Lol noregrets...the first picture isn't me!!! lol....that would be quite a dramatic transformation considering i would have to morph into a different ethnicity! lol.

 

Anyway, kariya, this is my regimen.

 

Morning:

Wash face only with COLD WATER (use no cleanser)

apply a dab of differin 0.3% all over face

Use DCL AHA lightening gel as recommended by my dermatologist...you can check it out here... http://www.skin-etc....clahaligel.html

Use sunscreen/primer

Apply green concealer on hyperpigmented spots

Apply estee lauder max coverage foundation

 

 

Night

Remove makeup with jojoba oil...

Wash face with Clinique's mild cleanser

3x a week...I was my face with selsun blue (really helps)

Apply differin 0.3

Apply a klaron lotion coating

 

Pills I'm taking: doxycycline, culturelle probiotics, and orthotricyclen (birth control).

 

By the way guys...I'M SOOOOOOOO excited about my new mineral makeup foundation from dermstore! AHHH! Its pure enough to fall asleep in and its made with all natural minerals (even the TINT is made out of a natural substance) Eeeeeep!!! I don't plan on SLEEPING in my foundation everyday but...you know....if I'm ever in a position where I have to sleep over at a friend's house or something....I'll definitely use that foundation for emergency purposes!!! <3 <3 <3 My skin is doing okay!

 

thanks! I think i'll try to include in my regiment during PM when i sleep.. i wasnt sure if i could use that along with differin but I guess your derm said its okay?

lol allison well we have seen differin do some pretty amazing stuff [Edited image out]...

anyways I've moved back to uni now, my skin always freaks out down here, I'll keep you guys posted

How long have u guys been put on differin? I was looking at my repeat prescription I'm on a 3yr course

Goooood luck to everyone

Hey I have a year long prescription for differin but I have to get it renewed

Anyway...hahaa...noregrets, I DOUBT differin could pull something that amazing

Kariya, yeah...my derm said adding new products would be fine after about 4-5 weeks of use because thats when the skin has passed through the "sensitivity" period to the retinoid Add it slowly and see how your skin reacts....it doesn't really make me react badly Results of hydroquinone should be seen in a month and I'm glad that i'm using it with differin so I have two things attacking the hyperpigmentation!

BOOHOO! Sad news guys....I went drinking tonight...got a little drunk...still kinda am loopy lol...but I came home and I decided that the one tiny bump on my face was bothering me and I decided to pop it with a comedone extractor...and I put pressure around it and it wouldnt pop so I kept putting more and more pressure around it....nothing....and now its all swollen and the skin on which I was putting pressure on around it is swollen...and it feels lumpy because its so swollen It looks like a cyst! But I know that a cyst cant just magically form from one irritated bump...(at least I hope)...I just think I irritated the living hell out of the papule and the skin surrounding it so thats why its gotten to the size of the cyst and will hopefully be back down to its cute bumpsicle glory tomorrow :/

Hey guys! How you all doing?

Allison, sorry to hear that you couldn't resist popping it! I had the same thing like 3 months ago. I thought about squeezing a blackhead, but I couldn't. So it became a large bump, really cyst-like. But don't worry, mine was flat in about 3 days, and within 6 days the red thingy flaked off So get your hands of it and let it heal!

I'm not doing very good this day. I think I didn't mention it, but I became really depressed when I first got acne. So the IB of differin really made me feel like living wasn't worth it anymore. But I stood up with it and finally became to the point where my face was clear again.

But it left some scars.. This week I have my period, and of course that's a reason to get a red bump. Well, this red bump came just in the center of my cheek. Arg I hate it! It bugs the living hell out of me. And it makes me feel the same way as when I had when the IB started. Complete sh*t of course, because my face looks clear as hell besides that red bump. But still, aargggg can't deal with it. Rather had the bump on my chin or forehead, just not the center of my cheek! So i'm really leaving it alone, and I saw just 5 minutes ago that it was getting a head, so i'm hoping it will be gone in about 2 days.

Normally it wouldn't bother me, and before the depression-thingy started I would be glad with the face i have now, but such a bump makes me so scared, the fact that my face could go back to looking rubbish and aarg I hate it.

ahh don't let it get to you, depression is what u make it, either look at it as damn i got a pimple or i've only got one pimple on my wholeee face ..

only got a couple of hours of sleep, still no new spots popped up, I still have the small nodule on my jaw, it aint even inflamed and already have the PIH but taking soo long for my body to resorb it.

