (which was initially burning so bad) is not affecting me so horribly now, but I have started to get pretty dry skin like yourself (no significant redness though), particularly on my forehead. I am just ramping up my moisturiser and sticking to the top third of my finger for BP once a day for the first week. Keep at it and let us know your progress!

[ladymermaid]

Thanks for the support!
Yeah, during the first week, I noticed a drastic difference in my skin. My skin's usually oily, so when the extremem dryness happened so fast, I was a bit shocked. Good luck to you!



Weeks 3 and 4:

The extreme dryness and redness had dramatically decreased. My face seems to be of a more normal texture, which I'm thrilled about. I'm also very happy that the tightness in my skin is gone. That was terrible. The tightness made my skin look so old and wrinkled, I was sure it was never going to go away and that I'm start the aging process early. But as far as the acne, it's definitely A LOT better. Thinking about how awful my skin was before I started the regimen ascompared to now is unreal! I can't believe how much of a difference it's made. Granted, I still have a few pimples, but it's nowhere near what I had. I find myself worrying about the acne marks, which as terrible as they are, I never thought I'd be more stressed over the marks left behind as opposed to active acne on my face. I'm thinking about purchasing the AHA to incorporate into my regimen, but I'm still feel as if I need to read more about what it actually does.

[caitlyn2011]

Im glad your having such good luck with the regimen.AHA helps slough off the dry skin and can also help heal up acne.

[ladymermaid]

Thanks!

I think the AHA would be great now. I have ugly marks on the side of my face that just won't seem to go away.

[ladymermaid]

It's been about two months, and I feel a bit frustrated to be honest.

My acne's definitely better than it was before I started the reg. However, I feel like in the past few weeks I just keep getting new bumps and there's not much of a progressive improvement as there was during the first month. I have two major zits right next to my nose that just won't go away and it's just so frustrating. I have a major breakout around my chin that has just kind of lingered for a few weeks without much improvement. I don't know, I'm just feeling really insecure with my face lately and am upset that it's still somewhat of a mess. :/

[ladymermaid]

It's been almost 5 months since starting the regimen, and I must say I'm finally pleased with my skin for the first time in many years. I have a few small pimples on my forehead, but there's no breakouts/major cysts anymore. I'm so thrilled you guys! The regimen truly saved my life. As you see from previous posts, I was a mess before starting. My insecurities with my face got the best of me and I was in a pretty low state. It's been a long journey, these past months. It really made my skin look like a mess in the beginning, but I stuck with it. EVERYONE who suffers from acne should do the regimen. It's a life saver, and you will not be disappointed. You just have to be patient, which is one of the hardest parts in the beginning.

I don't post here often, but I frequently check the message boards and read what people are saying. It's nice to have such a supportive community of people who understand the same things I've been going through.

[ladymermaid]

I'm almost at the 6 month mark, and I'm honestly so happy with my skin I would cry. The other day I had 1 tiny blemish on my cheek and I freaked out. Then I remembered how bad my skin was and how I was freaking out over something that was barely noticeable. Starting the reg. was a struggle, and if you read my early posts, I was frustrated to the max. There were times I wanted to quit, because my skin was an absolute mess, even 3 months into it. ANYONE WITH ACNE, please please consider the regimen. It will save your skin, and restore your confidence. Truly a miracle. Thanks again Dan<3