18 replies to this topic

[cerulean]

I am on day 3 so far of my Epiduo + Doxycycline journey so far and wanted to have a log for anyone who was interested in effects, etc. My regimen (so far) is:

AM
Wash w/ Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture SPF 35
eat yogurt to combat antibacterial side effects

PM
100 mg Doxycycline w/ food (don't lay down for 30-60 minutes)
Wash w/ Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
Wait 30-45 minutes
Epiduo
Wait until stinging dies down a bit
Moisturize w/ Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture SPF 35***

***I am only currently using this moisturizer at night because it is the only one I have on hand at the moment. It's not as moisturizing as I would like. I've used up the little cetaphil sample my derm gave me, and didn't find it to be all that moisturizing TBH. Still searching for a good nighttime moisturizer.


The first two days were fine. I took my Doxy with food so I didn't get nauseous, drank lots of water, and didn't lie down. I applied the Epiduo as directed and wondered what everyone was complaining about when they said Epiduo stung.

Oh. My. God.

On night three I applied the Epiduo as usual and all of a sudden my face felt like it was on fire. I had read elsewhere that the stinging should go down in 30 minutes or so, so I tried to wait it out. I applied the Epiduo around 9 PM, and it is now about 1 AM and I still have uncomfortable tinglies. Luckily my face hasn't turned red yet, but I'm sure it's coming soon. I'm almost certain the burning will intensify as I go through more applications, too.

As far as results, it's really too early to tell. My smaller zits have gotten smaller and less red, which I am chalking up to the Doxy. My derm prescribed it to me to treat the initial Epiduo breakout and this monstrosity of a cyst I have on my chin, but it's really not helped the cyst except maybe to make it a bit less painful. But that cyst really is a force to be reckoned with. I've had it for a few weeks, and it's the biggest cyst I've ever had... and I've had some pretty bad cysts. I think the Doxy's also the culprit behind my dry, peeling lips. I just really hope it'll get rid of my cysts, particularly the giant one. I doubt any of my results so far are because of Epiduo, mostly because I can't imagine a topical working in three days.

[fadedjay]

hey,

its great you've started a blog which may help others who are on the same medication.

If the stinging gets too much maybe you could try take it easier, maybe use it a couple of times a week and build it up over a longer period of time.

Retnoids all take time to kick in so just take things slowly and track you progress to see if it is helping or maybe needs tweaking.

jay

[cerulean]

Yeah, I think I'm going to skip tonight's application because it's been burning pretty bad today. I want to take a day off so that hopefully I can moisturize my skin a little and get rid of some of the redness/burning.

[cerulean]

Day Four

Skin burned every time I out on moisturizer or makeup. I got some Simple rich replenishing moisturizer because it was five dollars cheaper than a giant tub of CeraVe moisturizing cream... reading reviews now, I kind of wish I had gone with the CeraVe because it was a much larger container and seems much more moisturizing than the Simple. Kind of upset that something marketed as "rich replenishing" is not all that moisturizing. That being said, it isn't a bad moisturizer for daily things, so I'll probably continue to use it. It just isn't the heavy duty sort of thing I was looking for. Luckily I bought a small tube of Aquaphor while I was out, so that'll have to keep me moisturized for now. I'll probably get the CeraVe next time I go out.

I tried using a sugar scrub to help with peeling also, and that was probably a bad idea. It did little to nothing for the peeling, and I think it just irritated my skin more. Disappointing, because sugar scrub is my favorite thing for exfoliating my feet and the little bumps I get on my arms. Guess it was just too harsh for my face.

The Epiduo burned much worse on Day Four than it had the previous day, but the burning seemed to go away quicker, so that's a plus. Now my skin feels tight, dry, and sunburned. I'll probably skip Day Five's application.

I'm not sure whether it's the antibiotics or the BP in Epiduo, but something's been drying up my small pimples and they've all turned into nothing more than red marks. YAYAYAYAYAY! Unfortunately, the larger pimples and the cyst on my chin are not cured, but they are slightly smaller (but not much). I also have little flesh-colored bumps on my forehead which aren't whiteheads. Not quite sure what they are, but I think they might just be caused by the dryness...?

