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Day 65.
Urgh. My skin is really bad now. Although the 3 active spots are slowly dying down, one new cyst has sprung up on my left cheek and I can feel an upcoming bump on my chin. I think that it's caused by hormones because I was completely breakout free from day45 - day59. Sigh! This is so frustrating and discouraging.
Day 69 (End of Week 10).
Very very discouraged about my skin. Currently having one active red CYST which I HATE. It is so big that when you look at my face, the first thing you see is that red awful thing.
I have to learn to NEVER EVER PICK at a cyst which is begging to be popped. The inflamed blackhead unfortunately turn into a full blown red awful cystic pimple - with a whitehead on it. And I picked at it this morning. If I never picked at it, my skin would have improved over the course of next week.
I vow that from today onwards, I will leave my skin alone and touch it less. And never, ever pick or pop at things.
Day 74 (Mid-Week 11)
So I was having a mini-breakout from days 59-73, for exactly 2 weeks. It was a hormonal breakout because of my monthly cycle and definitely not caused by the tretinoin. Looking back, the breakout has definitely decreased in its intensity.
Just had my period today and my skin is clearing up already, no more active zits. The cyst I was very upset about for the past week has deflated, and all that is left behind is a faint mark. I am so happy that there are no more active pimples, not even one. Only the superficial marks left behind which I have to deal with. There has definitely been an improvement with the hormonal breakout, compared to last month, during which I broke out with a lot more cysts.
Tretinoin is working! First, it has been helping a lot in the sense that my breakouts are less intense, only one cyst this month. Second, my skin is so smooth and so soft now... All I need to do is continue to apply daily to get rid of the pih marks. Wow. The texture has also improved even more... so smooth. Peeling still happens daily. I just massage off the dead skin when applying moisturiser after my showers (when everything is soft).
Regimen remains exactly the same, as stated in my signature. Differin as maintenance in the AM til' the last tube finishes, per my derm's intructions.
Day 79 (Beginning of Week 12)
My period just ended and my skin is starting to look pretty fabulous. It feels radiant and new, as all the old layers have peeled away to reveal fresh skin underneath. When I touch it, it also feels velvety soft. I have been applying the tretinoin cream to my chest and my neck, and those areas feel like velvet too.
I am starting to receive compliments. Currently, the only problem I'm dealing with is the pih marks which are pretty dark and show up very obviously on my fair skin. However, I have great hope that things will get better because I have a feeling that the tretinoin will work to fade those as well. Just a swirl of makeup and a dab of concealer here and there is enough to cover up the marks to a certain extent. I can't wait to be clear!
I am so relieved, happy and thankful to God for the current state of my complexion because lots of events are happening next week. Tomorrow is graduation night (the equivalent of high school prom), and I am excited. I will also be having convocation on the 26th of July, a photoshoot with my bestfriends on the 29th of July in our gowns, and a family portrait photoshoot on the 5th of August.
Day 84! End of Week 12!
So... It's the end of Week 12 for my journey with Retacnyl! Through the downs of the IB and purging and cysts, I finally feel like things are looking up. I am feeling happy in my skin, and about my overall complexion. Today, two people commented that I was 16, and were shocked when I told them I was 22 - their jaws dropped and they looked seriously surprised. I was not wearing makeup. In fact, I don't see a need to wear makeup nowadays, except for the photoshoots and special events related to graduation.
To me, it is evident that the tretinoin is not only getting rid of my pimples - it is also improving my overall skin tone and complexion. Right now, I have zero active pimples/cysts. The only minor things bothering me are the dark speckles of pih marks on my cheeks and chin, and some scabby looking areas. But they are obvious upon closer inspection and do not seem to need covering up at all unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, I am not "clear" yet.
Besides the regimen, I also think that it is important to have a healthy lifestyle. I have been eating fish oil and a multivitamin daily. I also ensure that I get plenty of rest and sleep! I also try to take occassional brisk walks by the sea during sunset. I have been careful about my diet too, and cooking more meals for myself nowadays, and eating more fruits.
Most importantly, I have come out of the phase of feeling embarrassed around people because of acne. I have been spending more time with my family, close friends, acquaintances, and feel confident chatting with strangers. Did I also mention that it is important not be stressed out over work? Stress is the ultimate beauty killer.
