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Yes, it was just very hot, red and tender... like sunburn, no marks or scars or anything like that though. I learned my lesson very fast. I had treated my whole jawline to a thin layer of BP. If I had spot treated it would probably have been ok... but i did not... so it was not ; )
@Timehealsall
Yes, it was just very hot, red and tender... like sunburn, no marks or scars or anything like that though. I learned my lesson very fast. I had treated my whole jawline to a thin layer of BP. If I had spot treated it would probably have been ok... but i did not... so it was not ; )
Hey Crystal Willow
I've just started using Azelaic acid (AzClear 20% lotion), and I was planning to use BP 2.5% at night, but now after reading this, I'm not sure I should. Would you advise against it? I did this yesterday and my skin is really dry and quite red today.
Also, how long did it take you to get clear on Azelaic acid? =)
Thanks so much!
@Timehealsall
Yes, it was just very hot, red and tender... like sunburn, no marks or scars or anything like that though. I learned my lesson very fast. I had treated my whole jawline to a thin layer of BP. If I had spot treated it would probably have been ok... but i did not... so it was not ; )
Hey Crystal Willow
I've just started using Azelaic acid (AzClear 20% lotion), and I was planning to use BP 2.5% at night, but now after reading this, I'm not sure I should. Would you advise against it? I did this yesterday and my skin is really dry and quite red today.
Also, how long did it take you to get clear on Azelaic acid? =)
Thanks so much!
It took 6 months for my skin to clear, I still get the occasional little spots but they are around my period and are like a normal persons and they go away fast as long as I am consistent with the treatment (twice a day application after washing with "pure" soap)
Do not use BP on top of Azelaic acid... especially not as a whole application(i occoasionally use it to spot treat very lightly.... and I do that now I have been used to Azelaic acid for 1 year 2 months and at my own risk.
If you need to get more treatment wait till your skin is ready then increase the number of applications of azelaic acid to twice a day instead of once (after consulting a doctor about it) but don't apply a layer of BP aswell as Azelaic acid.
It sucks so much..... buy aloe vera to sooth that burn
Do NOT apply that layer again xxx
UPDATE: 26th august 2011
Have also been using on my chest in the evening aswell for the past few weeks as I was starting to get a little (2 spots) outbreak there ocasionally. Seems to be sorting it out nicely 
I had a spot on my back recently but I do't think I'll do twice a day for one spot (that would be an overreaction I think)
Just had some surgery today so these spots were probably caused by the stress........ never had surgery before. 
UPDATE: 28th August 2011
Little outbreak is basically gone now
UPDATE: 16th September 2011
My progress now (day 7of Menstral cycle)
Here is a picture for evidence of awesomeness
Thankyou, I wish you every luck.... its a tough journey and peopel who have not had to go through it really can't understand so its good to come on here and talk it through. I have noticed you take pictures at intervals, I always reccomend doing this to keep an eye on progression but I reccomend taking photos on the same day of your menstral cycle every month so you get a clear idea of how things are progressing. it can be disheartening to see things get better then worse then better then worse again (all the while due to fluctuating hormones) whereas if you look at it on a set day of your menstral cycle you will be able to make an accurate estimation of the effectiveness of your regimen. I'd pick the worst skin day of your cycle to take a photo on because that will give you a realistic look at your skin rather than your clearest day which will lull you into a false sense of "clarity" then let you down when you have a more hormonal day.
good luck!! xx
From what I read before choosing finacea: Although Finacea is a 15% gel and Azelex is a 20% cream, Finacea has a better vehicle to get the active ingrediant to your skin. Finacea IS designed for rosacea and Azelex is designed for Acne but I have looked up a few studies relating both products to Acne specifically.
Finacea/15% gel:
RESULTS: Azelaic acid 15% gel proved to be [as effective as BPO and clindamycin] with median % reduction of the inflamed lesion (papules and pustules) of 70%, and 71% respectively.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16281587
Azelex/20%:
RESULTS: Total lesion count was reduced by 60.6%
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17456913
so I think there is some truth in what I remember reading although they say 20% gel.... so not sure about whether they are refering to Azelex BUT as far as I am aware they are the 2 main products on the market so I am going to believe that they refer to azelex or equivalent.
Either way Finacea seems to kick a little more butt....
From what I read before choosing finacea: Although Finacea is a 15% gel and Azelex is a 20% cream, Finacea has a better vehicle to get the active ingrediant to your skin. Finacea IS designed for rosacea and Azelex is designed for Acne but I have looked up a few studies relating both products to Acne specifically.
Finacea/15% gel:
RESULTS: Azelaic acid 15% gel proved to be [as effective as BPO and clindamycin] with median % reduction of the inflamed lesion (papules and pustules) of 70%, and 71% respectively.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16281587
Azelex/20%:
RESULTS: Total lesion count was reduced by 60.6%
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/17456913
so I think there is some truth in what I remember reading although they say 20% gel.... so not sure about whether they are refering to Azelex BUT as far as I am aware they are the 2 main products on the market so I am going to believe that they refer to azelex or equivalent.
