After 8 years of battling with acne, at age 23 I've finally found a pretty simple regimen that keeps me clear (tested it out for six months.) I still have scars but their not as bad as they were before, it just takes a lot of time for them to fade so patience is key. I've been lurking on these forums for years and wanted to just share my experiences and just breath a sigh of relief for getting rid of my annoying persistent acne.

I used to get whiteheads but I mainly now (thankfully used to) get cystic acne. BTW I just wanted to share that I used to use BP and although it worked for a while, I think that is what eventually led me to get cystic acne. It also stopped working after about a year.

-Wash morning and night with Cetaphil gentle cleanser. If I'll be outside a lot, I'll apply some sunscreen. I also sometimes use Cerave moisturizer if my skin is dry.

-Once a week, apply .1% retin-A micro. Remember to apply 20 minutes after washing your face and ONLY APPLY VERY LITTLE. I have the pump so it gives me the perfect amount each time.

-I used to use retin-A micro everyday and it was good for a few months but then my skin got pretty irritated and the most annoying thing was I was very very very sensitive to the sun. I realized that I could just get by by only using it once, maybe twice a week for maintenance purposes. My skin looks great (dewy and good color) from the retin-A so its not just for acne.

-I take vitamin E daily (for discoloration and scars) and 50mg of zinc.

-I used to take the zinc for acne but I'm not sure if it really ever helped. I take it now for one of the side effects which my gf really appreciates

-Finally the MOST IMPORTANT thing for me is to absolutely completely avoid ALL forms of dairy and consume as little sugar and simple carbs as possible.

-Even when I stopped eating yogurt and cheese and avoided consuming milk, I would still get cysts from things such as whey protein isolate powder (~97% lactose free) and even milk derivatives like sodium caesinate (found in non-dairy creamers.) I avoid sugar whenever I can as well. Even if I drink like half a can of soda, I'll get an painful cyst the next morning. I'll limit my sugar intake to about max 15g per day.

That's it. I know my regimen won't be able to help everyone but I just wanted to share so maybe someone won't have to try for YEARS to get rid of their acne. I still have oily skin so I used oil blotting sheets but besides that, it just feels awesome not having to constantly stress about acne