Comparing weeks 6 and 12 - the pictures on the left column are week 6 while the ones on the right are from the end of week 12. They are taken up-close.
There has definitely been an improvement. All the marks you see are the leftover pih marks and not active pimples. I hope that as the weeks goes by, those will fade and disappear with daily use of tretinoin.
Chin
Right cheek
Left cheek
Day 93 (beginning of Week 14)
Although my skin has been behaving well lately, I'm bracing myself for my hormonal breakout in the coming week or so. I hope that it will not be as bad this month. My skin's texture is improving slowly and steadily as the days pass. I was looking through the pictures of the IB and they looked horrendous, so I'm thankful that the situation has made a turnaround. Currently having a few tiny pimples, which are nothing. My complexion has improved slowly and steadily over the weeks with the faithful use of the retacnyl cream every night. Went through the family graduation photoshoot yesterday with full makeup.
Day 100!!! 
Well it's the end of Week 14 for my crazy retacnyl journey. I can't believe that I have been using this thing for this long. But let me tell you, my skin has improved dramatically!
First, hormonal breakouts have decreased from 9-10 cysts during the initial breakout to almost nothing now. This week I was supposed to have hormonal breakouts and was expecting them to come. But no major zits/cysts came. Currently, the only thing I have is one tiny little zit under my lip, almost unnoticeable. Which is amazing and a little hard to believe. A few months ago, I would have at least 6 huge red cysts on my cheeks that would last for at least 2 weeks during my monthly cycle. Nonetheless, I don't want to be too happy because I don't want my expectations dashed. I am still bracing myself for my hormonal breakout next week, in case it happens.
Second, I am still experiencing peeling and shedding once every few days, which is a good thing. When I rub my skin, all the dead skin will just roll up or flake off. revealing the fresh skin underneath. There is the occasional redness and flushing, but that only happens when I am under direct sunlight.
With that said, I am now really hoping that all the pih marks will fade with continuous use of retacnyl. When I looked at my skin under natural light this morning, the pih marks are still visible and darker than the rest of my skin. Those marks reminded me of the initial breakout, and how they were once all red horrible cystic pimples all over my face. Pih marks are definitely easier to deal with. Overall my complexion is radiant and my skin texture feels super smooth. Hopefully week 18 will show improvements in the fading of the marks.
Regimen-wise, I am following the exact same routine stated in my signature. Finally, to all those who are struggling with the horrible breakouts on tretinoin - be it retin-A, renova, atralin... Do stick with it although you might get so discouraged. Be patient and consistent and use the tretinoin every night. You will see results.
hey i remember posting in this thread a while back!
damn you have come so far well done and it looks like your getting the results you want !
So happy for you, my skins pretty messed up but its always good to hear others with success.
keep up the great work.
I may try retin a soon i don't want to really have to the whole accutane thing.
I used to use isotrex which is istrexin without the anti biotic i think it did kinda of work for me but still had breakouts etc.
jay
Day 107 (Beginning of Week 16)
Yippee. I had no hormonal breakouts this month - not even a single cystic pimple or pus-filled monster. Currently all I have is one tiny little zit on my left cheek! Life is returning back to normal, I am not afraid of meeting people and no longer obssessing constantly about the breakouts. Because I have none. Rejoicing!
Waiting for pih marks to fade.
To Jay, thanks for the encouragement and support!!!
Day 117 (Ending Week 17)
Haven't been updating for quite some time now. Because everything's as normal - no active breakouts. No zits. Nothing. My skin has sort of stabilised and is finally unzitty. Just teeny little spots around my nostrils and on my chin which are super small and cannot be called pimples or even whiteheads.
Is there an improvement in the fading of the marks? I really can't tell. As of now, the progress is slow I guess. I think it happens over a period of time but since I look at my face in the mirror everyday, I can't tell a drastic difference from one day to the next.
There is something that irks me though. It is not a totally bad thing, however - just means that my skin is constantly exfoliating.
PEELING PEELING PEELING!!! I will still peel like crazy in the day when I'm talking or laughing with people. The peeling occurs as huge huge flakes of skin crack on my mouth area and just come off the surface of my face. My friend even picked off a huge piece of dead skin from my hair yesterday when we were shopping for books. The peeling occurs extensively all around my mouth and my mum would point it out for me. These few days, I would just try to pick off the dead peeling skin in public toilets when i'm out and people are pointing that out, but that doesn't really help.