Either way Finacea seems to kick a little more butt....
From what I read before choosing finacea: Although Finacea is a 15% gel and Azelex is a 20% cream, Finacea has a better vehicle to get the active ingrediant to your skin. Finacea IS designed for rosacea and Azelex is designed for Acne but I have looked up a few studies relating both products to Acne specifically.
Finacea/15% gel:
RESULTS: Azelaic acid 15% gel proved to be [as effective as BPO and clindamycin] with median % reduction of the inflamed lesion (papules and pustules) of 70%, and 71% respectively.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16281587
Azelex/20%:
RESULTS: Total lesion count was reduced by 60.6%
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/17456913
so I think there is some truth in what I remember reading although they say 20% gel.... so not sure about whether they are refering to Azelex BUT as far as I am aware they are the 2 main products on the market so I am going to believe that they refer to azelex or equivalent.
Either way Finacea seems to kick a little more butt....
thanks crystal_willow =) i was really inspired when i read your post about your battle with acne. actually i'm seeing a dermatologist right now( good thing my husband has an insurance and i'm automatically carried) and the derma recommended azelex for 2 months. it's been 9 days since i started using azelex cream, i can see that some of my acne flattened, but i noticed some zits growing everyday though my old zits were gone. so im kinda confused if azelex is really helping. or maybe im just impatient coz the doctor told me to wait till 2 months for the azelex to take effect. but everytime i face the mirror i can see new zits growing while using azelex so it's really depressing. i just hope i know how to deal with the purging/breakouts.. by the way are u still using the finacea gel until now? =)
Thankyou for your sweet comment about my journey, its nice if it can inspire other people. 
)
I do still use it every day, twice a day... I breakout if I go through a stage of not using it due to illness or something so I know I still need it.
I will probably have to use it forever... well until the menopause...
I think you know this already ; ) but 9 Days is definately too soon to know whether or not it is an effective treatment for you.
It took 8 months until my skin started actually clearingproperly (although, like you, it did reduce redness and some of the inflamation quite quickly).
It is important to pay attention to how your skin is reacting definately but its very easy to focus too much on change in the short term
Us acne people very easily become obsessed with small changes in our skins appearance in the early stages of our treatment
although how your skin reacts initially to a medication does not often indicate how it will react in the long term.
I think its best to analyse changes on a weekly basis AND once a menstral month then decide after 6 months if its working for you.
The rest of the time try to distract yourself and focus on other things in your life (obviously unless your skin gets unbearably worse, starts fall off or bleed purple or something... then you may want to pay some attention to it).
feel free to get in contact if you need any support/info ...also keeping a log on here can be very useful to keep track of changes and get support from people
hi! im joining the finacea train today! finacea 15% azelaic acid
i applied my very first patch test this morning and so far i didnt have any bad reactions to it what so ever! i love the slight white tint it gives my face it helps just a tad to cover the redmarks! HAH when i asked my doc about it he pretty much told me he did not know much about the drug but would prescribe me it if i wanted... PLUS! i didnt have to argue with my doc about prescribing me it haha with insurrance it was still 50 bucks though! not only that but the pharmacist told me that my insurrance covered 170 bucks! HOLY CRAP this is an expensive drug.. then i used the 10 dollar off coupon on the website.. so all in all i paid 40 for the script and 20 co pay to see the doc.. anyways.. i did feel the slight tingle once i applied it but it definately went away very soon and it was not bad at all in the first place.. seems how i think my skin reacted pretty well to it im going to start applying to all my infected areas tonight before bed. is it a bad idea to only apply to affected areas? i dont want to apply it to non infected areas because i never do that with anything i put on my face.. also! will finacea help with my closed comedones/clogged pores? not whiteheads theyre just closed comedones.. im afraid of applying finacea to the patch of them on my chin and tomorrow morning i would wake up with a huge pustule from finacea bring them to the surface... would this happen? or does finacea work like dissolving the closed comedones? also im mainly using this because i want to fae my redmarks.. my marks are not PIH they are PIE when i press down on them they turn white.. i think this was said that it has to do with broken cappalarries? im really hoping to experience quick results seems how ive read practcally everyones forum on finacea! if you could help me with those few questions i would greatly appreciate it!
im so glad you are clear from finacea! and makes me more excited about this gel!
thanks again
Hi I am happy to answer all your questions and respond to statements 
1)
im going to start applying to all my infected areas tonight before bed.
Hi I am happy to answer all your questions and respond to statements
1)
im going to start applying to all my infected areas tonight before bed.Thats a good idea, make sure its after you have washed too so the active ingredients don't have to fight through a layer of sebum and dirt to get to your skin... also you spend 8 hours a night rubbing against the sheets to washing before going to bed is a definate must... most people wash their sheets weekly... would you wash your clothes weekly? no! lol
I reccomend 2 showers a day with non-comodogenic wash... wash your hair first then your skin cause you don't want conditioner or hair dirt sitting on your freshly washed skin and getting in the way of the medication.
