Acne.org Products
This is very frustrating. I'm not shaving any more to make sure that I don't get shaving-related spots. And I'm still getting spots in my beard area. I had one start a couple of days ago, and I have a new one this morning. This is very odd for me, even though my beard area is now one of my trouble areas. I also got a spot on my back, and that hasn't happened in a long time. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I've been on the Regimen a long time, and I'm doing the same thing that worked for me before. Admittedly, the spots are small, but they're appearing, and they're annoying.
I've been working out with heavy weights and supplementing with some protein, but I haven't been overdosing on it by any stretch of the imagination. That and the seasonal changes might be contributing to it, but I've managed to get through working out and seasons without breaking out before.
Oh well, I'll just continue with the Regimen and wait this phase out. So frustrating.
Cam >B)
OK, so I'm clear again for a few days from any weird shaving-related spots.
It's still sporadically cool here in Vancouver, and I just got back from a stint in frosty Ontario, so my skin's a little dry. I've taken to doing a bit of jojoba manual exfoliation to take care of the flakes because if I leave them, then my skin gets a little red and inflamed. Around my eyes seems to be especially susceptible this year, where last year it was around my mouth. Puffy, flaky eyes aren't attractive.
Now it just needs to stop snowing here, and life will be sorted.
Cam >B)
Well, this has been a bit of an ordeal. The flakiness around my eyes was so persistent that my regular moisturizer just wasn't doing the trick. I resorted to trying more occlusive and emollient things with varying degrees of success.
My first try was Vaseline, but I must be allergic to it because my eyes got red and swelled noticeably. It took a couple of days for that to go down, during which time I used my regular moisturizer. It's too bad because it really took care of the dryness.
I tried again with a bit of extremely gently manual exfoliation with jojoba and a bit of Dan's AHA. That was a huge mistake. The combination on my delicate eye skin made my eyes swell up again.
I've tried again with the greasy but fabulously moisturizing Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating Lotion. It is so gentle that, even if I get it in my eyes, it doesn't burn. And it stays moist all day. It looks like it will keep my eyes moist during the work day and will let my skin heal from the dryness until the weather warms up enough here for my skin to reach moisture equilibrium.
In spot news, I got a spot on my left jawline about a week ago, but it's no longer active. Luckily, my facial hair covered it up just fine.
Cam >B)
The Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating Lotion took care of the dryness around my eyes. But even though it said it's non-comedogenic, I don't think that it is. I got a spot just under my eye, and I never get spots there. I'm convinced that it was the lotion. It's a real shame because it really took care of the dryness and was completely gentle around my eyes.
I can't wait until Dan's high-SPF moisturizer comes out. I'll be all over that. I was thinking about trying Cetaphil's SPF 50 facial moisturizer, but I'm not sure now that their supposedly non-comedogenic lotion turned out to make me break out.
Cam >B)
I didn't read all the pages of your log so I'm sorry if maybe you've tried this already. Bobbi Brown's Protective Face Lotion is the only moisturizer that hasn't broken me out. You might want to try it, it could work well for you. It has vitamin E and chamomile so it's pretty soothing too. Just a thought! I love it.
edit to add- oh, i just noticed on their website it says not for the immediate eye area. 
Still dryish, but not horrific. It gets a little better every day, but that could also be due to the weather warming up.
I want a higher-SPF moisturizer. Dan, please hurry with your SPF moisturizer. With a cherry on top. I saw Cetaphil's SPF 50 moisturizer, and the bottle is so disappointingly small.
Cam >B)
It's been forever since I've been here. I've cleared up the dryness problem. It's been settled for a while now, which is nice.
I've been getting some small break-outs, maybe a spot a week or so. They've been popping up around my jawline (even without shaving) and on my forehead (which is unusual). They've been more like clogged pores than inflammatory spots, but they're annoying just the same.
I know that I'm bound to have the occasional break-out, but I prefer clear skin, thank you very much. I'm continuing on with the Regimen unaltered.
Cam >B)
I've still been getting those small, stupid, non-inflammatory spots so I thought that I would try to add a bit of BHA to my regimen, which can help to deal with those clogged pores. I've decided on Spectro AcneCare cleansing pads with salicylic acid (not sure what %, but I like the brand so I bought it without knowing). I hope that helps take care of the problem.
While on the subject of pads, I'm wondering if Dan has ever considered making a BP formulation into pads? I would be all over that instead of the gel since it's way faster.
Cam >B)
Well, of course I messed with a spot that should have been left alone. Of course it turned into a big scabby mess. The goods news is, though, with the addition of BHA to my regimen, the scabbiness exfoliated within a day. Wicked. The skin is a little pink underneath, but that's more easily concealable than crustiness.
