16 replies to this topic

[curulunu]

I was prescribed Epiduo and Doxycycline by my dermatologist about 2 weeks ago (Feb. 15). I take Doxycycline during the day and apply Epiduo at night. My only complaints so far are just the itching/burning and the horrible dryness (I believe this is caused by the Epiduo. It was worse within the first week but now it seems my skin is getting used to it). I'm going through my initial breakout right now, which sucks for right now but I've heard good things about when it starts working. For my cleanser I've been using a Neutrogena oil-free acne wash, but it seems like it's irritating my skin (it contains salicylic acid) so I'm going to buy some Cetaphil soon. As for my moisturizer I typically use Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing gel mixed with jojoba oil (I got some for pretty cheap at Trader Joe's, I recommend it). I only like to use the jojoba oil at night though because it makes my skin really shiny. This topic is essentially to keep track of my progress and to connect with other people who are going/went through similar treatment.
By the way, I'm a 17 year-old female with moderate acne mainly on my cheeks and jawline.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

hey welcome to the org my acne is very similar to yours mainly cheeks and chin area. my cheeks have calmed down alot since 4 months ago(when i first started getting bad acne) but i still have terrible red marks from their place for months now i was prescribed doxy 4 days ago so far it hasnt gave my any upset stomach or anything BUT i noticed yesterday and today i started getting joint pain in my shoulder... i dont know if its from the doxy or something i did to throw it out. im quite worried. it is a side effect listed on the web though.. so im waiting a few more days if it gets worse im going to let my derm know and to put me on something else. any way im sorry for the IB yes retinoids tend to do that. luckily for me ive been using finacea as a topical for 3 1/2 weeks and it does the same thing as retinoids but inus the ib i never got one with it which im extrememly greatful and its supposed to diminish redmarks withng 4-5 weeks. ive already noticed them getting alot lighter but they still have not dissapeared. ill keep you updated with my prgoress on doxy i hope we have good rsults

gluck

[curulunu]

Hi thank you! I have not experienced any sort of joint pain since I started taking Doxy, but I guess it all depends on the person. However, I've been using Cetaphil cleanser all of 3 days now, and this morning I woke up AMAZED. My skin was so smooth! I cannot believe it made that much of a difference. My skin is the nicest it's been in months and I'm thrilled, so if you haven't tried out Cetaphil I definitely recommend it. It was kinda weird for me to get used to because it doesn't lather at all and it's got sort of a weird texture that reminds me of conditioner. This is currently my third week on Epiduo & Doxy and as I've mentioned I'm definitely seeing results. I'm not exactly sure what's doing the most for my skin right now: Epiduo, Doxy, or Cetaphil, but all I know is that the combination is working pretty well. I, too, have lots of red marks on my skin and I hope to god those clear up. I dunno if there are any girls reading this who are in search of a foundation with good coverage of such red marks (or acne in general), I use Clinique Even Better foundation and it works pretty darn well.

[curulunu]

It's been about 20 days since my last post and now I'm at a little over a month of usage. I've gone through days where it looks like my skins getting better, and then days where it looks like I'm just hopeless. I know it's only been a month and normal recovery time is around 3 months but it feels like it's been FOREVER. No joke, I feel like I have been on this regimen for at least 2 months. I don't know why time is going so slow but it's just making it seem like I'm making no progress. I'm still using Cetaphil but the Epiduo doesn't dry out my skin at all anymore so I haven't been using much jojoba oil, just Clinique's DDM gel. Cetaphil is still the greatest, very soothing and gentle; I'm never gonna use a different cleanser.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

It's been about 20 days since my last post and now I'm at a little over a month of usage. I've gone through days where it looks like my skins getting better, and then days where it looks like I'm just hopeless. I know it's only been a month and normal recovery time is around 3 months but it feels like it's been FOREVER. No joke, I feel like I have been on this regimen for at least 2 months. I don't know why time is going so slow but it's just making it seem like I'm making no progress. I'm still using Cetaphil but the Epiduo doesn't dry out my skin at all anymore so I haven't been using much jojoba oil, just Clinique's DDM gel. Cetaphil is still the greatest, very soothing and gentle; I'm never gonna use a different cleanser.

hey i know what you mean! im still taking my doxy as well. and my little cousin she uses epiduo and told me to use it she is extrememly pretty i never knew she even had acne! idk if ill ask the doc for it though.. as for my doxy journy i had a slight initial purge but thats gone now and im slowly clearing up.. id say i having gained much clearing since i started though seems how i did have that purge.. im just back to where i started. not much worse. but im definitley still getting new bumps occasionally.. any way good luck to you. you should be starting to clear alot by 2 months. my derm only gave my a script for 2 months and said i would be clear by then. i just refilled my script. ive been on it for about 4 1/2 weeks now.

