My assumptions were correct.
After clearing up on the surface, I ramped down the dosage. I know that no amount of BP will heal cysts, so I'm not even dealing with those.
I described in my previous post my reasons for doing this.
I thought I'd break out all over the place, but my skin actually looks better.
I've come up with further reasons to ramp down dosage, and perhaps not ramping up too far in the first place.
1. Everyone's face is different. People have different absorptivity levels in various parts of their skin due to acne, uneven skin tone, and uneven or enlarged pores.
2. Everyone has a different surface area to their faces.
3. Everyone reacts differently to external stimuli. Some people are more easily cold than others, others can wear t-shirts in the winter. Some people require less food, etc.
With the three above points, I justify "creating" a personal dosage for yourself. If this regimen has been successful to you, definitely experiment with customizing the dosage just for yourself.
None of this is certain yet, but I intend to create a data chart and survey page on my personal web server. I'd love to create a real chart with data based on people that have acne.
Here are a few key points that I want to graph :
1. Permanent teeth extraction?
2. Pillow condition
3. Last dentist visit
4. Water consumption
5. Graphing the correlation between BP dose and healing (low dose for X population, high dose for Y population, and success rates...)
If anyone wants to help me out on this project, let me know...
I too find it hard to believe you had cystic acne. Your skin looks great!
I have a question about AHA+. When you use it as a moisturizer...do you just apply it over your whole face? Do you use it on existing acne or just red marks and scars?
Also, I'm pretty experienced with 10% BP ....(although I haven't used Dan's 2.5% BP) and whenever I apply BP to cysts...they do help cysts heal/dry up quicker...but if I keep applying them for consecutive days...it causes the cysts to become really dark and leaves and mark that persists for a long time. Therefore, I stopped using BP on cysts after 1-2 days. Any thoughts about this? Should I use AHA+ on the dry/healing cysts?
I'm 23, and I don't really get pimples anymore. I just get 1-2 cysts per week...which I'm really trying to get rid of 
.
Thanks for the tips so far!
Hey Dysic,
I use AHA+ as an overall moisturizer, and as a spot treatment when I'm not using it.
I feel that AHA+ is good when you use it in waves.
I used it for about 2-3 weeks as my main moisturizer. I saw a little redness go up, so I switched to using Dan's moisturizer. I now use AHA+ as a night time moisturizer every 2-3 days.
Hello,
In reading in your recent posts i see you state what you may see as a correlation between teeth health and acne. I have had this idea in my head. I have never suffered from severe acne but i started getting these little bumps on my cheek that i could feel when i showered. It felt like an infection, i went to the dr. and got a prescription for Tetracycline which i started on January 4 and i felt all those suckers come up, i am still dealing with the damage from the farm that grew on my face. HOWEVER, i do wear invisalign braces and i noticed i started getting lazy with cleaning the trays (we switch every 2 weeks) and eating and not flossing (gross ) and i felt like MAYBE my flare up was caused by this. In combination with the regimen (im officially on week 3) and making sure to eat healthy (cut out poulty recently) and i gave up red meat more than 6 months ago, all of this i feel is helping not aggrivate my acne. I would like to hear more about your findings and if you do think teeth health has an affect on acne. Keep up the good work!
Just wanted to update with some thoughts and some helpful advice.
Day 120 (give or take)...
I couldn't be happier with my skin. With diligence, decent bed times and actually getting rest periods of 7+ hours, quitting drinking, exercising a great deal (cycling is my current love...), and following the regimen, my skin has become more clear than I could ever come to expect.
But there is one important rule to this regimen :
Do not stop. Keep going. Results can surface months into the cycle of this regimen.
I really cannot say this enough - I know it might seem like the regimen might be hurting your skin, but as your skin adapts to the regimen, things about it change.
Here is a brief timeline of what I notice during my 4 months (and counting) into the regimen :
week 1 - initial breakout, complete with initial rage.
week 2 - clearing like I've never seen before. my skin felt PERFECT
week 3 - another small breakout, but still clearing.
MONTH 1 - 2 - I saw average performance from the regimen. I felt like my skin got used to the BP and AHA and just stopped responding to it. It went back to its quirky ways and I could feel 1-2 pimples surface every few days. This was unusual for the regimen, as it took me from a breakout, to clear, to not-so-clear.