Allison i had a small comedone on my jaw could barely see it unless close, i squeezed it, it became inflamed so did the skin around it, 2 days later it looked like a papule, so i thought *uck it and squeezed it again, fast forward two weeks... It's that nodule on my jaw! Dont pick..

hmm.. i'm thinking about using differin all day instead of just at PM. as soon as i got home at 6pm, i decided to take a shower and put on the differin so i wouldnt have to deal with looking at my face later..

so, i had it on for nearly 12 hours and from the whole time, i feel like my face looks better and less bumpy... now with it off and nearly 6 hours not using it.. much more bumpy..

idk what it is.. but at the same time.. i dont want to over do it..

anyways.. i could feel a few bumps coming up.. ah no fun. i hope these arent cystic and just flatten out fast!

ahh night 5, just shaved and applied differin..

2 new red bumps, and i rushed my shave and ended up with a cut and some irritation, differin doesn't seem to aggravate the irritation, so perhaps it was a good idea to start on alternate days to adjust to it..

yh true g33tar, i suppose I'm just hoping this works on a daily basis. This being my first prescription and I've never had purging before so this whole waiting weeks/months for results is new to me...

On 4/18/2012 at 6:28 AM, Noregrets92 said:

ahh night 5, just shaved and applied differin..

2 new red bumps, and i rushed my shave and ended up with a cut and some irritation.. ah got to wait to see what my face looks like in the morning [Edited image out]

night 5? you've a long long way to go. you would be better off logging only once a week or so and forgetting about it. im on week 5, and things are beginning to clear up fast finally, but it was a pretty rough first few weeks so you'll have to be patient

hello my lovely differin junkees,

anyway, today...I went out and i caught a glimpse of my skin in the mirror with makeup on..I WAS AMAZED. It was sooo clear looking (in comparison to the las few weeks)! Yes, without the makeup the PIH is AWFUL but with a tiny bit of makeup...NO one can tell because my skin is baby butt smooth. I only have a few comedones....but DAMN has there been an improvement!!! I start my 7th week tomorrow!!! Please stick with differin you guys!!! I can't emphasize that enough!!!

g33tar: I'm so happy for you!!! Ahh! I love it when results show!

Noregrets, please keep posting everyday!!! It helps to share your journey even if it is on a daily basis....sometimes I post here 394830948 times a day because I feel frustrated!!!

Kariya, thats a wonderful idea...! I use 0.3 twice a day...what concentration of differin are you on? Maybe you should up your dose to 0.3? It works better.

Jacinthaa...I totally understand the depression thing. I think most people dont realie that depression affects you intrinsically and im sure that pimple was just a trigger of bad memories that you experienced when you didn't have beautiful skin....but let me assure you...YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL skin now!!!! One pimple, 2 pimples, 3 pimples, 5 pimples...or even 6 pimples aren't gonna change that....!!! You look lovely!!! And you know differin is gonna zap that shiz away hehe [Edited image out] Depression is hard and I'm sorry your acne triggered you into a depression. Stay strong sweetie. You don't have the face you did a few months ago. You dont have the skin you had a few months ago. You are not the same girl you were few months ago.

One more quick update before I head off to bed...so...I was having a picnic outside today in 93 degree weather for a few hours....so there was a lot of sweating!!! and just notifying you guys that I'm a little paranoid that tomorrow im gonna wake up with a face inflamed with pustules because of the sweat! [Edited image out] Sad. I hope that doesn't happen. I washed my face really nicely...put on my differin <3, klaron, and DCL AHA lightening gel, and I took my doxy antibiotics! So hopefully this regimen that I have been following for 7 weeks doesn't fail me tomorrow! A little bit of sweating (well...a lot bit) better not aggravate my skin. DIFFERIN DEFEND MY SKIN! DO YOUR DUTY...renew THOSE FREAKIN CELLS so the sweat don't clog 'em!! lol. Ahh i'm delirious. Need sleep. anyway... keep me in your prayers! I'll update first thing tomorrow mornings my precious differin defendants!

Those 2 red bumps went away over night, the differin really helped with the irritation, aside from that no change.. slowww thinggg

so no new pimples today i cried my eyes out today at a sad movie and my PIH started showing :/ kinda sad my foundation aint water proof! hope ya'lla re having a good day

AHH! I never put differin on my forehead because its 100% clear...and I woke up with 3 "forming" pimples on it! i hope they go away by themselves...!!!

hi all..

so bumps are looking better i have to admit.. still there, but not as bumpy.. the big swollen ones came to a head nicely and pop the suckers. when i touch my skin, i feel lots of bumps, but can't really tell if they are old pimple scars or just bumps.. damn. but regardless looking better but still alot of room for improvement.. especially the PIH which is getting pretty bad with every new pimple..

