It's been a shitty skin week. I have broken out in larger red spots that resemble mosquito bites on the areas of my face that i had to stop using BP due to excessive irritation, mainly behind the ears and extending down the jawline and under the chin. I expect it to get worse. I have at least 3-10 of these bumps. It itches like crazy too.....sigh. I don't feel like crying but i am sad about it. I don't want to go back to the hellish condition my skin was in a year or so ago. I have started working out again and eating better so i am very happy about that. If only my skin would cut me a break....sigh

So here is my 1yr (I am a few days behind schedule) update on my progress on The Regimen.

It's been an up and down year, many positives and also many negatives. I'll try to not make this a novel.

PROS

• My acne up until recently, has been controlled. I was not looking in the mirror as frequently and when i was, i was very happy with the progress.
• As the weather warmed up, my skin wasn't as dry as flaky, in fact, it was kind of matte.
• The time it took to do The Regimen has quickly become a part of my routine, not an imposition

CONS

• I have broken out in cysts recently which has not happened in ages.
• I have developed eczema on my neck where i don't even use the regimen so that may or may not be connected.
• I had to stop using it under my jaw because of excess irritation. It looks much better but i've broken out there like its no ones business.

The good news is that i am eating better and working out again so i am happy about that. The bad news is that my acne has quickly worsened in the past month or so. Larger bumps, worse irritation, more dry patches and i am at a loss of what to do. Some parts of my face are unaffected by these changes but others are not fairing too well. TBH, i want to cry right now as i type this. I am down to 1 pump in the AM and 1 in the PM but tonight i will increase the PM to 1.5 pumps and forgo the AHA. I honestly don't know what my next step is. I probably won't make any adjustments till the summer just because work and life are stressful as it is.

Any words of encouragement would be appreciated. The last time acne was this bad i ended going back on accutane - can't imagine myself going down that route ever again.

Day 1 Post Regimen. So those of you who've been following my log must be 'say what!?!?' Yes, folks, i had to quit the regimen cold turkey. I have developed several patches of eczema on my face and some intense itching. I also have several red cystic like bumps that are not going away. I am disappointed at this turn of events and shudder to think what my face will deteriorate to but its time to get my big girl panties on and woman up.

I have a derm appt on Tuesday so that i can find out how to treat this eczema. I will also ask about acne treatments. I'll definitely bring up the possibility of Spiro as it is one of the oral medications i have not tried yet and many who have not seen improvements on topicals have had success with it. I also ordered cod liver oil which is supposedly great for supporting overall health so we'll see how things go. Thanks for all the support you guys have given me, it's appreciated. I will keep this log open in case anyone wants to read my experience on the regimen. If and when i begin a new log, hopefully you'll join me there.

Peace

If you think of it / have the time to, let us know how it is for you stopping the regimen sometime. I'm sure that's what I'll end up doing eventually - maybe in another year.. I'll see how I feel / how it's going... but I've always thought of it more as a 'short term' option for myself.

Spiro could be a great option - I've heard a lot of good things about it and it was something I was thinking of too before deciding to give the regimen a chance first.

All the best - good luck

If you think of it / have the time to, let us know how it is for you stopping the regimen sometime. I'm sure that's what I'll end up doing eventually - maybe in another year.. I'll see how I feel / how it's going... but I've always thought of it more as a 'short term' option for myself.

Spiro could be a great option - I've heard a lot of good things about it and it was something I was thinking of too before deciding to give the regimen a chance first.

All the best - good luck

I plan to keep this log open Lilly so you'll get an inside snapshot of the madness. I am 6 days post regimen and all i am doing is washing with Aveno Calming soap and moisturizing with Neutrogenia for Sensitive Skin. Needless to say, my pores are getting clogged again and small red bumps are coming out, mostly in the area of my upper cheeks towards my nose. It feels very rough/grainy. It will probably get tons worse in a few more days and I'll be right back to where i started pre- accutane. But seriously, i think my face needed this break. It is not longer beet red or flaky so that's something. I wish i was able to ween of BP but having acne AND eczema is not an option for me. The eczema patches have cleared on their own. I cancelled my derm appt so i don't know where to go from here. I didn't want to go when the eczema patches had healed so........I have another one at the end of May so if i decide to go down that route, at least my acne would have flared up again for him to see what i was dealing with.

I am so tired of this struggle Lilly, i really am. I feel defeated but i know God hasn't abandoned me. He has seen me through much worse and he'll see me through this.

how's progress for you?

