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It's been 2 weeks and the only actual results I see is my nose and forehead. The redness on my cheeks got a bit lighter but that's about it. I think it's because when I used the SA on my face, my cheeks is where I put it the most. I put it on my nose a lot too but not as much. My forehead I didn't really touch which is why it's clear besides two small pimples.
Yea I noticed that too, the parts I washed the hardest are the most damaged like my nose and cheeks. I feel like to be 100% clear you have to be on the no wash regimen and it will take a very long time. But for now I'm just washing my face and using the Sodium Sulfacetamide lotion after I wash. And then at night I'll wash and apply Jojoba Oil and wash it off in the morning and then repeat so I've been washin twice a day. Have you had any positive results?
Besides my nose and forehead clearing up a bit, none really. I'm pretty disappointed because I thought I'd see good results. Hopefully the derm gives me something to actually clear this up. I would go back to the no wash regimen but I can't walk around like that. Plus, it wouldn't work for me because I have the Seb Derm.
I guess this will become a huge post, I hope you read and relate to it as that is my personal experience with acne.
It started right off when I started exfoliating my face with some "Theracne" scrub, when I turned 12 or something. The blackheads went away, but I started to get real pimples by the time I was 13. Anyways, it was only one or two pimples.
I didn't feel bad about my acne, almost at all - but I wasn't happy with my looks (the whole thing). So, I had to put the blame on something. It worked so well - I blamed my acne for my flaws and told myself, subliminarly, that when it went away (probably when I turned 18) I would be happy and perfect. Anxious as hell for that time to come, and having my mom as anxious as me telling me she had "the permanent cure" (an aestetician), I just accepted her invite to go there and f*** it all up.
It was simple: She would pick all the junk, put some stuff on my face (freaking strong acids... I guess it was salicylic, but it burned like hell) and tell me to cleanse my face with a regimen, which would "dry my face up". I bought the idea. It was expensive, though.
The regimen consisted of 4 products. First, I would cleanse my face with what seemed to be a gentle cleanser. Then, I would spray some toner on a cotton ball and scrub it aswell. I would use a skin drying lotion afterwards, and finish it up with a 30fps sunscreen which had MAKEUP. I'm a male, by the way, and the feeling of having makeup on my face 18h per day wasn't all that glorious. I peeled as hell. I started to see that the food I ate negatively affected my skin. I'm pretty sure it didn't before I've done all that.
I didn't do this regimen morning and night. I used to do it morning, night, and all the times I felt dirty or took a shower. As I took at least 2 showers per day, I washed my face FOUR TIMES A DAY and worsened the situation even more by putting strong chemicals on it.
Something deep inside told me, in a loud, loud way: "Stop doing it". It didn't feel right. I knew I had normal acne, not this overwhelmed thing. But I knew that, If I stopped it, my face would be FULL of acne. Every single day I saw a new pimple arise.
I stopped doing it with that aestetician, but started doing with another one. She handed me almost the same products - the only difference was the brand, the fact that the sunscreen didn't have makeup and didn't make my face look oily, and that instead of the "skin drying lotion" I was handed an AHA cream. She did it better, although. My face was clearer after some 4 months with her than with the previous one. It still felt like shit.
I stopped doing it again. The acne on my cheeks formed lots of huge 'mountains' (not concentrated) of pus. My chin was the same. My forehead, not so much. My skin was extremely oily. I'm from Brazil, so you can't expect anything else after making my face sensitive after all those products. I'm pretty sure the oil on my face was normal before all that.
I didn't use only water after having stopped doing it, anyway. I used Soapex 2 times a day, to make my face dry. After that, I tried BP with no avail. Went to a derm, he prescribed me Antibiotics + BP + some drying agent along with BP. He didn't prescribe me sunscreen, so all it has done was aggravate my red marks and made me start breaking out under my eyes.
I dropped everything and started doing it "water only". But I still had the pressure from my shower to irritate my skin. Even water made it worse. Then I stumbled upon this thread.
Today is my 16th birthday, and I feel like this is a gift from God to me (even tho I'm an atheist).
After all these years kinda putting fire to my face, it started clearing up. My sebum production started to move back to normal again. I still have lots of whiteheads on my forehead and chin, but my cheeks are almost clear. I'm feeling it's definitely starting to clear up. Thank you, Waterwater.
