For me this regimen has been a declining spiral. I'm on about day 24 or so and every day has just been worse or the same. This is definitely not a quick fix kind of thing. Nothing is as easy as it should be. If it works at all it takes time.

Yeah, it's pretty hard. I saw that you are going for I am Snow's approach. I suggest letting water run down your face only when you need it most. I'll let water touch my face only whenever I see it super dirty.

I've been actually thinking of doing the same thing. Because when I was younger I didn't even wash my face and I didn't get acne.

I'm dying to here your results.

Some of you may remember me as one of the strongest advocates for this methid and the dude who left the site based on my success of achieving "normal, teenage looking" pimples instead of big pustules..my skin was 95% clear due to jus water and olive oil at one point - though it was only for a month.

I got off my topical (benzamycin) in May of 2008. I had perfectly clear skin from the topical but I just wanted to see if I could cure myself naturally. And I was succesfful. Partially. From May - July and November - December, I had wonderful skin. Unfortunetly, those were the only pimple free months for me. Since (and between) then, I have consistently and constantly battled with breakouts, seemingly for no reason. Nowdays, I'll come back from work and there will be 3 new pustules (not even pimples!) waiting for me. Whereas I used to only get pimples on my cheek area before, I'm currently breaking out in my "upper cheek" level, which traditionally used to only happen once every 3-4 months for me. On top of that, I'm just starting a new job and have to deal with people everyday, so my skin being bad (and I'm talkin BAD) consistently is not something I can tolerate, simply because I wont be able to be myself (I'm pretty outgoing but get super self-conscious), and people feed off that energy by using my sudden passiveness to thier advantage.

So, I officially gave up using nothing on my face today. I had been previously only using olive oil and nothing else. It wrked in november and december but then everything seemed to go downhill. I cant figure out what it is. Masterbation, maybe? My sleeping patterns are a little better now, but I still breakout. I eat good foods, mostly meat, and I have plenty of vegetables (broccoli, carrots) everyday. I always drink lemon juice in the mornings, swallow a clove of garlic a day and take spoonfuls of coconut oil with my meals. None of these are bad for you, so I don't expect any of them to have a negative impact on my skin. Basically, I've given up. The lemon/carrot/garlic/broccoli thing is something I've only been doing for about a week for, at most, and its made my skin GLOW, but what is a glow when thers pustules popping out of it?

At the moment, I have 6 big pustles on my skin. On average, I used to usually only get one with a couple of little manageable ones, so I'm really not sure what is triggering all this for me.

Simply put, I have resorted back to benzamycin. Once (if) I am clear again, I'll tone it down to every other day, but its quite obvious I still need it. I tried using no topicals for 8+ months...and though 2 of those months were relatively pimple free, there were always pimples, whereas when I was on benzamycin I didnt worry as much. Im not sure if I'll ever be completely clear again like I was the last time I was on benzamycin, but I just want to say going completely natural has been an awesome experience. Yes, the pimples are still there, but the amount of internal cleansing I am incorporating into my diet will come back to me positively one way or another.

I HATE losing, and I hate taking topicals to clear my skin up, but in 2009, especially when you're 20 years old, experimenting with your face while you're trying to deal with people looking at you from REALLY REALLY upclose really shakes your confidence. I think I gave the experiment a GREAT dfeal of time to work (8+ months). Unfortunetly, its not my time at the moment.

Like I said, I'm still doing massive internal cleansing (acne is an INTERNAL problem, not an external one) because that is how I can stay PERMANENTLY clear, but for the time being, I am sad to report that I will be using benzamycin again.

P.S - It is also my birthday, and I am celebrating it by going to wor with huge pustules on my face and making a "return post" to acne.org.

This is not to discourage you...I would reccomend ALL of you to stic to it and try it...but if your acne is still bad after 4-5 solid months, and the results are inconsistent, then maybe a topical is necessary HOWEVER! That doesnt mean you need to overload your face with topicals.

ONE should be enough, and just once a night should suffice. Why some of you put medicine on your face everyday and every night is beyond me.