Right now, I'm (don't cringe), using BHA twice a day (after gently washing), then applying the BP. However, at night, I'm also using AHA. My skin is tolerating it well, but I do plan on weaning myself off the AHA totally, except on my body, where I use it in the morning to ward off spots. I'll use a moisturizer after the whole routine, morning and night.
I think the BP + BHA might turn out to be a better one-two punch for acne than BP + AHA since my spots are less inflammatory nowadays and since the AHA didn't seem to be doing the trick reliably.
Let's see. I hate messing around with my skin, but since my acne seems to be changing a bit since I started the Regimen a few years ago, I think I'll need to change with it.
Cam >B)
Clear again. The BHA has hyper-exfoliated that spot down to a little pink blur in a couple of days. It was swollen and angry just a couple of days ago. Last night, I didn't use the AHA+ at all, except as a spot treatment on that one spot. I moisturized with the Olay instead.
Still no skin irritation or dryness from the BHA and BP combination, even though I'm using both twice a day. It's strange because my skin can be hyper-sensitive to things that are supposed to be inert (Vaseline) but can handle two typically irritating substances (BHA and BP).
I haven't even gotten any post-shaving spots that I typically get. I credit the BHA for that. That would be a nice bonus since I avoid shaving to avoid the spots. My beard is pitiful until about a couple of weeks of growth, and it'd be nice to be able to be clean shaven occasionally without having to worry about growing it out again.
Cam >B)
That exfoliation must have brought the gunk from that spot to the surface quicker. I seamlessly extracted the last bit of nastiness from it yesterday with no negative consequences this morning. The pinkness has faded, and I'm clear otherwise.
Good news all around.
Cam >B)
It's been a while since I've been around. The summer can be a bit of a trying time for me as far as my skin goes. This summer, I've managed to steer mostly clear of break-outs. My only two problem areas are my shoulders and beard area. The Regimen keeps me nearly totally clear otherwise.
On my shoulders, I get small (sometimes progressing to large) small blistery-type things. I get a similar thing on my sides if I get to sweaty. And I get similar small spots on my hair follicles in my beard. They are stubborn and don't really seem like acne since they don't respond to BP like the rest of my face does.
Recently, I decided to try the dandruff shampoo method for my shoulders. I had been using BP at night and AHA during the day forever, but I'd been having limited success. Within one week of the dandruff shampoo twice a day, leaving it on for a few minutes, my shoulders are totally clear. So this morning, I tried the same method on the spotty areas in my beard. I'm hoping that I have the same level of success.
I'm not sure how frequently I should be using the method since it can be quite drying. My back skin is quite a bit tougher than my face skin so I could probably get away with doing on my back more frequently. Still, I'm excited at the prospect of getting rid of this lingering skin issue.
Cam >B)
Wow - this is an impressive story ! The "anti aging" angle cought my eye in some of your messages, as I am a 40 year old woman and have battled mild to moderate acne since I was a teen.
I've been on Dan's Regimen BY THE BOOK 100% for about three weeks now and the improvement in my skin is AMAZING. I plan to stick with it unaltered for at least another month, then I do want to add in some sort of antioxidant product to counteract the potential free redicals generated from BP. I spoke with my facialist about this and she said that you can use a retinol as long as you don't use it at the same time as the BP (this is assuming that you're someone who likes retinols and who tolerates them well, as I do.) She mentioned Tazorac ... do you have any knowledge of that ? My plan is to stick with the Regimen unchanged for another month or so, then start alternating nights with BP one night and Tazorac the next .... still using a full dose of BP each morning. Then, when I feel more stabilized and confident in my clear skin, I'd like to cut down to 1 pump of BP. Two just seems like SO MUCH and takes forever to massage in !! I see that you're slowly weaning yourself down to a lower dose ... it seems like such a good idea, to figure out the LEAST amount of BP you can use to maintain clear skin.
Please keep up the updates - it's really motivating to know that others are committed to this long term and that it works.
Geez Louise. Well, I have two spots where I don't usually get them: one on my upper left cheek and one to the right of my nose. They both started out really superficial, and I've left them alone, but they've gotten progressively larger over the last couple of days. I'll just wait them out.
The good news is that I haven't gotten any spots in my beard area since using zinc pyrithione shampoo there. I've gotten one small spot on my back, but that's a far cry from what I'd been experiencing there. I was getting some dry skin on my back from the shampoo, but my skin seems to have adapted to it. And I haven't had any dryness on my face, which is odd because I tend to have dry skin. I'm not complaining.
So I'm just waiting out this break-out and expect to stay relatively clear after then.
I know that your skin never develops a resistance to BP, but I'm wondering if it could develop a resistance to zinc pyrithione shampoo. Anyone know?
Cam >B)
Heya Kristin126, congratulations on your success with the Regimen.
