389 replies to this topic

[Jacinthaa]

Hang on girl!
I know what it's like to go from almost perfect clear skin to acneskin. It really ruins your selfesteem.
Week 5-6 are really the hardest, everytime you see improvement, it just gets you more down when it changes overnight.

Just try to stay positive till week 8. From that week you'll see improvement in the way pimples are forming. They won't appear as often, and when they do, they're a lot smaller. Differin will take care of them overnight. And when you appear week 12 you'll really see your skin smoothening out

[kariya025]

looking at your profile pic, i thought you'd might be a model but i can see how hard it is for you..

is purging breaking out? then yes.. i feel like more comedones pop out of no where and the existing more and bigger.. i keep track when i wash my face the foam shows me all my bumps on my face.. and notice alot more recently.. which i thought was a sign of purging? is that what you think?..

some of them turn to pustules/papules or get whiteheads (this is purging right?) and turn red! and then turn dark!

but i wont lie, i am an IDIOT for picking early on.. damnit!!! but most of it was from the cystic acne i had for a bit.. when it went away.. oh man dark PIH.

and yes mirrors/sun are my enemy right now..

also, i too had the damn comedones around october.. i shoulda used the OTC for a longer period instead of plunging into prescription strenght but who knows..

again..

im hopeful..

[allisoncatherine]

Ugh you guys...I'm going to a public event today :/ I really really don't feel like it but I have to go!!! I'm gonna need so much support when I get back! I'm so freaked out...I feel like people wont be able to look past my acne....AHHH! I'll update when I return!

[allisoncatherine]

Back from the event...it was dim yellow lighting so it wasn't too bad. I swear....I walk with my head down now. I hate it when people stand too close to me. Oh and I REALLY hate that you cant get your eyebrows waxed while you're on differin. If having acne wasn't bad enough, I look like a wolf with acne Anyway Jacinthaa, thank you for posting here! Your post definitely gave me hope! I hope that it sure is worth it...lets just try to get over the 8 week hump We're too freaking close to give up now...

Also, for the ladies on this board....have ya'll tried estee lauder's maximum coverage makeup...its AMAZING. It covers ALL PIH and a lot of pimples! It doesn't break me out at all; in fact, my derm recommended it to me for modeling purposes. Apparently, they recommend that makeup for post-surgery patients with scars because its that gentle and it just sits on your face..it doesn't sink down into the pores (thats what it seems like). I dont ever have to use concealer underneath it but its AWESOMEEE to get you through your IB period!

How is everyone's skin doing??

[allisoncatherine]

CASE IN POINT: you cant even tell i have acne with the estee lauder foundation! ladies go and get you some! This stuff is a self esteem saver during IB periods!

Edited by allisoncatherine, 08 April 2012 - 07:23 AM.

[kariya025]

Hey.

Great advice Allisoncatherine and u look amazing in ur picture!!

It is 2 am in Cali and am very angry. At the bday party I attended my friend got toooo drunk so decidEd to sleep over at their place for her to recover since I drove. So I didn't use my differin tonight for the 1st time since starting treatment!! Ah when I get home at 9. I'm wearing differin and not going outside!!

I hope this doesn't mess up my progress.. Anyone know if this is bad...

Gnite!!

[Wiseboy123]

I swear you're only on this forum to show everyone your good looks!

What is everyones diet like? Recommend any thing to eat or drink to help our skin?

I drink Green tea, Lemon water, plenty of water and I hardly ever eat chocolate, cakes etc. And I guess it works.

[allisoncatherine]

Hey ya'll good morning!!!
Kariya, that should be fine I think...I notice that my acne gets worse if I sleep with makeup on though so you might wanna watch out for that :/ Anyway...I woke up with 2 new pimples!!! AHHH! NOT happy about that AT all!!! I thought the purging period was over -sigh- I hope it gets better guys!

Wiseboy, lol....you're funny. I think hydration is definitely key to amazing skin! The derm said that I should be drinking at least 8-12 full glasses of water especially when using products like retinoids that will dry out your skin!

So sad about the new pimples

[allisoncatherine]

this is tuning out to be a miserable day! i hate acne

[allisoncatherine]

someone give me hope?

tell me its gonna get better :/

[Wiseboy123]

this is tuning out to be a miserable day! i hate acne

I think we all do! But look at it this way. This time next month your face may be completely clear and only getting the odd pimple every 2 weeks.

Short term pain, long term gain is how I look at it. Just keep positive as you know Differin will do a great job on your skin and WILL work.

Also with every day ticking over, you know your skin is improving. PMA - Positive Mental Attitude

[allisoncatherine]

i seriously love you for posting that wiseboy. Thank you! Gosh its been such a hard day....I work in an industry where my looks are like hyperfocused on so it always feels like people are totally looking at whats wrong with me Oh well....I hope my skin improves. Retinoids are such a risky business in that one week they give you good results, one week its bad...but please keep in your prayers you guys!!!! I have a huge fashion show coming up in June and graduation is in May....please let me be semi-clear by then! AHHH! <3 ya'll! Thanks for the support!

