26 replies to this topic

[Wicker12]

I have been on the Regimen for a year and a half. My acne has gone away, though scars still remain. I have used only one pump of BP because my face flakes way to much with more than that. I mean, I was trying to put three pumps of mosturizer, then I would wait and put another 3 pumps and I still couldnt eat without massive flaking around my mouth/chin. I added AHA a month ago twice a week, and havent had one pimple since. However, since the beginning, my face has been extremely red everyday. I know using the AHA makes you red, but I only use it twice a week. I guess my skin is just weird because I CANNOT get rid of flakes and redness. I have tried everything on the messages boards. Nothing works. So now I only use 3/4 of a pump of BP, and I still flake over and look like a lobster (by the way, I have not been in the sun because I know AHA makes you more sensitive, besides driving during the day for no more than 15 min at a time so its not sunburn). I guess Im just doomed to look sunburned. Anyone know how to combat this?

[Kyle_]

Hello!
I would try only applying BP at night time, along with your mousterizer, in the morning, just dont apply BP, but cleean and mousterize.
As for the AHA, do not use it it with the BP, for me the 2 are too much for my skin, try AHA on it;s own, on a night time, in place of BP twice a week, it's good for me!

Let me know how you get on

-Kyle

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

Wicker12, on 14 January 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

I have been on the Regimen for a year and a half. My acne has gone away, though scars still remain. I have used only one pump of BP because my face flakes way to much with more than that. I mean, I was trying to put three pumps of mosturizer, then I would wait and put another 3 pumps and I still couldnt eat without massive flaking around my mouth/chin. I added AHA a month ago twice a week, and havent had one pimple since. However, since the beginning, my face has been extremely red everyday. I know using the AHA makes you red, but I only use it twice a week. I guess my skin is just weird because I CANNOT get rid of flakes and redness. I have tried everything on the messages boards. Nothing works. So now I only use 3/4 of a pump of BP, and I still flake over and look like a lobster (by the way, I have not been in the sun because I know AHA makes you more sensitive, besides driving during the day for no more than 15 min at a time so its not sunburn). I guess Im just doomed to look sunburned. Anyone know how to combat this?

a year and a half on BP thats your answer to the question why are you so red and flaky even with moisturizer.

your face is damaged from the BP the skin has been irritated so much too an extent that it can heal itself naturally.
i would ditch anything that is making your face irritated especially if your acne is all gone theres no need to keep using the cleansers

ditch for a few days if your acne doesnt come back then ditch them for good.
eventually you need to let you face repair its acid mantle back to normal and this will help with the flakes and the redness

[cvd]

Despite what Dan says I think that BP can be too harsh for some people...especially if they may be prone to rosacea. This may be your issue. You may not have full rosacea yet but your skin may go in that direction as you get older. The reaction you are having to BP is possibly a sign of this or allergic reaction. Did you go slowly in ramping up the dose? Do you wait until your skin is dry before applying? The continued flaking is also a sign that BP may just not be right for your skin.

I used BP for about 10 years. Peeled and flaked the whole time. Sure - I had less acne (never completely clear) but my skin was also always red and irritated...to the point that is stung every time I applied BP...even if I cut back on usage. Sometimes I think I'd like to try BP again...Dan makes it sound so good...but then I remember how inflamed I get on it.

[Ilovemesomevanity]

well if youve been clear for a while now i think you can experiment with products and stuff. maybe gradually use less BP and cleanser (for me, cleanser was the main cause of my dry skin) and start to add in whatever youre going to use, like i did BP in the morning and clean & clear dual action (has salicylic acid) at night and now i just use the dual action stuff and havent had a problem yet. i feel like now that im clear i dont need to put so much stuff on my skin, since BP is such a strong chemical

[whatthekell]

Hi Wicker12,
I'm going through the same thing as you. Although, I haven't been on the regimen as long as you. I'll be at 6 months in a week or so. I just switched to CeraVe PM lotion and it seems to help with the flakes a lot, not 100%, but way better than the first 5 months on the regimen. But I do have a red face like you and people ask me why it's so red. I don't really have any suggestion because I'm trying to figure the same thing out. So keep me posted if you figure it out and I'll let you know if I find an answer =)

And to the above comment about "once you're clear you can stop"... mmm no. bad idea. bad.

