Acne.org Products
This written blog will track my progress with The Regimen. Stats:
Sex: Female
Age: 22
Acne type: Moderate, mostly on the cheeks and chin, combination oily and dry skin
I started the regimen on the evening of Wednesday, November 27th. I've used benzoyl peroxide on my skin for years, albeit in much smaller quantities than those required in the regimen. So, instead of starting with a pea sized amount, I'm starting with about half the final amount of BP (about 2 of the final 4ml). Otherwise, I've been following the regimen exactly as instructed. I use about 4 drops of jojoba oil in the moisturizer, morning and night. I'm also using Clinique Redness Solutions foundation daily (as I've never had a problem with it breaking me out), as well as Laura Mercier invisible loose setting powder on top.
So far (day 3), my skin is noticeably dry, red, and tight, as to be expected from increasing the amount of BP I use on my face. I plan to post regular updates.
End of week 1 update:
My skin seems to be clearing up, but is really dry and flaky. I have had a few new spots, mostly on my forehead (thank you, winter hat(, but my giant breakout from a few weeks ago is more or less calming down. I'm using about half a finger's length of BP (since I used plenty of BP before), and I don't intend to increase the dosage next week. I'll probably do 3/4 of a finger in week 3, and the full finger in week 4.
End of week 2 update:
My skin is looking a lot more clear. Before I started the regimen, I had this awful breakout on the right side of my face, which has more or less subsided now (leaving a constellation of gorgeous red marks in its wake). I've had a couple new pimplies, but no more than that, which is fairly impressive given the time of month. My skin is still very dry, red, and flaky, but I'm managing it with copious amounts of moisturizer. I've followed the regimen very precisely, with the exception of the recommended time interval. I've occasionally applied 14 or so hours after the previous time, as opposed to the recommend 10-12... but hey, it's exam season.
So far, my skin is behaving pretty much exactly as described in the "what to expect" section, which means that I have high hopes for week 3!
Oh, I should add that I've added one product to the regimen: tarte's maracuja oil. It's extremely moisturizing, non-comedogenic, and widely regarded as being safe for acne-prone skin, so I've been adding 3 drops or so to my moisturizer twice a day. I find that it's really helped with the dryness more than jojoba oil, and I feel pretty safe about using it, since it's a non-comedogenic oil.