(sorry for any grammar mistakes - I'm not a native speaker.)
people talk about this "dead skin mask" i have this, i just wiped my nose with tissue and the area around it (typically more oily for me) and it showed up yellow on the white paper! i.e dead skin.
so what is the correct method for removing this dead skin build up, plus i am on day 3 right now. only water has touched my forehead on day 1.
i am also 23, so hormones should be level tbh.
Well, sorry for any sensationalism in my above post. I was doing it no water at all until that day, in which I thought "okay, I'm clearing up so I can have water again, just like a normal person without acne". Wrong. It wasn't much, actually, I just splashed a bit. Funny thing is I'm too anxious for this to pass, and my face is itching like hell too (more than it used to before I started this all).
My face is not oily anymore after that day. But I guess I went a step backwards. Damn. I've been eating like a pig recently, too. Today I guess I had some 4 argentinian alfajores (which are great). I don't know exactly if I did that only to 'test' my skin, or because I'm just too anxious. Maybe it's the two of them. I've been feeling too much anxious/sad recently. Thinking about taking Accutane. But, I promised myself I would try everything I could do before trying it. It's like I don't wanna go outside, just stay in my freaking cubicle playing videogames. But, I promised myself I would try everything I could do before trying it. This and hydrocolontherapy are the last resorts before the last resort. Hope I do well...
Today: Lots of red reeed bumps everywhere, whiteheads on my forehead (which I 'accidentally' picked by very gently scratching with the back of my hands. They were really sensitive)
Oh, and forgot the 2-4 pustules (I guess that's the right name) that surfaced on my face on monday.
Perhaps your isolationism is affecting your skin - stressing over it, thus making it worse. Sorry to hear about your skin issues at the moment!
Have you kept water off of your face since that time, or are you now using water? I chickened out after 5 days, and am now rinsing nightly. I'm only on day 2, have yet to shower to rinse.
Yes, maybe it is. Can't do much about it anyway because unfortunately, deep inside, there is someting that tells me that nothing but a clear skin would make me leave home (properly) in order to live the life I've been losing sight of.
My skin still looks horrible - washing or not. It's looking even worse with all those dead skin cells hanging around my cheeks... so much to the point I'm feeling such a strong urge to wash it.
Before avoiding all water, I was doing water-only (guess it's hard water, and it had a lot of pressure from the shower, too). Wasn't getting any better.
Sorry for being too emotional, but this forum seems like the right place to say it all. I'm not saying that all this acne is the epicentre of my emotional problems, though. I remember that I wasn't much satisfied with myself even before it. Now that I realised I'm enough, I can't handle this. It seems like it's the only thing blocking my way to 'pure self-expression'.
I don't know if I should wash it. I'm thinking about washing with a bar soap, the kind I used to have when I didn't have acne. Since it got worse, I could see some kind of chronic lazyness/tiredness too. I might get a hydrocolontherapy. Maybe it's candida.
Too lazy to overanalyze all this right now. I'll get a snack and then shave.
I did it for 9 or 10 days until today. Couldn't help but wash... that urge took control of me and I did it. My face was just horrible.
I ended up cleansing it with a Dove bar soap. My advice for those reading? If after 10 days on this regimen you just let yourself wash your face, your face will -not- be any better. Instead, do as I'll do: start over again. Keep avoiding water. Pat your face with a towel (gently) if oil becomes extreme.
When I wrote "horrible", I meant gross. Very very very gross. Oily, flaky, rough and still full of acne. Actually my face feels better right now; two people have complimented me saying that the tone is more even than it was before. The cyst that lied under my left eye is disappearing very fast (don't know why) and I'm not so stressed about my skin. By the way, I haven't washed in 2 days, besides letting water run down my face when I was shampooing. It's still itchy as hell, though.
I just remembered to give feedback right now when I found this on Google:
We know that Acne is inherited from your parents. It may be also be worsened or caused (those who did not inherit the gene) by cosmetics, stress, hormonal fluctuations, medications, certain vitamins such as iodine, the sun and by the very products which are supposed to clear or cure the problem.
and this, too:
If your blush is comedogenic, you will have these lesions in the blush area. Your lipstick or lip liner would cause lesions to occur around the lips. Foundation, powder, sun block, moisturizers, acne products, and skin care products would effect your whole face. If Comedogenic Ingredients are in all of your products, then lesions and zits will appear everywhere. My favorites are Isopropyl Myristate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which are the main ingredients in toilet and drain uncloggers!! They are the main or first ingredients in almost all skin care products because of their ability to make clogs disappear and make your products feel smooth and silky.
