Hi guys,
I'm almost done with week 2 of the regimen and my skin looks great from a distance, but HORRIBLE close up. I've hardly broken out at all since I started. I've had these papules on the cheek area below my eyes for YEARS and they disappeared!! I've hardly had any new acne at all since I started
BUT....my skin is DRYYYY. Red (sort of due to windburn cuz its so cold), peeling and flaking like CRAZY. My face feels dry and scaly. And nothing I do seems to make it better! I will put moisturizer on three times in a row in the morning and my face will still feel the same afterwards. I typically apply moisturizer about ~5 times a day but it doesn't seem do be doing anything at all. In fact, it's making my skin burn like crazy. I have been using a pea-sized amount of bp twice a day. I am going to cut it down to once a day and see if that helps my skin get less dry.
So, my questions are these: 1) Has your skin 'bounced back' after getting used to the bp or are you still struggling with dryness?
and 2,
are there any alternative lotions that people have found to me more moisturizing than the regimen's? I have used Cetaphil in the past, but it always broke me out like crazy. Really, any moisturizer that's supposed to be 'gentle.' Maybe the bp would create a buffer. I don't know. HELP ???
Hey maggieb93!
The dryness is still completely normal near the end of week 2. Everyone is different of course, but the dryness can stick around anywhere from a week to a few. As long as the dryness isn't unbareable, just keep powering through and within another week or 2 you should find the dryness gradually going away. If you're finding it too hard to deal with at the moment, you can definitely consider scaling back on your applications for a few days until your skin adjusts and then slowly ramp it back up again. Do whatever you feel is most comfortable, but yes the dryness is definitely still normal at that stage! It really tests your patience
I am just starting back on BP again (a couple days into week 2) and despite using BP for 10+ years in the past, my skin is dry again and having to reacquaint itself. As long as you're using a good moisturizer and didn't start too quickly, the dryness will go away with some time.
As for moisturizers, I personally like Neutrogena's Sensitive Skin moisturizer, but again everyone is different and I find moisturizers to be the most difficult when looking for the perfect match for your skin. This list: http://www.acne.org/supplies-guide.inc.html can be helpful, and checking out the other product reviews on the site to see what others have liked.
Hang in there though! The first few weeks are not fun, but the results make it well worth the wait.