Yay! I love reading your updates haha, I seriously need a flippin' life.

Ugh, I am not going to lie, reading how your skin situation is right now reminds me SO much of how my face was during month 2. The only difference is I never got acne on my forehead (it's always clear up there) and I didn't get a lot of small bumps either. Instead I had a lot of big massive, painful, bumps. I've never had really bad acne, only a couple pimples here and there and a bit more pimples during my period. So during month 2 on Diane and having soooo many pimples on my face at once was super hard to handle for me. I got so incredibly depressed and I literally obsessed with my skin. That whole breaking out phase lasted the entire month 2 for me, my face was never completely clear and I always dreaded sleeping because I'd wake up to something new on my face, or it would start to clear and then BAM new breakout. The only positive thing about all that was it was during the summer, so I could afford to not be seen by anyone but family for 2 months. Then in month 3 it started to get somewhat better. BUT towards the end of month 3 the breakouts lessened and I am currently almost done my month 4 package and I am 100% cleeeeeaaaarrrr. Man it feels good to say that, and the red marks are fading from the Lemon Juice too.

But yeah, basically I think you will have good results since our progress sounds so similar. How long have you had acne for? The only bad thing is you might have to wait until the end of package 3 or the beginning of package 4 to see significant results, which sucks a lot because I know waiting is really hard.

Also, I am so happy I am encouraging you. It would have helped me so much if I had someone discussing Diane during my rough months, but since I didn't I felt extremely lonely and doubtful that Diane would work, and I almost gave up and quit because of it. Having an experienced Diane user should make the whole ordeal 100x easier, in my opinion. I tried to get users to talk to me, but nobody ever really did haha, oh well. I strongly strongly recommend you don't PICK at your acne. Popping them and making sure the area is clean isn't as bad, but picking is a nono. What has helped me to stop picking is 1.) seeing the damage I have caused from picking, and 2.) spot treating the pimples with BP when I am at home so they aren't as noticeably disgusting and I don't have that constant urge to pick them off when I look in the mirror. I definitely think I have a physiological disorder to picking as well, or popping. I don't think I could ever completely leave a pimple alone, because for me when I successfully pop a pimple, it's like a huge sigh of relief. Sooo eff'd up.

Anywaaays, I can't wait until you start seeing results! I am seriously so excited for you. It's such an amazing feeling when it starts to kick in. Wheeeee so happy just thinking about it!

You are so sweet! It put a smile on my face just to read your post...I've had acne since about age 14? But it's been manageable...then I went on Yasmin and it got a lot better, but never disappeared completely....then when I switched bc's again and turned 22 my skin went INSANE! and that's what I'm dealing with now haha. And I honestly wish I could have been there for you when you were having a tough time, too! But now your'e clear, YEEEEYY! Definitely gives me something to look forward to, and I'm glad lemon juice is working for you....I heard about that around a month ago and tried it, but I think my acne is/was too bad at the moment to where it just aggravated it worse. I've heard good good things though, and I plan on using it when I FINALLY get clear to help with the scars and unevenness! Plus I have a tree in my backyard, so I have a ton of lemons! Are you using fresh ones or the juice that comes in a little bottle? I've heard about people using both. Anyways, yep I just wish I could FF time for another month...I can't wait to get through pack#3!! I'm hoping to see SOME improvement this month, if even just a little!!

Day#57

Sooo, not too much new info to report today...I felt a little better about my skin today, it looked alright when I woke up....but thenn it just kept getting worse and worse from there! First off, I had a funeral to go to. Second off, I was getting ready and looking for my BareMinerals (my savior!!) and realized my friend borrowed it and left it at my other friends house. Ummm cool... i NEED my makeup!! There was no way in HELL i was going anywhere without cover up! After freaking out on her and freaking out in general, I had to make due, but I was super frustrated and pissed off. Not only was I going to be crying all day, I was gonna have to face people who I hadn't seen since I was like 10...sucky. Come to think of it today was really shitty in general. Anyways, it seems like it might be getting a little bit better, I feel like most of the under the skin little bumps have turned into a pimple and came out...what more could really be under there?!? But I am still continuing to get some big cyst like ones, and they huuuuuurt really bad today. HOPING and PRAYING for this week to go smoothly and for things to clear up somewhat...I have a fashion show this up and coming weekend, don't even wanna think about what it'll be like if my face is a wreck....