Funny, isn't it? I used to wash my face everyday with a cleanser which main ingredient was SLS.
Now I remember myself throwing millions of products on my face before going to sleep and waking up everyday with new pimples. How dumb I was...
Great to see you've found your way. Keep it up. There's something missing in my puzzle that I still have to find, yet.
Well, I have a question, not really about this regimen. But whatever... I'm lazy to create a new thread.
My sleep habits are a little bit off (it's too much, actually), so I'm really sleepy in the afternoon. 5 minutes ago I woke up from taking a nap and my face wasn't red neither itchy. Really. Right now my scars are getting red again and I'm itching. Maybe it's because I slept in some nice, soft cushions, with my face on them? Or maybe it's because I wasn't stressing out at my face? I just don't know... If it happens to anyone here also, it would be nice to know.
well you sound like me i dont really have red acne bumps like whiteheads...i dont really get white heads or cystic acne just this fricken bumps on my cheeks they make my skin look rough and there skin colored some are red how do i get rid of them? there probably clogged pores but i need them to flatten out!!!!!!
well you sound like me i dont really have red acne bumps like whiteheads...i dont really get white heads or cystic acne just this fricken bumps on my cheeks they make my skin look rough and there skin colored some are red how do i get rid of them? there probably clogged pores but i need them to flatten out!!!!!!
What is your regimen like? Products, no products? Perhaps exfoliating with a gentle cloth would help. The red ones are likely breakouts, just ones without a head. Especially if they are pretty big. If you just mean that the skin AROUND the bumps are red, but the bump is still just flesh toned, then it would indicate irritation around there.
I'm using dans regimen it's going pretty well but the red is breakouts theres like 3 on each cheek any help is greatly appreciated!!! God bless
I'm officially quitting this regimen today. This isn't working for me.
I just came back from a visit to a dermatologist (my mom made the appointment). I kinda predicted what she would prescribe: either Tetralysal + Clindamycin or Accutane. Guess what... she did and I chose the first option. At least she didn't try to 'blindfold' me saying that Accutane's side effects weren't so common. I had already tried antibiotics before, but now it's going to be maximum dosage for 3 months, and in this period I'll be doing Biomedic peels to help with the redness... wish me luck. Oh, by the way, took pictures today and will continue to take them as the treatment goes on. If there are positive results, I'll make a thread.
I'll be taking probiotic supplements to help with the gut flora, as it is the only side effect I can expect from antibiotics. At least, I won't have to stop working out, won't experience growth arrest or headaches or pain in the joints/muscles or MPB or suicide thoughts or anything...
(Oh, by the way, you should be guessing why I accepted doing this treatment with this specific doctor? This time, she prescribed me sunscreen 
)
Thank you AshleyNicole and the OP for the support. Wish you the best 
I went back to the Derm today and he perscribed me with an antibiotic called Doxycycline. He said that my skin is sensitive so putting anything on my face to treat it externally will irritate it more. I have more hope in this pill so i look foward to seeing how this goes.
I've had acne since I was around 12. It made me so self-conscious that I avoided eye-contact with people, and I even stopped going out. I'm female and 15.
I've tried various acne treatments like SA, BP(ProActiv). They worked alright for me but made my face VERY red. I guess i could stick to them, but i'm only 15 and it just doesnt feel right dumping all these chemicals onto my face >-<
Now I get a pimple or two every few days, but scarring is my main problem :\
I REGRET picking at my pimples as i now have scars all over my cheeks
My forehead is okay i guess , because I don't break out there as much as I do on my cheeks.
I happened to stumble upon this thread, and I spent a few days reading almost all the posts and it seems most people have had success, so i decided to give it a try.
I'm currently on day 2, but i haven't realised any dramatic changes. just a bit of flaky skin on the sides of my nose and chin. I'll keep ya guys updated! 
Again, best of luck! Good that you are so young still. Wouldn't it be fantastic if this worked for you and you could go through the rest of high school with awesome skin?
Ditto!
Like Ashley said, you're still young so your skin will go through teenage breakouts.
I whole heartedly second this regimen. It has worked wonders for my skin. I hope it works just as well for you too.
Again, best of luck! Good that you are so young still. Wouldn't it be fantastic if this worked for you and you could go through the rest of high school with awesome skin?
Ditto!
Like Ashley said, you're still young so your skin will go through teenage breakouts.
I whole heartedly second this regimen. It has worked wonders for my skin. I hope it works just as well for you too.
