Acne.org Products
Does anyone know if I could use the night cream under stievamycin(erythromycin + tretinoin)?
As far as I know, stievamycin should be used on clean skin with no products on it about 10-20 minutes after washing to allow for trace water to evaporate. At least those are the instructions I recall from having used it as a teenager. The reason, I believe, is because of the tretinoin as I also used a tretinoin cream 2 years ago and was advised again to apply to clean, dry skin and if I REALLY needed the hydration, I should wait as long as possible to apply a gentle moisturizer/cream on top. That being said, because I'm an experimenter, in your shoes I would probably apply the night cream over the stievamycin leaving as long of an absorption/drying window as possible. Maybe stievamycin at dinnertime, and night cream before bed.
Anyway back to the original thread. I'm disappointed in myself. Last January I started the Regenerist night cream + BP and saw amazing results in my inflamed acne by May. I was pretty happy with my skin around that time and moved on to trying to treat my PIH and blackheads/clogged pores because I was hardly getting any inflamed spots anymore. Well, I slipped off the regimen, experimented with a few new products and then tried the oil cleansing method because it was supposed to remove the hard gunk out of my pores. WORST IDEA EVER!!!! OCM gave me tiny skin coloured bumps ALL OVER my face. Over the course of June-October-ish these bumps very very very slowly got pushed out as painful cystic acne, 5-6 spots at a time until finally the dozens of bumps were finally purged. It ruined my summer vacation because no makeup applied well over this rash-like broken out skin. It settled down a bit by the end of 2011 and my skin was back to normal (regular texture, a bit of hormonal breakouts) with my Olay cleanser and a gentle non-medicated moisturizer.
I've gone out and replenished my Regenerist products and hope to see the same results as last year, or even better considering my starting point is much less severe than the first time around.
I am sorry I was unfaithful, Olay. I hope we can start over and that you can forgive me for straying. =(
Side note: In case anyone was wondering, I did try the purple night cream, the hydrating day cream (i think it's pink with some spf in it) and also the unscented serum during my stint with the Renerist products. I did not like the day cream as spf in lotions tends to leave me with an icky feeling. The night recovery cream was great until it got to be a little bit too heavy for daytime use under foundation once the weather was warmer. Replacing it with the serum in the daytime was a perfect fix for me, and it felt more hygienic with a pump anyway. I still like to use the purple cream at night though as it keeps my skin nice and hydrated, and I wash it off in the morning. As always I feel these products are great for healing and keeping my skin supple. The BP lotion is a must-have for controlling the actual pimples. Once I'm as clear as I was last year again, I'm considering trying the Olay Pro-X cleansing brush thing with my usual cleanser for the extra exfoliation, to see if that helps with my pores and PIH.
Ta!
I just started up on tazarortene again about 8 weeks ago. I had a difficult dry period & my skin was blotchy & raw looking, but the acne was clearing, so I persevered.
Then I decided to replace my cetaphil moisturizer at night with Oil of Olay Regenerist Night Cream (the purple one). I did this because of the ingredients (see below) & affordability. Well, the past two weeks have shown vast improvement. I have no doubt it's the tazarotene too, but this seems to be the missing piece. My skin is softer, smoother, more even toned, and when I wake up in the morning I have an amazing glow with way less excess oil. The dryness & rawness is GONE also, but the tazarotene is still keeping my acne clear. In the morning I use a light layer of BP + a glycolic acid moisturizer with SPF (see my sig). I just use a little of each product, and the combo is the best I've tried in years. The Oil of Olay Regenerist Night Cream felt like the missing piece. Of course, it's only been a few weeks, so I am still in the infatuation period 
.
Concerning the ingredients of the Oil of Olay Regenerist Night Cream.... the bolded are good for acne as well as anti-aging, & the fact that many are towards the beginning of the ingredient list is a great sign. As mentioned Niaciamide is great for skin, especially acne, and allatoin, panthenol (b5), vitamin e, & green tea are good for acne too. Lavender & arnica have healing benefits as well. This also contains amino acids (the bolded+underlined), which help "rebuild" skin.
A lot of anti-aging ingredients are simply anti-inflammatories, which is what many acne meds amount to also, and they also help to hydrate & strengthen the skin, which can help improve the complexion & deal with the harsh effects of acne meds. So anti-aging products can be a good addition to your regimen, especially as a moisturizer. Just make sure they are non-comedogenic.
I only wish it didn't have fragrance & dyes, but it hasn't irritated my skin at least. I'm not a fanatic when it comes to ingredients; if it's good over all & it works, then I'm not going to sweat a few less than ideal components.
