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Week 16 - 4 months!
Well its been a long 4 months and had to be patient through out. Even though I am not at a stage where I am happy with my skin, I'm getting there! Hopefully around the week 19-20 mark, I will.
Still waiting for the marks to fade, and my skin is improving every day it seems. Just need to carry on with I am doing and carry on being patient I suppose. Have come this far and so one more month before the results I have been looking for arrive!
Positive! 
So I'm gonna try something new with my skin.
Since I started Differin my skin is just so fragile! It's thin, and it flushes VERY easily. I could have a red face from just walking outside :')
I've got no irritation whatsoever (ive got like really oily skin) but the tomato face and thin skin is just bugging the SH*T out of me.
So I'm gonna try something new. I'm gonna apply differin only 3 times a week Started yesterday. When I woke up this morning, my face looks a bit less red, so that's good! I'm also hoping marks will fade sooner without applying differin.
Current pimple-status:
one pimple, that sucker next to my mouth (very tiny and just WONT go away)
One really tiny whitehead on my chin (totm you know)
New regime:
3 times differin in the evening,
7 times a week applying differin as spot treatment (so only to pimples, not red marks)
3 times eryacne in the morning.
So I'm hoping my skin will become less thin/red. We'll see! Tomorrow it felt good,
day 1 of week 5, got a huge scab from that pimple, it's going to leave behind PIH, one of my deep closed comedones surfaced today so i removed it with a little squeeze, i'm left with one deep comedone, rest are all superficial and post starting differin. This 1 spot on my chin turns into a red bump goes away, then repeats that over lol.
Wiseboy, would u say differin has affected your PIH in any way?
Jacintha, that's what i'm looking to do once i get cleared up
Wiseboy, would u say differin has affected your PIH in any way?
Yes it has. Working very well and am not expecting them to fully clear until July/Aug as it works slow.
Its on my left side of my face, and it is really improving every day when looking in the mirror.
If you stick with Differin, your PIH will go, but it just takes time and patience
This scene gone quiet....
night 30.. 1 deep comedone left, scab fell of pimple left big PIH mark and still slightly raised. Generally skin getting better over last few days, started moisturizing my neck that took care of the dryness.
Still confident Differins the way forward
Hey guys!
Well it´s been 2 days since I applied differin fully to my face. Last 2 nights I just spot treated, and let me say, my skin is so gratefull!
It´s less red, less oily, and it just feels more like a healthy skin!
So I´m keeping this up Didn't get more break-outs. Forehead is completely clear, cheeks clear, only 1 tiny red spot/pimple next to my mouth. That's all!
I guess differin just made my skin so thin, that it was more prone to flush etc. So maybe from now on I'll one spottreat pimples.. We'll see how it will go from here!
skin is aite...retin a is causing a little bit of a breakout...but i mean its so small you can barely notice. PIH is getting better! slowly but surely!
Wiseboy,if you want the PIH to go away a little bit faster you can add hydroquinone 4% (i think thats only prescription) but....maybe a 2% then? My derm recommended it and though youre right in that any retinoid will take away the PIH with time...the process can be helped along by adding hydroquinone.
I went to get my hair cut yesterday, and my face looked crazy! Every thing just looked 10 times worse than I had thought. But when I get home and look in the mirror, my face looks ok (ish). Has anyone else felt the same way?
Allison, thanks for that. Will let my doctor know about it next time I see him. I suppose I'm happy enough to wait until July, August (latest!) for it to clear up. But I will talk to him about Hydroquinone.
Finally, I was on a website yesterday and came across Manuka Honey, which is supposed to clear acne, scars and blackheads. Has anyone heard/used this? Getting good reviews on google!
Wiseboy, i know exactly what you mean! In some kind of lights, or mirrors, everything looks WORSE. When I'm sitting in the car and I look in the mirror, I wanna cry and runaway. But maybe the lightning is just baddddd. I mean when you look good in normal lightning, that's all you need right?