Girls, My doctor said my face isnt worth the blood clot risk of dianette. I am gutted but at the same time, I don't know. I just feel that it might not have worked for me My skin was worse than what it ever was before i'd even started it. Ive been off it for a week, and Ive been using Duac since then. It is absolutely amazing. Ive had no massive spots, its clearing it up so much. If you haven't tried it, please do. Im gutted i had to give up on Dianette. Im sure it might have worked if i'd gave it more time. But i don't know if my acne is hormonal.

Any of you tried Duac?

The only things that I've tried for my face is,

Proactiv - which worked well for the first little bit but was very irritating to the face.

Murad - did absolutely nothing, waste of money

Stevamycin - (I don't know if I spelt that correct) worked amazing actually, but it made my face red like a tomato and it burned soooo bad, but it worked great.

Doxycycline - Amazing drug. Breakouts cleared within 1 month and I never got a pimple ever. Just sucks that you become immune to it after a while.

Diane35 - Well I am seeing great results!

So yeah, those are the things that I have tried for my acne. I didn't even know these things like Duac, Retin-a existed! I just take what my doctor prescribes me.

Anyways, that sucks a lot that you had to get off Diane, but at least the Duac is helping! I bet you feel better. & yes there is risks of blood clots but truthfully there is a risk with any kind of drug you take. To be honest I don't think your acne is hormonal because from the amount of time you were on it you should have seen some kind of improvement.

I really do not like using topicals because in the end it just irritates me face and I find that your face heals sooo much faster when you are being gentle and not putting a bunch of chemicals on top of it. When I was on doxycycline I stopped using all harsh acne medications, and just washed my face with a mild cleanser and then applied a lotion. My face never felt in pain and it just overall looked healthier because I stopped putting irritating topicals on it. That is why right now I am using Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser and Lemon Juice and spot treating with BP. I am hoping soon to be able to take the BP out of my regimen because it's such a strong topical and I want to give my face a break.

G0oo0f: Ah I hope you see improvement soon! I just finished my month 4 package, and I am so excited to start my month 5 package! My breakouts are reduced so incredibly much, it's insane. I rarely get any large pimples, usually just small small ones, but they aren't painful. It's such an improvement from how it was. It's such a huge relief, going through 3 months wondering if it will work, and now finally knowing that it is working for me and it's only going to get better from here. My breakouts are almost completely eliminated.

Yeah, I don't think you should use Lemon right now if you have painful pimples or ones that are open from popping. When you have an open pimple it STINGS. I had the tiniest little open sore on my lip because I squeezed out this blackhead that was bothering me and oooh myyyy it stung. So yeah, at least wait until your breakouts have lessened a significant amount. Right now, since I think it would just be an inconvenience, I use Lemon Juice in the bottle and it works pretty good, and I drink a class of it mixed with water and a little sugar every once and a while. I love the taste of Lemon Juice and applying it topically makes me crave to drink it haha!

I am so sorry to hear about the funeral. That would definitely make things a lot more stressful. Wouldn't it be nice to just not have to worry about makeup? When my breakouts stop occurring and I reduce the red marks I plan on not wearing any makeup. The majority of my marks are gone except for this small-ish patch where I had deep deep pimples. They left nasty deep red marks that will take a little while to clear I am thinking. It sucks because even when I put makeup over it you can still kind of see the red marks. Luckily I can just hide it with my hair.

I really really hope Diane35 clears both of us up completely. I do not want to worry about pimples AT ALL.

@Kirst - I'm sorry to hear that sucks to learn that you wasted so much time on something that didn't even work. I hate that feeling, and I'm all too familiar with it! I'm glad that Duac is working for you though, I have not used it before either. But i'll keep it in mind is it prescription?

@Laura.yancie I hope so too! I am so sick of having to deal with this! But I have good news

So I don't know if it's because I'm on my period (I usually clear up during that time), Diane has started working, or my new toner method (i'll describe below) but my skin has cleared up dramatically in the past week. I THINK it's because of my new secret weapon...APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!

So here's the deal. I've used this stuff in the past, topically and orally. Topically, it never really did much for me, actually tended to make my breakouts worse. THEN i learned you have to dilute with water before you apply,, because for most it's wayy too strong to apply pure (which I was doing). Orally, I started drinking it back in July. It actually worked fairly well, and stopped me from getting cysts. But then I went to Europe for a few weeks (and couldn't bring a big bottle of ACV with me on the plane, obviously) and I kinda just forgot to start back up when I got back. But I've revised my methods and have given it another try, and the results have been pretty amazing.