WATER, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, GLYCERIN, POLYETHYLENE, NIACINAMIDE,* DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, DIMETHICONE, STEARYL DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PANTHENOL, PALMITOYL PENTAPEPTIDE-4,§ TOCOPHERYL ACETATE,** LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) FLOWER/LEAF/STEM EXTRACT, ARNICA MONTANA FLOWER EXTRACT, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, ALANINE, ARGININE, BETAINE, GLYCINE, LYSINE, PROLINE, SERINE, THREONINE, GLUTAMIC ACID, SODIUM PCA, SORBITOL, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, SUCROSE POLYCOTTONSEEDATE, ALLANTOIN, PETROLATUM, BIS-PEG/PPG-14/14 DIMETHICONE, CETYL RICINOLEATE, DISODIUM EDTA, PEG-100 STEARATE, PEG- 10 DIMETHICONE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, ETHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, FRAGRANCE, RED 40, BLUE 1.¨¨ *VITAMIN B3 PRO-VITAMIN B5 §AMINO-PEPTIDE **VITAMIN E GREEN TEA
^ No it's NOT bad for teens, IMO, because as mentioned, most "anti-aging" ingredients are really just anti-inflammatory (ie. red pimples are inflamed, so anti-inflammatory stuff helps prevent/heal these), anti-oxidant (prevent & heal skin damage), moisturizing and strengthening ingredients which all benefit acne prone skin too. Even if it doesn't specifically help clear acne, it can improve the over all complexion & combat the drying side effects of acne meds (ie. BP or retin-a).
There are a few ingredients to be careful about....as shown above, some of the Olay products do have fragrance & dyes, & lavender extract can be irritating for some (but is not for most people, especially in small amounts). I've been fine with it so far, and as you see in this thread, most don't seem to find these Olay products irritating.
Other anti-aging products can have moisturizing ingredients which are pore-clogging, so that's something to watch out for also. Still others are overpriced without any effective, active ingredients. Just do a "google check" on the ingredients of the labels of products you're interested in. You can always ask people around here also.
^ No it's NOT bad for teens, IMO, because as mentioned, most "anti-aging" ingredients are really just anti-inflammatory (ie. red pimples are inflamed, so anti-inflammatory stuff helps prevent/heal these), anti-oxidant (prevent & heal skin damage), moisturizing and strengthening ingredients which all benefit acne prone skin too. Even if it doesn't specifically help clear acne, it can improve the over all complexion & combat the drying side effects of acne meds (ie. BP or retin-a).
There are a few ingredients to be careful about....as shown above, some of the Olay products do have fragrance & dyes, & lavender extract can be irritating for some (but is not for most people, especially in small amounts). I've been fine with it so far, and as you see in this thread, most don't seem to find these Olay products irritating.
Other anti-aging products can have moisturizing ingredients which are pore-clogging, so that's something to watch out for also. Still others are overpriced without any effective, active ingredients. Just do a "google check" on the ingredients of the labels of products you're interested in. You can always ask people around here also.
So would you recommend this one?
Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Moisturize Night Resurfacing Elixir
It has an AHA in it along with pro b5.
I need a resurfacing treatment to alternate with retin a. I hate dan's aha and have tried alpha hydrox line as well. I dont want a strong aha either.
Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Palmitoyl Pentapeptide 4 (Amino-Peptide), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (Green Tea), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract (Grape), Allantoin (Comfrey Root), PEG 100 Stearate, Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides
To me something with little ingredients, some goods like glycolic acid and pro b5 would be great. What you think?
I started using it like on thursday of last week and by this week my skin is very smooth. The aha does what its supposed to though i dont imagine it too strong but i still think its better than dan's. If this stuff i had licorice root in it then i would be even more pleased as i think thats what helped fade pih last time i used dans. Though Olay uses vit b3 which can do the same thing and more.
One thing i've noticed is that you pretty much have to use this stuff alone or avoid products that moisturize with silicons/polymers as it doesn't work and just makes the skin tacky as it doesn't absorb. I'm going to stop my neutrogena 3-1 stress control bha gel because i cant use the Night Elixir with it. I've been using it twice a day btw and it works but i just need a light moisturizer/sunscreen to go with and i haven't found one yet.
I'm opting for the micro sculpting serum as well because of the b3 in it which i think helps. I also like the "Lift" it gives my face.
Well, after reading this posting, I decided to spend the $$ and try out the olay. I had used a sample of the definity some time back and it worked wonderfully on the fine lines around my eyes, and I saw results in only a few days. It lasted for some time even after i stopped teh product. So, I had good experience with Olay in the past and decided to go ahead and try it. I dislike the price..wish it had no parabens, color or fragrance. I wrote them and asked them to consider removing the fragrance and color. I like the purple tint and think it's pretty..lol But it doesn't add a thing to the benefits.