So I got this very annoying whitehead just in the middle of my chin. With a bit of conceiler it looks fine! Rest I'm clear, but it bugs the shit out of me. I also feel a painfull bump on my chin, it's not red and you can't even see it so I'm hoping it won't become a nasty pimple-ish thing. Guess it's cuz I'm still on my period.
But hey, skin looks good for the rest, and it can only get better when I'm period-off right?
Wiseboy - manuka honey's antibacteiral so it could help with inflammatory acne, don't know about scars and blackheads. Apple cider vinegars also a good alternative, just add 4 teaspoons to a glass of water and drink once a day, lots of raving reviews on the review section of this site. I'm also using it, but i started the same time i started differin so I can't judge it's effectivenss.
hey ya'll, skin update: i fell asleep with makeup on. NO breakouts though! I just applied the retin a the next day skin is okay....but looks AWFUL without makeup due to the PIH. soooo many flat red marks where acne used to be. anyway...i was taking a shower and i washed my face and my skin felt sooo smooth. it was nice. i think i'm on week 10 now. To be completely honest....THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL i am going to get the results I want in 12 weeks. Its just not going to happen. I think the process is more like 4-6 months (including getting rid of PIH)
ooo one more thing....wiseboy and jacinthaa, the lighting thing is totally understandable...thankfully, i dont have that happen to me too much because MY room has THE WORST lighting EVER. So...anything (including fluorescent lighting) is a pleasant surprise.
hello joining just started using differin 0.1% gel atleast 3 weeks ago before that i was using it inconsistently now on 3 weeks of using it everynight i have bumps on my skin its not red or anything just pinkish and thats concentrated on the area where i only applied differin, I have PCOS and most of my acne are on my lower half of my face but im crossing my fingers,
update - day 34
still getting a couple of red bumps, a stubborn one on chin, still have PIH, drynees under control, 1 deep comedone left.
Pcosgal1 - if the bumps go then it's probably just your initial breakout, my red bumps tend to go in a day or two if the bumps are persistant and pattern like then it could be a rash.
thisisnothollywood - for whitehead and clogged pores it definately helps. I've only had 1 blackhead and differin made it surface and soft so was easy to extract.
Is my skin flawless? nah, Is it better then usual? yep
Ah allison well that's kinda nice, cuz if you look nice in your light, then you look AMAZING outside!
My bathroom doesn't have the greatest light either, it's like a little bit red/yellow, so everything red on your face is more visible -.-
But well, everytime I walk outside and look in normal light, my face look AWESOME.
@ thisisnothollywood
well, the first 3 weeks were a little rough. Cuz you do get all these whiteheads and hurtfull pimples (at least in my case). But what I did notice was that differin takes care of whiteheads overnight! So if you have a HUGE whitehead in the evening, it's like all dried up or a lot smaller in the morning 
So you just have to be patient, and yeah i know how hard that is.
@ Noregrets
Ahh things are getting better for you! You're almost a month in so things will get better from now
When I was a month in my face did too had all these tiny red bumps (especially on the cheeks). Some went away in 2 days, others would hang FOREVER.
But now, it's all clear and smooth and I almost NEVER get bumps on my cheeks anymore
So skin-update:
well 2 days ago I was such a RETARD. I squeezed the pimple I had on my chin (because it hurt and well, I thought it would heal sooner because that always happen when I gently extract a pimple) well this time, i totally ruined the skin around my pimple. Like it was a red patch, the patch you get when you rip your skin off -.-
So I was like mental crazzzzzzy that evening, was screaming and crying and oh my god, I felt exactly like when I had my IB (which is completely nonsense, but oh well).
But now it's all good The patch flaked off because of the differin, and now I just have a pink patch on my chin (which doesn't even look weird cause most people have a slighty pink chin) With some conceiler it's all good
For the rest, TOTAAAAALLYYYY CLEAR. So the things i DO notice, is that when I get my totm, I get pimples in hormonal places (like on my forehead, around my mouth/nose and sometimes one on my chin)
And yeah, it does annoy the sh*t out of me. But I don't think I can help it, or make it stop. That would mean I'd have to go on BC, and I really don't wanna take them (unless I get another boyfriend, if you know what I mean).