Good luck with your trials and I'm sorry that I couldn't have a more uplifting post. My last post before this one on this topic was much more optimistic tho, so you can chec that out.

Peace guys.

I've been actually thinking of doing the same thing. Because when I was younger I didn't even wash my face and I didn't get acne.

 

I'm dying to here your results.

But there was a REASON that you started having to wash your face in the first place-- because acne started appearing. Not the other way around. I think that being gentle with your skin is key, but I don't know if leaving it alone entirely works for most people either. Like someone said, acne is internal.

To the poster above -- masturbation doens't cause acne. If anything, it's stress relieving and therefore lowers cortisol and makes you feel happy.

Some of you may remember me as one of the strongest advocates for this methid and the dude who left the site based on my success of achieving "normal, teenage looking" pimples instead of big pustules..my skin was 95% clear due to jus water and olive oil at one point - though it was only for a month.

 

I got off my topical (benzamycin) in May of 2008. I had perfectly clear skin from the topical but I just wanted to see if I could cure myself naturally. And I was succesfful. Partially. From May - July and November - December, I had wonderful skin. Unfortunetly, those were the only pimple free months for me. Since (and between) then, I have consistently and constantly battled with breakouts, seemingly for no reason. Nowdays, I'll come back from work and there will be 3 new pustules (not even pimples!) waiting for me. Whereas I used to only get pimples on my cheek area before, I'm currently breaking out in my "upper cheek" level, which traditionally used to only happen once every 3-4 months for me. On top of that, I'm just starting a new job and have to deal with people everyday, so my skin being bad (and I'm talkin BAD) consistently is not something I can tolerate, simply because I wont be able to be myself (I'm pretty outgoing but get super self-conscious), and people feed off that energy by using my sudden passiveness to thier advantage.

 

So, I officially gave up using nothing on my face today. I had been previously only using olive oil and nothing else. It wrked in november and december but then everything seemed to go downhill. I cant figure out what it is. Masterbation, maybe? My sleeping patterns are a little better now, but I still breakout. I eat good foods, mostly meat, and I have plenty of vegetables (broccoli, carrots) everyday. I always drink lemon juice in the mornings, swallow a clove of garlic a day and take spoonfuls of coconut oil with my meals. None of these are bad for you, so I don't expect any of them to have a negative impact on my skin. Basically, I've given up. The lemon/carrot/garlic/broccoli thing is something I've only been doing for about a week for, at most, and its made my skin GLOW, but what is a glow when thers pustules popping out of it?

 

At the moment, I have 6 big pustles on my skin. On average, I used to usually only get one with a couple of little manageable ones, so I'm really not sure what is triggering all this for me.

 

Simply put, I have resorted back to benzamycin. Once (if) I am clear again, I'll tone it down to every other day, but its quite obvious I still need it. I tried using no topicals for 8+ months...and though 2 of those months were relatively pimple free, there were always pimples, whereas when I was on benzamycin I didnt worry as much. Im not sure if I'll ever be completely clear again like I was the last time I was on benzamycin, but I just want to say going completely natural has been an awesome experience. Yes, the pimples are still there, but the amount of internal cleansing I am incorporating into my diet will come back to me positively one way or another.

 

I HATE losing, and I hate taking topicals to clear my skin up, but in 2009, especially when you're 20 years old, experimenting with your face while you're trying to deal with people looking at you from REALLY REALLY upclose really shakes your confidence. I think I gave the experiment a GREAT dfeal of time to work (8+ months). Unfortunetly, its not my time at the moment.

 

Like I said, I'm still doing massive internal cleansing (acne is an INTERNAL problem, not an external one) because that is how I can stay PERMANENTLY clear, but for the time being, I am sad to report that I will be using benzamycin again.

 

P.S - It is also my birthday, and I am celebrating it by going to wor with huge pustules on my face and making a "return post" to acne.org.

