63 replies to this topic

[mystory]

Hi!


I've FINALLY decided to try the acne.org regimen and I'm starting my log today on DAY 1:


Instructions:
I know we are bombarded with information and sometimes, it takes too long to find what we are looking for. So here is what I will do:

• To make it easy for everyone to read my log, I will always post in purple, so you know it's me writting.
• Also, I vow to update this log multiple times a week.
• I will always include my emotion for the time of post. If I'm clearing it will be a smiley face. Otherwise, expect a sad face. This should help people who want a quick update.
• Finally, I will try to write as much as possible in bullet points to faciliate the reading of this log.

Here's about me and my story with acne:

• I'm a 26 year old girl
• I had never had acne on my face, only on my back
• I started taking Diane 35 to control my back acne when I was 17
• I've been on & off Diane 35 for the past 7 years with acne getting worse and worse everytime I stopped
• Diane 35 worked wonders for my skin and I had 99% clear skin while on it
• I stopped taking the pill for good 8 months ago because I was sick of injecting hormones in my body
• After a few months off the pill, I started developping horrible cheek acne
• As a side note, my face is super greasy and so is my hair because of this pill that messed up my hormones
• I also have back acne but my facial acne is so bad that I don't even care about my back right now

Here what I've tried to control the acne and it hasn't worked:

• Eating really healthy
• Cutting sugar, gluten, dairy and eating salads all the time
• Not drinking alcohol
• No drinking more than 1 coffee/day
• Effaclar face wash and treatment
• Tea tree oil (somewhat helps)
• Clarins face wash and lotus oil (HORRIBLE don't ever put that stuff on your face it made my acne so much worse).
• Not picking at my skin
• Changing pillow cases every day
• Taking all kinds of vitamins every day (D,B complex, Multi-vitamin,Omega 3s, Evening Primrose Oil, and the list continues)
• Drinking a lof of water
• Tanning my face (it made it worse)
• Sleeping on a silk pillow case

I just received the Regimen starter kit and I am VERY skeptical about it, but hey, what do I have to lose?

Today is my first day starting the regimen.
I plan on applying the treatment only at night to start.

Here's my plan:

Morning

• Wash face in the morning VERY gently with acne.org cleanser
• Apply acne.org moisturizer VERY gently
• Tap on makeup VERY gently (either laroche posay or cover FX and nothing else)

Evening:

• Wash face VERY gently with acne.org cleanser
• Apply acne.org treatment VERY gently
• Apply a lot of the acne.org moisturizer VERY gently

So far, I really like everything, no fragrance and the cleanser feels very gentle on my skin
I also really like the moisturizer. We'll have to wait and see how it works.

Here's my picture today. I'm too ashamed to show my face, but this is the best I can show you.



Right now my acne is :

• Very bumpy and red
• On my cheeks, jaw and neck

My mood right now is optimistic but sad at the same time . I want this to work sooooo badly.
Acne has taken it's toll on my life and I want to beat it so bad, and then I want to help everyone suffering from it and tell you all my story.


Talk to you soon my friends! I pray this works.

Love,
Mystory

Edited by mystory, 16 July 2012 - 06:03 PM.

[nfamousjade]

Goodluck! Hope it works out for you! looking forward to reading your log.

[mystory]

Day 2:

Mood :

• Obviously still no changes but my skin feels less "painful" then yesterday. As if the bumps are loosening up, if that makes any sense?
• Still very bumby and red.
• I had to cover my right cheek with makeup (cover fx) and my hair at work.
• Left cheek is less bumby but still required makeup.
• Regimen made my eyes water at night. Although I didn't apply bp near my eyes, I did apply some moisturizer which probably dragged some bp with it. I'll try to be careful tonight!
• I picked at my right cheek by mistake... I have to stop doing that.

So far I'm loving the cleanser and moisturizer. I have yet to determine if I like the treatment.

I pray this works with my whole heart!

Stay tuned.

Love,
Mystory

Edited by mystory, 17 July 2012 - 04:25 PM.