Ilovemesomevanity, on 14 January 2012 - 06:39 PM, said:

well if youve been clear for a while now i think you can experiment with products and stuff. maybe gradually use less BP and cleanser (for me, cleanser was the main cause of my dry skin) and start to add in whatever youre going to use, like i did BP in the morning and clean & clear dual action (has salicylic acid) at night and now i just use the dual action stuff and havent had a problem yet. i feel like now that im clear i dont need to put so much stuff on my skin, since BP is such a strong chemical

you're brave girlfriend =P keep us posted on how that's working for you. i'd love to reduce BP to once a day but I'm a puss wagon. hahaha

Edited by whatthekell, 14 January 2012 - 06:44 PM.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

whatthekell, on 14 January 2012 - 06:45 PM, said:

And to the above comment about "once you're clear you can stop"... mmm no. bad idea. bad.

if youre referring to me? why not?
i quit ALL my topicals cold turkey 9 days ago and my acne has been going away tremendously

do you know what you guys are doing to your face by putting the bp on all the time twice a day! evn once a day!


im sorry im not trying to be mean at all but i have to put int my 2 cents cause this is hurting me just reading this!

look at these last 3 comments including OP you all say that your face is RED and FLAKY this means that your skin is IRRITATEDdo you know why its like this? obviously not because you still use it! the acid mantle its a thin layer that goes across our skin on the face made up of oil and sweat which is slightly ACIDIC/PH of 4.5-6.5. MOST cleanser that you use on your face are very alkaline having PH of 8+ which means that this strips the protective layer "Acid Mantle" from the face leaving the skin irritated and not able to fight off bacteria naturally! now SEBUM is the face natural way of moisturizing the skin. the more dry your skin it the more sebum is produce. if you keep over drying your skin eventually youre going to have alot of sebum being produced causing clogged pores again.. if youre skin is dry after putting only water on your face its because youre using too much an doing it too often. you have to stop putting these alkaline products on your face to stop irritating the acne.

"And to the above comment about "once you're clear you can stop"... mmm no. bad idea. bad"
so youre telling me that you are going to be applying the regimen after 5 years even though you got clear in the first 6 months of using this? LOL
NO.. trust me the best way to cure your face is to let it heal itself naturally. how come before there were cleansers nobody had bad acne.. when you were young an you got the occassional pimple and you didnt wash your face cause you didnt care it went away on its own. the more you irritate acne the more its spreads. cleansers do nothing but make acne worse!

just trying to help you guys out! if your face is really red theres obviously a reason for this.. this does not happen by itself.

i even made my post a little colorful to make yall read it and soak in your brains

[thrillpink]

Do you use jojoba oil? When I was on the regimen that really helped me to keep my face moisturized.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

thrillpink, on 14 January 2012 - 07:57 PM, said:

Do you use jojoba oil? When I was on the regimen that really helped me to keep my face moisturized.

it took away the flakes but did it take away the redness?

[thrillpink]

dreamingofclearskin2011, on 15 January 2012 - 11:28 AM, said:

thrillpink, on 14 January 2012 - 07:57 PM, said:

Do you use jojoba oil? When I was on the regimen that really helped me to keep my face moisturized.

it took away the flakes but did it take away the redness?

I didn't experience any redness after the first few weeks, so I can't help him/her with that.

[gemmyjunebug]

Wicker12, on 14 January 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

I have been on the Regimen for a year and a half. My acne has gone away, though scars still remain. I have used only one pump of BP because my face flakes way to much with more than that. I mean, I was trying to put three pumps of mosturizer, then I would wait and put another 3 pumps and I still couldnt eat without massive flaking around my mouth/chin. I added AHA a month ago twice a week, and havent had one pimple since. However, since the beginning, my face has been extremely red everyday. I know using the AHA makes you red, but I only use it twice a week. I guess my skin is just weird because I CANNOT get rid of flakes and redness. I have tried everything on the messages boards. Nothing works. So now I only use 3/4 of a pump of BP, and I still flake over and look like a lobster (by the way, I have not been in the sun because I know AHA makes you more sensitive, besides driving during the day for no more than 15 min at a time so its not sunburn). I guess Im just doomed to look sunburned. Anyone know how to combat this?

