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I am coming up on my second month of using retina-a .05% (and bp 5% during am along with minocycline) and my left side of my face is nearly completely clear with no pimples however my right cheek is still breaking out - probably a handful of pimples/cyst.
I try to switch my pillow case every 3rd or 4th night flipping it in-between nights. I'm going to try to switch it every other night from now on.
Is this normal while on retin-a for one side to heal faster than the other? Also if my left side is clear (which it was not a month ago) does this mean that my right side will clear up too only with a matter of time?
Thanks for the help.
There are 4 main factors that contribute to the development of the acne you see on your face/body: hyperkeratinization (excessive shedding of skin cells within the pore), oil, bacteria and inflammation.
Your Derm has prescribed you an oral antibiotic (minocycline), a topical antibiotic (BP), and a topical retinoid (Retin-A).
The antibiotics kill acne bacteria and the retinoid normalises hyperkeratinization while all of them may reduce inflammation.
It would be wise to continue to use all three for optimal results, and you have to give it 3 months before assessing results:
(Click graph)
Note: Doxycycline = oral antibiotic; adapalene = topical retinoid
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=199214
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/3/1188.full.pdf+html
Good luck
