Acne.org Products
Thanks for stopping by, Brandy. Yes, I am quite glad that things have settled down, too. Finally, it looks as though we're reaching a steady state.
The bald spot on my right jawline is filling in again slowly so it looks like the hair loss there isn't permanent. I had a minor follicle-related spot that popped up yesterday morning, but it was gone by this morning with a bit of topical clindamycin under the Regimen. I was a bit trepid that I would get a flare-up from it, but it stayed isolated. So we're still clear. That is a Good Thing.
On a completely different note, I've been growing my hair out for over a year now. My bangs now almost reach the tip of my nose. What that really means is that my hair is long enough to drape onto the "acne danger zones" of my face. I've done some research into non-comedogenic hair products to make sure that I don't get any product-related break-outs and have gotten some good information. I just wish that hair product manufacturers would list the comedogenicity of their products on the package. That would make things so much easier. Surely there are more people than just I who are interested in that sort of thing.
Cam >B)
Just peeking in Cam. I'm glad to hear things have settled down for you.It's getting a bit cooler here as well. For me that means no more humidty and super oily skin for awhile.
I just wanted to say that my skin looks HORRIBLE (I mean, EXCELLENT, but I don't want to jinx it)! I have to wear a TONNE of (I mean ABSOLUTELY NO) concealer to hide my MILLIONS of (I mean, ZERO) spots!
On Sunday, I did a jojoba mask, similar to Cool As Kim Deal's exfoliation thread, but I don't have any flakes or need any exfoliation. I just wanted a bit of extra hydration. I seriously doubt that it will break me out, and my skin felt really nice afterward. I think I'll make it a weekly thing during the cool months here.
Cam >B)
I did the jojoba mask again this weekend, and it's helping keep my skin moister during these dry air times. Well, it's raining out a lot, but it still feels dryer, if that makes any sense.
The bald spot from the folliculitis has almost totally filled in again. I guess hair follicles are more resilient than I thought. I'm still vaguely pink from the outbreaks, but nothing noticeable.
Still no spots. I am totally thrilled with the Regimen. It's the only thing (other than Accutane) that has made me consistently clear for any significant amount of time. Pucker up, Dan. If I ever meet you, I'm gonna lay one on you.
Cam >B)
If you're having a problem with moisture I highly recommend using olive oil. My skin can't handle any moisturizer so I mix about 6 drops of olive oil with my aloe vera gel. Also a great trick for keeping eyes moisturized is to dab olive oil under your eyes right after a shower. I never use eye creme. But be careful, olive oil can sting if you get it in your eyes.
Thanks for the advice.The dryness is pretty under control now.
Cam >B)
If you're having a problem with moisture I highly recommend using olive oil. My skin can't handle any moisturizer so I mix about 6 drops of olive oil with my aloe vera gel. Also a great trick for keeping eyes moisturized is to dab olive oil under your eyes right after a shower. I never use eye creme. But be careful, olive oil can sting if you get it in your eyes.
Recently, I've been getting hints of spots. It's very odd. A week or so ago, I had a spot that tingled a bit, which previously would have turned into a full-fledged spot. But within a couple of hours, it was completely gone. Yesterday, I got what looked like the beginning of a spot of the right side of my lip, but that is now inactive. It's like the spots are trying to make an appearance, but the BP beats them down.
So still no spots. Honestly, I can't believe how terribly (I mean, well because I'm not going to jinx it) the Regimen is working. I've always had a spot or two with a day or two of clarity between and have just learned to deal with it. Now it's worse (I mean, the other way around, where I am surprised to see a hint of a spot).
Keepin' on truckin'.
Cam >B)
Last night, I had a hint of a spot on my lip, but not inflamed at all. This is not a place where I usually get acne, and I noticed that I had a couple of hairs growing wonkily out of a follicle. So still no acne, but I did liberate the hairs so I had to sterilize the pinprick-size wound just to make sure that I didn't get any crazy follicle problems. This morning, it's still not inflamed, but I sterilized it again before doing the Regimen. It's practically invisible, and I expect that it will be completely healed by tomorrow.
Still bulletproof skin as far as acne is concerned, knock on wood.
Cam >B)
Well, that upper lip "spot" is not completely healed, but I'm sure the minuscule scab will fall off by tomorrow. Last night, I noticed another minuscule spot above my right eyebrow. It's not inflamed and it's nearly invisible. It's not even worth mentioning really, except to document its existence. I'm just holding my skin to a very high standard recently. I'd still say that I'm completely clear, it's that minor. This morning, it was even more minuscule.