So far the cream works great eventhough I do not use it every night. It seemed to help repair my skin (I think I over dried my face and that caused me to break out terribly). I needed a good moisturizer and this was at a store near me. I am using .3% retinol from skinceuticals plus 2.5% BP from oxy clinical (the 8hr cream). I sometimes layer the oxy on then rub a small amount of the moisturizer on top and haven't noticed any adverse reactions.
I will say, do NOT use this under your eyes if you are prone to those little white dot deals. They are not whiteheads, but just white spots, not hard, but can't be popped, etc. I thought this would be great for the lines and under eye circles, but after 2 days..those bumps popped up. The definity never did any such thing, so I am not sure what ingredient in this causes them.
I haven't really noticed any oil reduction, although that was a huge plus for me in deciding to purchase. My skin does feel silky but I attribute that to the silicones in the product. After applying other silicones, I notice my skin appears less oily but when I put on make up without the moisturizer the oil is still there. Perhaps over time this helps, but I am not sure of those saying it reduces oil mean while it it is ON the skin, or they are actually seeing reduction on a clean face. Haven't seen any help yet with the red marks, but it hasn't seemed to cause any acne..so that is good enough for me. lol I am prone to cystic/nodule type blemishes, so if this doesn't bring them on, I consider it it a winner.
Still going to add in a natural and cleaner based moisturizer for day time, though. Might check out the definity (it has been moved to the regenerist line I think) for my eye lines.
I signed up so I could post on this thread. I have just started this regimen and wanted to document my results as I always find it helpful when others do so. I have been using the cleanser and bp for 3 weeks now and just started using the night recovery cream last night. I started in stages as I wanted to make sure I like the initial cleanser before completely committing to all the products as they're expensive (isn't everything in skin care?)
A little about me: I'm 34 and have had terrible skin since I was about 12. It makes me sad just to say that. I used accutane in high school and university and before my wedding...I have always loved accutane! It clears my skin right up, but I went off of it after getting married as I wanted to be off of it for a full 2 years before having kids. After that I used proactiv and the birth control pill (Diane 35) which combined did a pretty good job of keeping me clear. I have been off the bcp since September 2009 and my skin has been pretty sh!tty since then. Proactiv apparently isn't enough for me on it's own.
Right now I have tiny little raised bumps all over my face...some will become red, some will become enflamed white cysts, some will stay flesh colored bumps, but they are ALL OVER! So far the OOR cleanser hasn't done anything to clear me, but I don't think I'm getting as many cysts and the little red ones don't seem to last as long. I am only consistent at using bp at night, so definitely think I have to become better at incorporating this into my morning routine. I am determined to give this regimen a good shot though, as op said it took a few months to see good results. I like the cleanser as much as the proactiv one, so I'm willing to give it a go.
RedWinter,
I'm sorry to hear of your struggles! Because Accutane helped you so much, have you tried adding vitamin A to your diet? You can do so safely with beta carotene, which will convert to the amount of vitamin A your body needs. Green smoothies would be your best bet along with green juices.
Thanks for the info abg...will look into that!
So it's been a month on this regimen and so far it's been...okay. After the first week of incorporating the night cream I wanted to quit...had a lot of cyst-y breakouts and was pretty unhappy, but I persevered and things have improved. For the past 3 weeks I've kind of questioned whether the little bumps all over my face have been getting better or not. I would look at them and think, yes, maybe they are, but not want to come on here and post that, because maybe I was just imagining things. But now, after a month I can definitely say that, yes, they have gotten better. They're not gone, but there's a definite improvement. I would say they're smaller and there are less of them. Yay!
I have started using the bp during my morning routine as well, although not always...if I notice I am dry, I'll cut down to every other day, and if I feel like I've got a few extra spots, then I'll use it both morning and night.
So that's my update, so far so good! Fingers crossed the little bumps (which are kind of like little blackheads now) will just get better and go away!
I have been using the olay rejuvenating face wash well i picked up the equate brand from walmart and the Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream since Wednesday may 16th.My face was so dry an peeling from bp i even had a red rash on my forehead an temples.I used these both with out the bp for 2 nights then used bp but i mixed bp in with the recovery cream then put it on my face and the next morning my face looked so much clearer and clean looking and very strange but not dry at all an the rash was gone.I havent used bp again since Friday night.My daughter is getting married this weekend and I dont want a dry face on that day it makes my make up look awefull but Saturday night after the wedding im gonna start using bp again.I might try it once during this week and see if i seem to be breaking out,I dont want break outs or dry skin for the wedding so its gonna be hard this week.From what ive seen so far this stuff is great for dryness.I only use the face wash at night in the morning i use either cetaphil or gentle clean an clear.I also think cetaphil dries me out but not sure yet.Anyone wanting to try this i say go for it it is a little costly Ive never payed 20.00 for a face cream but I was kinda desperate an my husband had made some extra money an told me to go ahead an buy it.So far its great!!!