But I'm thinkinf about it.. cuz my period is hell (stomachcramps headaches)
Allison? are you on BC?
On 5/16/2012 at 3:04 PM, thisisnothollywood said:Im scared to go on this stuff, well I did try in a couple of times for a week or so, on my nose, I have blackheads and HUGE pores...and I got a major breakout so stopped....
Does this stuff help with things like blackheads and whiteheads and large pores??
It doesn't do anything for my blackheads, so will have to try something else.
But for whiteheads, yes.
My right side of my face looks good, but my left still has some way to go! Still convinced that by June, I will be happy. Just need these little marks to fade, but seem to take ages [Edited image out]
Hey again [Edited image out]
So I used the Tactuo (Epiduo, which is Differin + bp) a total of 3 times.... skipping TWO days in between......... and it ravaged my skin. I haven't used it in about 11 days or so, so that it can heal. In a couple days, I will try again. This time I'll skip 3 or 4 days in between. Anybody else have incredibly sensitive skin when it comes to products like this? What did you do?
I also used Clindamycin cream (an expired tube.... hopefully that's ok....) last night. I'm going to start using that every day or every second day to help in the meantime.
About the light convo: I think about this all the time. I HATE how certain lighting makes me feel so ugly. I also hate when you can see the makeup on my skin when it's dry [Edited image out] That's why I'll be happy when I can get back to wearing a bit less. Although, I have it pretty much down pat how to make my skin seem perfect. I use a LIGHT base, and then conceal with a SUPER TINY brush using MAC's Select Cover-up, and then powder/bronzer/blush/highlight/whatever.... then I go back in with powder concealer with another SUPER TINY brush. That way your face doesn't LOOK like it has a lot of makeup on, but everything is perfectly concealed. Texture is the only issue - which is why lighting is the enemy lol It is stressful though, to feel like you have to spend so long on your makeup to go out ANYWHERE. I miss the days when it was so much easier.
Any other makeup fanatics in here? I always wish I could help others with makeup so they could fake perfect skin too. I know how awful it feels when you don't feel pretty/attractive...
well i have them for almost a week now....before i used differin my i have like 2 cystic and some whiteheads surrounding area left and right and some pinkish spots now i have hmmm 8 on one side and 1 active on the other and lets not talk about the PIH..though i have smooth skin on all other areas
making steady progress,
@ella86, i started using Differin every other day for the first week, didn't really get any irritation, it could possibly be the BP in the tactuo.
@pcosgal, I'm starting week 6 today and I'm still getting few red bumps, some go quick some persist but they all eventually go for me... patience is a virtue. In all honesty yes i can point out bumps n stuff on my face but no doubt it's better then before i started differin
@wiseboy I have to recommend traditional wet shave with a double edge razor and badger brush. Smooth, non irritating, close and enjoyable. takes a little trial n error to find a blade that suits yourself but much much better than all these new multibladed crap.
Ellllaaa! Makeup fanatic here! lol. I'm a total estee lauder girl though. Mac breaks me out! Try Estee's double wear maximum coverage foundation...that STUFF is AMAZING!!!
Ya'll I have been careless and falling asleep with makeup on. But skin isn't TOO bad. I need to stop though or else it will be bad. Anyway, RETIN A is making my skin CRACK! Not peel like differin did. OMG its awful! Anyway, about the lighting thing...psh I was wrong...that disgusting white light in hotels in the bathrooms..UM...yes...it can make ANYONE's skin look like SHIZ! ughhhh. So depressed.
Skin update!
Things are going good With differin I have like 2 or 3 small pimples at the time. Which are not even that noticable.
I've stopped using differin on my whole face, now I'm just spot treating pimples.
My face looks s³ more even, and red marks fade visibily faster! So that's AWESOME. My face looks finally like a face which is not completely perfect, has it flaws, but still looks beautifull because there is no acne on it!