WHAT I DO:

Orally - mix 2 tbls of Braggs ORGANIC ACV with organic apple juice, drink it down (2x a day)

Topically - mixed an old proactive toner bottle (ha-ha) half with ACV, half with water, and added a few drops of tea tree oil. Apply every morning and night

NOTE: I have STOPPED using Carley's Clear and Smooth, for the time being. It only seemed to be making things way worse. I would get new cysts EVERY DAY. so frustrating. Since I've stopped, I haven't gotten any new cysts! I do however, still use the all natural bar soap to cleanse my face 2x a day

I started this regimen on Tuesday...it's 2AM on Friday and I already feel SO much better about my skin. I feel like I can actually go out in public without being extremely self conscious. It has drastically reduced the size of cysts, cleared up small pimples, and I think it's even helping with redness and scars. And it's only been 4 days. Nothing has EVER worked that quick for me...ever. I'm gonna wait a little longer to see solid results, then i'll write a product review but so far, only good things to say about ACV.

So like I said, things are going pretty well right now, just waiting for some old cysts and gross looking scabs to peel off and go away completely. I still have lots of little bumps, and my forehead is actually breaking out pretty bad (which is rare), but for once, the lower half of my face doesn't look like a complete train wreck. I really, REALLY hope this is it, and it's finally starting to get better. Wish me luck!!

Yeah Duac is on prescription

One side of my face has no active spots at all. I had none the other side for a few days but got a few there today. It seems like nothing is an absolute miracle

I feel so depressed, me and my boyfriend have just fell out because i've been feeling down about it. He just doesn't seem to understand the way it makes me feel

I think I want to try Retin-A if Duac isnt a great success:/ but we'll see. its definitely helping im glad your seeing some improvements !

This is bad but, i HAVE to squeeze my spots. Its like i cant physically stop myself! If i don't the massive thing will be there for days!?! any advice on this? ive got plenty of red marks from spots soo depressing...

See month 3 should start giving you some kind of improvement, and it looks like it already has! That was when I started to see a slight difference, and especially towards the end. GOOD LUCK.

& kirst, I hear ya about the having to squeeze spots. I haven't had any really big pimples on my face in a while but on Thursday I started developing this fairly large under the skin bump on my chin, possibly a cyst? I rarely ever get cysts but occasionally I will. This sucker is extremely painful, and rock hard. I kept telling myself, "Okay I won't mess with it, I will just let it heal on its own." But everytime I would look in the mirror and see perfect clearness except this ONE annoying painful pimple I couldn't help myself. On Friday I tried so hard to pop the sucker, but it would not budge, and I think I made it more painful and inflamed. So in the evening I put BP on it in hopes it would dye down. Yeah I woke up and it was still huge and painful, so I went to the mirror and tried to squeeze again. Yeah it popped and it was disgusting how much crap that was inside of it. It's still super painful, but I put BP over it and it should be reduced by tomorrow. Fucking pimples haha! I think I got this annoying thing because I am off the pills for those 7 days or whatever.

Okay so, I have definitely realized that Soy Milk breaks me out. I don't know if anyone else has that same affect, but I have heard that Soy Milk can break people out, and I am one of those people. It sucks because I love drinking Soy Milk and so does my sister so its always in the house haha. Oh well.

I totaaaaally feel you guys about popping!! It's SUCH a bad habit, and seriously it's a psychological addiction, so that's explains why it feels like you can't physically stop yourself. Crazy how the brain works, in this case it's messing with our face even more! I wish I had more tips on how to stop it...from my psychology experience, you would have to do some form of behavior modification...which is being able to change the way you think about things, therefore changing your behavior. I've had a couple ideas about ways to try and stop, but implementing them and sticking to them is the hard part...

- every time you have an urge to pop, find some other way to occupy yourself. I was going to try to do a little mini workout every time I wanted to pop. But that never stuck because I never really work out anyway...hahah

-you could try the rubber band trick - every time you have an urge to pop, snap yourself with a rubber band. it will take awhile, but eventually you will learn to associate popping with the pain of the rubber band. Problem with this one is, rubber bands don't really hurt that bad...

The problem for me is that popping really does help sometimes. It seems like pimples NEVER go away unless you pop them and sterilize so the bacteria can be killed. Whenever I have a pimple that I resist from popping, it just kind sits there for awhile, eventually goes back under my skin...but I can always still feel it there. That's what bothers me! Agh

Anyways, I think I spoke too soon about noticing it's getting better...while it is still WAY better than it was a week or two ago (that was seriously hell) I am still getting new breakouts. Got two good sized painful under the skinners over the weekend and a few other smaller pimples. Breakout on my forehead finally subsided, they were those really annoying clogged pores by my hairline, but then they grew and grew till they were like noticeably deforming my forehead! Grrrr

Skin Status: getting better slowly...