Also, i got that DCL lightening gel! but i am afraid to incorporate in my regiment as i feel i maybe unlucky and breakout.

Also, Allison, i had something similar! i never put differin on my temple area, but i had a few pimples form there! damnit i thought maybe it was because the differin smeared on the temple while i slept.. but those healed nicely and went away fast..

ah PIH is a bitch.. looking like i have sooo much acne, but its just dark spots.

allison and kariya wouldn't it be better to use the differin everywhere, retinols are really good for your skin aside from treating acne...

not much change in my face however does seem to be preventing spots so i got a little confident and went overboard with shaving (with the grain, against the grain, side to side haha guys u know). I'll see if differin can handle it..

Tomorrow marks week 1 and i'll be upping my dose to once a day, seems alright haven't had any bad reactions..

Week 13 today!

My marks/scars are fading which is good. But was breaking out on one side of the my face, but thankfully its nothing major and are pretty much going/gone.

Just need to be patient and my summer will be goood!

Hey sweethearts <3

Oh I have been so exhausted these past few days...!!! I've literally had modeling shoots, finals, projects and work all in one so speaking of which....I come home late at night and convince myself that im only going to sleep for like a few hours right...WRONG...I sleep the whole damn night so I've been sleeping with my makeup on!!! Which is terrible! This is the second day for that....but thank the lord my skin hasn't been reacting like a maniac.

Kariya, thats reassuring!!

Wiseboy, SOOO happy for you!!! Keep it up! And please keep us posted wise one I'm so glad your skin is doing better!

Noregrets, yeah you should but i'm telling you retinoids make your skin so much worse before they ever make it better and since my forehead literally was 100% clear (like I could see every single pore on it!) I didn't put any on it. Anyway, now I have a few small bumps on my forehead but they'll go away with time...I know it. If not...then its peanut butter DIFFERIN time again lol. UHHH I hate the IB. Also babe, don't be surprised if your major IB starts around 2-3 weeks. I think it takes that long for your skin to adjust to what the differin is really doing... I don't mean to be a debbie downer but still....you know...just keep it cool if that does happen...because its VERY normal.

ooohh! I forgot, also Kariya...why dont you try taking that gel and just putting it on your wrist for a few days and make sure you dont have a reaction to it before applying it to your face?

and Jacinthaa, I'm an estee lauder fan for life!!! As for powders, I really like NARS' powder foundation. It lasts a LIFETIME and it gives pretty good coverage. Anyway, since your skin so beautiful already, but if you want to look EXTRA good one night with super flawless skin...I would recommend a liquid foundation called "Nutritious" by Estee Lauder. It's 100% natural...and its all mineral makeup grounded up into liquid with the help of our friend water It's very light and feels like nothing on your skin and I feel like it would be a great makeup on you Like I said, its mineral makeup...very pure...doesn't clog up your pores so give it a shot!

Well, another estee lauder fan here aswell! Especially eye-makeup

But i'll check douglas or something for nutritious foundation. Most of the time I hate foundation cuz it leaves my face so greasy. But I trust your opinion

And I recognize the breaking-out part on places where you never broke out. I never broke out on my forehead and when I started differin, bam, painfull zits there.

But they really went away quickly (my forehead was the first place that cleared up completely)

So I had 2 really BAD days. My period was the worst it has ever been. I'm not taking any BC because I didn't respond very well to it earlier. But really, it is getting worse every month.. 2 days ago I had these huge stomachcramps and it felt like I was dying. So I guess my skin didn't respond well to it, because the day after I had 4 new pimples. So I completely broke down yesterday, thought I was going back to the phase where my whole skin would break out, I cried my heart out. Of course it was nonsense, because my skin looks a whole lot better (clearer) today. And it's not nearly as bad as I thought, just a few pimples that wouldn't bother anyone and is completely normal with having you totm. But I got these 2 pimples on my forehead, which I haven't in about 2 months. But they're almost dried up today so I guess they will be almost gone tomorrow!

Oh and allison, you should really push yourself to take your make-up off. I know that you're not feeling like it when you get home and you're tired as hell, but just look at it as a charity case!

Wiseboy, just hang on! I'm completely convinced that you're scars/redmarks will disappear nicely!

