Hi people. I have decided to create an account and post my regimen log on here to see if it works out. This site have helped me a lot and I thought I would give back by posting and updating my regimen on here.

My Acne Background

I only develop facial acne.

Age 16-18

I have mild to moderate acne from the ages 16-18. Acne was not a really big deal during my high school years. I had a few small pimples here and there. My face cleared up by the time I graduated from high school. I used only a face wash bar and moisturizer after showers and no Benzoyl Peroxide (BP).

Age 18-22

I neglected my face afterward because I thought it was permanently cleared. However, I was wrong and started to develop cystic acne on my face. During my years in college, my face got worst. It got to the point where it started scarring. I tried many products, such as ProActiv, Murad skin care and even Accutane to help my acne. None of them seemed to work. Accutane worked but it was too drying and caused major chapped lips. I giave up on Accutane. I personally think that ProActiv is not a good product also.

I searched in vain for new products and came across this site. Through Dan's blog, I learned that I needed to consistently used BP in my regimen to keep my acne away. I used a random facial cleanser, random 10% BP, and random moisturizer. My face cleared up after about two months used. However, my face was really red and dried from using the products. I stopped the regimen because of these side effects. Once again, my face broke out and many cysts formed.

Age 22-Current

I did more research and came across The_Snow_Queens thread about the mistakes that people makes when buying acne products.

Here is the link: http://www.acne.org/...-to-treat-acne/

She explains the dos and don'ts in details. Check it out, it is really helpful. After reading her thread, I had my next "Aha" idea. I thought that if I used natural products only, my acne would be cured eventually. I used the products listed by Snow_Queen. I used Paula's Choices of facial washer, exfoliant, BP and moisturizer. I used it for six months, and my skin cleared up and wasn't dry or red. I thought I have found the holy grail to my acne problems. However, i still had partial small red patches on my cheeks. I did not have any pimples though. i thought that my red patches would disappear eventually, but it didn't. I did more research and found out that the lingering red patches is caused by BP. I learned that BP was not a cure for acne, but only as prevention. Therefore, my red patches would never disappeared. By using BP, you will still have many micro sized acne bumps on your face, which was my red patches. So now, I have decided to stop using BP in my regimen and use the natural products mentioned in Snow_Queens thread. Remember to listen to your face. It knows best what is good for you. If it burns, or is dried or acne continues to form after months of the regimen, then you should try something new.

My Current Regimen and Updates

Here is a link to effectively use a skincare routine: http://www.wikihow.c...kincare-Routine

At the moment, I am also trying out soft vs hard water when showering. I bought a shower filter to filter our hard water.

Products using at the moment

• Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser

   

• Honey/Lemon/ Sugar exfoliant

   

• Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Gel Moisturizer -------> I switched to Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer for winter purposes.

   

Regimen without BP

1) Use facial cleanser in the morning and night ---------> I used this every other day now because of winter and wash with just lukewarm water.

2) Apply exfoliant every Sunday and Wednesday nights

3) Apply moisturizer after facial cleanser or exfoliant

Regimen Log

Week 1: My face felt a lot better and healthy. I really felt for the first time face can breathe and is all natural. No break outs yet.

Week 2: Face still feels great. I started to form whitehead pimples. I also see many new bumps. No cysts forming, which is good. I think I am in the purging phase. I am crossing my fingers that my face will purge then get better. I will update more.

Week 3: More red marks surfaced and whiteheads. I'm hoping this is the purging phase. No cysts yet.

Week 4: Less acne are surfacing, old acne marks are disappearing. I'm hopeful that I am going through the purging phase because my forehead has not broken out yet. My face no longer has bumps and feels a lot smoother.My face does not look much like a war zone anymore.