- 2 cyst like painful under the skin bumps. 4-5 recovering pimples, 1-2 active

BLAH. FF to November please

See I hate popping since it makes things worse, but I agree with you when you say it kind of just stays there and never leaves. cause I did that to a pimple once and it stayed there for like a month! & it was a small pimple too.

I totally agree! If i leave it, it won't go!! I just can't help myself, if i can get it out - i WILL! lol. I have red marks all over my cheeks, it's so depressing. I hope they fade.

Just thought I would give you an update on my duac, my skin hasnt been this clear for months and months. I have one spot. Which is incredible. And i have some still healing from previously. Please try this if you can I didn't think it would be as simple as using a gel.

Heres my routine:

Morning: Wash face with warm water, then splash cold (No face washes)

Moisturise with Simple gentle moisturiser,

Put makeup on (Clinique Anti blemish solutions foundation - amazing!)

Night time, remove makeup with Simple kind to skin cleansing wipes

Wash face with warm water, then cold (no face washes again!)

Then apply the Duac Gel all over my face.

So in a nutshell, the only things i use on my face now are Simple moisturiser, Simple cleansing wipes and Duac Gel.

I had spent months and months going out and buying Spot face washes, blemish spot control cleansers, spot sticks, spot rollers. They all make your skin so much worse.

The less you put on it, the more chance it will be able to do its thing and settle down in my opinion

Well Diane is working great for me. I don't want to mess that up by using other products. right now and for the past 3 days my face has been perfect.

Kirst, about your red marks! they will fade, but if you want to speed up the process I can suggest some things for you that shouldn't clog your pores. I am using a combination of vitamin e, lemon juice and now clinque even better dark spot corrector. so far I am having great results and no new pimples. I've been using vitamin e for almost 1 month which wasn't doing much on its own besides help smooth out some shallow scarring and my face is soo soft. then I started applying lemon juice morning and night for about 2-3 weeks which helped the scarring and pimples. After a while of that I decided to try my clinque I bought back when my face was clear from doxy, and I apply that after the lemon morning and night. the combination of all 3 has done wonders to my skin! my marks have faded sooo much.

I highly suggest clinque. it has great reviews and I think that is what has been giving me such dramatic results in the past 4 days. its expensive, unfortunately.. but it works! also I agree with you when you say less is more beneficial. applying too many harsh chemicals to your face damages your skin more. I learnt that the hard way. I've stopped using harsh products on my face and switched to organic products like sugar and honey for a cleanser, and oatmeal masks, lemon juice, and vitamin e. my face has never felt healthier, it no longer hurts.

anyways, your marks will fade.

WOOOOHOOOO. I am back to wearing just powder makeup on my face. yay.

Yay! Im happy for you Laura

Have any of you got any pictures of your skin? Ive got a few i thought i'd share.

http://s1084.photobu...j415/x_Kirst92/

The first 3 are the more recent ones, after using Duac Gel. The one with no makeup on (very red spotty face.. ) Is when I gave up Dianette..

I am wearing foundation in the rest.

aww kirst you're so pretty! your acne is NOT bad at all. you look great.

Aww thanks Laura. I feel lately its been a lot better. The one of me without makeup on makes me feel soo low! The side is still red and patchy but definitely better and healing

Which one are you in the pic? Whichever one, your both gorgeous!

I am on the left, in the red. This was taken on the day of my graduation. The girl on the right is my younger sister. Thank you!

Hellooo ladies!! So happy to hear you both are having great results I however, am still stuck in this stupid rut...I'm still breaking out like crazy, and the ACV doesnt seem to be doing much anymore. bleh. I'm considering maybe asking my doc for Duac? Is it a prescription, right? Kirst, did you have an initial breakout with Duac or did it just start clearing up? I have Kaiser healthcare and it takes WEEKS to get a derm appt so I need to get on that....I'm gonna look up reviews on it right now. So I just started pack#3, I am reallyyyy hoping to start seeing some improvements soon, I'm getting so pessimistic and unhopeful I don't know what to do... I literally have bumps in every single spot on my face possible. Can't tell if its the Diane or that Carley's face stuff just really f*ed up my skin.