 

This is not to discourage you...I would reccomend ALL of you to stic to it and try it...but if your acne is still bad after 4-5 solid months, and the results are inconsistent, then maybe a topical is necessary HOWEVER! That doesnt mean you need to overload your face with topicals.

 

ONE should be enough, and just once a night should suffice. Why some of you put medicine on your face everyday and every night is beyond me.

 

Good luck with your trials and I'm sorry that I couldn't have a more uplifting post. My last post before this one on this topic was much more optimistic tho, so you can chec that out.

 

Peace guys.

With this and what Karma89 has had to say, I think I can definitely agree. The first week I used this regimen, my face improved DRASTICALLY. But this was because I did let it heal from all the crap and overwashing, etc. that I was putting on it. But after a week or so, it started coming back because yeah, you do realize acne is more so an internal problem. I think what again, I realized from this forum and everyones results, is how important it is to remember not to overwash/treat/or strip your face from the natural oils and healing process it has to begin with. Work with your body, not against it. But as with Karma, I'm not really against trying things internally, or trying one product on your face.. etc.. everyones different, you just have to do with what you can or deal with what you can handle as a person yourself... This whole "DO NO LET WATER TOUCH YOUR FACE WHATSOEVER" is kind of silly... Every day, dirt, dust, chemicals, pollution, gets on our skin.. you HAVE to wash it sooner or later..

yeh karma and kate. Im thinking the exact same thing, Same thing happened to me to clear the first little bit on this regimen then down hill. I honestly think you need to cleanse now just with something light, like cetaphil which is ph balanced.

Im going back to washing my face Once a day with Water and once a day with cetaphil Ph balanced cleanser or Dermalogica Cleanser and then maybe use a scrub once a week to remove dead skin.

And now instead of scrubbing my skin like i used to just massage it softly.

I've been doing this regimen for exactly 2 weeks now. My main issue when starting was the fact that my T-zone is super oily. Just my nose and lower forehead, really, whereas my cheeks and chin tended to be a bit dry and flakey. I have a moderate amount of acne, but a lot of it was self-inflicted since I used to pick at my face for hours. Since I've started doing my best to stop picking, my acne is getting better, but the oiliness is still there, especially on my nose. My pores always have a glistening bead of sebum sitting right on top of the skin.

So I've started doing the no-wash method, and it seemed to be helping. Instead of not letting anything touch my face, though, I do splash my face with water morning and night, pat dry, and leave it. I really don't see the harm in this, because when I had clear skin as a teenager I definitely got my face wet whenever I took a shower, I just didn't wash it. Anyway.

For the first couple of days my skin felt tight, but no flaking, and then it started to flake pretty badly. A bit into the first week I noticed that my nose and forehead both looked pretty matte, and weren't very oily at all, which cheered me quite a bit. Now, I figured, I just had the flaking to deal with.

But in the last day or two, I've been waking up again with the oily nose and forehead, whereas the flaking has definitely decreased. Has anyone else experienced a drying up of oil, and then it coming back? Will it go away again?

I will definitely keep this up because I'm tired of being a slave to my cleansing routine, but I am getting a bit downhearted. Maybe I should wait until I'm past the 3 week mark to really start to worry? Or does anyone think that this is due to me using just water on my face? I suppose I might have to give the whole "no water even" thing a try?

I followed this regimen for about a week or 2. However, due to my severely dry skin in winter I just couldn't continue it, although I didn't breakout more, the dry/dead/flaky skin just got too intense and I NEED a moisturizer. I don't see my natural oils coming back quickly enough to protect me in this cold weather, I gotta wait.

If you generally suffer from dry skin, I don't see how this regimen can work in places that are extremely dry and cold in the winter. In spring/summer I can see this working, or in areas that are generally more humid. I'll probably stop using anything at all once the warmer, more humid weather comes. New York winters can suck.

