32 replies to this topic

[TBOharry]

OK.

Firstly hello... I'm fairly new.

My name is Harry. I'm 19, at college (Uni soon!). I live in England. Hooray!

Basically, I will try to keep this first post as brief as possible because I know you've all read the same stuff hundreds of times (ha... I'll probably end up writing an essay!).

In the grand scheme of things my acne isn't too bad. It's taken me a long time to realise that, however I still let it greatly effect my confidence and in turn my social life (I go weeks without seeing people sometimes).

I have been on a crazy roller-coaster with my skin (face, back, shoulders and chest) and I still am.

Here is a time line. I got carried away with this. So only read if you really want to. I would really appreciate it if you did though!

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SKIP THIS BIT IF YOU DONT WANT TO FALL ASLEEP
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-- aged 12-13 (1999) started getting acne, mainly on forehead and chin. I was a terrible picker!

-- between 13 and 16 (2000-2003) I washed with simple cleaners and watched as my acne slowly migrated down my face (across temples, cheeks, sideburns and eventually jawline). The acne on my back begun to spread to my chest too. I also learned a little more self-control and stopped picking so much.

-- at 16 (winter 2003) I finally cracked and went to the doctors. I came out with a course of Doxycycline, which I proceeded to take for a year. The antibiotics helped with infections but I still was getting horribly blocked pores.

This is when I developed my trademark 'extreme cycle'. let me explain...

Because I was getting nasty blocked pores and blackheads that slowly built over a period of days and weeks I would come to a point where I could no longer stand it and eventually snap (a momentary lapse is self-control) and end up squeezing out all the gunk in my face.
The result? A nice scabby, bleeding mess. Fortunately, I'm blessed with fairly regenerative skin and within a few days my skin would be completely healed - minus the blocked pores (not even red marks! lucky?). I would then have about a week of nice smooth, presentable skin before the pores began blocking up and the cycle repeated itself all over again.
The time scale of this cycle would be around 2-3 weeks. the longest I ever lasted was 5 weeks.

after my year on Doxycycline it began to lose its effectiveness on my skin. I got the point where I figured 'if its not doing anything I might as well stop'. So I did. I decided to go it alone for a while. However my skin had changed since last year. The acne on my forehead, temples and chin had completely vanished. The main problem areas were now my side burn areas, my cheekbones, and my jawline. 'Cycle' continued as normal.

-- Feb 2005 (I was now 18) I had a revelation. I completely broke my cycle. I left my skin alone to do what it liked. I washed regularly and observed very closely.
I found that my skin was almost constantly blocked up. Frequently I would get some rather nasty breakouts. I mean fairly painful white heads that really swell up.
But no. I left them to sort themselves out.

Personally, this was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made with my skin. Before this time, no matter how roughly I treated my skin, I never got any scars or red marks. However, when these painful infections 'died' by themselves they left me with the deep purple marks that I've heard people talk about on this forum. After about 3 months I realised that these marks weren't fading anytime soon and I aborted the 'squeezing boycott'. The cycle returned.

-- summer 2005. Doctor prescribed me with Erythromycin (oral) and Actinac (topic)

This is when I noticed the biggest improvement in my skin ever.

Read about my experience on Actinac here!

My skin was perfect! Cycle gone! Nothing to squeeze! Amazingly smooth!

However it didn't last very long. By September I was breaking out again. But in a very different way. My skin was still blockage free, but I started getting little red bumps filled with clear liquid. These bumps spread like crazy around my face. So my doctor swapped my Actinac for Clindamycin (Dalacin T).

Red bumps disappeared. Blocked pores returned! Cycle returned! crap

By now my Acne had shifted again. It was (and still is now) completely localised on the center of my cheeks (and a bit on jawline).

-- October 2005 -- Doctor changed Clindamycin back to Actinac, and Erythromycin for Oxytetracycline. My skin was back to a similar cycle as before Feb, but much fewer blocked pores. the Cycle began to become less severe and spread over a longer time period.

-- Feb 2006 -- red bumps returned. Changed Actinac for Differin. Red bumps left. Blocked pores galore! Back to Actinac!