2)
is it a bad idea to only apply to affected areas?It is reccomended that you apply well around the affected areas so extend the boundary and don;t just apply to where you happen to have acne today.. apply to all areas that you regularily get acne even if you happen not to have it there at the moment. Finacea prevents acne so you have to apply it to any area that you regularily develop acne lesions.
3)
will finacea help with my closed comedones/clogged pores? not whiteheads theyre just closed comedones.. im afraid of applying finacea to the patch of them on my chin and tomorrow morning i would wake up with a huge pustule from finacea bring them to the surface... would this happen? or does finacea work like dissolving the closed comedones?It helps me with: big painful hard comodones, puss filled nasty spots, white heads and black heads and everything. This stuff will not MAKE something come to a head but if a spot IS going to come to a head this will not be guarenteed to prevent it either. It just won't cause it. I find it calms spots down that I think are going to come to a head but its not guarenteed to every time but once you use this regularily and if clears then it will be preventative so you won;t have to worry about that...but thats months into the future...
4)
also im mainly using this because i want to fae my redmarks.. my marks are not PIH they are PIE when i press down on them they turn white.. i think this was said that it has to do with broken cappalarries?post inflammatory Erythema is not something I have read alot about but I found a post that is very informative so here it is http://www.acne.org/...91#entry2945191
Your red marks should fade with time, I think Finacea did help reduce my redness in the long term but it will also help as it helps with redness in the short term due to whatever action it has that helps with the redness of rosecea, and the white powderyness of it seems to have a cosmetic effect
5)
im really hoping to experience quick results seems how ive read practcally everyones forum on finacea!It took me 8 months to get clear (6 months to see dramatic results) so quick may not be the way it happens... one thing I will say is that things stepped up as soon as I started applying it twice a day so if you want to be clear start applying twice a day as soon as your skin is used to the single application (obviously unless your skin responds really well and clears with one daily application).
good luck!!
Hey thanks so much for your responses!!
1) no i id not break out at all when i started finacea THANK YOU GOD! lol it didnt irritate that much at all and it did not turn me red or anything i felt the stinging sensation but i just man upped about it lol, i do wash my sheets daily and luckily for me i trained myself to sleep on my back only i used to sleep with a honey mask overnight so i know that i do not move in my sleep this helps alot with me not rubbing my face on my pillow regardless. Also i do take 2 showers a day shampoo first (keep off my face) cleanse with a very good cleanser called hibiclens then after my shower i wait about 10 mins then apply finacea 2x day to mostly my infected areas but i have been giving a decent boundary as well but i dont want to waste the product because it was rather expensive for me even with insurracne 50 bucks.. this is my 3rd day so far and i can already tell its starting to lighten up my redmarks its AMAZING and yes i LOVE the cosmetic effect evne though im a guy.. this helps cause i cant wear makeup haha i have a cluster of comedones on my chin and i started to apply it i do not think its bring them to a head but i can tell its doing something? not sure if its good or bad yet.. if anything it brought the redness out of them when they started to surface on their own. i hope that it gets rid of them for good though because i am prone to comedones on my chin and bottom lip its the worst! they sit their forever and then eventually surface and on my lip it tends to look like herpes which is not cool at all.... anyways thanks so much for your help! i honestly think my face is responding really well to the treatment right now i hope i have great results like you did!
Just thought I would post an update, I started having little breakouts again... nothing like before.
A few on my back and jawline as these were always my difficult areas.
Anyway I knew that using salicylic acid wash had really helped me in the past although it did not clear me.... I decided that I would use salicylic acid wash on my skin twice a week and so far it has cleared those breakouts up... its early days for this addition but my skin looks much improved, smooth etc.
so adjustment made : )
I add use vosene shampoo as a salicylic acid wash all over my face, neck, chest, arms and back on wednesday and once at the weekend. I foam it up and leave it on for 1-5 mins to give the active ingredient (salicylic acid) time to penetrate and have an effect then I rinse and I do not use any other cleanser or soap after that. After I dry then I use finacea as usual.
Do not use salicylic acid wash daily or twice daily on top of a peeling agent like Finacea or Benzoyl peroxide.. I did that in the early days and it BURNS!!
gradually add extra steps into your simple regimen to allow your skin to adjust.
good luck xx
Update... the manufacturers can't provide any more finacea until SEPTEMBER!!
I was told this in june so imagine my reaction..... I tried not to cry (and luckily suceeded) as the pharmacist asked me if this was the only thing that worked for me (which it is).
I then asked if there was another Azelaic acid product on the market and there is - Skinoren. A 20% cream with a less effective "vehicle" for the active ingredient.
I had limited choice so I asked her to call the GP to ask if the prescription could be switched straight over... it was and so far things have been going well.
I thought I would break out due to the cream based product but I stepped up my other habits such as starting to rinse off after my bath under the shower to remove conditioner from my skin and use soap at this point so my skin is free of bath product grease.
My skin has actually gotten a little clearer so far but this is within one menstral cycle so we shall see.
I still have some finacea which I am using evenings only so my skin has a gradual transition so we shall see how it goes.
my skin is mostly clear with a few spots around my upper back and jawline and this is normal for me.
Wish me luck!!