Home
Find content
Female
For those of you who are on The Regimen, currently starting The Regimen or thinking about starting The Regimen, I have made an entire "Questions and Answers" page for it that may or may not help you. This was done a few months ago and I just finally decided to post it so that everyone can find it.
Some people have found my pictures in the websites gallery and have asked me if I was still doing the regimen. The answer is no, I have moved onto something else.
However, The Regimen did work for me, so the least I can do is offer both my album and information dedicated to it.
Here is my album (From right to left):
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/gallery/album/12105-1st-regime-dans-regime-closed/
... And this is my album at Month three when I was finished:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/gallery/album/12208-the-end-of-my-first-acne-regime/
As well as another person's album who is currently doing The Regimen right now:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/user/179893-thereisalwayshope/
So, without further ado-do...
----------------------------------------------------------
THE REGIMEN OF ACNE.ORG
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
***Updated 01/01/13***
From popular demand, I have taken the liberty of explaining The Regimen (or Dan's Regimen) in much more detail than most people have been able to do here on the community chat boards. I am doing this so that you can hopefully have many of your common questions answered in regards to Dan's Regimen and Dan's Regimen ALONE.
What I have for you are:
*Three things you MUST KNOW about Dan's regimen.
*Pros and Con's of Dan's Regimen.
*My personal Notes on Dan's Regimen.
--------------------
* Three things you must know about Dan's regimen:
For those who just started or is currently on Dan's Regimen, you MUST understand several basic concepts:
1.) The regimen is all about future prevention.
It can take several weeks for the acne to stop emerging, and even longer for the black/red marks to go away.
Do not confuse your black/red marks for upcoming acne spots!
Black/Red marks, when it comes to your acne, are usually the most prominent thing on your face (whether dark or light skinned), and can easily distract and confuse you into thinking that it may be an acne spot, but what it actually is was what's left over from the acne legion. These spots tend to fade incredibly slow. I personally have had a few for over 3 years. These "dark spots", or whatever you want to call them, are one of the most slowest thing to fade on your skin, next to acne scars which may take longest to fade, if at all. Taking pictures every day is your best bet at staying focused on your progress and reminding you when and where you had a breakout.
Please note that these black/red marks will take even longer to go away on Dan's Regimen because of the 2.5 BP solution.
And although sunlight helps acne prone skin, it too can keep the black/red marks stay on the skin much longer than normal. Until your black/red marks are fading, try limiting your exposure to sunlight. I'd estimate a good 20-30 minutes or less for darker skinned people, and about 10-15 minutes or less for lighter skinned people, depending on the season and your location near the equator of course.
2.) Acne is stubborn.
Acne can stay hidden under the skin for up to six weeks before emerging. Once the puss and white bacteria have been formed underneath your skin, I am afraid there is no stopping it. The formation doesn't just magically break apart, so you will not feel its nastiness until it actually begins to emerge. This is especially true for the cyst/papule/pustule/etc.
In other words, the instant you apply the 2.5 BP solution, the acne bacteria will get killed for that particular layer of skin later on, but not until those six weeks are up! Six weeks, from what I have read, is the average rate facial skin completely sheds, and a new "face" of fresh skin emerges. Softness and smoothness from using the lotion, however, can easily be felt only three weeks into Dan's Regimen (or any regimen that uses lotion for that matter). This helps in dealing with the pain of a popping pimple.
For example, lets say a cyst has been created the very day you started Dan's Regimen. After six weeks of doing the regimen twice a day, that cysts finally emerges. This is usually where people either stop the regimen and/or loose their cool. Please understand that acne will stop creating itself after six weeks, but the acne the already was created when you started the regimen still needs to run its course!
On top of this monstrosity, acne can stay visibly attached to the skin for a few more weeks after showing its ugly face… then when it finally pops it can take 1-7 days to clear out all it's crud… then the healing time differs because each legion varies... then you're left with "dark spots" which can take months to years to fade away.
I know, I know... it's a giant headache of a mess. Rinse, lather, repeat, and let father time do his thing.