MONTH 3 - I decided to mix things up. I used a lot of BP when I felt like it, and a little BP for small stretches (every 1-2 applications). My skin responded amazingly to this. I also used AHA at night and moisturizer in the morning. Also made a declaration to take care of my teeth, morning and night. It has since helped.
MONTH 4 - This fluctuation in use of BP, and altering a moisturizer and AHA morning and night, keeps my skin extremely clear and stress-free. This is the longest I've observed my skin to be this clear.
For anyone reading this and feeling frustrated, I am telling you, fluctuate the amount of BP used every few days.
I know you guys might think I'm insane, but I've been very successful with this method. I call it "cellular programming." OK, that's a stupid name and I'm just being crazy. But onto the method...
EXAMPLE SCHEDULE :
Day 1
morning : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. this would be a SMALL DOSE. moisturize.
night : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. this would be a SMALL DOSE. apply AHA
Day 2
morning : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. this would be a SMALL DOSE. moisturize.
night : wash face. BP SLATHER it on like usual. this would be a BIG DOSE. apply AHA
Day 3
morning : wash face. BP SLATHER it on like usual. this will be a BIG DOSE. apply moisturizer.
night : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. moisturize.
Day 4
morning : wash face. BP SLATHER it on like usual. this will be a BIG DOSE. apply moisturizer.
night : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. moisturize.
What I attempt to do with this method is give the face a very erratic schedule of maintenance. I believe that the skin cell structure on an acne prone person's face is also very erratic on the surface, and has healed in a non-uniform pattern due to damage from the sun and other elements throughout the individual's life.
I believe using an erratic schedule of applying BP once the individual has become accustomed to the regimen, while moisturizing and using AHA every other day, will restore the fine network of cells on the individual's face. Continued use will solve cystic problems and control most acne.
Maybe I'll diagram all of this sometime... but if anyone tries this out and it suddenly arouses a renewed and continued "reaction", please let me know!
MOISTURIZING :
also, one should never over-moisturize. Absorb only the amount of moisturizer that will become absorbed into the skin. Don't force the skin to absorb more than necessary.
DON'T QUIT! Also, I've been using less BP on myself. ONE TUBE has lasted me 4 months and counting. Same with the AHA. RESULTS CONTINUE PAST THE 4 MONTH MARK!
It isn't the AMOUNT, it is actually how much is ABSORBED and SPREAD throughout your skin. A little bit can go a long way. Make sure your skin is DRY before applying it.
Just wanted to update with some thoughts and some helpful advice.Day 120 (give or take)...
I couldn't be happier with my skin. With diligence, decent bed times and actually getting rest periods of 7+ hours, quitting drinking, exercising a great deal (cycling is my current love...), and following the regimen, my skin has become more clear than I could ever come to expect.
But there is one important rule to this regimen :
Do not stop. Keep going. Results can surface months into the cycle of this regimen.
I really cannot say this enough - I know it might seem like the regimen might be hurting your skin, but as your skin adapts to the regimen, things about it change.
Here is a brief timeline of what I notice during my 4 months (and counting) into the regimen :
week 1 - initial breakout, complete with initial rage.
week 2 - clearing like I've never seen before. my skin felt PERFECT
week 3 - another small breakout, but still clearing.
MONTH 1 - 2 - I saw average performance from the regimen. I felt like my skin got used to the BP and AHA and just stopped responding to it. It went back to its quirky ways and I could feel 1-2 pimples surface every few days. This was unusual for the regimen, as it took me from a breakout, to clear, to not-so-clear.
MONTH 3 - I decided to mix things up. I used a lot of BP when I felt like it, and a little BP for small stretches (every 1-2 applications). My skin responded amazingly to this. I also used AHA at night and moisturizer in the morning. Also made a declaration to take care of my teeth, morning and night. It has since helped.
MONTH 4 - This fluctuation in use of BP, and altering a moisturizer and AHA morning and night, keeps my skin extremely clear and stress-free. This is the longest I've observed my skin to be this clear.
For anyone reading this and feeling frustrated, I am telling you, fluctuate the amount of BP used every few days.
I know you guys might think I'm insane, but I've been very successful with this method. I call it "cellular programming." OK, that's a stupid name and I'm just being crazy. But onto the method...