BP is like bleach. My mild acne went away as well for the short duration of time that I used BP. It killed everything. It also killed my skin. I had redness, flakes, dryness, among other problems that I took in stride thinking naively that it was just doing it's job. I had over a short period of time extreme redness that look like slap marks and skin reactions that represented themselves with a rash. Allergic reaction. Yes, but also over a period of time compromised skin. I literally killed my skin and caused more problems and sensitivity that was truly unnecessary. I'm not saying you are by any means allergic to BP. However, your skin is pissed. I would in your situation lay off the BP. There are other alternatives prescribed or OTC. By all means do your research! I had a past derm tell me this redness, burning, and itching was normal. Not allergic. He told me to stick with it. That's NOT normal-BP or not. There is a cocktail for your skin that will balance it out. Maybe BP has run it's course......

[Wicker12]

Wow thanks for all the input everyone! I have to agree I am getting fed up and have thought about stopping. That's why I have reduced my BP to 1/2 to 3/4 a pump. Honestly, I'm just scared. A red face is better than a faceful of zits. I have looked up how people stopped using the BP, only to return when their face broke out. I'll probably wait until the summer when I don't see people everyday. (yeah that's probably shallow and insecure but oh well lol)

[Ripon10]

It does sound like your skin and BP do not react well. Although I don't agree with Dreamingofclearskin as far as stopping any efforts now that your skin has cleared up, I do agree with him that overstripping and irritating the skin is a bad thing. Unfortunately, there is no cure for acne, so we have to continue to take steps to exfoliate our skin and keep bacteria from building up.

I would highly recommend you check out Lumiplexion. She sells a sulfur clearing product that has really helped my daughter's skin when she could not tolerate BP. It's a topical you wear at night. Additionally, all of her cleansers are PH balanced, so they will not strip or dry out your skin.

[Wicker12]

And yes, I do use jojoba oil. The only way I get rid of my flakes is to use so much oil that I look like a grease ball. Then it just runs down my face onto my neck. It's disgusting. I add a few drops, which helps! But not enough.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

agree with me or not but until you lay off the BP completely your face will never stop being red. im just trying to help. you need to stop the BP now! your acne is clear and if your acne comes back after quitting BP well thats unfortunate but you need to find a regimen thats not completely ruining your face! the BP is so strong that its completely destroying the p acnes but at the same time completely destryoing the acid mantle so in this case it cannot just kill the acne by it self it wants to destroy everything thats in sight where ever you put it. i would highly suggest finding a cleanser like Ripon suggested one with sulfur that is PH balance of around 5.5 i wouldnt go any higher than 6. sulfur has been known to treat acne well and if the ph is not about 6 then you will not irritate the skin around it causing redness.

Good luck

[Avenger]

dreamingofclearskin2011, on 14 January 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Wicker12, on 14 January 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

I have been on the Regimen for a year and a half. My acne has gone away, though scars still remain. I have used only one pump of BP because my face flakes way to much with more than that. I mean, I was trying to put three pumps of mosturizer, then I would wait and put another 3 pumps and I still couldnt eat without massive flaking around my mouth/chin. I added AHA a month ago twice a week, and havent had one pimple since. However, since the beginning, my face has been extremely red everyday. I know using the AHA makes you red, but I only use it twice a week. I guess my skin is just weird because I CANNOT get rid of flakes and redness. I have tried everything on the messages boards. Nothing works. So now I only use 3/4 of a pump of BP, and I still flake over and look like a lobster (by the way, I have not been in the sun because I know AHA makes you more sensitive, besides driving during the day for no more than 15 min at a time so its not sunburn). I guess Im just doomed to look sunburned. Anyone know how to combat this?

a year and a half on BP thats your answer to the question why are you so red and flaky even with moisturizer.

your face is damaged from the BP the skin has been irritated so much too an extent that it can heal itself naturally.
i would ditch anything that is making your face irritated especially if your acne is all gone theres no need to keep using the cleansers

ditch for a few days if your acne doesnt come back then ditch them for good.
eventually you need to let you face repair its acid mantle back to normal and this will help with the flakes and the redness

Partly correct.

What do you mean by the skin not being able to heal naturally? Of course it can, regardless of what you use.

Stop using cleansers? Why? Cleansers cleanse the skin from dirt, oils and anything your skin comes in to contact with through out the day.

Ditch for a few days then ditch for good? Probably the worst advice given out on this board. It will take a lot longer than a few days to gauge if your acne has gone completely.

Why do so many anti-regimen people lurk around this section and tell people to stop just because their skin is either red, flaky or both. There are ways to work around it.