For now I've been using water only to wash only at NIGHT, and moisturizing with jojoba oil/vitamin E(dermaE brand, has both oils in 1) day and night. What I've found is that my skin tone looks a lot better and I haven't really broken out except for 1 pustule but it was from eating badly I think. Other than that I just have marks that are healing, and seem to be healing well without cleansing/washing much. Jojoba oil and Vitamin E also help to retain some moisture, improve texture and tone and improve skin elasticity. They've helped a lot, although I'm still not where I wanna be in terms of skin tone or moisture yet.

I feel the water-only and moisturizer method actually works pretty well, especially with jojoba oil since it actually cleanses pores AND moisturizes. I feel a cleanser just isn't needed unless you need to remove makeup, however a moisturizer is important in winter, for me atleast. Unfortunately, no matter what I still have dry skin to an extent. I've started to drink a lot more water so hopefully that helps. Generally though, I don't see this working for people with dry skin in the winter. Going outside with already damaged/dried/stripped skin from previous regimens will just make the skin even worse if you go out unprotected. I hate to have to use anything but it's simply for the reason to give a barrier to my skin from the cold wind. I'll definitely give this regimen complete commitment once it's nicer out though, my skin is never dry in the warmer seasons.

so the caveman regimen is just washing you're face with water right nothing more?the stuff im using is drying my skin but im using cetaphil soap is says it for dry sensitive skin and moisturizes.you think if i stop using this my flaky skin will stop and just wash my face off with water?i always thought you had to wash the face off with somethimes when treating it with acne products?with if you're sweating after a workout still wash you're face off with water guys?

Hey guys how ya doing im new here but i have been reading all of your posts about this method for some time. I am 24m and have had acne since i was 14 and have gone through many many diff meds. For the past 7 years i have been using bp and through a lot of experimenting and observation have come to the conclusion that the bp in fact is somewhat of a cause of most of my acne (especially when i got a cyst). So one day i decided enough is enough after reading about this caveman method. I was just so sick of putting crap on face everyday for years and could see that it was giving me a more pale then normal complection and destroying my face altogether.

I am now on day 37 of the regimen and so far so good. I have gotten more color to my face and when i do get a pimple its gone within a day or two. I haven't had a cyst since i started the regimen(knocks on wood) and i am hoping this will be my answer to clear worry free skin.

My big problem right now as many of you on this regimen have experienced is the dry dead skin mask that is now all over my face. It was not really bad for me(the dead skin that is) up until a week ago. One morning i woke up and it was just there. Its very uncomfortable and i always just have the urge to just rub it totally off but i keep fighting myself to stay on the regimen. I use an electric razor and after using it my face is just full of flakes. after i shave i pat my face down with a damp washcloth to kinda hide and blend the dead skin to my face.

The question i have for you guys who are farther into this regimen than me is when does this dead skin mask subside and when can i start washing my face again? Honestly i think this dead skin mask is almost more uncomfortable then having the few pimples that i would have on my face in the past(my acne was mild).

No matter what i will continue the regimen and hope for success cause i am absolutely not going back to putting bp all over my face again and i refuse to take antibiotics or anything like that.

Thanks for reading guys i hope this regimen works out for all of you. Please let me know about the dead skin mask issue, i cant take it anymore!

@RatsOff

Even though you are even farther out than me in the regimen, I want to give you my thoughts.

The dead skin will eventually be gone in time, we know it is not normal but it is the way our skin recovers from damage. If you stop for a while and think that you have been damaging your skin for the last 7 or so years of using topicals and all that, then why would your face recover in just a week or a month or two?

Another thing you might want to realize is that if the dead skin is there forever then the people who did this years ago must have still been lingering here with a report of having dead skin for the rest of their life which is something that didn't happen so far.

Hold on dude, isn't the acne-worry-free life much better compared to when you are still using topicals?

Btw, in my case, what I did is wash my face when I see that there is too much buildup of dirt on my face that usually happens in two-three weeks time. I simply wet my face until the dead skin is soft to be easily scraped off by my finger nails gently.

I know it takes time to heal but i hope its gone within the next month because me and a few friends are going to Florida to visit my parents in march. I don't think i should wash it off though because when i look in the mirror i can tell that under the dead skin is red damaged skin that is healing. If i did wash it off now my face would prob look absolutely terrible.