-- May 2006 -- changed Oxytetracycline back to Erythromycin in a hope to rid red bumps, but to no avail. The bumps are becoming more and more like regular white heads now. They are totally unpredictable and have turned my cycle on its head. Each day is as unpredictable as the next. I still get a few blocked pores but these infected spots are driving me crazy.

My cycle is now.

one week -- slowly getting a few fleshy bumps.
week two -- CRAZY red lumps with white heads everywhere! SQUEEZE SQUEEZE SQUEEZE..... repeat to insanity.

The good news is that the purple marks left over from my 'sqeezing boycott' last year have now almost completely faded away! At least I've now learnt how to prevent them.

Conclusion.

Actinac -- Helps with blocked pores, but ultimately not effective in the long term.
Clindamycin -- greasy like a bitch, but helps clear infections.
Differin -- same thing
Erythromycin -- completely ineffective after 3 months
Oxytetracycline --completely ineffective after 4 months
Doxycycline -- ineffective after about 5-6 months I'm not sure.

**disclaimer - the way I describe these experiences are based on my own personal observations and are most likely in reality much less severe than they sound** hehe.

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AND RESUME HERE! (THANKS FOR READING IF YOU DID!)
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NOW ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE!!!!!! (how many times have I said that!)

I have only recently started looking into the Clear Skin Regimen. I am skeptical and worried about the risks. But ultimately I feel I have more to gain than to lose.

I have changed my routine. I now am using ACT washbar and Eucerin Dry Skin Relief Face Cream with 5% Urea twice a day. I am still using Actinac and Erythromycin.

I desperately want to introduce BP into this routine. And if all goes well with my Doctor this week I will either begin using a BP from the UK or I will order Dan's. This probably means I will have to come off antibiotics, I'm not sure.

I intend to keep a small diary of my progress here. Including physically and emotionally. Any advice criticism and general chit chat are greatly appreciated!

I also appreciate I am like the ten billionth person to waffle on like this. I apologise.

I will post soon.

Wish me luck.

[Dami4n]

just read your post and its a good one!
its your personal journey so you should feel at ease to be as indepth as you feel you want to be.

as for your regimen
i felt the same when i started at 1st feb
but now
my skin is very much in control.
if i was you i would order dans CSR gel in if you want a good quality bp
if you order with DHL Shipping ie 2-5days delivery
it wil cost you £19 for a single tube

but ive had my tube now since the middle-end of feb
an its stil got lots left in it!
its the best bp around

and as per your request!

Good luck brother,
pm me or ANYONE you want if you feel you want advice.
we are only too glad to help

[tinman]

Yeah, good luck m8. Really hope the csr helps you like it's done for a lot of us.

if you order with DHL Shipping ie 2-5days delivery
it wil cost you £19 for a single tube

Or three tubes for ~£29.

Then again you might prefer just to get a small tube of BP from the UK, and see how the first few days go (you might be one of the unlucky few who is allergic to BP). I started with PanOxyl (£3 for about a third the amount in one of Dan's csr tubes) - however a lot of people here warn you off PanOxyl because it's too drying. Take a look at my log if you're really bored, lol. Don't know what alternative BP products to recommend - someone else here is bound to know though.

[Dami4n]

brevoxyl is what i started with
its a 4%BP Cream and its OK!
csr is much better but the brevoxyl did its job to a point.
but u have2 use hardly any of it for it to work.

[TBOharry]

OK. Quick update.

The last time I 'attacked' my skin (I mean fully squeezed out every last blockage) was Friday 5th May.

In case you haven't read about my 'cycle' ( ) basically I do this quite often. It's become a uncontrollable reflex to my acne. Once it reaches a certain stage, I freak out and clear it. The resulting mess usually clears up fairly quickly with no ill effects.
However lately I have been getting more and more infected lumps due to my antibiotics becoming ineffective. Because of these lumps my cycle has been screwed up. The mess is taking longer to heal (because the lumps just refill) and there is less 'clear' time before it starts again. It's like a rampant bacteria is rushing from one pore to the next.

I did it again last night.

That makes it only 10 days since the time before. I think that's the shortest time ever.

Without these damn infections I can usually last about 4 weeks, but its all gone weird. There is only one more antibiotic left to be prescribed, but what the point?

