7 hours ago, BP+DIFF said:Differin at night. BP in the morning until things clear. Then just differin with BP to spot treat. Helps keep IB under control too...
Leave at least 15-20 minutes between cleanser / BP or differin / MOISTURISE and SUNSCREEN.
Saved my face...just the leftover marks now.
good luck everyone
Do you use 0.1 or 0.3
That's my exact routine right now, I'm glad it works PresentJewel thanks so much!! I'll have to try that out if all else fails with the differin/BP routine
4 minutes ago, SaucyNewel said:Hey can I use a 5% bp product while on differin 0.1??
Yes- adapalene and BP work together. I use 10% BP while on differin 0.3 and I have no issues.
@mk47Yeah when your face is a mess differin alone won't cut it or it'll take like 6 months to do what this combo can do in 6-8 weeks. I really hope it works for you. Just don't forget to moisturise, both of them dry your skin badly. If you have bad pie/marks then aquafore (thin layer) will help them heal-clear the acne first though.
@SaucyNewelyes together is fine. BP am and differin at night (differin makes you photosensitive so best before bed). I use 0.1 differin and 2.5 BP (studies show that higher BP concentrations can be more irritating and don't have better results so I figure why stress my skin out more than necessary). They do different things so I guess that's good for combination acne. I mostly use BP on the oily areas where I get small pustules or closed commedones and differin on my cheeks where I am more prone to cysts. Differin also cleans up after acne so it helps your skin return to normal faster. At first I used BP all over in the morning and differin at night all over but since my face is mostly clear now I use them both at night (on different areas) and just moisturise and sunscreen in the day. At the moment this isn't working well. Hope this isn't helpful. Good luck.
@mk47At night, after I have applied differin/BP and waited at least 20 minutes, I apply bepanthen moisturising cream. This might be hard to get where you are-it's not the same as the diaper rash cream. Cetaphil also makes a good moisturiser for dry skin as an alternative. Both of these are heavy which is why I use them only at night!
I have oily skin skin so during the day I use body shop tea tree mattifying lotion and that keeps my face happy all day.
These are working for me but it's a balance. You'll have to see what works for you. I find my skin loves the emollient overnight because it gives it a 'drink' and the mattifier in the day keeps my face from becoming overly oily.@SaucyNewel10% BP is very irritating for your skin. Irritation = more acne. Try a lower concentration but a big amount and massage it into the skin for at least 3 minutes. Use BP gel rather than cream if your skin is oily. Never use differin on top of BP as they sort of make each other less effective and actually do different things. Use them at different times for maximum effect. Differin at night and BP in the morning. I hope this helps, it's only my experience over 10 years and what my deem tells me.
On 08/01/2017 at 10:55 PM, mk47 said:I said I'd upload a picture if I knew how and I just noticed how, so this is it- redness and inflammation have gone down SO much in the past few days and this is probably the best my skin has looked in a month. I only included a photo of my forehead because i have no acne anywhere else. Benzoyl peroxide cream truly is my holy grail
I agree, great browns! Is this the only place you have acne/only kind? Do you have an oily forehead? If so BP should be your main weapon rather than differin. Low concentration, gel not cream, and enough to massage in for 3+ minutes. Differin probably purged what was already there under the skin. You can carry on with the differin pm and BP am routine if it's working. Or you can switch to BP morning and night for 2 weeks and see if it completely clears (doing this always clears my forehead fast). my guess is it would. You can add differin back in when you're clear to clean up the marks left behind and for maintenance (it's great for that!). Don't do roaccutant for this though, this will clear scar free. It's annoying I know but seriously, you can kick this if you're vigilant and don't irritate the skin. Forehead acne can also suggest stress or, for me, too high a dairy intake. Food for thought.
38 minutes ago, BP+DIFF said:I agree, great browns! Is this the only place you have acne/only kind? Do you have an oily forehead? If so BP should be your main weapon rather than differin. Low concentration, gel not cream, and enough to massage in for 3+ minutes. Differin probably purged what was already there under the skin. You can carry on with the differin pm and BP am routine if it's working. Or you can switch to BP morning and night for 2 weeks and see if it completely clears (doing this always clears my forehead fast). my guess is it would. You can add differin back in when you're clear to clean up the marks left behind and for maintenance (it's great for that!). Don't do roaccutant for this though, this will clear scar free. It's annoying I know but seriously, you can kick this if you're vigilant and don't irritate the skin. Forehead acne can also suggest stress or, for me, too high a dairy intake. Food for thought.
Thanks! I'm not sure what the cause could be because I don't consume any dairy and I've never had any issues with being oily but stress might be it... should moisturizer be applied before/after differin at night or what should I do with that? Differin also purged a ton out of the sides of my face earlier but it's all gone scar-free, my forehead is just too stubborn but BP is helping minus dryness
@mk47You're 16. That's the main cause. Moisturiser should always be last (unless you use a separate sunscreen in which case that goes last). Protect your skin from the sun as that aggravates and makes marks last longer too. Moisturise at least 20 minutes after a topical. I like to leave it for an hour to let the product do it's work if you have the time.
Also, check when you are washing your face. try not to exceed 12 hours between washes. For me this means washing in the morning before work then around 6 pm. Much earlier than previously. It's made a big difference oil wise for me.
Update, I went to a new dermatologist today because I was unhappy with my first one, she told me that there was no reason for me to be on an antibiotic because I never had deep acne (thanks for that, other derm) and that differin .3 gel was bringing way too much to the surface and way too fast, and also the reason for my always red and irritated skin. Now I have aczone gel and differin 0.1 cream to settle my skin down
7 hours ago, mk47 said:Update, I went to a new dermatologist today because I was unhappy with my first one, she told me that there was no reason for me to be on an antibiotic because I never had deep acne (thanks for that, other derm) and that differin .3 gel was bringing way too much to the surface and way too fast, and also the reason for my always red and irritated skin. Now I have aczone gel and differin 0.1 cream to settle my skin down
Haha mk47 we've switched roles! I went to my derm today and got switched from .1 cream to .3 gel
If anyone ever has the option to use differin and aczone together, I HIGHLY recommend it. I started less than a week ago and within 6 days 80% of my problem area has cleared. I've had better results in 6 days of this combination than in 2 months of just differin. Of course I do still have acne but only 2-3 new spots within the past week and the aczone seems to handle them quickly. My skin definitely isn't perfect but much closer than before and this combo works magically
On 1/6/2017 at 0:34 AM, mk47 said:Thought I'd update this with more news, my mom was at our dermatologist this afternoon and mentioned that I've had no improvement with anything she's given me, and the derm said this might mean I'm a candidate for accutane which broke my heart
I wouldn't be a candidate for anything if she hadn't prescribed me these things in the first place. I went into differin (and doxycycline later) with 3 small pimples.... now I'm leaving with about 30-40 whiteheads and tears.
Say NO to accutane!!!
Don't take prescribes drugs without researching and most especially don't take for cosmetic reasons.
Your life-long health should be the most important thing.
Healthy diet, exercise,lifestyle will get you there in the end.
Time is a good healer.
Good luck.
On 12/01/2017 at 4:43 PM, mk47 said:Update, I went to a new dermatologist today because I was unhappy with my first one, she told me that there was no reason for me to be on an antibiotic because I never had deep acne (thanks for that, other derm) and that differin .3 gel was bringing way too much to the surface and way too fast, and also the reason for my always red and irritated skin. Now I have aczone gel and differin 0.1 cream to settle my skin down
Your new deem knows what he's talkin about! You shouldn't purge again. Differin 0.1 is great, especially for maintenance- less irritating