Hi.

I'm a 34 male and just finished my 8th round of Accutane. My acne was the type where you would have red pustules that appeared in clusters all over the face, and while they would start to heal after 3-4 days, several others would appear on a different region of my face. However, it would clear within a week after starting Accutane, and I had amazing skin. However, the acne would return within a months time after my last dosage.

I'm tired of taking this medication, and need to find a system that works. I'm sure lifestyle changes can help, but I don't know where to begin; I use fresh face towels daily, I never touch my skin, i never scrub my skin, I try to reduce my sugar intake, wash my pillow cases weekly and I wear sunscreen daily. However, my skin is very oily, and I'm sure that contributes greatly to it.

I tried Murad this past fall/early winter, and while it initially helped clear my complexion, the acne did return (not as bad as how it was pre Muard). In the past I have tried Proactive (6+ years ago), and it helped for a year or so, but the acne became too much to manage, so I started a 3+ year treatment with Accutane (with breaks in between).

My face is fine right now, but I'm noticing an increase in oily skin, so it's only a matter of time before I see the acne return.

I've read a lot about Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic acid, and they only seem to address one part of the issue with acne; Benzoyl Peroxide kills acne bacteria, but does not aid in helping your skins regeneration cycle, while Salicylic acid helps stimulate and improve the regeneration cycle, but does not kill acne bacteria. Seeing as my skin is very oily, I would think incorpoarting Salyclic acid into a regime would be beneficial. I know this may cause skin iritation for some, But I was using Murad and over the counter 5% Benzoyl periocide (as a spot treatment), and it helped clear the acne fast but didn't help prevent new ones from coming up.

Proactive stopped working well for me over time, which is why I went to Accutane (The bleached clothing and towels - even when I tried to wash it off my hands well didn't help either). The acne regime sounds interesting, but I'm worried it will not work well over time as pro active did, and it doesn't seem to address the issue with poor cell regeneration which seems to be the cause of Acne in the first place.

Have others incorporated other products into the regime to make it more effective? Or is the cleanser effective enough to clean the face without the need to incorporate an ingredient like Salicylic acid? I was considering using the Murard Cleanser day and night, and use just the Acne Regime Benzoyl Peroxide during the day; my Cetafile moisturizer works great for me already and I don't want to bleach my bed sheets.