Commonly, your skin can be red and flaky not because of what you're putting on your skin but the amount of what you're putting on your skin.

Do you apply BP twice a day? If so I would suggest only applying it at night time and completely eliminate using BP in the morning, but continue to cleanse and moisturise. Use less Benzoyl Peroxide than what you're using already.

Hope this helps.

Edited by Avenger, 15 January 2012 - 04:04 PM.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

Avenger, on 15 January 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

dreamingofclearskin2011, on 14 January 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Wicker12, on 14 January 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

I have been on the Regimen for a year and a half. My acne has gone away, though scars still remain. I have used only one pump of BP because my face flakes way to much with more than that. I mean, I was trying to put three pumps of mosturizer, then I would wait and put another 3 pumps and I still couldnt eat without massive flaking around my mouth/chin. I added AHA a month ago twice a week, and havent had one pimple since. However, since the beginning, my face has been extremely red everyday. I know using the AHA makes you red, but I only use it twice a week. I guess my skin is just weird because I CANNOT get rid of flakes and redness. I have tried everything on the messages boards. Nothing works. So now I only use 3/4 of a pump of BP, and I still flake over and look like a lobster (by the way, I have not been in the sun because I know AHA makes you more sensitive, besides driving during the day for no more than 15 min at a time so its not sunburn). I guess Im just doomed to look sunburned. Anyone know how to combat this?

a year and a half on BP thats your answer to the question why are you so red and flaky even with moisturizer.

your face is damaged from the BP the skin has been irritated so much too an extent that it can heal itself naturally.
i would ditch anything that is making your face irritated especially if your acne is all gone theres no need to keep using the cleansers

ditch for a few days if your acne doesnt come back then ditch them for good.
eventually you need to let you face repair its acid mantle back to normal and this will help with the flakes and the redness

Partly correct.

What do you mean by the skin not being able to heal naturally? Of course it can, regardless of what you use.

Stop using cleansers? Why? Cleansers cleanse the skin from dirt, oils and anything your skin comes in to contact with through out the day.

Ditch for a few days then ditch for good? Probably the worst advice given out on this board. It will take a lot longer than a few days to gauge if your acne has gone completely.

Why do so many anti-regimen people lurk around this section and tell people to stop just because their skin is either red, flaky or both. There are ways to work around it.

Commonly, your skin can be red and flaky not because of what you're putting on your skin but the amount of what you're putting on your skin.

Do you apply BP twice a day? If so I would suggest only applying it at night time and completely eliminate using BP in the morning, but continue to cleanse and moisturise. Use less Benzoyl Peroxide than what you're using already.

Hope this helps.

1) skin healing naturally.. regardless of what you use? are you KIDDING ME! please take a look at the org or any website regaurding infor about the acid mantle. do you know how the skin kills bacteria and heals itself naturaly? with the ACID MANTLE it does all the work. putting any cleansers on the acid mantle about the ph of 7 strips the acid mantle thus making it IMPOSSIBLE to kill off unwanted bacteria on the face. the acid mantle takes 14 hours- 14 days (depending on how damaged) to be completely again and start working in its natural form. this means that when you wash in the am *acid mantle is gone... by night its trying its hardest to repair itself then you wash again at night bam its gone.. and its a continued process every day.

2) oil is needed on the face as a moisturizer and to protect it from DIRT and dirt has been proven to not be the cause of acne. yes it can clog pores but rinse with water is plenty enough to get the dirt and excess oil off of your skin. when you wash with soap to get that "squeeky clean" feeling this is NOT A GOD THING.

3) worst advice ever given? are you joking.. this poor girl claims she has been using bp for a full year and been red since she started. thus she now only uses 3/4 of a pump and is STILL RED and you still are telling her its ok just keep downing the dose youll be alright.. you my friend have given her the worst advice. did you even read her post? ..she has no more acne. if she quits the regimen now and see no change in a few days that is definately enough time to see any change at all in your skin not neccessarily that acne will come right AWAY but her oil production may change the redness may change and she may not get any new pimples in a few days. then she could stop for good. obviously if its 2 weeks down the road and she has a blow out then she should mayb get on a new regimen but definately NOT BP its obviously the most irriating chemical thats ever been on her face!