Noregrets: my skin really can't handle shaving or plucking or anything.. I tried to pluck my eyebrows (left me with red marks there) then I tried to shave between my eyebrows, just to keep the blonde hairs away so I won't get a monobrow, well, that didn't work aswell (more tiny red patches) So just be carefull!

oh guyss! Skin looks like its headed for the worst :/ wish me luck. hopefully its just a false alarm.

I've just got back from a all night rave (it's 7am here), My skin looks dead, I didnt put differin on before, i've never wore it outside before since its a night thing...

first thing i did after getting home is have a wash and put on some differin.

yeah jacintha i agree, differin supposed to make hair removal and shaving very difficult without irritation, but i'm required to maintain a clean shave.

wiseboy congrats, sticking to it paid off [Edited image out]

anything i can do about the extra oil?

noregrets, i love clean and clear's oil blotting sheets. you just hold 'em up to your face...pat your face and it just absorbs the extra oil on your face.

sigh...you guys, I need some encouragement. i'm into week 7 now and.....though there has been an incredible improvement in acne....the PIH is terrible. Without makeup, it still gives it the illusion that I have like 18 pimples on each cheek because there are red spots that are left over....they are generally really smooth in touching and feel just like normal flattened skin and can be covered with foundation but damn...i feel so insecure without makeup. its like "hey...i know acne is gone now but I'm going to be a constant reminder of the shi% you had to go through!!!" Ugh. Please help me guys....this will go away eventually right? did anyone else have problems with such PIH? sadness. Any help or words of appreciation would be appreciated.

Oh I'd really like to cheer you up, but I just can't! I'm struggling with PIH myself. Some are there for 4 months (but they're slowly fading) My derm said it takes 6 months to a year to let them vanish completely. So I have hope! And I know how you feel, I feel so insecure myself when I have pimples (and i'm sure that very red PIH is just as bad as a pimple) But they w­ll vanish! It just takes a lot of patience, and I know how hard that is.

So my face is finally clearing up after a HORRIBLE PMS-week. But of course, on the last day of my cycle, a very red pimple formed itself on my forehead. YUK, I hate it. I'm loading it with differin tonight and I hope it's all dried up by tomorrow -.- The pimple on my cheek left a red mark, and it's like in the middle so I'm hoping it will vanish soooooon. Only a tiny pimple remains just above my lip. My horrible week is finally over so I'm hoping my face will turn to normal soon

Allison sorry but did u read what u said, ""hey...i know acne is gone" that's step one done, u should be grateful. there flat remember not too long ago they were spots..

PIH just takes some time to heal, every pimple in my life has always left PIH behind, they've ALWAYS gone though and left behind normal skin, bare in mind i've never used anything to try to remove them, your body does it itself, all part of the healing process .. so cheer up

BTW when i used benzoyl peroxide they lasted much longer which is due to benzoyl peroxides free radical action that depletes your skins VIt E and C, make sure your getting enough vitamins in your diet.

I'm so glad I found this! I've learned so much from you guys already! Thank you!

I just started Differin 0.1 about a week and a half ago. I was on Accutane for almost 3 months but had to stop because of some side effects. I have comedonal acne, started about 2 years ago after I had my daughter. Clear skin my entire life then... I had a BAD IB when I started Accutane... tons of comedones formed pustules all at once, it seemed like they would be invisible in the morning then "grow" over the course of the day and ready to explode by bedtime. This lasted for like 3 weeks. Anyway, I didn't have anything new through month 2 and 3. My skin looked amazing when I stopped Accutane, except for some small, super deep closed comedones. Then, after I started Differin, even after the first day, pustules all over the place! I feel like my first month on Accutane (only to a wayyy lesser extent). I see that most Differin IBs start around week 2-3... I'm wondering if because my skin's so thin already from being on Accutane... this is my IB now? Is that even possible? Ugh.

I totally relate to so much of what has been said in this log... about feeling your face before you get up in the morning to check for new spots before you look in the mirror... face looking better in the morning (what's up with that???)... makeup always looking "bumpy" because of the comedones... etc, etc...

allisoncatherine, thanks so much for starting this! I used to model in my younger days (that makes me sound so old haha... I'm 29 now), and I know how hard the industry is on anything they see as an imperfection. There's no denying you're gorgeous though, acne or not! Hopefully we all have model-clear skin soon 🙂

Love all the positivity you guys, nothing helps more on a rough day to talk to people who know what you're going through.