38 replies to this topic

[Spotthedifference]

your skin looks amaaaaaaazing! what do you mean by your chest/back/shoulder acne being due to the antibiotics? do you mean because you stopped taking them? are you using the duac there? also do you have a link to where you get the peppermint soap from? does it remove makeup or do you use something else (when you used to use it might i add, you so dont need it anymore )

First of all, thankyou!

I had chest and back acne before taking the antibiotics but it was mostly a random white head here and there. Since taking the antibiotics I've noticed an increase in body acne and severity, although my chest is currently clear. I'm still taking the antibiotics - about half way through my first box now - and I don't use the Duac on my body because I worry that it'll spread everywhere over night.

This is where I get my soap from: http://stores.ebay.c...awnhandmadesoap . I bought an eco loaf and I've only just had to cut off my second bar from it. It smells lovely and it's nice and gentle on the skin without feeling like it doesn't do anything.

I use coconut oil as an eyemakeup remover on the basis that oil disolves oil but I don't like to use it on the rest of my face as it clogs my pores. Instead I tend to use facial cleansing wipes to remove the makeup. I thought they were breaking me out at one point, but actually they only did that because I was scrubbing away at my face with them. Now I use only a very gentle touch with them, like I'm touching the face of somebody I love or something, and make sure to wash my face straight afterwards so no residue remains on my face.

Thankyou very much for the kind words I do still have some left over marks so I tend to put mineral makeup over them for Uni, but I don't feel like I need layers of thick foundation anymore.

Before treatment and currently:

Edited by Spotthedifference, 09 January 2013 - 08:29 AM.

[Spotthedifference]

My Routine

AM.

Wash face with New Dawn Peppermint Oil Soap.
Drink a glass of lemon water.
Take vitmains with water.
Eat breakfast - typically whole grain cereal/porridge. Add cinnamon.
Have probiotic drink.
Brew green tea.
Cool down tea bag. Wipe over face.
Allow green tea to dry on face whilst drinking the brewed tea.
Rinse off the green tea.
Apply jojoba oil - 1/2 drops. Pat off the excess.
Apply Roc Triple Protect sunscreen, SPF 30 for normal days/SPF 50 for beach days.
Apply makeup and setting spray - usually BareMinerals for face makeup.

PM
Remove makeup with a face wipe using very gentle strokes.
Wash face with New Dawn Peppermint Soap.
Take the antibiotic Tetralysal with evening meal.
Make sure hair is away from face. Apply Duac and allow to dry.

Apply Acne.org AHa as needed.

Take Zinc at least two hours after the antibiotic.
Drink a cup of spearmint tea (for hormones).

Twice a week
Use lemon and sugar scrub. Scrub in small circular motions to remove dead skin.

When Necessary
Apply lemon juice to hyperpigmentation, allow to dry, rinse off, repeat. Only at night.
Use face brush during washing face to get rid of dead skin flakes.
Use BioRadiance cream during the day when I don't need to go out anywhere.

Things I've learnt
Don't scrub my face with a towel. Gently press or pat the towel against the skin and let it do its job.
Be gentle when removing makeup and always wash my face afterwards to make sure it's all gone.
Don't sleep in makeup.
Consume more low GI foods.
Drink water after every meal.
Consume more fiber.
Consume more fish, eggs, fruits, nut, vegetables and seeds.
Irritation makes my acne worse.
Using too many chemicals at once makes the condition of my skin worse.
Getting the right amount of sleep improves my skin condition.
Dairy does not affect my acne.
Stress gives me more acne.
Wearing heavy makeup causes more spots. Wash off makeup the minute it's not needed any more.
Letting my hair touch my face when it has wet products on breaks me out.
Consistancy is key.
I need to give things time to see if they're working or not. Patience really is a virtue.
Zinc speeds up my skin's healing times and brings down inflammation.
Too much salt and iodine causes inflammation.
Evening primrose oil and agnus castus (vitex) do not improve my acne.
Probiotics are necessary when taking antibiotics.
Healthy digestion means better skin condition.
Frequently cleaning pillow cases can help.
Picking at the skin makes skin condition worse and spreads acne.
Too many face masks damage the skin.
Benzoyl Peroxide bleaches things and causes prolonged post acne marks.
Vitamin D reduces my oil production.
Dry skin today leads to oily skin tommorow.
Not all scarring is permenant.
There is a difference between hyperpigmentation (discoloured skin) and scarring (changed texture of the skin).
Sunscreen, antioxidants and moisturizing are proven ways to slow down the aging proccess.
Most acne suferers, especially men, are deficient in Zinc.
Omega 3 from food sources works better for me than supplements.
Mineral makeup seems to fade hyperpigmentation somewhat.
Going a while without makeup can do wonders for my skin.
Washing my face twice a day is just right. Any more than that makes it too dry and damaged, any less than that lets toxins and dirt build up too much.
Cleansing and exfoliating need to be seperate steps, not the same thing.
Jojoba oil helps relieve the side effects of Benzoyl Peroxide.
Exfoliating shouldn't happen more than twice a week.
Over drying is not a good thing.