My skin is far from porcelain perfect, I hope that constant peeling will just peel off all the dead skin and rejuvenate my complexion and make it flawless. Will be posting pictures in Week 18 to see if there's any difference from Week 12 (fingers crossed).
Btw, I am still using differin in the day - I still haven't finished the tube all these months! Skincare regimen is exactly the same.
Day 140, end of Week 20 (5-month update)
Jay: Thank you for your encouragement and support
So it's been exactly 20 weeks since I started using Retacnyl. It's been a roller coaster ride, with all the ups and downs. As seen in the Week 6 photo, my right cheek has always been the problematic area and Week 6 was when my skin was at its oiliest and pimpliest. My skin was at its worst in Weeks 3-8 (I think).
About makeup
Things got better and better as the weeks went by, and I am totally comfortable going out without any makeup - I think that not wearing makeup has helped my skin to breathe and recover faster from the IB. I have learnt to accept myself (and know that I am accepted no matter how I look), and not wearing skin makeup like foundation or concealer has taught me to be comfortable in my own skin. There were days when I caved in to using some powder to cover up the pih marks - I noticed that my makeup-less skin without makeup now looks like how my skin looked like previously with powder (if you get what I mean). But I do avoid wearing makeup unless I have to because I really like the feeling of letting my skin "breathe" and heal.
New "breakouts" - Good news
I got only one major pimple since my last update. It was this under-the-skin hard whitehead beside my eyebrow that had been lurking there for more than a year. I have always noticed it, but thought that it was just a random bump. But oh well, it was a nasty lurking pimple. It surfaced itself last week and is now a nasty red thing. H/w I think that this is something to be happy about because it means that the tretinoin is still working at clearing out every single last piece of gunk under the surface of my skin. And the frequency of the "breakouts" has radically reduced to one pimple a month, which is something to rejoice over rather than complain about. My chin still feels a little spotty once every few days (yes, once every few days which is weird!) - but nothing major and I do notice that blackheads are almost gone. Blackheads are gone not only on my chin but also from my nose! My nose is now almost totally blackhead-free, save for a few stubborn ones around the sides.
Peeling
I. STILL. PEEEEEEEL. It's not mild peeling but crazy peeling. 2 days ago, I was at a gathering on a Friday evening at a friend's place. I haven't seen them in 2 weeks. When one of them saw me, her eyes immediately moved to the area under my mouth and she asked me "What's wrong with your face?" in front of everyone. I replied "Am I peeling?" I thought that the peel wasn't that bad so I continued talking to people for the NEXT HOUR OR SO, without thinking much about the peeling comment made earlier. The rest were just too polite to say anything to me about it. So when I finally decided to go to the restroom, I took a look at the mirror and nearly fainted - I saw huge pieces of dead skin literally hanging off the area around my mouth! I am really not exaggerating at all when I say that the pieces of skin were HUGE. It looked like the skin around my mouth had cracked and shed. It was terrible. I quickly picked off all the hanging pieces of dead skin and when I did that, I noticed that the new skin underneath was nice and smooth. Oh well, the memorable side effects XD
Hey rose, great to know things are working well! Also great to hear that you're comfortable in your own skin!
What kind of moisturizer are you using? Not to totally change your regimen, but for peeling skin, the BEST thing is the Cetaphil Moisturizing CREAM (NOT lotion) that comes in the tub. It's pretty thick but you can use small amounts. It's also not very matte but it will pretty much cure your peeling skin. I don't know what I would do without it
Again my own complaint is that it leaves a shiny effect on the skin. But I'd rather have shiny skin than peeling skin. It's thick and it kind of goes on like shortening but it leaves your skin insanely hydrated and smooth without irritation.
Maybe give it a try!
Hey ariesgirl, so good to hear from you again! How have you been and what have you been up to? I hope that your retin-A regimen is working out well too! I am currently using my derm's antioxidant moisturiser, which is pretty expensive, but it works well for me. Anyway, thanks for the cetaphil cream suggestion - I will definitely consider it.