I have taken many, many pictures throughout Dan's regimen. Upcoming acne spots have the ability to sit there before finally raising, popping, and at last healing. This entire process can take almost three months, especially if the puss under the skin only shifted a few millimeters away, making yet another pimple without it actually being produced on its own from the start. Please do not forget where your spots are. Take daily/weekly pictures and/or notes and always keep track of your progress.
3.) The regimen is a lifestyle adjustment.
You must religiously do the regimen twice a day. It will not work once a day or once every other day. The reason for this is because of the bacteria that grows constantly and consistently on our skin... it needs to be killed off as frequently as possible, but not too frequently that we damage ourselves too much. Washing your face once every 8 to 14 hours is going to be your best bet. Your before-and-after-sleep schedule will vary from others, so if you only get 4 or 5 hours of sleep, then it's important to know that you may need to wait a bit longer until doing the regimen again. Aim for a 8-14 hour window if possible.
You must follow Dan's exact instructions, barely touching your face and remaining extremely gentle with yourself. Dan has countless videos explaining this important breakthrough. Watch them and learn.
You must keep it up for at least three months before deciding that it doesn't work. Wait until your acne runs its entire course! I can not stress this enough!
As far as I am concerned, there is no financial loss in doing this. Although it's refundable, please be sincere with yourself, others, and Dan. If you did the regimen wrong or did not follow his exact instructions, then I'm afraid you only have yourself to blame.
--------------------
* Pros and Con's of Dan's Regimen:
Pros:
-It only takes 15-30 minutes every morning and evening!
-You can eat whatever you want and sit down as long as you like!
-No need to study acne diets or change your current lifestyle!
-Gets rid of all kinds of acne!
-Works faster than adjusting diet and lifestyle, which may take months to years!
-It may be cheaper and faster than any diet and lifestyle for your particular need(s)!
Cons:
-You'll need water, towels, money, and time twice every single day. Bathrooms aren't entirely necessary as long as you have a clean sink/bowl/bucket/etc... and fresh water to use somewhere.
-The regimen only "hides" the main health issue with your body, it doesn't actually get rid of it. IT IS NOT A CURE.
-It's expensive to do it all over your body if you don't just have facial acne (I personally also have chest and back acne).
-If and when you quit this particular regimen, it is extremely likely for your skin to appear worse than ever before, so plan ahead for a long and lengthy time. (My skin got worse when I quit... you are free to see the pictures in my gallery anytime).
-If you aren't taking the exact same supplements as Dan is (Zinc, Fish Oil, Multi-Vitamin, etc.), then please expect at least some kind of margin of error.
-Most people do not expect the burning, redness, and patches of dry skin, so you must bear with this until your skin adjusts to the BP.
-Adjusting your skin to the BP can take 1 to 3 months. Flakiness will come and go. You're face will get red, will flake heavily, and will hurt.
-You can not lie or fool yourself about not doing the regimen; Your body will always know if and when you cheated.
---> o_0 <---
Meeting in the Middle:
-The regimen doesn't actually cure the acne, but still treats it nearly 100 percent by prevention.
-Your oil production is still somewhat constant, but the bacteria that causes the acne in the oil dies off from the 2.5 BP solution.
-Depending on your lifestyle, storing the bottles can be easy but not discrete. If it makes you feel better, put stickers over the acne.org labels (please remember which one is which!). If not, you can pour the solution into bottles that have no labels so your guests and or families don't say anything to you, but be sure not to waste a drop. I'd leave the bottle upside down and properly balanced all night long into another bottle until it's completely drained, but I have no idea if the constant open air exposure overnight will effect the treatment later on.
--------------------
* My personal notes on Dan's Regimen:
^ ---> When doing Dan's regimen, his 2.5 BP is priceless… but there are several other "gentle face washes" and "non-pore clogging lotions" out there for better prices and/or larger bottles from your local retail stores (or off the internet). If for some reason you can't seem to find anything, then his whole package is your best bet, at least to begin with.
If you're still in doubt of which local product to substitute for, then just go ahead and start with Dan's package. See how you feel if you want to replace his cleanser and lotion with something else, or just stick with his product.
