Acne.org Products
Hello! Thank you for reading and coming to my rescue!
I have been using the Regimen for about 1.5 years now and I had never been able to get good skin! Until about August of 2015. I had always had a pimple here and there a which I would pick to a scab but I finally stopped picking and when I did I finally had nailed the regimen and got it perfectly everytime and my skin was perfectly clear for about 2 months but towards the end of Octbober I started to form a really bad rash around my mouth. It would extend from the corners of my nostrils down and around under my lower lip and back up again. It came on suddenly and appeared with no reason! I didn't change anything about the regimen and had no external stimulus (such as wearing a mask of some sort) that would have caused this. Well I went to the dermatologist and she said it was due to an irritation from long term benzoyl peroxide use. So she prescribed me a topical steroid that works really well. Been using it for about 3 months now and not only has it reversed my rash, but now it has made the skin around my mouth noticeably pale. My face is slightly red due to the Benzoyl Peroxide so the paleness stood out a lot. So I stopped the steroid but in 2 days the red rash came back!!! So recently I made a decision to ultimately stop the Benzoyl Peroxide and see if maybe the regimen was doing a little more harm than good. First week went really well, normal colored skin, no rash, no acne, just a little more oily than usual but I assume it was from the sudden stop of Benzoyl Peroxide. Well today marks the 9th day off the regimen and I broke out like crazy. Everywhere on my face and it's just an oily broken out mess.
I am an EMT and you can bet I care about my interactions with doctors and patients and I can't do my job with confidence if I'm covered in blemishes.
I want to go back to the regimen but it's really becoming a burden to spend so much time on my face when I would just like to live my life.
Let me know what you guys think I should do and if you have any products that have worked for you I would appreciate the suggestions.
About me:
19y/o Male
Acne is usually White Heads and Black Heads
Oftenly Workout
Stressfull Job
typically oily and sensitive skin
Hi sprovencio,
It is perfectly normal that your skin is breaking out after quitting a long-term benzoyl peroxide application. In my experience it is one of the most difficult topical acne treatments to quit! But similarly to your experience I had used BP for around a year when I suddenly began experiencing rashes and hives on my skin. It was as though my skin had suddenly developed a reaction.
This can be an upsetting experience and seem confusing when your skin has responded well to BP for so long, but it is natural for our skin to change and become intolerant to certain things, especially serious chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide.
The location of your rash sounds typical of some sort of skin irritation like psoriasis or eczema. Both of which will be aggravated by BP use. I would recommend that you do not rely too heavily on persistent use of a steroid cream, especially on the delicate skin on your Steroid creams, though very effective in the quick clearing up of rashes, thin the skin over time which may lead to further issues.
My personal advice for you would be to go back on the BP for the moment, to calm your breakout, and try to wean your skin off gradually rather than quitting cold turkey. Try to use the BP once every other night, then once every three nights, once a week etc. until you feel more comfortable. I would also recommend some research into a good, gentle skin care regimen. Your skin is probably very irritated from the use of BP. Could you tell me what your skin care routine looks like at the moment?
Thanks,
J
J,
Thanks for replying! I see what you're saying and totally understand how my skin might be a little "upset" right now.
My regimen is washing twice a day with CeraVe Sensitive Skin Cleanser (no more than 10 secs, not rubbing, etc. per dan's suggestions), and then I usually would use the Acne.org Treatment 15 minutes after my face had been dried, but now I have omitted the BP and go straight to the moisturizer after 15 minutes of drying. In the mornings I apply CeraVe Moisturizing Cream because it has a really deep moisture effect for my skin and dries flat, not all shiny. At night I use the Acne.org moisturizer with Jojoba Oil to get a deeper moisturizing. I don't pick at my skin too much anymore and I don't wear hats that often. I do get pretty sweaty with my job so I usually dab the oils off my face half way through the day.
Let me know if you have any suggestions, I'm definitely open to trying right now!
Hey sprovencio,
No problem! Your skincare routine sounds gentle, and I am hesitant to recommend anything drastically different if you feel that this cleanser and moisturiser have been working for your skin in the past. I have a few more questions for you if that's okay.
Would you describe your skin type as oily? And also what is your diet like? Do you have any food allergies or intolerances? Do you drink a lot of water?
I know these seem like boring questions but they are quite important! Also I apologise for my late response, for some reason I didn't get a notification. Have you started using the BP again since Friday or have you decided to continue quitting cold turkey?