4) why do so many anti regimen people lurk this forum? First off buddy i got to this forum because it was on the right side of my page in the "recent topics started" area and i lurk that area to try and help people who are new and its their first post because i like to HELP people when they are in need! so amny people post a topics and need hep and people over look the new topics and dont even pay them any attention. so lay off my case bro i dont hang out in the regimen forum and lurk to tell people to stop using the regimen.

5) if its so common that people get red flaky skin because of the REQUIRED amount, and you claim people are getting better by reducing it.. Wh are there so many people posting this EXACT same thread that this girl has posted? more than half of the "recent topics started" are "SO RED FROM BP HELP!!" or some where a long that line.. riddle me that...


Sorry im not trying to be a dick or anything but i came to this post with good intentions to help this girl with the problem..
and you just tried to make me look like a bad guy who know nothing at all about acne..
i may no have a cure but its pure COMMON SENSE that if your face is 'lobster red still for a year using a product' that mayb your face is telling you its irritated by this product and possibly umm.. ALLERGIC? just trying to help...

good luck wiht downing your dosage to 1/3 a pump asavenger says.. and when that doesnt work you can go even lower oh no way that would mean none at all? thats funny isnt it??

[Ilovemesomevanity]

whatthekell, on 14 January 2012 - 06:45 PM, said:

Ilovemesomevanity, on 14 January 2012 - 06:39 PM, said:

well if youve been clear for a while now i think you can experiment with products and stuff. maybe gradually use less BP and cleanser (for me, cleanser was the main cause of my dry skin) and start to add in whatever youre going to use, like i did BP in the morning and clean & clear dual action (has salicylic acid) at night and now i just use the dual action stuff and havent had a problem yet. i feel like now that im clear i dont need to put so much stuff on my skin, since BP is such a strong chemical

you're brave girlfriend =P keep us posted on how that's working for you. i'd love to reduce BP to once a day but I'm a puss wagon. hahaha

hey! its been pretty good so far, even though its been like a week, but i havent broken out yet kind of scared but im gonna wait and see what happens. so far ive gotten a couple teeny tiny bumps (kind of like whiteheads? idk) but honestly theyre barely there when i touch them and you cant see them at all. i think i only notice them cuz i touch my face too much haha

im not sure if this is going to work for everyone since everyones different. and it didnt even work for me the first time, i tried stopping cold turkey back in the fall and i used cetaphil which was waay too thick for me and i broke out. but this time i made a gradual decrease so now im doing fine so far without BP

[whatthekell]

wow!

avenger is definitely right, just because we're flaky & red doesn't mean it's just the BP, it's the amount. i completely agree. i have used BP since i was 12 years old. it never made my face dry or flaky, but this regimen is the first time i'm using so much of it. so it's obviously the amount that's causing this reaction. stopping BP now would be stupid. don't get me wrong i'd LOVE to stop using BP but i've used it for more than half my life. i'd take a red face over pimples any day, but it's still annoying to deal with. i think gradually lowering the amount of BP will help the problem but i'm still working on it. i also have thought about switching to only using BP at night or only applying BP on problem areas during the day and all over at night.

ilovemesomevanity- glad that's working for you =) i reduced to a "quarter sized" amount like you recommended and it's not a whole lot better but i definitely see a difference. =)

[Ripon10]

I will put in my 2 cents about the amount of BP used. I've never agreed with the whole 2.5% BP is just as good if used in large amounts. Not only are you getting mild strength BP that isn't proven to work any better when applied in globs, but you're putting way too much cr*p on your face.

To treat moderate acne, you need 10% BP. Additionally, it could be Dan's formula that does not work for some people's skin.

Personally, I do use Dan's 2.5% a couple times a week, but I have never had a reaction to it, and I don't really break out anymore (I'm 41 - good benefit of being older). So I use it as a maintenance treatment, and it has not made me red at all.

That being said, I have a 17-year-old who had been through Accutane and a lot of the other junk the doctor prescribed. Acne persisted. For the first time since she was about 12, she is now clear without Accutane. She uses Lumiplexion 10% BP. She COULD NOT use Dan's. It made her very red. She is not red with the Lumiplexion 10%. So I believe strongly that you may have to try a different BP if Dan's doesn't work for you.

If your face is red more than a few days, you need to stop. You shouldn't have to reduce down to tiny amounts of product. The product is causing the problem. So find a product that works. I would recommend letting your face heal for a couple days before switching products.