If you think of it / have the time to, let us know how it is for you stopping the regimen sometime. I'm sure that's what I'll end up doing eventually - maybe in another year.. I'll see how I feel / how it's going... but I've always thought of it more as a 'short term' option for myself.

Spiro could be a great option - I've heard a lot of good things about it and it was something I was thinking of too before deciding to give the regimen a chance first.

All the best - good luck

I plan to keep this log open Lilly so you'll get an inside snapshot of the madness. I am 6 days post regimen and all i am doing is washing with Aveno Calming soap and moisturizing with Neutrogenia for Sensitive Skin. Needless to say, my pores are getting clogged again and small red bumps are coming out, mostly in the area of my upper cheeks towards my nose. It feels very rough/grainy. It will probably get tons worse in a few more days and I'll be right back to where i started pre- accutane. But seriously, i think my face needed this break. It is not longer beet red or flaky so that's something. I wish i was able to ween of BP but having acne AND eczema is not an option for me. The eczema patches have cleared on their own. I cancelled my derm appt so i don't know where to go from here. I didn't want to go when the eczema patches had healed so........I have another one at the end of May so if i decide to go down that route, at least my acne would have flared up again for him to see what i was dealing with.

I am so tired of this struggle Lilly, i really am. I feel defeated but i know God hasn't abandoned me. He has seen me through much worse and he'll see me through this.

how's progress for you?

Tough time hey

I remember coming off BP the first time after I'd used it for a while and that wasn't exactly fun... not looking forward to doing it again but I know it's eventually what I'll do.

My skin has been breaking out a bit lately and I feel like the PIH marks since using BP are darker than when I didn't use BP and had breakouts.

I've been a little worried lately it's making my skin look older too...

Hang in there!

Have to have hope / faith things will get better

Thanks hun! I just posted pictures on My Gallery page of my 1 yr mark on The Regimen and what my skin looks like about 1 week off. 8 days post regimen and i had 2 pimples with pus develop under my jaw. My chin is also littered with clogged pores and of course my cheeks are red and clogged to the max. I hate this! Looking at my pictures at the end of The Regimen and the ones taken after a week off, i see how The Regimen was making my skin hyper sensitive. The redness was so apparent, even more so than the pictures i took earlier in The Regimen.

My anxiety has been through the roof over my worsening skin. The what ifs and next steps are killing me. I just want to give up.

Any advice?

10 days post regimen and my skin is terrible. Every area is a clogged pore and makes my skin feel grainy. I've never had this type of acne and so wide spread....a weird and frightening experience. Seeing a brand new derm, # 7 i believe so we'll see if she is able to prescribe something that can get my skin back to some sense of normalacy. I definitely do not want to do accutane for a 4th time but if this keeps up and i'm desperate enough, who knows. Will keep you posted on my next steps.

Do you think it could have to do with the moisturiser that you're using / any other product you put on your skin? For my skin, often a clogged pore type of acne has been related to a product I've been using. Everyone's skin is different though and if you've been using the same products for a while now then it probably isn't the case.

Hopefully the new derm can help out!

Thanks for the support Lilly, it means the world to me that people are checking in. So i just got back from my derm and she is so sweet. I really like her. She was sympathetic and didn't judge me for feeling the way that i did. She also didn't have flawless skin and shared with me her struggles with cystic acne as an adult. Together we decided the following plan:

AM: BP (not as much as Dan recommends)

PM tazorac and atralin on alternate nights. I will start by doing 1 new thing a day for a week so tomorrow in the AM, i will be adding BP and nothing in the PM. The next day i will do nothing in the AM and add Atralin or Tazorac in the PM. This will continue for a week or 2 until i am using something in the AM and PM. She said a purge may happen but to not get discouraged. I go back to her on June 10th. The idea is that the retinoids will get rid of the bumpy skin and keep pores clear and the BP will take care of the bacteria.

I am so not excited to be starting over but i am happy to actually be using something again. I wasn't sure if i wanted to close this log and stat a new one or continue it - what do you think?

No worries

Good to hear the derm was helpful and you've got a treatment plan now - hope it all goes well!

I've been looking into retinoids too as something to ask about when I next see my doctor.

Starting a new thread could be a good idea so people using those products can find your experience with them more easily (rather than it being hidden away in a regimen thread ) I'll follow along if you start a new thread or decided to keep it here.

Thanks Lilly, i think i will take your advice and start a new log so it won't be misleading. Thanks! A retinoid can be great for overall skin tone and clogged pores but i've never had good results with it for active acne alone so keep that in mind.

I'll keep logging so you'll get a chance to see my experiences with it.