I'm surprised that it's been working this quickly, because everything I've read on here has said that it takes 2-3 months to start seeing results... but I'm not complaining. It may just be coincidence though, because when I went to see my derm/got my prescription I was going through an unusually clear period. I've also been under less stress and getting much more sleep since school just ended for me a week or so ago. So that could also be helping. My diet's gotten a lot worse lately, but I'm not convinced that diet really affects acne much anyway. All in all, happy with results and hopeful for my acne's future!

[cerulean]

I skipped the Epiduo on days five and six because it was burning my face severely and I didn't want to damage my skin, make it worse, etc. It was SO incredibly dry and burned... it felt like leather. I spent those two days with Aquaphor and shea butter on my face pretty much the whole time. I also found that a little bit of Aveeno's Soothing Bath Treatment (which is just oatmeal ground really really fine) mixed with honey to form a paste made a hydrating, irritation-stopping mask. Plain full-fat yogurt probably would have helped as well, but I didn't have any. I had to stop using lotions for those days because they burned so bad they made me cry (and salty tears DO NOT help a burned face)

So today (day seven) most of the dryness/burning/redness/tightness was gone and I was able to apply a lotion without it melting my face off (it still stung a little, but it was bearable). I'll probably do a couple more deep moisture treatments today and then pick up again with the Epiduo tomorrow. I want to try doing it every other day until my skin acclimates to it, though.

Unfortunately I think the absence of BP in Epiduo made me start breaking out a little again :/ Me wreaking havoc on my face by applying a bunch of (100% non-comedogenic, mind you!) products that it isn't used to getting regularly probably didn't help either. So now I have three new pimples to join the party.

Also, I originally thought it was the alcohol in the moisturizers that was making my damaged skin sting, but I looked, and Cetaphil's Gentle Cleanser has alcohol, and I've been using that with no problem. Maybe it's the fact that moisturizers kind of absorb into the skin while the oilier deep treatments I've been using just sit on top... if anyone has any theories about why moisturizer burns, but butters/oils don't, feel free to share them.

Edited by cerulean, 05 June 2012 - 02:49 PM.

[cerulean]

I decided not to skip out on the Epiduo on day seven because I want to try to control this breakout... not sure whether the absence of Epiduo was what caused the breakout in the first place (because acne takes such a long time to form) but I figure a little BP can't help, right? I skipped my cheeks though, because I don't usually break out badly there and they were still somewhat burned.

Today (day eight) I'm pretty much good on the irritation front, but my eyelids, cheeks, mustache area, and lips are still a bit dry/red. (How are my lips and eyelids burned???? I don't ever put ANY medications there.) Not gonna use the Epiduo tonight because of my reluctance to burn my skin again.

Unfortunately, now I'm breaking out even worse - way worse... but on the plus side, they're all regular pimples, and the cyst on my cheek has healed significantly. It really sucks though, because they're the really bumpy and pointy kind, and those kind are hard to cover up with makeup. I normally wouldn't care that much, but the pimples combined with the dryness make makeup look really bad, and this week is my summer driver's ed course. Since I'm a junior with a late birthday, I'm in a class with a bunch of immature sophomores who I don't know... And I HATE meeting new people when I have particularly bad skin. Especially when the people I'm meeting are younger than me and all have better skin than me. I feel like it makes them feel superior to me... and most of those kids don't need a bigger sense of superiority, because a bunch of them are football players with WAY overinflated egos.

I've just been feeling really down about my skin lately because my mom will volunteer un-asked for and generally just bad advice about my skin. I know she means well, but it's really annoying. And then my sister (who is only ten and hasn't gone through the acne-inducing part of puberty yet) always says mean things about my skin. Then ignorant people will say stupid things like, "have you tried proactive? It works really well!" yeah, I've tried proactive. It didn't do anything for my skin aside from irritating it. Or my mom will ask, "Have you been washing your face?" Yeah, because I obviously don't care about the eruptions on my face enough to try washing it or using over-the-counter products. People just make me so angry sometimes with their ignorance.

UGGGGHHHHH.

[KennyDeWyze]

hey you!!!!
i am on Tactuo(Canadian's version) + Doxy as well.
i think ive been taking Doxy 3.5 weeks now, and using Epiduo 3Weeks
dont really know how Doxy does to me, it hasnt cleaned my skin yet, i have no side effects with taking doxy though
keep using Epiduo everynight, for sure the first week was like hell. it stunk, dried my face out,redness on my face,i was down!
since using Epiduo for 3weeks, i have more ance on my face now(Damn it)
, especially on my left cheek, and both sides of forehead, Horrible!
maybe thats the "initial breakout"? holy,
reading reviews say, 4-8weeks will see the improvement,
hope its real.