I know it takes time to heal but i hope its gone within the next month because me and a few friends are going to Florida to visit my parents in march. I don't think i should wash it off though because when i look in the mirror i can tell that under the dead skin is red damaged skin that is healing. If i did wash it off now my face would prob look absolutely terrible.

yes, I definitely recommend not washing it off. My significant other came for a visit this weekend so I gently exfoliated it off in the shower with a baby brush + cetaphil and my skin was so red underneath, some places even slightly tender. I wish now I had just left it on. It can be difficult--especially having to be in school or at a professional environment like a job or when you're expecting to "be" with someone, but in the long run I believe it'll be so much better to just leave it be until it naturally removes itself. I can tell the areas that were healing, skin isn't bumpy in those areas just red. My only problem is with being a diabetic I'm expecting a much longer time than normal for everything to fully heal and the dead skin/flakes to remove themselves

I have been on this regimen before, i had to stop it, i didnt put water on my face for 2 weeks. It worked decently but not as well as my new regimen. Just water for me is so much beter, If this is not working for u, dont think it is the cure to acne, try something else. What i do is take a shower only after exercises. Exercising and showernig after is soooo important its helping so much, im almost all clear Ill be outa this forum soon. When im done ill post my regimen.

Anyway my point in this post is. If you realize its not working, dont let everyones positive comments change ur mind. It might not be that great for you guys. SHOWER UP, its what normal non acne ppl do.., and there is no proof that not washing heals ur acne.

Day 30 or so....

I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I've tried everything under the sun except for accutane and I still have terrible acne. I look awful.

This regimen has not worked for me at all. I seriously thought that this was the answer and it's not. The crazy thing is, no one else has had the same experience as me. Everyone else gets better with time but at the cost of flaky skin. I'm not flaky at all! I just have way more acne that I started with! Every day has literally been worse. I walk around school, work, and everywhere else and see nothing but people with beautiful clear skin. I'm going crazy.

I've spent so much money and time trying to get rid of this shit and I just can't. I just don't know what to do anymore.

This forum is like a double-edged sword. It's really great to have a community of people dedicated to curing acne but at the same I feel like if I'm not on here trying to find a cure than I'm wasting my time.

Here's the thing: No one really knows anything!!! Some people know what works for them but everyone is so drastically different that it doesn't seem to matter. I've tried so many things for so long and nothing has worked. Dieting, exercising, losing weight, gaining weight, antibiotics, every supplement you can think of, and SO MANY FREAKING TOPICALS I don't even want to think about.

Acne has wrecked my self-confidence and life for so many years!!!! When I think about the man I could have been I get sick.

What should I do? I'm losing my mind.

im just curious, what types of diets have you tried and for how long??

Day 30 or so....

 

I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I've tried everything under the sun except for accutane and I still have terrible acne. I look awful.

 

This regimen has not worked for me at all. I seriously thought that this was the answer and it's not. The crazy thing is, no one else has had the same experience as me. Everyone else gets better with time but at the cost of flaky skin. I'm not flaky at all! I just have way more acne that I started with! Every day has literally been worse. I walk around school, work, and everywhere else and see nothing but people with beautiful clear skin. I'm going crazy.

 

I've spent so much money and time trying to get rid of this shit and I just can't. I just don't know what to do anymore.

 

This forum is like a double-edged sword. It's really great to have a community of people dedicated to curing acne but at the same I feel like if I'm not on here trying to find a cure than I'm wasting my time.

 

Here's the thing: No one really knows anything!!! Some people know what works for them but everyone is so drastically different that it doesn't seem to matter. I've tried so many things for so long and nothing has worked. Dieting, exercising, losing weight, gaining weight, antibiotics, every supplement you can think of, and SO MANY FREAKING TOPICALS I don't even want to think about.

 

Acne has wrecked my self-confidence and life for so many years!!!! When I think about the man I could have been I get sick.

 

What should I do? I'm losing my mind.