Does anyone ever use a little antispetic (like Dettol or TCP) just to dab on a recently popped white head? Does that help stop the spread of infection or just cause further aggrivation?

Help me Obie Dan Kenobi... your my only hope.

[Dami4n]

i used to think if i applied TCP to a pimple it would "dissinfect" it and it wud die
not the case at all.

a pimple is trapped sebum under the skin that TCP cant do anything about im affraid.

your best bet is to LEAVE YOUR SKIN ALONE hehe!
dont make me come over there! hehe

[Janiet53]

Good Luck Harry! I hope all goes well for you!

And yes once you STOP PICKING I'm sure you will notice an improvement in your skin aswell, its hard but just try resist the urge!!!!!!!

[TBOharry]

Yeh.

Hopefully by using BP there will be less reason for me to want to pick. The two things may go hand in hand towards helping each other and therefore my skin in the long run

[TBOharry]

I've just had a nice clean out of my skin care basket!
I must have cleaned out about 7 different worthless acne treatments including a tube of differin, a bottle of clindamycin, some nasty E45 cream and about 4 different cleanser/toners.

I'm now left with:

ACT Washbar
Eucerin Moisturiser
Witch Hazel

and breathe out.... ahhhhhhhh!


(oh and a space for a nice big tube of BP!)

[TBOharry]

Why does ACNE have to have such a disgusting name.

It sounds like someone violently clearing their throat.

[Dami4n]

i remember saying something similar wen i 1st joined here as its not really called "acne" in the uk is it.
its more refered to as "spots".

but the full name for acne is even worse
"Acne vulgaris" sounds so wrong, like it makes you look "vulgar"

ps that E45 cream is SOOOOO crap its unreal! bin it an then burn the bin hehe!

[TBOharry]

Today my face is looking fairly bad from Monday's attack. Probably halfway between its worst ever and completely clear.

However I have felt fairly good about myself today for the most part. During college I didn't think about it too much and I didn't really try to hide it from anyone like I usually do when its like this.

I also noticed a couple of girls in the lunch queue looking at me. All I caught one of them say was 'do you think he's cute?'. Then they continued to blatantly watch me as I ordered my food.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm flattered when I think people are 'eyeing me up', but when my skin isn't at it's best I feel really bad. It's almost like I'm thinking 'don't make a judgement on what you can see now, I can look better than this!'. I don't like to let myself be 'admired' unless I'm looking my best. I'm such a psychological mess!

Without my bad skin, I think I'm a fairly good looking guy. I seem to get a fair amount of attention from girls, but I always let this get in the way. I can't seem to let myself be admired by others. It's pretty much the only reason I've never had a girlfriend. Plenty of girl-friends, but never a girlfriend.

(actually, there was one time where I desperately liked this girl, but she didn't like me in the same way ha... I think we've all been there!)

Another thing I find myself doing is this: If my skin is bad and I think someone is looking at my face for too long, I'll try and distract their gaze by doing something silly. I'll pull a face, or make stupid comment. Anything to stop them from looking at my face! arrrgghhh! I think people are starting to worry about my sanity. I know I am.

Anyway. I'm continuing with my new products for the time being (moisturising feels so good!). I'm going to see how my face clears over the next week and perhaps see the doctor.

I don't really want to start using BP unless I absolutely have to.

Thanks for reading.

Party on, dudes.

xx

[Brandy]

Hi Harry and welcome!

My first bit of advice for you is to STOP picking! I know it is easier said than done, and almost an obsession for some people, but it truly is important to not do that. Picking and squeezing just allows the bacteria/infection to spread! Please, do your best to keep your hands OFF your face all day long.
Your plan is good, I hope you can get the bp gel soon.
Witch hazel wont' do anything for you though, so don't expect it to help with your acne. And only washing and moisturizing won't clear your acne either, so you will need the benzoyl peroxide. It is the main ingredient in the CSR, it will kill those bacteria that are causing those pimples!!
Good luck and let us know if/when you need further help!!

[TBOharry]

Quick update.

My skin has now almost completely recovered from Mondays attack.

I should have a few days where it remains completely clear and smooth. I'd better make the most of it!

Naturally, I'm feeling really good at the moment.

[TBOharry]

OK!

There has been some very interesting developments in the last week!