[fadedjay]

Hi,

The thing i have found with retinoids is that you clear up a bit then break out again, clear up a bit then break out etc. Its a cycle it seems eventually your supposed to get less frequent breakouts/less severe.

Keep your head up guys your still in the early stages and it is a bit rough to be honest.

My skin 4 months after 0.05 tretinoin still isn't great, so these things take time.

All the best Jay

[cerulean]

Kenny - I think I'm definitely in the initial breakout phase since I don't think I've broken out this badly in months, and I'm in my second week of treatment. I think the IB is something you just have to wait out and hope it goes away as soon as possible.

Jay - I really hope you're right about it eventually getting less severe, because I'm definitely getting discouraged because of my skin - but I'm determined to stick it out for at least three months!

Day 12

Woke up this morning with SO many new pimples. It was like the old ones I thought were dead and had turned into PIH popped back up. I also have a bunch of whiteheads under my eyes and next to my nose (which is weird, because I don't usually get whiteheads, and when I do they're on my forehead). Then I've got your run-of-the-mill new pimples. So I think I've definitely hit the initial breakout phase. Fingers crossed it goes away soon

I was applying Epiduo every other day for a little under a week, but I think after the initial burn it was really just not irritating enough (felt like I was putting lotion on my face; not a treatment). So I think I'm going to increase application frequency to 2 out of every 3 days for around a week and see if that irritates my skin. I'm hesitant to jump into applying it every day because of my initial experience with the burning and everything.

So the Epiduo is no longer burning my skin, and my face is mostly the same color it's supposed to be. My eyes still burn really bad for some reason I don't understand... Just have to remember to apply aquaphor to them every night. The strange thing is that my skin is peeling really bad (like you would expect it to if it was dry), but it isn't dry at all. In fact, It's actually SUPER oily, which I'm sure isn't helping with the breakout. Ugh, it's so weird. It's like my skin peels, but it's an oily peeling in that it doesn't flake so much as it pills up and mixes with the oil... it's so gross. I've been making good use of my Cover Girl "Clean" makeup and plenty of setting powder.

Hopefully this icky phase goes away soon... I want to be clear before school starts again in late August!

Edited by cerulean, 10 June 2012 - 06:31 PM.

[KennyDeWyze]

well.
i am on 3.5Weeks now!!!
Epiduo supposed to make more whiteheads.
also dont pick those whiteheads.

i make up everyday using "Baby Cream" dont know if you heart that.

[cerulean]

Day 16

Not much redness or sensitivity anymore, and when there is I just buffer the epiduo with some moisturizer

The peeling is godawful, though. I put on makeup yesterday and went to a sushi restaurant (to celebrate my 16th birthday! Yay!) and went to the restroom while I was there - my face looked awful! And it had looked fine when I first put my makeup on! Flaking skin and makeup do not go well together, though. I may have to skip the foundation and just start wearing concealer over my blemishes.

[cerulean]

Day 19

IB is over, I think. Now my acne is mostly as severe as it was before I started. Absolutely no irritation/burning, and I've been using Epiduo undiluted for about five days straight

Peeling is still terrible, but not quite as bad as it was a few days ago. I've stopped using a moisturizer after Epiduo as I was afraid it would mess with the efficacy of the Epiduo, and I haven't had to use moisturizer as a buffer for a while.

My back is looking better due to the Doxycycline - it went from a light moderate to mild. Too bad the Doxycycline is only temporary (1 month min, 2 months max). Not that I'd really want to take an antibiotic long-term anyway.

I've been thinking of adding an AHA (probably Dan's) to my routine to control the flakes and to hopefully clear my back without the use of antibiotics. I'm also in the market for a new cleanser (again, probably Dan's as it's cheap and SLS free) because Cetaphil is really making my skin dry and tight. I think it's the SLS. I'll wash with Cetaphil at night and it'll get all dry and tight, then I'll apply Epiduo, and that actually makes it LESS dry. Ridiculous. Does anyone know appx how much shipping to the US costs? It won't tell me my total until I enter billing info, and my mom refuses to enter her info until she knows exactly how much it will cost her.