What worked for me is eating better as well as the caveman regimen. I stopped eating fatty and sugary foods and dairy, i now know exactly what foods will cause me more acne it just takes some research. I stopped using topicals altogether and it got better in less than a week. I know it can be really frustrating but I might get 1 zit a week since I started eating better and using nothing but water on my face.

I've tried not eating dairy, sugar, gluten, carbs, and fats in different combinations for close to two years. I also tried the Perricone diet which broke me out terribly (I think it was the hazelnuts but who knows?)

I've always thought that diet was the cause or at least a major contributor but I'm always told by my dermatologist and my family doctor like everyone else that "diet doesn't cause acne" when I ask them about it. Whatever. They don't KNOW that. How could they? Regardless, I've also tried high protein diets, high fat diets, and diets rich in fruts and vegetables. I've seriously taken dieting to the extreme and seen minimal benefits. I still believe its related though. Acne is internal right? How else can we control what goes on internally except to control what goes in our bodies? But I apparently don't know anything because I still have acne.

My face has so much dead skin on it now.

I don't have much active acne and what i got during my lack of washing wasn't that bad. So i would say this is working quite well.

Not sure how i will remove the dead skin. I might just lightly rub it off with my fingers as gently as possible.

update day 41.

Ok so i had to shave today and after shaving there was a ton of flaking where my beard was so i got a damp paper towel and tried wiping it away. The result of this was a bunch of just caked up dead skin which i decided to remove. after this i decided i might as well just gently run my face under cold water in the shower because i have not washed my face in 3 weeks.

Now my face feels very irritated and its very blotchy. In the upper part of my face where i don't shave there is a ton of caked up dead skin and it was very white after the shower. I wish i could of just left my beard area the way it was but that's impossible, im 24 and i grow a beard very fast (within 3 to 4 days) and after shaving the dead skin looks really bad.

Im crossing my fingers, hoping things will get better

My face has so much dead skin on it now.

 

I don't have much active acne and what i got during my lack of washing wasn't that bad. So i would say this is working quite well.

 

Not sure how i will remove the dead skin. I might just lightly rub it off with my fingers as gently as possible.

With my experience, the flakes of dead skin falls on their own. If I find dead skin flake on my face that is loose I just brush it off but if it is still attached to my skin in any way then I leave it be.

update day 41.

 

Ok so i had to shave today and after shaving there was a ton of flaking where my beard was so i got a damp paper towel and tried wiping it away. The result of this was a bunch of just caked up dead skin which i decided to remove. after this i decided i might as well just gently run my face under cold water in the shower because i have not washed my face in 3 weeks.

 

Now my face feels very irritated and its very blotchy. In the upper part of my face where i don't shave there is a ton of caked up dead skin and it was very white after the shower. I wish i could of just left my beard area the way it was but that's impossible, im 24 and i grow a beard very fast (within 3 to 4 days) and after shaving the dead skin looks really bad.

 

Im crossing my fingers, hoping things will get better

Wow, this was my dilemma regarding shaving. And we also have the same growth rate of beard. I tried shaving using water only as lubricant but things didn't went well. The dead skin became very noticeable and so I decided to exfoliate that part off. After exfoliating the difference in skin tone is very obvious as if I'm wearing a mask so I exfoliated all my face! This is the biggest mistake so far that I did on this regimen. It did reveal healthier smooth skin below but it is not yet healed enough to be exposed. Argh, I wish I can turn time back. I also got that irritated and blotchy problem after I shaved.

Anyway, what I did with shaving is to not use any lubricant at all! I know this is crazy but it worked for me. No water, cream or gel, nothing at all. I simply wet my razor blade then went for it doing as gently as I can. I didn't experience any irritation at all! And this way I can keep the dead skin mask on my face.

Though it feels weird at first and it takes longer time since you gotta be careful. Good luck to all!

update day 41.

 

Ok so i had to shave today and after shaving there was a ton of flaking where my beard was so i got a damp paper towel and tried wiping it away. The result of this was a bunch of just caked up dead skin which i decided to remove. after this i decided i might as well just gently run my face under cold water in the shower because i have not washed my face in 3 weeks.

