So today is Day4, and my skin looks and feels awful(((

I'm covered with whiteheads now... My face is so bumpy((( They keep popping up like mushrooms after rain... The whole face is dry (and flaky over zits), and EXTREMELY itchy!!! As a matter of fact, the skin over one of my cysts was so dry, it just popped and started oozing and bleeding all the contents out... I just felt it going down my cheek. It's so gross, I just want this to be GONE!I feel like I'm wearing a mask, and just want to peel it off!

And is it supposed to itch this bad? I am using too much BP?

The good thing is that I have no new cysts, and the old ones seem to start getting smaller. Or may be I'm just hoping they are getting smaller...

Day 5

Last night the same cyst on the right side started oozing again, so I gently squeezed it. And then I squeezed couple more whiteheads that were really ready to go. In the morning I realized that the cyst has gotten much smaller, yay! I hope it doesn't leave a scar, cause the skin did crack a bit...

And that's the only good news(((

Other than that I woke up with the face looking like a shoe(( So rough and flaky... The area around the lips was completely white and peeling. I wonder what it would look like if I wasn't adding jojoba oil to my moisturizer... I probably wouldn't be able to smile at all, lol))

So I decided to tweak the regimen and started my am routine with putting a lot of jojoba oil on my face... gently, but firmly rubbed it all over the face, left it on for a few minutes, and then did the regimen the way it is supposed to be done.

The skin definitely looks worse than 5 days ago... I would say, I don't see much difference in the amount or severity of breakouts, but the overall skin condition is awful right now. I have to say, I am really surprised, because I thought after so many years of Proactive my skin must be used to BP. I guess the fact that I wait for the skin to dry completely before applying the BP makes such a huge difference, cause I'm actually using less BP right now, than when I was using Proactive

Day 8

I'm past a week mark! My skin looks 10 times worse than a week ago!!! Not only I'm covered with whiteheads, new cysts, and deep painful pimples, my skin is so dry and red that I can't even put makeup on to cover all this mess...

I'm sooo discouraged right now((( I was expecting for it to get worse, but this is really out of control!

Keep strong mama. The first few months of any acne medication SUCKS. I have never done the regimen but i have done retinoids and accutane and most often than not, i don't see improvement until 3+ months in. Give it time hun - at least 3 months before re evaluating whether it works for you or not. Having worse breakouts with BP is normal but if in 3 months they haven't calmed down and you've seen improvement, its best to try something else

Good Luck

Keep strong mama. The first few months of any acne medication SUCKS. I have never done the regimen but i have done retinoids and accutane and most often than not, i don't see improvement until 3+ months in. Give it time hun - at least 3 months before re evaluating whether it works for you or not. Having worse breakouts with BP is normal but if in 3 months they haven't calmed down and you've seen improvement, its best to try something else

Good Luck

Thanks for your support! I guess I was on Proactive for so long, that I forgot that it doesn't start getting better right away... It really sucks, you are right, especially when you see flawless skin of other people.

Day 11

Got a package of Dan's system couple of days ago. I really like the cleanser and the treatment. Not a big fan of moisturizer though, it leaves my skin kind of shiny... It does a good job moisturizing though, so it's a keeper for now, cause my skin needs it.

I actually noticed that my skin does not look dry anymore. It feels dry, but no flakes. So I upped the amount of BP (using almost a whole finger-worth). I've also noticed that my skin barely itches at all during the day, but at night it gets really bad. While it starts itching, I can almost see the pimples coming out. It's like at some point the BP just stops working, and the pimples get a chance to grow. May be my skin needs more BP? Gonna try it (not now though). What also stinks is that when it starts itching so bad, I almost instinctively start scratching (even if it's just gentle rubbing my forehead). Not good.

Overall, the last few days were still quite awful, but I was so distracted by the sick baby that didn't have time to think about it. Again, because the baby was very sick, and my daughter was on spring break, I didn't leave the house for almost a week, so I didn't have to try putting makeup on and get all frustrated and upset. Gonna have to start facing the world again tomorrow, ugh

Day 13

Spent almost all day outside in the sun yesterday... With no make up on, since I gave up on the frustration of trying to put it on. Well, I forgot that my makeup has sunscreen in it, so I didn't even think about it... Bad idea! My face looks like sand paper now. Bought Olay sunscreen first thing this morning. Not gonna make the same mistake twice!