Skin Status:

- 4-5 painful under the skin bumps (even though I just extracted a couple), probably 3 active, and a shitload more scars that are healing. PLUS little bumps everywhere. Grrrrr

Its shitty on Diane until at least package 4 or the end of package 3. YOU CAN DO IT lol.

I woke up this morning and have a fairly large pimple on my cheek. it sucks, I was COMPLETELY clear before that. Luckily it popped and will be reduced in size by tomorrow, I hope anyway. There is this huge fantasy competition at my school where loads of people come to watch girls at my school perform makeovers and crazy insane hairstyles. I want to look good! & this new pimple couldn't have came at the worst time. OOOOOH WELL. If I'm not completely clear on halloween I will probably cry.

But yeah I think you should definitely try Duac! I experimented with lots of different face washes and face creams while I was on Diane35. It helped keep my pimples kind of controlled.

Also Kirst, I haven't taken any pictures of me when my face was really broken out because I was just waaay too self conscious. I avoided mirrors, there was no way I was going to take a picture! haha.

I have a couple pictures on facebook of my face with a couple spots. Hey, do you girls have facebook? We should add each other.

Look me up, Laura Marie Yancie.

Hiya both!

g0oo0f, I'm sorry to hear your still not seeing any improvements yet I know exactly how you feel - it's worse than heartbreak!! It literally drags you down and affects everything! At least we've all got eachother to talk to

That's what I felt like when I gave Dianette up - But i think the reason it didnt work for me is because my acne isn't hormonal. If yours is, maybe you should stick it out a bit longer? it took a while for Laura to see results!

Duac is on prescription, and I've been using it for 3 weeks today. my skin has improved a LOT. I'm not going to lie and say i don't get new spots every 2-3 days, that's an improvement from everyday! Especially as I used to get more than one, but now it's just one every so often. I think Duac helped to bring out some smaller bumps i've had for a while, so they're healing now. My skin hasn't been this clear in a long while. So i would say that I haven't broke out at all from Duac - it's definitely helped Obviously my skin won't go from bad to perfect, so I think time is important and just to continue it, I hope this is my answer to the end of acne!!

I've attached some pictures again so you can see the difference from when I quit Dianette, to now.

I hope if you try Duac you get the same results as me - because it's definitely doing it's job. And i hope it gives you hope too!!

Laura, I've added you on facebook do you have facebook g0oo0f (Whats your first name?) Hehe

You two keep me strong! Acne is tough

Oh and Laura, i know what you mean about the pictures. I'm totally self conscious about my face, and i'm trying the whole avoid mirror things from now! Maybe i'll get less down about it, the scars are really destroying me too! Uggh, although they have faded dramatically. I feel quite comfortable putting them on here though P.s. Your face looks amazing on your photos!

OH and.. My bf has effing FLAWLESS skin!!!! And he eats junk, doesn't use anything on it, damn why can't it be that simple for us...

Hey everyone... Glad to hear the good news....I just e-mailed my doc asking for Duac. I'm seriously so desperate you guys! I accidentally went to bed with makeup on Saturday night...and I NEVER do...and welp, I'm definitely seeing that it took it's toll. I have like 3 bumps on my face that are seriously so painful, my face hurts to move :/ I skipped two of my classes this morning too, I just couldn't "face" anyone ha...I feel guilty because I know I shouldn't let my skin get in the way of life, but it seriously just sucks so bad sometimes!!! I don't ever want to leave my house until this goes awaaaaaaaay! So yeah, hopefully I pick up the Duac sometime this week so I can get started at it. I just really want to know that Diane will work, I would hate to go another month without seeing results and then just find out it isn't for me (like you Kirst) that is my nightmare uggggghhjfdhakfdaklfjeakfjdasl I'm so glad I can come vent on here because I'm seriously going crazy...and nobody in real life understands! lol

Skin Status:

- 3-4 cyst like painful bumps on right side of face (jaw, cheeks, beside mouth)

- 1 cyst like painful bump on left side (upper cheek) 2 smaller pimples forming on jawline

- scattered healing pimples and little bumps everywhere...

Ah Kirst the majority of my pictures is when my skin wasn't bad. I don't usually upload pictures of my skin when it looks bad. My profile picture is when my skin looked it's best, it looked flawless!! Ah I wish I could go back haha.

The whole avoiding mirrors is really annoying for me though. Even when my skin looks really good, I'm afraid to look in mirrors. There will be times when I will accidentally look and be like, "holy shit, I look great!!" and I will feel so stupid. My biggest thing that disgusts me when I look into mirrors is when my foundation looks weird. That makes me feel more self conscious then the actual acne, or scars itself. I really really don't want to wear makeup anymore, but I have to wait until my marks fade more.