 

Now my face feels very irritated and its very blotchy. In the upper part of my face where i don't shave there is a ton of caked up dead skin and it was very white after the shower. I wish i could of just left my beard area the way it was but that's impossible, im 24 and i grow a beard very fast (within 3 to 4 days) and after shaving the dead skin looks really bad.

 

Im crossing my fingers, hoping things will get better

I have the same thing happen to me after I take a shower (I let water run over my face if it feels dirty enough.) The main thing I've found is to NOT remove this. I removed that white, dead skin, mask once. The next day my skin seemed great, then the next day I had a horrible breakout and it was as if I was back to square one.

This is what I do now. It seems to be ideal:

1) When you get out of the shower, very gently pat your face dry with a towel or your hands (if they're dry.)

2) Then run your hands under water, turn the water off, shake your hands so there's only a little water on them, and pat your face gently. Do this as many times as you need to cover your whole face. But, make sure it's not very wet, just a tiny bit.

3) Then go about doing whatever you need to and let your face air dry.

4) After a while, go back to the mirror and see if the layer of skin is still obvious.

5) If it is, repeat steps 2 -4 as necessary. If not, then just let it be and continue with whatever you need to do.

*I've found that after a shower I may need to repeat steps 2-4 quite a few times for it to work well.

*For just general flakiness I do the same thing, but I usually only have to do it once. Also, only put the water on the flaky part of your face. You can try this after you shave too. It might help.

*The main thing to remember is to do this only if you are going out or something. Otherwise, try to let your skin replenish the natural oils. Though, after a shower, I usually do this at least once even if Iam not going out, because running your face under water can be very drying.

there's no possible way i can do that with the water. I wash my entire face maybe once every 1 to 2 weeks because it dry's my face out so bad. If i dabbed water on like that my face would be a total dry wreck.

What i have done today on the spots that are really bad with dead skin, i put a dab of cetaphil moisturizer and i don't rub it in i just let it soak into the skin. Now the only reason i am doing this is because i have to go out tonight because a few of my friends bands are playing at a local bar and i gotta show support.

So far so good, the flaky skin is a lil less noticeable

One thing i would like to ask those of you who are at least 30 days into this regimen is; Does your dry skin look very scaly?? and does the dry scaly skin have the same color of your normal skin (not like white flakes). I have never had dry skin like this before, it kinda looks like i have some sort of skin disease.

another thing to add. Yesterday i used a toothbrush to gently rub off a tiny section(maybe the size of a penny) where the dead skin was built up. After i cleared it away the skin underneath was very red. I WAS gonna rub off my entire face but tested this spot out to see what my skin underneath was like. I am so happy i did this because if i did rub my entire face off i would look like a lobster.

The section that i did rub away has almost returned to its natural color, i think maybe it just needed a little bit of air being that its been covered by dead skin for 2 and a half weeks. Same thing when you break an arm and get a cast. When they take the cast off your skin is all red, dead, and nasty looking. After a few days of being exposed to oxygen it starts to regain its natural color and look.

Ok.. back to report...

Snow.. you are 100% right darling, I swear!

I haven't been on in about two weeks.. I've been busy, sorry!!

I want to report that I have stopped caring about my acne.. I sometimes dont even wash my face before bed even with alittle makeup powder on...

I dont look in the mirror constantly, I stop picking, I don't use witch hazel, take vitamins just for my skin.. or bombard my face with all that topical stuff!!

I haven't had a very bad breakout since. Of course I've had my ocasional zit here and there.. but my overall complexion has improved.

Besides from tanning... thats all I've changed.

I do realize that me working the night shift and not having a regular sleep pattern has been the #1 main cause for my acne.. this is something I strongly recommend you check with your own habbits...

But otherwise... Snow is the man and knows what hes talking about

Haha!! It's a fleeting feeling to be free from routine regimens of slathering things onto your face. I simply forget that I have acne!