Also this morning, I had a twinge of a spot under my lip, but honestly, I can't see a thing there. No redness. No spot. Maybe it's just a sharp beard hair poking my lip. Who knows? This is what I've resorted to writing about. I'll take inane skin updates over acne any day.
Cam >B)
I found it weird that the twinges I've gotten are around my lips, which is totally not a danger zone for me as far as acne is concerned. That got me thinking that perhaps something has changed that I haven't taken into account. Then I remembered that I recently changed my chapstick to an "organic" one. One of the ingredients listed is pretty comedogenic, but it was not at the very top of the list so I didn't think it was that big of a deal. But the twinges say otherwise. So I'm going to switch back to the chapstick I was using before and see if that doesn't take care of everything.
That one invisible twinge yesterday turned a bit red last night. This morning, it wasn't red and didn't feel twingey any more. But it did have a minuscule amount of gunk in it, almost completely invisible still. So I'm just going to leave it alone and pretend that it's not even there. I'm sure it will be completely healed by tomorrow. Does this count as a spot? I'm inclined to say that it does officially now, but I'm still not going to update my sig. It's a good lesson learned to be a little more vigilant about the things I put on my face. No biggie.
Cam >B)
Still completely clear so I don't come around these parts much any more. I'm mostly just working to keep my skin moisturized in the winter coolness. A few drops of jojoba in my moisturizer is all I've done to supplement the Regimen, and that works perfectly.
Chin up if you're still struggling with acne and are using the Regimen. I can tell you that, at least for me, it really works.
Cam >B)
Still completely clear so I don't come around these parts much any more. I'm mostly just working to keep my skin moisturized in the winter coolness. A few drops of jojoba in my moisturizer is all I've done to supplement the Regimen, and that works perfectly.Chin up if you're still struggling with acne and are using the Regimen. I can tell you that, at least for me, it really works.
Cam >B)
Wow, this is a long ass thread! I definitely don't have time to read the ten pages of it to search for an answer to this, so I'll ask you: how did the Diacneal work out? Where do you get it from? And I noticed you don't use DK's cleanser, does that other stuff work better? Lastly, what is jojoba? I'm not a 30 year old battling acne, I'm actually 17, but I figure if this stuff works for acne that is so severe that you've had it for this long, it should absolutely nuke mine 🙂 Thank you for reading, and for replying to my bacne post a little bit ago.
Har, I know it's quite a thread. In short, I will not use Diacneal or any retinoid until I have grown out of my acne. Diacneal aggravated my acne and made me break out with large, painful nodules. My skin was really soft and smooth, though, except for the huge-ass pimples. I would like eventually to use a retinoid to keep my skin looking young, but for now, I trust the Regimen to keep my skin clear. I haven't had a single pimple in months and months and months.
As for other products, I use the Spectro cleanser because it's easy to get around here. I have had success with the Regimen's cleanser as well, but if I can get a cleanser locally, then I will. And jojoba is a waxy emollient. I use it to supplement my moisturizer when it's dry and cold out. It doesn't break me out and is very effective at keeping the flakes away. I also use it in my hair to tame the frizzies.
I wouldn't say that my acne is severe any more. Heaven knows it used to be, and for quite a while. Since my late twenties, I would probably just describe it as persistent, but with the Regimen, it is completely under control.
Hope that helps, and best of luck.
Cam >B)
Still completely clear so I don't come around these parts much any more. I'm mostly just working to keep my skin moisturized in the winter coolness. A few drops of jojoba in my moisturizer is all I've done to supplement the Regimen, and that works perfectly.
Chin up if you're still struggling with acne and are using the Regimen. I can tell you that, at least for me, it really works.
Cam >B)
Wow, this is a long ass thread! I definitely don't have time to read the ten pages of it to search for an answer to this, so I'll ask you: how did the Diacneal work out? Where do you get it from? And I noticed you don't use DK's cleanser, does that other stuff work better? Lastly, what is jojoba? I'm not a 30 year old battling acne, I'm actually 17, but I figure if this stuff works for acne that is so severe that you've had it for this long, it should absolutely nuke mine 
Thank you for reading, and for replying to my bacne post a little bit ago.
Way to go on keeping things clear. I'm only 22 but I've had acne for 13 years almost and the DKR is the only thing that's helped me. Your story just reinforces my resolve to stick with it.
Also, those retinoids can be tricky. I'm looking into Green Cream right now and I just hope I don't ruin all the good progress I've made so far.
Have a great night.