But you know, when I look in the mirror and smile I always feel beautiful, even with my skin. You have to remember, skin isn't EVERYTHING. I remember one time I was venting to my boyfriend (who also has absolutely flawless skin - he's black and it's so soft and smooth) and he said to me, "Laura, it's just skin" and it kind of got me thinking, yeah it is just skin.. haha.

But honestly Kirst, your skin looks really good. Smile, be happy, you are beautiful.

g0oo0f, I skipped class today too. I'm sick but yeah, I totally understand missing school because of pimples. I did that once, and I am soo glad I did! It gave me a day to relax and get myself together, so don't feel too guilty. BUT you should feel guilty about falling asleep with makeup on! I've done that so many times and regretted it. I would NEVER do that now, I am definitely way too obsessed.

Heeeeyooo all. So I figured i'd update because there's a few new changes going on lately...some good, some bad!

The bad news - for the life of me I cannot figure out why, but I've been getting a TON of cysts the past few days. Like, I seriously just can't catch a break. They seem to come up out of nowhere and are extreeeemely painful Once I take care of one and it starts healing, another one pops up right next to it. SERIOUSLY, SO FRIGGIN FRUSTRATING!! That fact alone has got me in a sad/mopey mood for the past few days (when I get frustrated, I get sad - not mad) and I just seriously feel burnt out on life right now! It's like as soon as I think it starts getting better...I look in the mirror and find like 3 new spots forming. This sounds weird to say, but I seriously think my bad skin causes depression...not a serious form of depression, but I definitely go through series of days where I do not want to get out of bed, and don't enjoy normal activities like I used to...and I contribute that solely to my skin. On good skin days, I have a good day. On bad skin days, my day is HELL! Sucky how that works...

The better news - although my doctor wouldn't prescribe me Duac (I apparently suggested it only after she had already put in a prescription - thanks for the notice, lady) she did put me on Erythromycin topical gel and Retin-A. Now, I have some serious grudges with Retin-A (the IB SUCKS, causes my skin to be EXTREMELY dry, flaky, can't move my face, you get the point) so I'm going to hold off on that one for awhile. The last thing I need is dry flaky skin and cysts at the same time But, I am looking forward to using the Erygel, I've been looking up reviews and it seems to be working well for people....it does, however, dry out the skin too. But I think it's gonna be that way with any prescription topical, so i'm just gonna have to invest in a really good basic moisturizer (any ideas, ladies?!)

So, this past week has been a roller coaster for me...a nightmare-ish one (I usually like rollercoasters, hehe) but I REALLY hope things will start clearing up soon. I'm counting down the days until the end of my 3rd pack - 13 days! So hopefully, in 2 weeks or so I should start seeing some improvements - if I don't, I might have to face the fact that Diane may just not be for me...eeeeek

*Just another side note : I started taking zinc about a week ago, because I heard it helps with cysts...but I seem to be getting more than usual? Anyone think maybe I'm allergic, and this is what's causing the cysts? Hmm...just a thought

Skin Status:

- 1 BIG sucker (just popped and sterilized) on right cheek/side of face

- 1 more big sucker on my chin/jawline

- 4 healing spots that are decreasing in size slowly, but are pretty big and red

- 2 under the skin spots I can see forming

- lots of flakiness of old spots

- lots of under the skin bumps or closed comedones

IN A NUTSHELL for anyone that just started reading this thread - I am a week into my 3rd pack of Diane, and have yet to see any substantial improvements (skin may actually be worse than when started) but I STILL HAVE HOPE! Will continue through to the 4th pack to see if improvement is noted, if not I may move onto other options

Hi

I am currently on my second pack of Diane 35, after I had a remission of acne after doing Roaccutane 2 years ago.

Similar to you I had a serious breakout about 21 days into the course which is still going on and mostly consists of cysts that I didn't have ever since beginning of Roaccutane, so it is making me depressed as well.

My derm doesn't want to put me on a second course yet although I feel it is getting worse.

Like you, I also have a picking problem

But I also feel that if I leave them alone they just sit there and form a small bump, until I extract them for good. So although I am full of red marks, I prefer to pick and squeeze as they do go faster. I am sometimes just too masochistic...

Anyway, i will be following your log and report occasionally about my progress as well.

Good luck, I really hope you start seeing improvements soon.