My vitmains and supplements
50mg zinc, 2mg copper
Multivitamin
1000mg Evening Primrose Oil
2000mg Omega 3
1000mg Agnus Castus
250iu Vitamin E
Chewable Vitamin C
2000iu Vitamin D
2x DIM PLUS
Actimel probiotic drink.

Edited by Spotthedifference, 03 February 2013 - 05:17 PM.

[Spotthedifference]

I have one spot today which has formed where I picked at the clogged pore. Other than that it's just the usual red marks.

I've ordered some of Dan's AHA too. I'm mainly going to use it on my body, but if that goes well I might try it out for fading the marks on my face.

[Spotthedifference]

Well, the breakout on my shoulders has calmed down and my arms are looking a lot better. My thighs are breaking out a lot at the moment. A few small bumps without heads have popped up near my nose but I remain otherwise clear.

Sometimes my marks look barely noticeable and others it looks like I've been slapped in the face. I'm keeping up my SPF despite the ridiculously cold over cast weather outside.

I started taking Multibionta as my multivitamin today. I've definitley felt more alert. For some reason my hearing seems better.

Still no problems with yeast levels. I've been a bit inconsistant with my zinc recently; but since it's now included with my multivitamin too I figure it won't matter as much if I miss a day. My skin definitley feels thicker and softer when I've been taking the zinc regularly.

I think stress is a big factor in my acne. I've been much more stressed than normal recently and I've been getting a lot more clogged pores. I need to chill out a little bit.

[kyou]

Heyy

Im taking the same antibiotic as u and the cream (but i apply it in the morn cause i put differn on at night)
Anyways how long did it take u to see a difference with the antibiotic also is it safe to take an omega-3 pill to?
AND -- do u kno what i could do for marks?

[Spotthedifference]

Heyy

Im taking the same antibiotic as u and the cream (but i apply it in the morn cause i put differn on at night)
Anyways how long did it take u to see a difference with the antibiotic also is it safe to take an omega-3 pill to?
AND -- do u kno what i could do for marks?

Ah, cool! Good luck with your treatment. I find my hair tends to get stuck to my face if I try to wear it during the day time.

I'm still on the antibiotic course - I don't think I'm even half way through yet. My chest cleared up quite quickly within the space of about 3 weeks. My back, arms and legs are all currently worse than when I started. My face is only clear currently because of the Duac.

It's safe to take omega supplements as long as you aren't sensitive to any of the components. They won't intefer with the antibiotic. If you take any vitamins it's a good idea to take those in the morning and the antibiotic at night. Make sure you're getting a good dose of probiotics as part of your morning routine too.

For red marks you could try applying some lemon juice at night, letting it sit for a few hours then washing it off before bed - but make sure to use SPF during the day if you do that. I also use a cream called BioRadiance which is used for skin whitening but can fade dark marks. Make sure to protect your skin from the sun and irritation and look up AHA and BHA acids.

[kyou]

Heyy

Im taking the same antibiotic as u and the cream (but i apply it in the morn cause i put differn on at night)
Anyways how long did it take u to see a difference with the antibiotic also is it safe to take an omega-3 pill to?
AND -- do u kno what i could do for marks?

Ah, cool! Good luck with your treatment. I find my hair tends to get stuck to my face if I try to wear it during the day time.

I'm still on the antibiotic course - I don't think I'm even half way through yet. My chest cleared up quite quickly within the space of about 3 weeks. My back, arms and legs are all currently worse than when I started. My face is only clear currently because of the Duac.

It's safe to take omega supplements as long as you aren't sensitive to any of the components. They won't intefer with the antibiotic. If you take any vitamins it's a good idea to take those in the morning and the antibiotic at night. Make sure you're getting a good dose of probiotics as part of your morning routine too.

For red marks you could try applying some lemon juice at night, letting it sit for a few hours then washing it off before bed - but make sure to use SPF during the day if you do that. I also use a cream called BioRadiance which is used for skin whitening but can fade dark marks. Make sure to protect your skin from the sun and irritation and look up AHA and BHA acids.

Thanks so much for the info c: I'll be sure to try it!

[Spotthedifference]

I stayed at my friend's house over the weekend. Barely any sleep, forgot to take my skincare, walked everywhere in the freezing weather, lived off cake and junk food. Came home and my skin is the best it's been in forever and I've lost five pounds. This is confusing, in a good way.