Edited by cerulean, 17 June 2012 - 11:09 AM.

[KennyDeWyze]

i am on doxy a month now!
and the epiduo almost a month

i have horrible breakout on my left cheek,
freak!
i will stick on it. my next appointment on 11th of july,

i might want to switch to Accutane, even though it has horrible side effect,
i dont care,
cuz right now, this gel is giving me nothing but shit,

hope it works eventually....
bless

[fadedjay]

hey kenny,

Retinoids can be a bit of rough ride, epiduo has BP and tretinoin in it so they may be in an increase in breakouts for whilst it pulls stuff to the surface.

I know its hard but try give it a shot for a couple of months and then if no luck try accutane. The thing there is a chance that if you started accutane then you would have an IB like your having now.

Keep up hope

[cerulean]

i might want to switch to Accutane, even though it has horrible side effect,
i dont care,
cuz right now, this gel is giving me nothing but shit,

I think you should definitely give Epiduo the full three months before you even think about Accutane... it's a heavy drug, and you probably shouldn't go to drastic measures before you're sure gentler options won't work for you.

If you do go the full three months and don't see any improvement with Epiduo, maybe you could try Tazorac? It's more heavy duty than Epiduo and doesn't have as many side-effects as Accutane. And you could still use Benzoyl Peroxide in the mornings if your skin isn't too dried out from the Taz.

[sandra23]

i am on doxy a month now!
and the epiduo almost a month

i have horrible breakout on my left cheek,
freak!
i will stick on it. my next appointment on 11th of july,

i might want to switch to Accutane, even though it has horrible side effect,
i dont care,
cuz right now, this gel is giving me nothing but shit,

hope it works eventually....
bless

I kno how u feel! ive been on epiduo for a month and a half and its made my acne worse! im trying to be patience its just so hard...and has gave me huge zits. i heard it takes 2-3 mths to start working but idk how much i can take im going to give epiduo another mth and then i think im going to get on accutane. Yesterday my doc added doxycycline to help so maybe it will with the epiduo..how are you doing now with the two?

[snsdgirl14]

You gotta stick with Epiduo longer than a month to see results. I didn't see visible results until about a month and a half - 2 months after I started Epiduo + Doxy. And now, I'm acne free, and if I ever DO get pimples they're extremely small whiteheads that go away within a few days. I honestly think Epiduo + Doxy is the best combination of medications I've been on yet. And I've used Retin-A, Ziana, and just Epiduo alone in the past. The combination of an antibiotic and a topical gel is the best cause then you're fighting acne from the inside and outside!

Also, the dryness will subside too. It took about a month and a half for my skin to get used to Epiduo, and finally it stopped flaking. I found that rubbing my skin in the shower and exfoliating helped a lot with the flakes.

Hope everything works out for you guys with this combination!

[cerulean]

I decided to stop the Epiduo. I tried it out for a good two months and didn't see enough results to warrant me applying it every day. It dried out my skin like hell and really didn't do that great a job of clearing me up, anyway. I know everyone says you have to try it for at least three months, but my derm said if two months wasn't giving me any real results and it was still drying my skin out really badly that it would probably be best to just stop using it.

I doubt I'll get another prescription; my derm said she would see about getting me Retin-A, but I just don't want to keep using all these medications. They just irritate my skin.

On the plus side, I recently gave up coffee (I was WAY too addicted to it) and replaced it instead with two cups of green tea in the morning and two after lunch. It made my skin noticeably clearer in about two weeks. I've started applying the hot bags to my face in the morning between my wash and moisturizer like a toner. Then at night I soak a cotton ball with a lemon juice and green tea toner and apply that before my moisturizer. So far it's worked out well for me. Not a miracle cure by any means, but it has other benefits and I'm thinking of adding Dan's AHA+ to my routine for a little extra oomph. But apparently green tea regulates androgens (which I suspect is where most of my acne comes from) and has antibacterial and antioxidants, as well as protecting skin from UV rays. Plus all the other non-skin related health benefits. It was even proven as effective as Benzoyl Peroxide 4% in one study (not that that proves anything, but it' some food for thought.)

Ok, I'm done sounding like an infomercial for green tea. I was just really surprised by it.

[sfteen]

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