Mostly my anti-aging routine now involves light exfoliation and sun protection. I had been using Diacneal for its retinoid properties, but it made my skin go crazy. I'm not worried about the free radicals from BP and haven't seen any aging effects from it.
You're right that BP neutralizes most retinoids. I think the only known exception is adapalene. I don't know about Tazorac. It's one of the few things that I've never used.
It seems that my skin is pretty complicated so I keep tweaking my regimen over time and depending on the season. The one thing I know is that BP keeps most of my acne-related spots at bay. I'm pretty pleased with it overall. I'm glad that you're getting results, too.
Cam >B)
Wow - this is an impressive story ! The "anti aging" angle cought my eye in some of your messages, as I am a 40 year old woman and have battled mild to moderate acne since I was a teen.
I've been on Dan's Regimen BY THE BOOK 100% for about three weeks now and the improvement in my skin is AMAZING. I plan to stick with it unaltered for at least another month, then I do want to add in some sort of antioxidant product to counteract the potential free redicals generated from BP. I spoke with my facialist about this and she said that you can use a retinol as long as you don't use it at the same time as the BP (this is assuming that you're someone who likes retinols and who tolerates them well, as I do.) She mentioned Tazorac ... do you have any knowledge of that ? My plan is to stick with the Regimen unchanged for another month or so, then start alternating nights with BP one night and Tazorac the next .... still using a full dose of BP each morning. Then, when I feel more stabilized and confident in my clear skin, I'd like to cut down to 1 pump of BP. Two just seems like SO MUCH and takes forever to massage in !! I see that you're slowly weaning yourself down to a lower dose ... it seems like such a good idea, to figure out the LEAST amount of BP you can use to maintain clear skin.
Please keep up the updates - it's really motivating to know that others are committed to this long term and that it works.
Sounds like you might be dealing with a case of fungal folliculitis on your body and maybe beard area too? The dandruff shampoo is one of the things that some people find effective for treating folliculitis.
I get this sometimes on my chest and upper back shoulders. BPO doesn't work on it because its an antibacterial, not an antifungal (and sometimes antibacterials or antibiotics can make folliculitis worse - oral antibiotics can actually cause it to develop).
Thanks for the messages, Willow569 and kristen126.
Last night, I found two more of those small, non-inflammatory spots in my beard area--very frustrating. I've been trying so many things--Regimen, BHA, and dandruff shampoo--that I'm not sure what's going on any more. I'm going back to the very basic Regimen, which worked for me very well, and seeing what I can do to stop this from happening on my face. I'm still going to keep the dandruff shampoo for my back. It seems to be working very well.
Every once in a while, I consider going on a low dose of Accutane. This is one of those times, but I'm really not interested in dosing myself with drugs, even if it meant that I could have pristine skin again. Those were the days.
Cam >B)
The two nasty ones--on my left cheek and to the right of my nose--have shrunk to flat and are now just pink. No new ones to replace them, yet.
It's starting to be consistently chilly here in Vancouver, which is making my skin a little dry. I go through this every year so I think I'm pretty well prepared with a good stash of jojoba. Take that, flakes.
Cam >B)
Still no new spots. Why do I ever stray from the basic Regimen?
In other news, I got a sample of Spectro's moisturizer for dry skin with my cleanser, and I really liked it. It's really thick and moisturizing, like Cetaphil's, but unlike Cetaphil's, it hasn't made me break out. So I went and bought a full-sized one yesterday. I haven't heard of it being readily available outside of Canada, but I would recommend the Spectro line of cleansers and moisturizers to anyone. They are very gentle and effective.
Cam >B)
The spot on my back is calming down a bit after I dealt with it. I'm still using the dandruff shampoo with zinc pyrithione, and it's keeping my back pretty clear. Just that one spot.
My face is totally clear now with a bit of pinkness from a couple of fading spots. And I'm not getting those beard-area spots any more. And my blackheads are totally gone. It's strange that, since I have stopped using salicylic acid, my blackheads have cleared. Isn't salicylic acid supposed to clear blackheads. It's also strange that I never got blackheads before I used salicylic acid. I'm not sure why that happened.
I'm turning 35 in two months. I've already started saying that I'm 35 just to make the psychological switch easier. I have three sisters in their 50s (who still break out) who say that each year gets better. I'm hoping that 35 will be the year that my acne finally calms down completely.
Cam >B)
Screw the zinc pyrithione shampoo. Instead, doing the Regimen twice a day on my back as well has cleared it up totally. I have to wear white shirts underneath my coloured ones, but that's a small price to pay.
I got a couple of irritated hair follicles when I trimmed my beard, but they never flared up and disappeared within a couple of days. I'm not sure how to keep those at bay except to trim infrequently.
So I'm clear. Phew.
Cam >B)