 

Oh, and I'm coming off the Tetralysal once I've finished my current box. The doctor thinks I'll be ok with just the Duac for maintenance now. I'm on antibiotics for a throat infection too, still no sign of another yeast infection though. Been keeping up the probiotics faithfully.
 

Edited by Spotthedifference, 27 January 2013 - 08:17 AM.

[Spotthedifference]

Stress-picked and created 4 new spots. I sincerely hope they don't spread. The huge bottle of AHA should be arriving on Thursday, I got stung £13 in custom fees, so I hope it's worth it.

Edited by Spotthedifference, 29 January 2013 - 10:35 AM.

[Spotthedifference]

The spots from stress picking are just scabs now and I have the resulting clogged pores around them under control. I used the AHA for the first time today, all over my face and body. My stretch marks look instantly better and there's no redness, stinging or any other bad stuff. My skin looks more even toned now but I'll wait until the morning to see if my skin sneakily hates on me in the night.

 

I'm now using the Duac six nights a week and giving my skin a rest for a night a week. I feel in control of my acne, but I'm still concerned that the few clogged pores I get here and there would be full blown spots if I didn't contain them with the Duac. I'm also aware that my red marks are being prolonged because of the BP.

 

I've uploaded some old photographs of my acne at its worst in the gallery section of this website. Check them out to see what a drastic improvement has been made.

[Spotthedifference]

Well, no adverse reactions to the AHA this morning, although combining it and BP made my skin a bit red last night. I currently have no actives and no clogged pores. A piece of hard skin that I couldn't shift has dissolved, and it looks like this thing fights milia too (hard, white little balls that can't be popped). My marks look a little faded (especially one on my lower cheek) but it's really too early to tell if that side of things will be as effective as I hope yet. My skin feels smooth and soft and I think the exfoliating properties are very effective.

 

I also used the AHA on my body and it's doing a good job of getting rid of rough skin there too. I'm hoping that I'll be eventually able to re-surface my skin and continue to keep my acne under control. I'm 20 in about a week's time and I'm aware that collagen production starts reducing from that age (how depressing, right?). I want my skin to be in tip-top condition for my birthday - not for photos or anything, just so that my adult skin has a fighting chance of being decent.

 

I only have one small indented scar which gives me hope that there's no lasting damage to my skin from my struggles.

 

Here's what happens when you pick at your face, use too many harsh chemicals, constantly change routines and basically hate your own skin:

 

 

 

 

Yep, that was me ages 18-19.

[Spotthedifference]

I've been really abusing the AHA recently. It's faded my marks quite a bit already.

[XXYY]

I used to think BP prolonged marks too but i had back acne for at least a year before i used any topicals on it and the red/purple marks are worse there than on my face where i use BP. People forget BP has a 'peeling effect' so i think its similair to retinoids in a way that we dont have that top layer of skin that would usually hide the marks slightly. I'm not really sure though.

[Spotthedifference]

Very true. I think I may just be over eager for these little pests to be gone, although I don't peel from the BP anymore. I'm quite pleased with how my skin's doing overall without the acne though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was literally just after waking up this morning, before I even brushed my hair. The marks are a lot better but I wish I hadn't gone on that picking rampage recently.

[Spotthedifference]

This is my face today. Only a few days until I'm 20 now... I hope I stay clear for my birthday!

 

 

 

Had a fair bit of chest and body acne pop up recently. I may try to tackle it with AHA. Hopefully my dress will still look good on!

[Spotthedifference]

Well, this was my skin on my 20th - I'm wearing makeup here, but I didn't have any bumps to try and conceal.

 

[Sasch83]

I love your unique sense of style!  Boy, do i miss being 20.  What is your transition plan for weening yourself off of antibiotics?  How long will you be on them.

 

Your skin is AMAZING btw

[Spotthedifference]

Hi Sasch83, sorry for the late reply - my personal life has been a hectic shambles recently. Thankyou very much - it's not all it's cracked up to be though, what with the whole 'what should I do with my life?' crisis and every little bump in the road seeming like a cliff. I have two weeks left currently, I've been spacing them out so that my body has time to get used to going without them and can adjust accordingly. It's quite a hit-and miss plan; sometimes I'll go for 3 weeks without taking any and others I'll take them every alternate day. I'm not too worried about the acne coming back because honesty, sleeping more, occasional duac use and not picking seem to have been the key to beating this for me. At least I'll be in a better mind frame if it does happen again.

 

Today's skin update - taken with an 18 megapixel DSLR in natural lighting, no makeup, no editing except for lighting and saturation tweaks:

 

 

 

[laurag]

hey just wondering which probiotics you take with lymecycline? I'm about to start a course, fingers crossed it works. 

So nice to hear someone is clear! X