Overall, I think my skin is looking a little better (not to jinx myself). Don't take it wrong, it is still dry and red, but it seems like the breakouts have slowed down a bit... Gotta remember to take a picture tomorrow, would be interesting to compare with last week.

2 weeks!!!

I feel like a snake, the skin on my face is peeling off in chunks. Had an itching episode last night again... When all of a sudden my face starts itching unbearably, and new breakouts come out in a matter of minutes. I wonder, if it's some kind of allergy...

Momma, the itching seems to be a normal reaction so hang in there. If you starte to blister or develop a rash, then stop. Are you upping slowly?

From what i've read, the first 2-3 months are the hardest, after that, things should get better

Sasch83, it is a very different kind of itch. I had some itching from bp the 1st week, but it has subsided. The bp itching was constant throughout the day, and this one starts all of a sudden, usually after dinner. Idk if it's something in my diet that's causing it. I had episodes like this even before I started the regimen...

I might have overdone it on the bp though, that's why I was peeling like crazy. The sunburn didn't help either

2 weeks and 3 days

I could not stand the severe peeling and went down on the amount of bp... Well, I'm not peeling anymore, but the breakouts went crazy. Major pimple party all over my face here... Bunch of new cysts, pustules, whiteheads... They are not only on the bottom of my cheeks, but spread all over... They are even starting to creep down my neck! I really hope I start seeing at least tiny improvement soon. I need it soooo bad! What stinks even worse is that I might have to go for a job interview this week. Our family could really use this income, so I really want this position! Hope that at least I'll be able to cover all this mess with makeup.

3 weeks 1 day

Hope this week will be better than the last one! My right cheek looks much worse than the left one. I wonder if that's because I tend to sleep on my right side... May be I should start sleeping sitting up in a chair lol))

I put a towel on my pillow so that my face doesn't touch my pillow. Not sure if it helps. One thing i do that helps to minimize the stress i feel in regards to my acne is to not stop and feel my bumps as i wash my face and not looking in mirrors. It's like if it is out of sight, it is out of mind.

Try it!

BTW, good look on the interview. My prayers are with you

I put a towel on my pillow so that my face doesn't touch my pillow. Not sure if it helps. One thing i do that helps to minimize the stress i feel in regards to my acne is to not stop and feel my bumps as i wash my face and not looking in mirrors. It's like if it is out of sight, it is out of mind.

Try it!

BTW, good look on the interview. My prayers are with you

I do use a towel on my pillow, and wash it every couple of days... I agree with you on not feeling the bumps. Ugh, it is sooo hard. I think I need to get rid of all the mirrors in the house to stop looking in them)))) Thanks for your support and prayers!

Today marks 1 month since I've started the regimen!

Sooo, it's picture time)))

Left side:

Right side:

Forehead:

My face looked so bad after 3 weeks, that I didn't even feel like taking pictures. Now I regret I didn't cause I think my skin looks better today than a week ago.

It looks like the skin looked the best after 2 weeks, but that's because I went up to the whole finger of BP (had to reduce the amount a few days later - working my way up SLOWLY now).

As you can see, the skin looks red right now. However, I really feel it is getting better. All the redness is mostly just the leftover marks from previous 2 weeks, not the active acne. I feel like there is a lot less "gunk" under the skin (if you know what I mean). And for the 1st time in a lot of weeks my skin actually DOESN'T HURT! I can smile, eat, and talk without any pain or discomfort! Another good thing is that my skin is finally not flaking, so I can use make up when I am out, and it doesn't look like a mask, lol))

I ordered more cleanser, BP, and moisturizer, as well as AHA. I really hope that the AHA will help reduce the redness, cause this is my biggest problem now!

And one more thing.

The only thing that helped me get through this past month is counting my blessings. I really am blessed and happy. My life would have been too perfect if I didn't have acne, so I probably need that to be reminded of how lucky I am

I wish you all good luck with your struggles!

Momma, for the most part, redness and a few inflamed pimples seem to be your biggest issue. Everything is going flat, it is quite obvious! So happy for you. I suspect that next month will be one of even more improvement. AHA should definitely help i think.