Now that it's getting to be more spring-like, I've switched to Neutrogena's Healthy Defense SPF 45 facial moisturizer. No problems with it as far as break-outs are concerned. It is thicker than Cetaphil's SPF 15 facial moisturizer and takes a while longer to absorb. I have to spend a little longer on it to make sure that I don't get any white streaks, especially in my facial hair, but I'm pleased with it overall.
Cam >B)
That's funny. OK, so yesterday I posted, bragging about how great my skin was. Well, when I got home, I had a pimple on my right cheekbone. It's not huge or anything, but when I saw at it, I was a bit startled because it had been so long since I'd had one. It's small enough that it will likely be gone by the weekend, and a dot of concealer renders it nearly invisible now.
So I'm cutting out the Neutrogena SPF 45 moisturizer, which is the likely culprit, and going back to the Cetaphil. That combination kept me clear for about five months straight.
No biggie. Onward.
Cam >B)
Hey Brandy. Good to hear from you.
I switched back to the Cetaphil, and I'm clear again. I'm glad that my skin gave me just a little warning to switch back instead of breaking out like crazy. And now that the weather is warming up, my skin isn't getting the winter dryness as much. Last spring was horrible (!) for my skin so I'm looking forward to being clear this time around.
I'm a-crossin' my fingers.
Cam >B)
I got a small, shaving-related spot on my right jawline on Thursday morning. It was my first one of those in a really long time. I mustn't have taken as good care as I needed when shaving the night before. Anyway, it was pretty minor and it's already gone today.
Looking back on the state of my skin at the same time last year, it's like night and day. Last summer, I even considered Accutane again. With the way my skin has been for the past six months, I can't imagine needing to do that ever again.
Is anyone else in maintenance mode with the Regimen now?
Cam >B)
I've had a small clogged pore in the crease of my nose for a while now, over a year, I guess. I could feel a little nub there, but it wasn't visible, due primarily to its creased position. I have been feeling it work its way out for a couple of weeks. Yesterday, it got a little inflamed so I decided to help it along. I am usually loathe to try to do that, but I figured that it was worth the possible worsening since I could easily hide the damage I might cause. It's kind of gross, but that thing was huge under the skin; it must have been about half a centimeter long. Yuck, but it's gone and only slightly scabby from the efforts.
Otherwise, the Regimen is keeping me clear. I've even reduced my dosage to one full pump recently to see how little BP I can get away with. It's been a week or so and there has been no ill-effects. And my skin is a little moister and plumper, which is a plus. We'll see if one pump will be able to continue to keep the nasties at bay.
Cam >B)
The scabby part is gone now with the clogged pore. I wonder what caused it to spontaneously start to come out.
I might be heading to Asia for a while, and it got me a little worried. The reason I moved from southern Ontario was my skin's inability to be in a humid climate without breaking out. My shoulders, sides, scalp, and forehead would get these tiny, itchy, pimple-like spots and wouldn't go away until the summer was gone. When I was on Accutane, I never had this problem. So if I had to spend a prolonged period in tropical Singapore, I might have a bit of a problem.
I'm going to talk to a doctor to confirm my suspicion, but it really sounds like I have a tendency to develop pityrosporum folliculitis. I know that Accutane will keep it under control, but I have no desire to go that route. If I could manage it with applying some topical anti-fungals and keeping out of the humidity as much as possible, that would be great.
So that gets me wondering: there are a number of antifungal concoctions out there, from washes to creams to sprays to powders. Does anyone know if they could be used with the Regimen?
Cam >B)
I got my test bottle of Dan's jojoba (thanks, Dan) so I'm testing it out. So now I'm going to report on how it works, on my skin and hair.
In general, I tend to use jojoba for the following:
Extra moisturizer: I mix a few drops of it with my moisturizer, depending on how dry my skin is. I like having a couple of drops in with it, even if my skin is moist because it makes my skin so darn smooth.
Hair serum: I smooth about five or six drops into my medium-length hair. My hair has been kind of processed with repeated colouring, and the jojoba makes in manageable and controls fly-aways.
Manual exfoliation: If I get really dry, then I smooth it generously over my face and gently massage it in for a few minutes. It gently balls up the dry skin. Then I leave it on for a mask for about ten minutes and go ahead with the Regimen. It really takes care of the flakies, especially during the dry winter.
The first thing I noticed was how generously sized it is, especially for the price. A great value, in my opinion. Then I tried the dispenser top, which I adore. I like how you can easily get out a single drop if you want. Excellent. I've tried a couple of jojoba products before, and this one is similar in consistency. Tonight, I've used it in my moisturizer and as a hair serum so I'll report how it all goes when I've tried it out for a while.
Coolio.
Cam >B)