[mystory]

I also wanted to share that video, it's pretty much what convinced me to start the regimen.
I really hope it's not a fake/sponsored video.



I want this to work for me too...

[thereisalwayshope]

I tried just about everything that you have. And yes for me too, absolutely nothing worked to clear! Which does completely mess up your emotions and confidence but don't give into acne. Acne does not deserve to win. I was too embarrassed to show my face too which sucks.

[mystory]

thereisalwayshope, did you ever take a BCP ? In my case, when I came off the pill my acne got so much worse... Curious to see if that happened to you as well.

[thereisalwayshope]

thereisalwayshope, did you ever take a BCP ? In my case, when I came off the pill my acne got so much worse... Curious to see if that happened to you as well.

No I did not actually. I know that there are some bcp that help with acne and some that make it worse and this is because some have hormones in them that can either balance out your hormones or make it so that they go crazy! Just stick the regimen! I have read a lot of stories similar to yours. THey came off the pill and their acne was terrible but after about three months on the regimen they had beautiful skin.

[maybemonday]

Reading your introduction is like the story of my life! My hormones went crazy after taking/stopping birth control and I have cysts and all sorts now. I pretty much tried everything you did, in addition to about 50 other face washes/cleansers/toners (some of which were very expensive). Anyway I started the regimen yesterday so good luck to us both I guess

[mystory]

Just stick the regimen! I have read a lot of stories similar to yours. THey came off the pill and their acne was terrible but after about three months on the regimen they had beautiful skin.

Thank you for the inspirational words! I really hope this works for me too.

Clara I'm glad you're here and doing the regimen with thereisalwayshope and I. We can do it girls!

Daily update:

Mood:

Still no improvements, other than I didn't get new breakouts. But seriously, what do I expect in 2 days?
I have to calm myself down, I'm a little too anxious for this to work. I want to fast forward the next 3 weeks! But I can't, so I have to be patient.

• Last night my eyes did not water at all, so that's great!
• My skin is not dry at all, just a little red. I put A LOT of moisturizer on my skin, so maybe that's why it's not flaking yet.
• Today I applied the BP during the day as well. This is an exception as I will usually only apply the BP at night. But I was staying home all day & not wearing makeup, so I figured why not?

Girls what makeup are you using with the regimen? I've already said I'm using cover fx but I'm wondering if there is a makeup you absoluetly love that did not break you out?


I leave you with another motivating video:




Talk soon!

Love,
Mystory

Edited by mystory, 18 July 2012 - 03:20 PM.

[thereisalwayshope]

All three of us girls are going to get through this with each others help! I just want three months to go by already! Right!?

[mystory]

Day 4

Mood:

I'm sort of happy today because my skin just feels better. It doesn't "look" better but it seems like the pianful pimples are less painful and are drying out.
On the other hand, my skin feels really dry and irritated.
I didn't put the peroxide on today, and now I'm a little scared of applying it tonight and waking up with crazy irritated skin.
My skin is also red around the mouth... Anyone experienced this before? It feels a bit like a sun burn.

Anyhow, I guess it's a good sign and that it must be working.

So to summarize:

• No new pimples
• Existing pimples less painful and feel like they're drying out, but still very bumpy
• Skin feels irritated, dry and tight + it is red in certain areas
• Still no "flakes" (hope they never come!)

I put a looot of moisturizer on my face to try and calm it down.

Alright, I'm off to do the night time regimen and the daily picture.
I actually like doing the regimen at night, am I weird? LOL


Oh also, I'm trying really hard to sleep on my back, I normally sleep with my right face burried in my pillow (hence the ugly pimples on that side of my face).
I'm finding it to be quite the challenge to sleep on my back... Anyone else dealt with that?

Goodnight to all!

Mystory

Edited by mystory, 19 July 2012 - 07:43 PM.

[oceanbreezes]

Day 4

Mood:

I'm sort of happy today because my skin just feels better. It doesn't "look" better but it seems like the pianful pimples are less painful and are drying out.
On the other hand, my skin feels really dry and irritated.
I didn't put the peroxide on today, and now I'm a little scared of applying it tonight and waking up with crazy irritated skin.
My skin is also red around the mouth... Anyone experienced this before? It feels a bit like a sun burn.