By the way I can't mention how thankful I am that people like you guys respond I love every single person for responding. Thank you You guys are so awesome!

[allisoncatherine]

I feel like this is very applicable to ANYONE who is struggling with acne treatments in the beginning

[Wiseboy123]

i seriously love you for posting that wiseboy. Thank you! Gosh its been such a hard day....I work in an industry where my looks are like hyperfocused on so it always feels like people are totally looking at whats wrong with me Oh well....I hope my skin improves. Retinoids are such a risky business in that one week they give you good results, one week its bad...but please keep in your prayers you guys!!!! I have a huge fashion show coming up in June and graduation is in May....please let me be semi-clear by then! AHHH! <3 ya'll! Thanks for the support!

By the way I can't mention how thankful I am that people like you guys respond I love every single person for responding. Thank you You guys are so awesome!

Haha, no problem . But you also should be thankful that your skin isnt worse and stuck with permanent scarring.

And looking at your pictures, you pretty much look perfect anyway, so I wouldn't be too down!

[Jacinthaa]

You're now like 4 weeks in? I think you can be semi-clear at May/June, you'd be at week 8 so that's the magical mark
I'm not even using any foundation anymore. I stopped using it when I got my IB, because i thought: what's the point of hiding it? I'm having these pimples and I'm not gonna do anything to make them worse. But with your job and industry you're working in, I think you've found a great foundation to cover things op nicely! You can't even see you have pimples in your picture

I still have days where I think, OH GOSH I really don't wanna have that pimple (I woke up this morning with a semi-small pimple on the downside of my chin), and It's really a job itself to not let it get you down. You have to remember that when you look closely to a person's face, you'll see that no one has crystalclear skin (or at least, very few people do). That was also a struggle for me, to accept that's just fake hope.

Now I have about 2-3 pimples at a time, and sometimes a week with only one pimple. We can live with that right?



OH, and I have a question to all the users of differin:
I still have days when I wake up with a semi-small red patch on my face (dry skin?) And I think it's really strange because I don't have any dry skin (more oily actually)
So do more people recognize this? Because it's just a small red mark, which will disappear in 1-2 days, but still. HATE IT.

So allisoncatherine, just hang on, things wíll get better!
love x

[allisoncatherine]

Thanks Jacinthaa and Wiseboy!! I had the two pimples i was talking about come to a head so I popped 'em using a comedone extractor so yeah...anyway....I'm on the last few days of week 5. Week 6 starts on Wednesday. I doubt there will be any significant changes till then....but I'll let you guys know! I'm NOT giving up on this differin/klaron/doxy/orthotricyclen thing just yet! If I have bacterial acne...i got the klaron attacking it. If I have clogged pores, I got differin attacking that...if I have inflammatory acne, I have doxy attacking that...If I have horomonal acne, I have orthotricyclen attacking that....so....i'm going at this trick from all angles....its gonna lose the battle soon enough! NOT GIVING UP!!!!!

Love ya'll!

Also Kariya....I missed hearing from you today I hope you're doing well!

[kariya025]

hey all..

sorry for no update.. i try to stay away from acne.org so I stopped spending hours just researching acne, but i failed to stay away again.. haha.

i think i miscounted my weeks on differin as i feel like its been 11 weeks, but I believe its only been 9-10... hopeing i see result in 2 weeks then..

i like your positivity allison!

[Wiseboy123]

sorry for no update.. i try to stay away from acne.org so I stopped spending hours just researching acne, but i failed to stay away again.. haha.

Haha, I do that aswell. Always looking for positivity and solutions!

This Friday will be 12 weeks on this and not sure how my skin looks, as I hate looking in the mirror as it will get me depressed. But will see what its like soon enough

[allisoncatherine]

Kariya, wiseboy....do you guys see no improvement in your skin yet? You guys are like further down the differin path than me....what are the major things you see wrong with your skin at this point? Have you guys stopped breaking out at least? Do you have an even skin tone with just PIH? AHH! I hope ya'll are seeing improvements cuz I wanna see improvements by the time I'm further down the line.

[g33tar]

hey.

im 4 weeks into differin and 6 weeks of tetracyline.

Week 3: my breakouts seemed to be slowing. instead of waking with about 15 whiteheads around my mouth, im only waking up with about 4 or 5 and they usually are at the surface and "wash off" easily enough. i guess thats my skin thinning out.

so far this week (4) im having similar improvements. its seems to come and go in terms of breaking out. ive had a few rough days the last week, but nothing compared to the IB i had in week 2.


Im happy that my breakouts are slowing, its giving me a bit of hope in getting clear for summer. The scars and redness of the IB madness i went through seem to be starting to fade, but my jawline and chin area are still extremely red and the "old" acne are still quite red. I'm used to that though, ive been dealing with acne for long enough so it doesn't bother me too much.