If you just want to buy the 2.5 BP solution, then you will be pleased to know that a few of my friends as well as myself were able to get away with buying only that (although you can clearly see I bought the jojoba oil out of curiosity), and then bought other gentler liquid face washes at our local corner pharmacy. I also bought much larger bottles of lotion such as "Curél" and "Cetaphil" that "doesn't clog pores", and it worked great on my face.
^ ---> The regimen WILL burn and hurt, but only for a few months until your skin gets use to it. This can be anywhere from moderate to extreme. Don't let this stop you, but be open minded if you feel as though you are having unbearably awful side effects.
^ ---> Sorry gals (and guys), but you should not be putting makeup on while you are doing Dan's regimen. And on that note, try starting the regimen at the beginning of a non busy summer vacation, that way when you go back to school in the fall your skin should have gotten rid of the redness/flakiness by then.
If you don't go to school and/or already work full time, then this might be more difficult to deal with depending on your job. If you work somewhere where the state of your face is extremely important, then I'm afraid you may want to consider something else other than Dan's regimen because the BP side effects have happened with everyone I have met.
I started the regimen at the start of one of my college fall semesters, and the redness/flakiness was still there after my finals. I constantly received double looks from most of my classmates. My job, however, was much easier to deal with. Since I work in a freezer all day, my face is usually covered with a scarf/hat, if not slightly red from the cold, so I'm afraid I lucked out on that one.
^ ---> If you are going to wash your face, consider using bar soap rather than liquid soap. Liquid soap is the more preferred choice on Dan's Regimen, and it feels better too, but if you are able to get your hands on organic and "gentle" soaps with fewer harsh ingredients, then you can have a similarly "clean" effect at a much cheaper price. You'll need to constantly save up for the next 2.5 BP solution every 1-3 months or so anyway, so bar soap is a very popular financial choice. Also, bars are more discrete since most of them have no logo's and aren't labeled for others to see, so you won't need to worry about hiding them at home or at the gym. It's also easier on the environment and doesn't produce as much waste while throwing away/recycling an entire bottle. This is just my personal preference though.
(Someone asked me which natural/organic soap I would recommend. I have two kinds: "African Black Soap", commonly found in health and vitamin shops such as Vitamin Shoppe, and "Dead Sea Salt/Mud Soap", usually found in most pharmacies but often ordered off the internet. Please note that soaps such as these leave their reside on your sink, in your tub, and even leave a "rough feeling" on your skin after washing (like most bar soap would I guess), so wash and rinse with plenty of water and as quickly/gently as your can. Afterwards, I recommend using natural oils such as extra virgin olive oil to moisturize your skin rather than lotion, but the choice is absolutely yours. You need to find what works best for you and your skin type).
^ ---> Rather than constantly run your faucet's water, consider putting a face-bowl (a.k.a. sink bowl, basin, etc...) in your bathroom or whatever room you're using to clean yourself. Most of these bowls can be found at your local retail store (Kohl's, Target. etc…) but also ordered off the internet. The are extremely wide yet short, catching the water as you lift it up with your hands to for face. I did this and was still able to get clear. People have proven that they wasted much less water this way. Also, reaching to turn off your faucet still doesn't catch the water that falls down the drain for those few seconds it's running. It may not seem like much at first, but twice a day for several months/years certainly builds up to quite a hefty water bill, especially for those living in the city.
^ ---> For those who constantly get patches of dry, flaky skin, do not pick or peel it off. If it's flaking too much for you too handle, go ahead and apply extra moisturizer. If you have Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grape Seed Oil, or Jojoba Oil on hand, than that's even more healthy and effective! (You also have the option of mixing the oils in your moisturizer if you don't want to give the lotion up).
But if your dry skin still flakes and sticks out too much to be considered tolerable, then do what I did and gently apply some scotch tape to your skin, carefully ripping it off and taking all those dry scales with you. Do this after your face is 100 percent dried and has completely absorbed the lotion. This is an absolute last resort as the tape could also possibly take off your skin's protective layer and other nutrients as well, but still works great in my opinion.
--------------------
I hope this helped!
Best of Luck To You All! 