Basically, my skin had cleared up from the attack completely around Sunday 21st (6 days after) as expected.

Now, from Monday through to Thursday it just seemed to keep on getting better (instead of worse).
Much fewer blocked pores than usual.
No new breakouts like before.
I was looking in the mirror on Thursday in disbelief as my skin was looking clearer than it had in a very long time (i did a little dance to celebrate!).

Then yesterday, I started to get some of the dreaded red bumps again as expected. My instant reaction was that nothing had changed and the cycle was repeating as usual. I proceeded to perform my usual 'clear out'.

Back to square one, or so I thought!

As I was 'combing' my skin in the mirror for any blockages to squeeze out, I found that there was very little there to satisfy my quest! Quite unexpected!

I cleared what I could find and went to bed. Upon waking up this morning I looked in the mirror and my jaw almost dropped. My skin looks almost as good as it did before the attack last night! Almost like I hadn't touched it at all (minus the few blockages that were there before)! It should only be a couple of days before it returns to clear again!

Something has most definitely changed for the better with my skin. Weather its simply moisturising or a combination of all of the things I am doing, I have most definitely made a difference.

I'm not saying its a huge difference and I am still considering the BP, but at least I have found something that helps!

Hooray!

[TBOharry]

... I spoke too soon.

This week has been a really crappy one.

I just cant keep myself from picking at every last little pore.

I've often squeezed at an empty pore repeatedly just for the hope it may bare some kind of blockage. I think I have an addiction.

Needless to say, my face is a wreck today. I was hoping to be healed up by tomorrow, but so long as I can hold back on the attacks, it could be as long as Sunday.

Thank God for this Actinac... even if it doesn't work anymore, it sure is a relief to be able to cover up my face for a few hours and forget the whole thing.

I'm really not sure about starting this CSR... I mean, I haven't read anywhere about it helping with blocked pores. I don't think it can do much for me. Maybe I'm just feeling pessimistic.

I'll update when I'm feeling better.

Thanks for reading x

[Janiet53]

The CSR helped me with some blocked pores I had on my nose, maybe if they continue getting to you, you could give the regimen a go. If you didn't want to commit to doing it twice a day you could try just doing it once, it could be enough for you!

[TBOharry]

I went to the doctors last night and asked him about Benzoyl Peroxide.

He didn't have anything bad to say about it, and he told me about what brands he could easily prescribe me.

I walked out with an open ended repeat prescription for the following:

PanOxyl 2.5% Aqua-gel
Actinac
Erythromycin (oral)
Oxytetracycline (oral)

He told me to give the PanOxyl a try and if I found it too harsh on my skin to come back and talk to him more about Dan's BP (he showed some interest in the whole thing! hehe)

I plan to start the regimen using PanOxyl (and carry on using the Erythromycin) as soon as I can get hold of some plain white bed linen and a large white towel (don't want to ruin what I have!).

It should all systems go in around 2-3 days.

I plan to start with a very small amount of Panoxyl and work up to around half a fingers length after a couple of weeks. I'm only going to use it once a day as it instructs... if its not too bad, I may go up to twice a day.

Any thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated!

wish me luck!

[TBOharry]

Decision made.

I am going to start the CSR on Saturday night using the PanOxyl 2.5%. I will then count Sunday 11th June as day one, and so on.

I will follow the Regimen to the letter. No compromise.

During my time on the regimen I will be looking very closely at these things:

-- The number of infected pimples (anything red, inflamed or filled with liquid).

-- The number of blocked pores or blackheads (anything containing a waxy plug).

-- The speed at which my skin completely re-generates after squeezing a pimple (although I hope I no longer have to do this).

-- The state of any 'red/purple-marks' (if I begin to hyperpigmentate in anyway, I don't think I will be able to continue. Ive had such horrible experiences with this in the past)

I will of course be using plenty of moisturiser.

Fingers crossed.

[TBOharry]

DAY 0:

Just applied my first ever application of Benzoyl Peroxide...

I used about a pea sized amount of the Panoxyl, just enough to cover my cheeks. It felt quite tacky but absorbed fairly well. I waited a bit and whacked on a load of moisturiser, I'm a little scared of this initial dryness I've heard so much about!

Come on Dan... do your worst

Maybe an update tomorrow.

xx