I probably wouldn't have had acne had I just not used products
How often do you wash your face with water now? If at all?
Me? I'm still just letting it hit my face when I'm in the shower. My regimen is no regimen. I don't really have a routine. Sometimes I'l scrub my face with a washcloth since I don't have much inflamed acne anymore. Not caring for or thinking about your skin too much really liberating!
i woke up this morning and my face felt really oily but flaky at the same time. its a weird feeling, haha, kind of like not being able to tell whether your face is oily or dry! but i can see improvements. yesterday i had around 3 zits around my chin and they've dried out, and are healing. healing is definitely faster without all the BP! and my red marks/scars seem a bit lighter. ~ so far im on day 3/4 and i just splashed some cool water on my face last night, although my nose feels really gross at the moment 
I'm not sure if this has been covered or not because this post is huge, but I was just curious, for the males that have tried this how do you shave?
If I remember correctly the posters on the "Caveman Regimen" thread (started by Adam08) used electric shavers. I strongly suggest you check that thread out.
Well I'm going to try this because I've tried everything else. I'm a 24 year old male and I've had acne since I was 17.
I have a half brother from my mom's side who is 37. He looks just like me, same skin tone, same hair and facial hair, but he's never had a problem with acne, ever! So finally I ask him why he has such good skin and I have been cursed with acne. HE TELLS ME THAT HE NEVER WASHES HIS FACE! He may occasionally splash water on it, but hardly ever. So I get a few break outs as a teenage and ever since I have been fucking up my face with all these chemicals face washes, creams, and pills both over the counter and prescribed by "Professional" Dermatologist.
So that was it, I was sold. I'm convinced that it has always been the unnatural chemicals and drugs I have been using for my acne that has been causing my acne.
So I'm going to take this challenge and I'll let you guys know if my skin starts to look like my brothers (clear and healthy).
DAY 1.
I guess technically this can't be "day 1" because I used a gentle scrub and I shaved with a razor this morning. From now on no washing what so ever, and I'm just going to use my beard trimmer to shave.
To start my skin looks HORRIBLE!!!! Whiteheads and red marks everywhere. Hints why I'm inside on my Friday night starting this blog.
Hey thanks a lot AshleyNicole, good advice.
So my first day I had a crazy amount of flakiness just around where my face was VERY irritated from shaving yesterday morning. I mean it was really flakey. I've basically been hiding from everyone I know today.
However the rest of my face looks good, no new zits at least, my forehead is a little greasy. We will see what tomorrow will bring.
Some people don't seem to notice a transition phase though. And greengurl has only been doing this for a few weeks now, and has seen great improvement and says she exfoliates with a cloth when she feels like it now, so she didn't wait the 30+ days for her skin to shed itself. Just listen to your face to see what it can and can't handle, and alter things as needed. I needed moisture, and this routine didn't provide it at all for me. Maybe I'll try it again one day if my skin clears up significantly
That's right! But I think that's because I didn't go cold turkey. I gradually stopped using all those products. You might want to try that Mr. Boz, it makes the transition a lot smoother.
Some people don't seem to notice a transition phase though. And greengurl has only been doing this for a few weeks now, and has seen great improvement and says she exfoliates with a cloth when she feels like it now, so she didn't wait the 30+ days for her skin to shed itself. Just listen to your face to see what it can and can't handle, and alter things as needed. I needed moisture, and this routine didn't provide it at all for me. Maybe I'll try it again one day if my skin clears up significantly
That's right! But I think that's because I didn't go cold turkey. I gradually stopped using all those products. You might want to try that Mr. Boz, it makes the transition a lot smoother.
Well actually I stopped using products months ago. I was just using water twice a day and maybe a light cleanser once a week for weeks before I started not washing at all.
DAY 2
So I was expecting the worse when I looked in the mirror this morning, but to my surprise my face looks about 60% better then it did yesterday! The redness is going away and there are absolutely no new zits. Most of the flakes around the irritated area are gone as well. My skin does look pretty dry though.
I am probably not going to wait a whole month without letting water touch my face though. I don't believe that quickly letting water touch your face in the shower is going to strip your acidic mantel off. I'm not really following the Caveman Regiment, I'm fallowing my brothers process. He doesn't wash his face at all, but I know he lets water touch his face in the shower and I know he goes swimming sometimes. However, I will probably wait 10 days or so before I let water touch my face because my skin is so damaged that it needs some good recovery time. If I feel that after 10 days I still don't need to use water, I'll continue not washing at all.