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So I've been applying a prescription cream, benzaclin, as well as using a cetaphil face wash since around March. When I first started, it was getting worse, but readings online said it was possible for benzaclin to make it more visible before helping. So I continued, even though I didn't think it was getting any better. About a month ago, I went on a 2 week vacation where I didn't take the medication, and my acne got a lot better. When I came back and started back on the regime, it got worse. So should I continue with the stuff, or stop?
I've read that microcomedones can take up to eight weeks to form. So, while you were applying Benzaclin, your skin may have been clearing up. When you stopped for two weeks, the medication may have worked well enough to sustain your clear complexion for those two weeks without treatment. However, new comedones could have been forming during that time that were not noticeable yet.
When you got back from vacation, the microcomedones may have started to get larger, and the Benzaclin worked by bringing them to the surface to heal, making your complexion seem worse.
Everything I said is completely hypothetical, but it is definitely a possibility. In any treatment, you have to be very diligent in staying on track with the prescribed dosages because you need to give the medication time to work. It is estimated that the majority of treatments show improvement in 4-6 weeks.
I've taken a few different clindamycin/BPO combination products. My complexion did seem to get a bit worse before it got better, but when it did get better, it was pretty amazing.
Good luck in your future acne battle!