Anyhow, I guess it's a good sign and that it must be working.

So to summarize:

• No new pimples
• Existing pimples less painful and feel like they're drying out, but still very bumpy
• Skin feels irritated, dry and tight + it is red in certain areas
• Still no "flakes" (hope they never come!)

I put a looot of moisturizer on my face to try and calm it down.

Alright, I'm off to do the night time regimen and the daily picture.
I actually like doing the regimen at night, am I weird? LOL


Oh also, I'm trying really hard to sleep on my back, I normally sleep with my right face burried in my pillow (hence the ugly pimples on that side of my face).
I'm finding it to be quite the challenge to sleep on my back... Anyone else dealt with that?

Goodnight to all!

Mystory

I have the same problem with sleeping on my back. For some reason I just cannot sleep at all if I try to sleep on my back so I always, always end up sleeping on my side. I gotta work on that also. Good luck with the regimen! I hope all goes well for you!

[thereisalwayshope]

Check out the let picture in my gallery for pictures a day before and regimen and 6 days after A little improvement right? Thanks

[mystory]

Hey guys,

Mood:

Just a quick update today to say that, last night OMG my face was burning soooo much after doing the regimen last night!
It was like I set it on fire for at least an hour... I'm a little scared and not sure why this is happening.
I didn't apply a lot BP, just two pea sized amounts, let it dry for 5 minutes then put on the moisturizer and that's when it started to BURN and my skin got red like a tomatoe!
I almost washed it all off but decided to stick with it, not sure how I fell asleep...
In the morning my face felt dry but did not hurt anymore.

Anyone else experienced this? Did it get better with time?
Is this normal or should I stop the treatment? I am chemically burning my skin?

I'm only applying the treatment once a day so I don't get it... I know I have very sensitive skin but never had so much pain and burn on it before.

I'm really sad if it means I have to stop because I want this to work SO badly!!!

[thereisalwayshope]

Hey guys,

Mood:

Just a quick update today to say that, last night OMG my face was burning soooo much after doing the regimen last night!
It was like I set it on fire for at least an hour... I'm a little scared and not sure why this is happening.
I didn't apply a lot BP, just two pea sized amounts, let it dry for 5 minutes then put on the moisturizer and that's when it started to BURN and my skin got red like a tomatoe!
I almost washed it all off but decided to stick with it, not sure how I fell asleep...
In the morning my face felt dry but did not hurt anymore.

Anyone else experienced this? Did it get better with time?
Is this normal or should I stop the treatment? I am chemically burning my skin?

I'm only applying the treatment once a day so I don't get it... I know I have very sensitive skin but never had so much pain and burn on it before.

I'm really sad if it means I have to stop because I want this to work SO badly!!!

No this is happening with mine too! So please do not quit! I is just a side affect of the benzoyl peroxide. Some other people might tell you to stop because of this but don't listen to there advice right away. The side affect of the bp are dryness, flaking, and some burning sensation that usually go away after your skin get used to it. I think I is going to take our skin longer than normal because you are only putting it on once a day rather than two..hmm. My burning sensate went away in about three days or so and it is much better now that I am using the jojoba oil. I really has been soothing my skin. If you do not have it you can purchase it at any health food store for like 11 dollars for a great amount. I do not know what else I can say but I think you should hang in there!! Give your skin a little more time before you discontinue the regimen. Okay?

[mystory]

No this is happening with mine too! So please do not quit! I is just a side affect of the benzoyl peroxide. Some other people might tell you to stop because of this but don't listen to there advice right away. The side affect of the bp are dryness, flaking, and some burning sensation that usually go away after your skin get used to it. I think I is going to take our skin longer than normal because you are only putting it on once a day rather than two..hmm. My burning sensate went away in about three days or so and it is much better now that I am using the jojoba oil. I really has been soothing my skin. If you do not have it you can purchase it at any health food store for like 11 dollars for a great amount. I do not know what else I can say but I think you should hang in there!! Give your skin a little more time before you discontinue the regimen. Okay?