Caityln2011,
A lot of people are getting great results with this product. You might also check out other great products at www.beautypedia.com. Also, have you looked at your diet? I believe it's crucial for healthy skin if you're prone to acne--greens especially! Good luck! 
So it's been 2 months for me and things are going really well! The little bumps are almost gone and I feel way more comfortable with myself now. (Before I was constantly trying to bring my hair forward to cover my face).
I'm still getting breakouts of the lovely white cystic variety (boo!) but not as many. I really hope that continued use of these products will get me super clear...I'm not asking for 100%, but I'd love to have a zit-free week every once in a while:)
I think what I need now is a spot treatment, something to help clear up the cysts faster, or prevent them from getting worse when I can tell they're on their way. Any recommendations?
4 months now and I've got similar results to last time. Still some raised bumps, a few zits now and then, but no cysts for a while now! I decided to use my proactiv mask as a spot treatment (because I've got a bazillion of them!!) and it seems to be helping.
I just wish I knew what the remaining little bumps were...I don't even think they're acne because they're just always there. I've also started using the OOR microdermabrasion kit twice a week. I've only done it 3 times though, so will post results on how I like it after another month or so.
I'm very glad that the original poster said that this regimen would take time. That may have always been my problem in the past...i gave up too fast. If I started breaking out I would immediately quit what I was using, but because she had warned that this would take a while, I persevered and I'm very glad I did.
yup i use benzaclin (bp and clindamycin) and the combo works great together but i use the olay cream in the morning as well after i put on my benzaclin and before my makeup. when its warmer out and i am outside a lot i like the olay regenerist day lotion. it works really well too!
ct94,
I think the Regenerist Serum might work just as well? It has the niacinamide as well that many of us think is a big contributing factor in helping. Check out my basic skin care thread--the link is in my signature. It gives basic skin care tips gathered up from several different skin care experts--it's inforamation that works. I would also encourage you to look at your diet. If that sounds hard, just start with green smoothies, which is an easy thing to do and can have dramatic effects on your skin--there's also a link for that in my signature as well. Best of luck.
So what would be the most recommended for red marks in general? I've read good things about all of them in this thread, and I know everybody is different but would like at least a bit of advice here. The night recovery cream sounds great but I'm worried it might be too heavy. I'm leaning more towards the daily regenerating serum, simply because I'm using a serum-moisturiser by neutrogena at the moment and it's helped my breakouts immensely, albeit making slow progress on the marks and scars. I also have worrying fine lines on my forehead- remnants from my retin-A days with barren skin, so I'm ideally looking for one which will help with that too.
Also, if I picked up the serum, would you guys still use regular moisturiser and exfoliate too? I only exfoliate every two days so I guess that would be okay.
Any help welcomed
Edit: Also, given that Silicones are known for giving protective barriers that lock moisture in, does this mean a regular moisturizer will have a hard time sinking in on top of a regenerist product? It surely works to stop incoming moisture too?
The cream is heavier and I use that in winter. I find I cannot use it in summer because if I happen to sweat, it will break me out with tiny surface pimples that I have to use BP to get rid of. In summer I use aloe vera gel or Derma E Vit A gel moisturizer. I don't use it for the Vit A as I don't think it is stable at all. lol But it is one of the only water based oil free moisturizers I have found and it does not break me out and doesn't react to anything else I have ever used it with. Plus I use it to dilute my tea tree oil for spot treatments. It is like aloe vera in that it seems to create a film/barrier on the skin so I use it as a make up base to help keep my foundation from seeping into my pores.
I have not used the serum and not sure how moisturizing it is. For my skin, since it is oily I prob would not add a moisturizer. If you wanted to use a moisturizer, I'd go with a very light, oil free one that sinks in quickly. Put that on first, let it penetrate and then put the serum on top. I'd think the serum should lock in the moisturizer. I don't see why you can't exfoliate as you normally do--if that is not giving you any problems.
There are many other products with niacinimide in them, so you might be able to find a lighter version. I've just started looking into other possible products as I want a light one for summer use. I don't have probs with silicones themselves, but in summer, I need more breathable and lightweight topicals or my skin gets too hot and breaks out.