[curulunu]

Have you had problems with nausea from the doxy? I have problems when I take it on an empty stomach, which I did last night and it was the worst ever... I actually vomited! It was terrible. For some odd reason it doesn't seem to do much for my facial acne but it's cleared up my back and chest completely, which is nice. I've been getting really impatient with my skin, especially since typically my acne is not as stubborn as it has been within the past couple days. Whatever, hopefully it'll clear up soon, I just need to stop picking...

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

Have you had problems with nausea from the doxy? I have problems when I take it on an empty stomach, which I did last night and it was the worst ever... I actually vomited! It was terrible. For some odd reason it doesn't seem to do much for my facial acne but it's cleared up my back and chest completely, which is nice. I've been getting really impatient with my skin, especially since typically my acne is not as stubborn as it has been within the past couple days. Whatever, hopefully it'll clear up soon, I just need to stop picking...

no i dont have the stomach problems at all because i asked for the smal round tablets and not the capsules. i take them in a completely empty stomach every day twice a day. no food at all 2 hours before or after. i also drink half a cup of water before then take the pill with a full cup of water and it goes down smoothly. but my acne hasnt even budge man its still just as bad as it was before... and im still getting new pimples all the time its making me so mad because before i started it was almost as is my acne stage was over and all i had was redmarks. now i get bumps again. also i accidently ate dairy which broke me out that night so im sure that messed up with the doxys cycle and will take time to clear up... any way im glad it clearred your body acne ive read that it clears alot of body and not face. idk why. but if this doesnt work by the end of the month im asking for bactrim and calling it a day.

[curulunu]

That's weird, maybe I just have a sensitive stomach because I have the tablets as well and only take it once a day (with food, without food does not have a happy ending). Aren't you using a topical too? Epiduo seems to be doing a lot for me but kind of spontaneously decides to dry out my skin sometimes, even though it'll stop drying my skin out for like a couple weeks at a time. Weird. I still don't have anything close to clear skin, but it does seem to be evening/smoothing out a bit.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

That's weird, maybe I just have a sensitive stomach because I have the tablets as well and only take it once a day (with food, without food does not have a happy ending). Aren't you using a topical too? Epiduo seems to be doing a lot for me but kind of spontaneously decides to dry out my skin sometimes, even though it'll stop drying my skin out for like a couple weeks at a time. Weird. I still don't have anything close to clear skin, but it does seem to be evening/smoothing out a bit.

im using finacea as a topical ive been on it for almost 8 weeks. and hmm you take the small round tablets? i think they say dan 5553 or something like that on them. they dont irritate my stomach at all not one bit and the only reason i take them on epty is because i want to make sure they dont bind with anything like calcium or whatever AT ALL i want to make sure they are getting a full 100% chance to work. but yeah yeah little cousin uses epiduo and she used to have terrible acne she has perfectl good looking skin now. she also tans though sooo yeah. but looking at her today i was shock when she told me she still uses it cause she gets random flare ups. i could never tell and she doesnt wear a thick layer of makeup either. her twin sister wears ore makeup and has a bit more acne too and i can tell its under the makeup. i dont thin her sister uses the epiduo. they are both also on the bcp. they tried doxy and didnt work for either of them.. so i hope it works for us..but as of right now i think diet is helping my acne more than doxy..

[curulunu]

I've never really heard of finacea, but good luck with that! Even if I take the doxy on a slightly empty stomach I get nauseous. I do only eat foods that don't have any calcium though. I've heard that tanning helps with skin, but my skin burns really easily and I also don't wanna age my skin. I'm seeing my dermatologist on the 14th so I'll see what she says, but I'm not expecting her to say much. Although I don't want to get my hopes up, it really seems like my skin is a LOT nicer lately. Much much smoother and I only have a couple blemishes on my face. However I'm still very self-conscious of my uneven skin tone and red spots. I'm actually on the birth control pill as well but clearly it isn't helping with my skin. I want to switch pills but haven't gotten around to driving all the way to my doctor's office (it's far, I swear I'm not just lazy...). I've been taking pictures to log my progress which I've been considering posting here, but I'm still debating. My diet has been sucking lately because I've been on spring break, though I hope to start eating better after Easter.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

