Today was Day 20 on Spiro (75 mg), Benzoyl Peroxide face wash (PanOxyl 4%), and Atralin gel, aka topical retinoid (0.05%)!

Overall, things are improving

My face is doing so, so much better. The pink mark on my left cheek from that stubborn zit is fading and healing. There's a small pink mark on my right cheek that's fading. And there's a bit of a red mark healing on my lower chin/jaw from a pore that purged an acne seed yesterday.

Right now, my complexion looks so much better! It's more even overall and bright. My forehead has no clogged pores to be seen and the pores are so much smaller, which is exciting

Purging Acne "Seeds" aka Root of Zits

I think there's more "acne seeds" that will be purged from the areas around my and on my mid and lower cheeks and jawline. I can tell because the pores are like more white (closed comedones) and they look like they're going to push out the acne seeds. I did a bunch of research and this is actually a good sign.

What Are Acne "Seeds"?

The acne seed is the root of the acne and can sometimes be a bit harder. It's a collection of the built up oil and dead skin cells that have been beneath the surface of the skin. They can be a bit more painful pushing out because they are harder. I've definitely learned this week that you can't force them (ie the red mark on my lower chin) and have to either extract them correctly when the pore is completely open and with a skin extractor, or let the skin naturally purge them out. For right now, I'm letting my skin naturally do it since the Atralin helps it along. However, I may ask my derm if a medical facial and professional could help move this purging of acne seed process along a bit by extracting them professionally without hurting my skin. We will see what she says. If she's hesitant, then I will not pursue it.

I'm also going to ask my derm about a non-comedogenic, non-greasy sunscreen that I can wear daily under makeup (or without makeup).

Is anyone else using this regimen or something similar? I'd love to know how things are going!

If you have any questions, let me know!