OK I'm not discontinuing!
The burning is a lot better, it still burns a little bit but nothing unbearable.
I found what helps is to wait at least 10 minutes between applying the BP and the moisturizer. The worst burning occurs after the moisturizer but it's a lot better than 2 days ago.

This is day 6! Almost a full week completed.

Here's the update:

• NO new pimples where I've been applying the BP
• Existing bumpy pimples on the right cheek are taking forever to flatten... But I can tell they are drying out.
• Skin feels really tight and dry
• Hello Flakies!!!
• A lot of red marks from the old pimples, they seem redder than before the treatment, but I suppose that is normal.
• No more burning, watering eyes.

Summary: It's really working well so far! I just cannot wait to get rid of those bumpy pimples. And I can't wait to get over the dry phase. I'm worried it will last for a very long time. Good thing I am doing this in summer and not winter!

I'm thinking of buying a large sized cleanser since I'm worried to run out! I might also buy an AHA bottle for my back.

Edited by mystory, 22 July 2012 - 09:54 AM.

[thereisalwayshope]

Well I am super happy that you are not going to discontinue the regimen! I am glad that the burning is going away as well! For me it is day 8 and I noticed a small breakout that happened over night. All the the little bumps that I had before the regimen are all coming out as breakouts. I have had these small tiny bumps for months and months and now the bp is making them go away through bring them up i guess. I can not wait till my skin get completely used to the bp, but it is going to take a while which sucks.

Edited by thereisalwayshope, 22 July 2012 - 10:38 AM.

[mystory]

Week 1 Completed

Mood:

I'm a little confused. One week completed and my skin looks better and old acne bumps are clearing out.
However, I woke up this morning with 4 NEW PIMPLES, three on my right cheek and 1 on my chin.
I'm so confused! + they are the really painful under the skin type of pimples. (could it be due to eating a lot of sweets last weekend?)
Needless to say I had a terrible day, + my boss was rude to me.
I just basically cried for 20 minutes in my car after work... Days like this just make me so sad.
Everything was going so well, and now I break out.

If anyone has been there and it got better, it would really help to hear words of encouragement.
I'm continuing the regimen and pray and hope this was just an initial breakout.

More updates tomorrow

Goodnight,

Mystory

[thereisalwayshope]

Week 1 Completed

Mood:

I'm a little confused. One week completed and my skin looks better and old acne bumps are clearing out.
However, I woke up this morning with 4 NEW PIMPLES, three on my right cheek and 1 on my chin.
I'm so confused! + they are the really painful under the skin type of pimples. (could it be due to eating a lot of sweets last weekend?)
Needless to say I had a terrible day, + my boss was rude to me.
I just basically cried for 20 minutes in my car after work... Days like this just make me so sad.
Everything was going so well, and now I break out.

If anyone has been there and it got better, it would really help to hear words of encouragement.
I'm continuing the regimen and pray and hope this was just an initial breakout.

More updates tomorrow

Goodnight,

Mystory

Yup same here and Clara too. We both broke out I broke out with pimples that are also under the skin, and they are so painful that i even took some pain killers. Probably like 8-10 new cysts on my cheeks and chin and even my temples. Hurts. WOW that breakout sucked. Anyway, we just have to understand that our skin is just going to keep getting better with time and we can't be discouraged my some os these initial breakouts! I cried last night about how crappy my face was, but now I am feeling strong! We have to get through this as a team. It is hard but don't we deserve clear skin? We have suffered enough! Right?
Anyway talk more tomorrow! keep updating!

[mystory]

Day 8

Mood:

MORE breakouts..... nooooooooo....
Well I got 3 more breakouts, that's a total of like 7 since yesterday? They're weird though, they're much smaller than normal and really painful.
It feels like my skin is reallllllyyy irritated and retaliating in pimples.

Nothing new otherwise.

Talk tomorrow...

Mystory

Edited by mystory, 24 July 2012 - 05:55 PM.