Hello. Quick background I have suffered from acne for 10 years now since I was 18 yrs old. Always had really good skin and one day decided to try proactiv bc I was a perfectionist and it seemed to trigger any underlying acne that may have be there, still which I have never returned from. I have been on everything you could think of....OTC products washes, medications, Accutane 3x (which I regret the most bc of side effects I am still dealing with) among others and finally the regimen. I will say that Ive had the most success with the regimen (other than accuatne) but would always stary after a few breakouts. Now I am 28 and like many people on here just so incredibly sick of having to think/stress/deal with my acne on a daily basis; it truly disrupts my life and im tired from it. I just have a couple questions/examples that I hope someone can give me some advice or share their experience with.....

1. First, my acne has seem to go through different types throughout the past 10 yrs but the past 2/3 Ive noticed a very weird, annoying pattern. A pimple now almost always forms the same way; it will start out as a small dot anywhere on my face but mostly upper cheeks and sides. It will be hard to the touch like it is so deep under the skin and no exfoaliting or anything will work it just remains there. It could be there for anyhwere between 1-3 months before it decides to emerge and when it does it is so big, painful and red and will take another 1-2 months just to completley go away! I have no idea what this is from but I never use to get this kind of acne and the regimen, AHA at first sight or anythign else I have read seems to work for it. Has anyone had issues with these extremely slow emerging and big pimples???

2. I also noticed the past few years that my skin is very rarley completley clear but way less breakouts in the summer and sometime around Oct/ Nov is when I start to see the real problems with what I mentioned above. I never use to scar just always deal with the post acne marks but this past winter I had a cluster of those slow developing pimples I was talking about and did not pop them or anything just treated with regimen and AHA and now there are 4 nice size scars where they were. Does any else experience this seasonal breakouts worse in the winter months? I always thought it was the other way around.

3. One of the reasons I also have seemed to stray from the regimen (admittely even when its working) is because how RED and rough my skin looks, and im talking after the early stages like 4-5 months of being on it. I do want clear skin of course but I hate how red and uncomfortable it always feel applying it even after all that time. To be honest I love just washing wit the gentle cleanser 2x a day thats when my face is at its most comfoirtbale and normal skin tone but unfortuntely like many of you im sure it never seems to last.

Sorry I know its kind of long but I really do appreciate anyone's personal experience or advice they could give me on how to just try and get my skin back to normal looking skin. Thanks again!