For my skin update - End of Day 149 (beginning of week 22)
Oh well, I have one inflamed blackhead on my left cheek now, which is a little discouraging. The rest of my face feels relatively smooth, except for my chin. I can't really describe the progress in words. But my skin is good enough for me to go around without makeup. I have been using the tretinoin faithfully every single night for the past 149 nights - it was awful at first, but has been getting better and better. My skin has been clearing up wonderfully.
Will be very busy for the next few weeks - Will post pictures soon, probably at the end of week 24.
P.S. I'm finally done with my tube of differin. Only using retacnyl now. Check out the edited regimen in my signature. To all those using tretinoins, don't give up. You need to be patient. There are definitely results, slow as they may seem!
Day 159 - End of week 23
Despite the itching and peeling dryness around my mouth area, and a couple of tiny little spots (really tiny ones on my left cheek and mouth area), things are going on rather well for me. I am still not too happy about the flaking and soreness, so I decided not to use the isotrexin in the daytime to give my skin a break. To think about it, I don't really need the isotrexin in the day because I have no major zits for spot treatment.
I don't know why, but my face feels itchy and it is a challenge for me not to touch it or scratch it. But when I look at my complexion, it does look pretty good - not red, etc. However there is a slight flakey powdery feeling all round my mouth, esp my chin. Currently, my chin is giving me the most problems - the flakes are so irritating, and it looks blotchy upon closer inspection.
Today I experimented with a BB cream from Korea, manufactured under the brand Enprani. It was a good experience, not as heavy as foundation + concealer, and enhanced my complexion.
Mid Week 25
I really hate to say this - but I dislike the state of my skin now. Although my right cheek has cleared up nicely (it was my worst side), my left cheek is giving me many problems now. There's a horrid smattering of tiny bumps across my left cheek, about 3, amidst the pih marks. The pih marks on my left cheek are more obvious than my right's - because the right was the first to break out. I am also very discouraged about the state of my chin - two bumps have surfaces over the past few days! T_T
End of Week 25
So I was freaking out a couple of days ago about the smattering of little "bumps" across my left cheek. They are gone. Now both my cheeks are looking pretty good. My forehead and nose areas are completely clear.
My chin is now giving me the most problems. Please, hormonal breakouts, GO AWAY.
I will be seeing my derm in about 2 weeks' time to review the progress of my skin over the past 6 months. I have been faithfully following her regimen specifically without missing/altering anything in the regimen all these while. She might change things up a bit, but let's see.
Couple of lessons learnt over the past few weeks - some might sound cliche, but are nonetheless important and worth repeating. I repear these things to myself everyday:-
- Stop experimenting with make up until skin is completely clear. So tempting, but then, my desire for beautiful bare skin is greater.
- Be extremely gentle with skin - when skin is on tretinoin, it is so fragile and must be handled carefully, or more breakouts might ensue from rough scrubbing
- DO NOT TOUCH face AT ALL - Leave it alone! be it picking off dead skin flakes, or scratching an itchy area. This might spread the bacteria under nails and on the fingertips
Oh yes, may I add that I have been using a C essence serum before moisturising. It is awesome. I got it at my derm's also.
End of Week 26
I think I need to give an honest feedback on my experience for the past 6 and a half months on tretinoin.
I currently have no active breakouts, but I'm still very unsatisfied with the current state of my skin. Things can be better. It really sucks being self-conscious and fully aware of every single hyperpigmentation mark. And there are tiny and random little spots all over my forehead. Sigh.
Because of the breakouts caused by tretinoin, my skin has acquired a very blotchy appearance as a result of the pesky marks left behind, and that's my main struggle now. On bad skin days, every single mark reminds me of the horrible breakouts of cysts, and inflamed blackheads/whiteheads. I am still feeling quite emotionally and psychologically scarred from the nightmare of the IB.
Many people say that the magical 3-month mark would be the end of all the suffering, but that was definitely not the case for me. In fact, I continued to breakout in months 3, 4 and 5. Although the cysts were lesser, they still came. I would say that my IB lasted 5-6 months for me, as I still got cysts in month 6, to be very honest with you guys. I was really hoping to be cyst-free by month 4, but I was so wrong. The timeline for clear skin keeps getting pushed further and further ahead. The last time I had a monster cyst was 2 weeks ago. It appeared on my chin and has left a purplish greyish mark behind.