EXAMPLE SCHEDULE :
Day 1
morning : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. this would be a SMALL DOSE. moisturize.
night : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. this would be a SMALL DOSE. apply AHA
Day 2
morning : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. this would be a SMALL DOSE. moisturize.
night : wash face. BP SLATHER it on like usual. this would be a BIG DOSE. apply AHA
Day 3
morning : wash face. BP SLATHER it on like usual. this will be a BIG DOSE. apply moisturizer.
night : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. moisturize.
Day 4
morning : wash face. BP SLATHER it on like usual. this will be a BIG DOSE. apply moisturizer.
night : wash face. BP ONE SMALL DAB on each "zone" of the face. moisturize.
What I attempt to do with this method is give the face a very erratic schedule of maintenance. I believe that the skin cell structure on an acne prone person's face is also very erratic on the surface, and has healed in a non-uniform pattern due to damage from the sun and other elements throughout the individual's life.
I believe using an erratic schedule of applying BP once the individual has become accustomed to the regimen, while moisturizing and using AHA every other day, will restore the fine network of cells on the individual's face. Continued use will solve cystic problems and control most acne.
Maybe I'll diagram all of this sometime... but if anyone tries this out and it suddenly arouses a renewed and continued "reaction", please let me know!
MOISTURIZING :
also, one should never over-moisturize. Absorb only the amount of moisturizer that will become absorbed into the skin. Don't force the skin to absorb more than necessary.
DON'T QUIT! Also, I've been using less BP on myself. ONE TUBE has lasted me 4 months and counting. Same with the AHA. RESULTS CONTINUE PAST THE 4 MONTH MARK!
It isn't the AMOUNT, it is actually how much is ABSORBED and SPREAD throughout your skin. A little bit can go a long way. Make sure your skin is DRY before applying it.
Gosh, thank you for posting this. Not only is your method helpful but its so comforting to know that this has worked for you and you're happy with your skin. Thanks again! : )
Well, I'm bumping this after 1100 days, or nearly 3 years on the regimen, to say that the only thing that gave me 100% clarity was a radical change in diet.
I'm hoping that my testimonial will help someone else.
I'll gladly answer any questions and, with the best of my ability, back up the theory behind all of the things I began trying and incorporating to heal my acne.
Bullet points :
- Low Carb (Less than 150 per day to induce ketosis)
- High vegetables / meat (basically Paleo, minus the read meat... and mostly kale)
- No Wheat
- No Dairy
These things all have the potential to break you out. Since I'm insanely tired right now, I'm going to do a write-up tomorrow (or later today, rather).
11/8/2012
I will be slowly transforming myself through diet and the right exercises to build myself up as an overall, healthier person.
This will be a documented process which involves going from 2 years of BP use, to slowly decreasing the usage to none.
In the past 2 weeks, I noticed a transformation in my lymph nodes, and all of the underlying cysts on my face. I just wanted to share my findings with everyone.
Below is a photograph of what I've been doing for the past few weeks :
(Please enlarge)
Documenting an ingredients log. I went from 3-4 actives (including 1-2 cysts) to 0-1 surface pimples per week. Right now, I have no active spots, and it has been that way. It just went from a somewhat flat line, to complete flat line.
An asterisk indicates which foods I suspect break me out, and I also document the size and severity of acne.
As a web developer, I'm working on a website which will allow a user to keep a log like this online, while clicking on a template of the face to document where a new spot occurs.
With a clear head and objective view, I think we can gather enough data to at least find some correlation between acne and diet.
The only thing that made me go through with this, was an increase in discipline. I became sick of slathering on BP and finding out that it did nothing for my cysts. When you can go from having 2-3 cysts behind the ear or under the jawline (that sprout into very painful large whiteheads), to absolutely zero, something is up.
So here it begins... I hope someone reads.
11/9/2012
Here's day 2 (actually the 4th week for me on this diet). No new pimples. I will be applying less BP this morning.
(Disclaimer : That is a scar on my nose bridge from an accident with a glass door.)
As you can see, I have many healed areas from acne. My skin isn't the most porcelain smooth, but it's better than the "ski-mogule" look.
AHA greatly improved skin texture and made it more even.
At its worst, I had severe acne, complete with cysts and nodules. Unfortunately, there isn't a photo of me in that state (now I sort of wish I had one). I wasn't even a member of Acne.org when it was that bad.