I've never really heard of finacea, but good luck with that! Even if I take the doxy on a slightly empty stomach I get nauseous. I do only eat foods that don't have any calcium though. I've heard that tanning helps with skin, but my skin burns really easily and I also don't wanna age my skin. I'm seeing my dermatologist on the 14th so I'll see what she says, but I'm not expecting her to say much. Although I don't want to get my hopes up, it really seems like my skin is a LOT nicer lately. Much much smoother and I only have a couple blemishes on my face. However I'm still very self-conscious of my uneven skin tone and red spots. I'm actually on the birth control pill as well but clearly it isn't helping with my skin. I want to switch pills but haven't gotten around to driving all the way to my doctor's office (it's far, I swear I'm not just lazy...). I've been taking pictures to log my progress which I've been considering posting here, but I'm still debating. My diet has been sucking lately because I've been on spring break, though I hope to start eating better after Easter.

well yor appt is tomorrow please come on here and let me know how it goes! my appt is on the 24th i think im pretty sure im going to tell my derm to put me on bactrim because im still getting acne even just more clogged pores. right now my nose is loaded with bumps(not inflamed) but its very very bumpy to the touch and ive never had acne there this whole time. it jst happened one day like BAM and it hasnt gone down at all any way i would say the doxy did absolutely nothing to help my skin clear.. i would definitely switch the bcp if it isnt helping 50% chance that the bcp mght actually be whats GIVING you your acne.. just something to research. good luck tomorrow!

[curulunu]

My appointment went well! And speaking of things going well, my skin has been.... Weirdly great lately. I honestly haven't really been having any problems besides small itty bitty breakouts that don't last longer than a couple days. I actually switched my BCP as well to Ortho Tri Cyclen, which is known for its skin healing powers! So I'm excited to see how that works out for me. I'm hoping it doesn't make me gain weight though, I got my prom dress recently and I just really do not know what I'd do if I couldn't fit in it, considering prom is in a month. Anyway, I'll continue eating healthier and exercising daily to try to counteract any chance of that happening, and I'll keep this updated with how the new BCP works out. I'm sorry to hear that your skin isn't getting better! I hope it starts clearing up soon, maybe the bactrim will help you out.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

My appointment went well! And speaking of things going well, my skin has been.... Weirdly great lately. I honestly haven't really been having any problems besides small itty bitty breakouts that don't last longer than a couple days. I actually switched my BCP as well to Ortho Tri Cyclen, which is known for its skin healing powers! So I'm excited to see how that works out for me. I'm hoping it doesn't make me gain weight though, I got my prom dress recently and I just really do not know what I'd do if I couldn't fit in it, considering prom is in a month. Anyway, I'll continue eating healthier and exercising daily to try to counteract any chance of that happening, and I'll keep this updated with how the new BCP works out. I'm sorry to hear that your skin isn't getting better! I hope it starts clearing up soon, maybe the bactrim will help you out.

did your derm prescibe you something else? or keep you on doxy?

[curulunu]

Nope, she kept me on doxy since I haven't had any serious side effects (as long as I take it with food) and it's working for me. My skin's been a whole lot nicer lately, which is a great feeling. However I still have a bunch of discoloration so I always wear makeup. I hope you start showing progress too, I know how it feels when you get acne in places you never got acne before... I started randomly breaking out on my forehead a couple weeks ago. It's since cleared up, but I hadn't gotten acne there in years, it's always been perfectly clear. But I guess that's what happens when you treat your skin -- just trial and error, really.

[dreamingofclearskin2011]

yeah i feel like if anything doxy is just keeping me at bay not getting any worse now and also not getting better... so i dont know if ill stay on it. i have an appt and i dont know if im even going to go.. i just dont know what to do.. did doxy start to work with great results by the end of your 2nd month? or did you see results before then?

[curulunu]

Yeah I definitely saw results within the first month and a half or so, so if you've been on it for... well, I don't know how long you've been on it really but I assume longer, and haven't seen results yet, I don't think it's working for you. You should talk to your dermatologist about switching to something else. I've been on Orth Tricyclen for about a week and a half and my skin is STILL looking pretty good! I'm so nervous though, I feel like it's a false alarm and I'm going to break out any second. The burning from the Epiduo is back again, randomly. Don't know why it does that. Not too irritating though.

[curulunu]

Aaaaaand I jinxed myself. Broke out a bit on my right jawline and left cheek. My skin's really dry these days, when a week or so ago I had no such issues. Weird and annoying. My skin is much more aggravated when it's dry.