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Regimen Has Failed, What Now?

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(@yisek)

Posted : 04/16/2013 6:14 am

 

Been on Regimen for 4 months now after having acne for 8 years. After the 3 month mark I found that the moisturiser was making my skin significantly worse, so as a few people suggested on another thread, I discontinued the use of the moisturiser. What I found was that my skin was not reacting to the BP at all (it was not flaking at all), so I went and purchased 10% BP from a local drug store. Even with 1.5 finger lengths of 10% BP, my skin remains slightly oily as if I had not put anything on it. My unique problem is likely due to the fact that I have been using BP twice per day topically for 8 years now. It was as if my skin has a complete resistance to BP, making the regimen completely ineffective.

 

I should also note that the regimen did work for the first month I was on it, my skin was very flaky, but improving significantly. It then levelled off and returned to its initial state within 2 weeks, with no reduction in severity or acne count. Additionally, the reason I tried 10% BP is because my skin only improves when it is peeling significantly, which a higher concentration of BP should encourage. I have followed every step of the regimen very closely, I know for a fact that I am doing it correctly, while substituting for 10% BP and no moisturiser.

 

I no longer have access to a doctor or dermatologist, so I cannot get any prescription medication, and I certainly do not have access to accutane. The regimen was my last hope and it seems to have failed me.

 

What can I do about this?

Edit: Something else I've noticed, the Cleanser does noticeably dry my skin out, yet the BP acts in such a way that it will actually re-moisturise my skin.

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MemberMember
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(@mfxfitness)

Posted : 04/16/2013 10:56 am

Hello.. First, sorry if you aren't receiving the desired results from the regimen. May I ask, how do you perform the regimen? Please give me a step by step run down of how you apply the regimen. It can help us to better under what, if anything, has gone wrong for you. We are here to help you as best as we can. :)

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MemberMember
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(@yisek)

Posted : 04/16/2013 1:33 pm

Hello.. First, sorry if you aren't receiving the desired results from the regimen. May I ask, how do you perform the regimen? Please give me a step by step run down of how you apply the regimen. It can help us to better under what, if anything, has gone wrong for you. We are here to help you as best as we can. smile.png

  1. Wash hands thoroughly
  2. I'll get my skin wet either by splashing water onto it at a sink or letting it get wet via shower: I always end my shower with the cleanser (I shower daily)
  3. Lather 2 pumps of cleanser and very gently rub skin with it for 10 seconds, my hands are hardly touching my skin at this point
  4. Wash the cleanser away by splashing water onto my face
  5. I'll place a towel on my face for a few seconds to let it dry my skin
  6. After 15 minutes I'll wash my hands thoroughly again (my skin is feeling dry at this point), and I'll put about half a finger length of 10% BP on my finger
  7. Then I'll apply the BP to my forehead, still hardly touching my skin at all (The BP is always absorbed within 3 minutes)
  8. Then I'll use the same half finger length of BP on both cheeks

When I shave, I'll follow this same process, but I'll use 3 pumps of cleanser, lather it into my beard, shave with a 2 blade razor, splash any remaining cleanser away, and then wash the areas of my face not previously coated in cleanser with cleanser. I shave in the shower.

My skin is completely moisturised by the BP - I found this to be the case with both Dan's BP and the Clearasil 10% BP I'm using now. I can go about my day without ever having to worry about dry or flaky skin even though I should be seeing these results after nearly 3 weeks of 10% BP.

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MemberMember
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(@mfxfitness)

Posted : 04/16/2013 2:53 pm

Ok... I did notice a few things that may be getting in the way of you achieving the results you'd like with regard to the regimen. Here are my suggestions, hopefully they will work... smile.png

1. Usually, you only need one pump of cleanser to thoroughly cleanse your skin. I find that anymore cleanser dries me out, thus causing irritation

2. Don't use towels to dry your hands between application steps, please use paper towels, as they are more sanitary.

3. You may want to switch cleansers. Believe it or not, Dan's cleanser made my skin worse, not better. Once I switched to Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, my skin was vibrant and wasn't as dry. You may want to consider Cetaphil's Normal Cleanser for Normal to Oily skin since you tend to have oily skin. I use that one in the summer when my skin is oily.

4. Try air drying your face after cleansing. If you do use anything to dry your skin, I suggest using a paper towel. I feel towels tend to irritate your skin from bacteria and detergents.

5. Wait only 5 minutes between cleansing and BP application. Waiting 15 minutes between steps 1 and 2 can cause your skin to overdry, thus causing irritation.

6. Moisture, moisture, moisture. I know it sounds counterintuitive with oily skin, but trust me, it's an essential part of the regimen. Many of us acne sufferers may believe we have oily skin, when in fact, your skin is just overcompensating for lack of moisture by producing more oil than is necessary; hence oily skin. If Dan's moisturizer irritates your skin, try Cetaphil. It's the only moisturizer that compares to Dan's in quality and consistency.

7. When you shave, be sure to follow Dan's instructions to the T. I'm not a man but Dan has been doing this for over 20 years, he's an expert and I'm sure he wouldn't steer you wrong regarding the optimal means of shaving facial hair.

PS. Please consider switching back to 2.5% BP. I know you've used BP for over 8 years but 10% strength is no better than 2.5% and it also minimizes irritation. You may not realize it but you could be causing unnecessary irritation by using BP higher than 2.5%, waiting too long between application steps, over washing, and using towels that contain bacteria. I know it may sound strange but it's best to err on the side of caution, to be sure you're doing your best to follow each step of the regimen.

Try these suggestions out for a month and see if your acne does improve. If you begin to notice that you are breaking out less and the severity of the breakouts has subsided, than you are headed in the right direction. If not, you know that the regimen is a wash and you'll have to find other avenues to help with your acne. At this point you have nothing to lose and beautiful skin to gain. Take care and keep us up to date on your progress... smile.png

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