I think that I am still about one-third into my journey towards crystal clear smooth even-toned skin. Looking at the progress, I need to be very honest with myself and I am now only expecting clear skin in another years' time on this tretinoin cream. I would give it one and a half years to work its magic.
It's really not helping that I will be taking my bar exams in 3 weeks' time (I am a graduated law student). The stress and demands of life are pouring in on me, and I really hope I won't start breaking out again because of this. But this time round, I am determined not to let stress take a toll on me physically. I will sleep early and keep my diet healthy for the next 3 weeks.
Beginning of Week 28
So it will be seven months soon. I really don't wish to jinx it, but my skin has been looking pretty good for the last week or so, with no new cysts. My forehead and cheeks are clear, save for residual pih marks & one tiny little whitehead on my right cheek which looks like it's going away soon. My chin, however, still has residual marks from the horrid cyst breakout (which happened three weeks ago) and looks blotchy. I wonder when it'll look smooth and nice again.
My sister complimented me yesterday on my complexion. She looked at me and said "Your skin looks good!" I was so pleased, because she never compliments me at all and is usually my worst critic. She teases me all the time. So the compliment really encouraged me, because my sis is not one who would just make a statement like that without meaning it (she's not the sort to flatter and lie).
I've been studying at home for the past week or so and have not been wearing any makeup at all, to let my skin breathe. Sufficient rest has been helping too. Oh well, back to studying for the bar exams!
P.S. Will be visiting my derm this Friday and I've already prepared a list of questions to ask her. I'm excited about the appointment, because the tretinoin cream has really been working (I've been using it every single night for the past 7 months)
Just came back from my visit to my dermatologist she commented on several things:-
1. Redness and flushing
She said that I had some signs of rosacea and eczema, and that my skin has become very sensitive. So she gave me Rozex cream to treat the redness for the next 3 months. I am to use this for alternate nights for two weeks, after which I have to use it nightly.
She also replaced my antioxidant moisturiser with another one of her soothing and calming moisturisers called "recovery complex" to help repair any hyper-sensitivity and redness which has resulted from the tretinoin (it has brutal side effects that made my face peel and turn red).
2. Acne
She said that my acne has cleared up, that the "reservoir" of underground pimples have all purged over the last seven months. I asked her whether I should continue using the tretinoin and she said that I would only need to use it twice a week to maintain the results that I have now.
I am no longer using isotrexin - she replaced the isotrexin with something milder called clindagel.
3. Moisturiser
Switched to the recovery complex to correct the redness of the skin and help with the sensitivity.
I have a new regimen now, and will change my signature again.
Update for the beginning of week 29:
The dreaded chin bumps are back to haunt me again this month. They are definitely hormonal because it's that time of the month. The last time these came was exactly a month ago.
They are red (but have no head), they are big and are really unsightly and are smack in the middle of all the old chin cyst marks, and they HURT. I hate chin zits. They are awful and make my chin look terrible. My chin looks TERRIBLE now and the hormonal breakouts just keep on coming! I wonder when they'll stop as the marks they leave behind are so hard to fade.
Will be using tretinoin tonight - I am supposed to alternate tretinoin and the Rozex every night for the next 2 weeks. So tomorrow will be Rozex. On a brighter note, the Rozex has been working - my skin is less red.
But oh. I HATE CHIN ZITS.
I am still feeling so self-conscious of the redness and the red marks on my face. This week, I caved into using makeup, like when I am doing my eyebrows or going to the dentist. I just cannot stand the thought of someone peering into all my imperfections as they tweeze my brows/ check out my teeth, especially under the bright white lights. On monday when I tweezed my brows, I wore foundation. Today, i wore a tinted moisturiser when going to see the dentist.
I vow not to use makeup at all for the next twenty days. NO MAKE UP AT ALL.
I have a camp coming up in twenty days' time, and I really really really don't want to use any makeup and just go for the camp bare-faced. And my bar exams are next week. So I really want to give my skin a break from all the cover ups. I really hate makeup.
Some little spots have popped up since monday on the areas that underwent threading and tweezing. And good news - I got my braces off this week
