3 replies to this topic

[MariaBo]

I am currently waiting for Dan's products to come in the mail and I have moderate acne that flares up with cysts really whenever it wants to and not just around that time of the month. I have been using proactiv's face wash and BP and cetaphil moisturizer for the last week and while it is drying out some pimples, I am still breaking out with cysts on my forehead and/around chin. I wonder if people have had success with the regimen and cystic acne as well as how long one should wait to see results? I am sort of afraid to stop using the proactiv face wash but I know that the regimen calls for a gentle cleanser. I was also previously using tazorac cream and I wonder if the BP is better or worse for cystic acne. WIll I gain better results from switching? It just seems that dead skin builds so easily on my face and it gets worse if I don't exfoliate at all. Any advice or insight would be much appreciated!

[Maximus Decimus Merideous]

Im not a doctor or dermatologist so keep that in mind...lol.

A. Don't use any medicated face wash. They are pretty ineffective in general (the medication gets washed down the drain) and they will only cause added irritation

B. Yes, the regimen can help with cystic acne if you follow it exactly like you should. Tazorac is good also, its the most powerful retinoid. You have to pick one or the other, both will give you an initial breakout and both will take a long time to work. Since you ordered the regimen products already, I would give the regimen a try for at least 3 months (since youre acne is severe, you may not be 100% clear by 3 months, but you will see massive improvement, and it will keep getting better).

C. BP is actually exfoliated your skin in a way. It drys skin and helps dead skin flake out of pores faster. Its not "technically" exfoliating, but its very similar. Also, once you have done the regimen for at least 2 months, you can start using Dan's AHA, which is an actual exfoliator.

D. I Highly recommend going to a healthfood store and buying jojoba oil from the get go. Helps soooo much with dryness when added to dan's moisturizer. I put 4-11 drops per two pumps of moisturizer (4 in the morning usually and 11ish at night).

[MariaBo]

Thank you so much for responding! I will try going without a medicated face wash from now on. I have cetaphil cleanser as well I have just been timid to use it instead of the proactiv. I was prescribed tazorac in 2009 and it helped for a while but I think it just does not work for me anymore. I am also on doxycycline and birth control but I haven't seen results from either of those yet and it has been over 3 months. It is most frustrating. The cysts I get last around a week or so and are very painful and I have maybe 3 or 4 at a time usually but the rest of my face is not so bad if treated. I am really hoping that I will have more success with BP and that Dan's BP is better than proactiv. I have some jojoba oil that I have been using for the last two months and I think it helps with my oiliness but not so much with the acne but I don't think it has made anything worse. I don't use as much as you recommended though, I only use around 2 drops. I will try and increase that as well.

Around a week ago when I stopped using tazorac and started using BP it seemed that my skin was improving so much. I would only put the tazorac on at night but now I apply BP twice a day. Now, after this first week of the switch I have developed painful cysts, 4 to be exact but the rest of my face is dry but not inflamed and without much new acne. Would you say this is an initial breakout from the switch and to stick with it? (it can't be blamed on time of the month since that's about 4 weeks away)

i meant 3 weeks away oopsie

[Maximus Decimus Merideous]

MariaBo, on 19 January 2012 - 05:05 PM, said:

Thank you so much for responding! I will try going without a medicated face wash from now on. I have cetaphil cleanser as well I have just been timid to use it instead of the proactiv. I was prescribed tazorac in 2009 and it helped for a while but I think it just does not work for me anymore. I am also on doxycycline and birth control but I haven't seen results from either of those yet and it has been over 3 months. It is most frustrating. The cysts I get last around a week or so and are very painful and I have maybe 3 or 4 at a time usually but the rest of my face is not so bad if treated. I am really hoping that I will have more success with BP and that Dan's BP is better than proactiv. I have some jojoba oil that I have been using for the last two months and I think it helps with my oiliness but not so much with the acne but I don't think it has made anything worse. I don't use as much as you recommended though, I only use around 2 drops. I will try and increase that as well.

Around a week ago when I stopped using tazorac and started using BP it seemed that my skin was improving so much. I would only put the tazorac on at night but now I apply BP twice a day. Now, after this first week of the switch I have developed painful cysts, 4 to be exact but the rest of my face is dry but not inflamed and without much new acne. Would you say this is an initial breakout from the switch and to stick with it? (it can't be blamed on time of the month since that's about 4 weeks away)

i meant 3 weeks away oopsie

Oh yeah, most definitely. Anytime you switch up medications you will get an Initial breakout, especially if its a retinoid like tazorac. Just make sure you start slow with the BP and do the regimen exactly as Dan outlines on this site...its good stuff!