Momma, i am 1 week into the regimen and my acne has worsened so you are not alone in that respect. I too want to quick but seeing you carry on has given me the strength to do the same

Smile and Hugs from New York

Momma, i am 1 week into the regimen and my acne has worsened so you are not alone in that respect. I too want to quick but seeing you carry on has given me the strength to do the same

Smile and Hugs from New York

Hang in there Sasch! Those first few weeks are the hardest! I am still struggling myself, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end!

5 weeks and 1 day

Once again I bumped the amount of BP up to the whole finger, and once again I broke out all over. Now I see the correlation that has been going on all along. As soon as I increase the BP amount my skin gets really dry and I break out. Then it gets better, I increase the amount of BP and the cycle continues. I guess the good news is that I maxed out on the amount of BP, so once my skin adjusts to this amount, the dryness will (hopefully!) subside and I won't have any more outbreaks. That's my theory, hehe)) But I've gotta have something positive to look forward to, right?))

5 weeks 3 days

My skin has the hardest time adjusting to the maximum amount of BP. Still pretty dry and breaking out

Hey momma! Congrats on reaching the full 2 pumps. You're right in that the only place to go from here is up. Most of your acne looks on the surface so that to me means that it should clear fairly quickly. Are you using jojoba oil to combat dryness? That seems to be my biggest challenge and i am only at a pea sized amount!

Hi Sasch! Thank you!

I really hope you are right and it is gonna start clearing soon... It is really hard to tell right now if there is any improvement because of all the red marks all over. I'm still waiting on my AHA.

Yes, I've been using jojoba oil since day 1, but only at night, since there is no possible way to put make up on with it on. It doesn't do miracles, but I still feel it is helping a lot.

6 weeks

Nothing new to report. Still very dry, flaky, and breaking out. No improvement, may be even getting worse... Have no desire to take any pictures. The AHA came in a few days ago, but I decided not to use it till the skin stops flaking so much.

6 weeks

Nothing new to report. Still very dry, flaky, and breaking out. No improvement, may be even getting worse... Have no desire to take any pictures. The AHA came in a few days ago, but I decided not to use it till the skin stops flaking so much.

Hey momma! Keep on taking pictures even if you don't look at them (even have your husband do it). That way when there is progress, you can see how far you've come! I recommend that you check out this girls log:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/318096-starting-the-regimen-day-1-completed/#entry3266087

She had severe acne that may have been worst than yours and The Regimen worked for her really well. She detailed her progress week by week. It may give you inspiration. I am breaking out too and it sucks (i want to cry at times) but i know its a process. I am with you in spirit girl and anytime you feel like giving up, know that you are not alone.

Just wanted to drop you some support, like Sasch said, you're definitely not alone in this fight! I just started the Regimen myself, so here's hoping we both clear up from using it :]

Hi Sasch! Thanks for the link, what a great log! I really enjoyed reading it. Her improvement is truly amazing!

Still can't make myself take pictures, just feel soooo ugly right now. Prefer to stay on the other side of the camera, especially since I am pretty good at that May be I'll do pictures every 2-3 weeks instead of weekly. It just brings my spirit down too bad.

I can't believe it has already been 2 weeks since you started! Keep up the good work, and thank you for encouragement!

FlaggLives, thanks for your support! Good luck to you too, I hope you start seeing improvement soon!

6 weeks and 2 days (I think?)

I decided to try the AHA last night... Holy guacamole!!!! This stuff burns like crap!!!!!! I had to sit in front of the fan for at least 30 minutes just to take the edge off the pain. I am understanding some burning is normal, but this was something out of ordinary. Not sure if I want to ever try it again. May be I should just use it as a spot treatment?

Yeah, AHA is definitely something you have to ease into. Even though they say you can use it at 6 weeks, that may not be the case for everyone. You may want to wait a few more weeks to try again. I think taking pictures every couple of weeks may help. I plan on doing it every 3-4 weeks so next week is picture time whether i like it or not...lol. Keep your head up!

Hi everyone!

Sasch, I wish I have done more research on it before I put it on my face))) It really freaked me out)) I'm using it as a spot treatment now, and it still burns!

7 weeks!!!

Time is flying by pretty fast, since I have a lot going on right now. It keeps my mind off of my acne, so that's good

My hubby thinks that my face is getting better, but I'm still not sure... May be it's just because I stare at it all the time, so I don't notice the improvement))) My forehead is definitely looking better though. I'll wait another week to take pictures. If there is any consistent progress, it should be noticeable then.

Hope you all are doing good!