Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated (if anyone is even reading this) 
Well, it's the end of May now, and I have seen a huge improvement over the past couple of months. The amount of comedones has drastically decreased. I currently have 2 between my eyes, none on my upper lip, and only 8 or so on my chin. Compared to what it was like before - this is fantastic. I'm just hoping that another round of comedones doesn't pop up now and ruin my good streak (fingers crossed). I really think the Tazorac has helped tremendously. Also, possibly the birth control - it is difficult to tell which one, as I started them around the same time. (My routine is the same as before, except I stopped using the Finacea (only Aczone).)
I have a new problem now - my skin it becoming very irritated and sensitive from the Tazorac and BHA/AHA combo. It is dry, red, flaky, and generally irritated and unhappy. Both are very harsh products - acids and a strong retinoid. I don't understand why this is happening after this many months, though. Oh well. Either way, I need to change something in my routine. I'd rather have a couple more clogged pores than dry, flaky, red, irritated skin. However, I don't really want to take either products of my routine, as both really help my skin. I'd rather add hydrating ones and see if that helps first.
I ordered Paula's Choice hydrating treatment mask, as well as her Recovery toner. I plan to use the toner after washing my face to hydrate and help heal my skin, and the treatment mask as a night moisturizer - not sure how often - over the Tazorac. I'm hoping neither of these clog my pores - the toner has silicone in it, which I'm worried about. Has anyone had experience with using silicones?
I think another factor in my irritation would be that a month or so ago, I started exfoliating with a washcloth once a day. Gently, but I still think it may have been too harsh for my skin. However, since stopping this, my face does not feel as good and smooth as when I did exfoliate. Does anyone know any extremely gentle method of manual exfoliation? I read up on the baby brush method, but am worried that it may still be too harsh. Thanks!
So my PC stuff arrived - the toner and the mask! This is my third night using both of them, and I absolutely love them so far. My skin is hydrated, smooth, and glowing again. I noticed a difference after only 1 day.
My only worry is that this stuff will clog my pores, but I'm hoping it will not. My worry is the silicone, but I realized that I have used many other products with silicone, such as my Cera Ve moisturizer, that have not harmed my skin. The mask and toner also have some plant oils, but they don't seem to be comedogenic, and I have used olive oil before, which is comedogenic, and it hasn't even clogged my skin.
My new routine:
AM
Cera Ve Hydrating Wash
PC Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner
PC AHA and BHA gels, mixed
Cera Ve lotion
Aczone
PM
Cera Ve wash
PC toner
Tazorac 0.05%
Cera Ve lotion
PC Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask
Very happy with this routine, hoping that all goes well with the new products!!
A comedone on my chin erupted yesterday - it's kind of weird because it has no head but is not a cystic pimple, idk. I've had one like this before and tried to pop it with a needle, but I don't think it worked. I'm forcing myself to wait until a head is visible to touch it, I don't want to cause damage/more hyperpigmentation. I might put some sulfur mud mask on it tonight to dry it out (Queen Helene's).
Been loving my PC mask and toner, my skin is no longer awful and dry. So far it hasn't broken me out, so that's good. I think Cera Ve Hydrating cleanser breaks me out a bit, to be honest. I've been getting tiny pimples on my forehead and worse nose blackheads, I think from the cleanser because I've noticed this before. I'm going back to using the Cera Ve foaming cleanser, which is more drying but still gentle and see if that improves.
I have a few comedones on my chin (about 8), and I'm hoping more don't pop up. I can deal with a few that will turn into zits, just not when my whole chin was covered in them and I was constantly breaking out.
I used the Aztec mask last night, used my toner, aloe vera gel, and PC mask before bed. Woke up to soft, glowing skin this morning. Every time I used Aztec I think the next day, "Oh, I should use this more often." Only problem is it's pretty harsh and drying w/ the vinegar, plus I don't use my Tazorac afterwards at night to avoid irritation. I hate to skip Tazorac more than 1 or 2 days a week.
The aztec mask is actually magic - a huge comedone on the side of my nose that has been there for a year or more became inflamed yesterday, I think due to the mask. The small pimples on my forehead from the hydrating cleanser are gone, also due to the mask. I think I'm only going to use this cleanser when my face is severely dry and cannot tolerate anything harsher, but not use it for extended periods of time because it does clog my pores to some extent - or it just does not get rid of everything from my face when it cleanses. I've noticed it does a super crappy job with makeup - I don't wear makeup every day, but if I put concealer on a bad zit or something, it is unable to remove it, unlike most cleansers. It may not be able to remove my face grime and oil, either.
Face status: Very good, 8 comedones on chin, 1 inflamed comedone on nose, 1 comedone between eyes, none noticeable on forehead or upper lip
This number is greatly reduced from when I had like 40 on my chin and 20 between my eyes. Ugh. I'm hoping that they don't reappear - they haven't come back for about 2 months, there have only been a few that popped up (ones I have now). Fingers crossed.
I'm traveling at the end of next week, so I'm a little stressed about my skincare while on vacation - I won't have my large array of cleansers, masks, lotions, etc. I'm thinking of packing everything I use in my everyday routine and then adding small travel sizes of masks or something. I would love to bring the Aztec mask, but it's messy and I don't think I'll have room for it. I'm going to try doing 2 more Aztec masks before leaving, and hope that will suffice for the 2 weeks I'm away. I'm thinking of taking some Queen Helene in a small travel bottle and using it once or twice while I'm there - not as good as Aztec, but still a nice clay mask.
I'm also planning to use my PC mask after the horribly dry flight for 9 hrs.
The comedone on the side of my nose turned into this massive, painful pimple. Ugh. It kind of came to a head today (I can see the pus underneath the skin), so I thought I would pop it and expel the sebum plug that caused the pimple, but it's way to painful to pop. I'm going to wait a couple more days and then try again.
A comedone on the side of my chin inflamed, along with another on my chin. I successfully gently popped them. Only 6 comedones on my chin left! Hopefully no more develop.
Feeling good, aside from the huge, painful zit. It also sucks because it's hard to cover up - when I blow my nose, the concealer comes off.
Couldn't take it anymore - the zit honestly looks like a third head. I iced it to bring down the swelling and numb it before popping it. I then pricked the top where I could see the pus with a needle. I wrapped my fingers in tissues and gently pressed down on either side. A lot of yellow pus and liquid came out. I got down to the sebum plug and pressed harder to get it out, but it would't pop out. I didn't want to force it, so I just gave up, will try again tomorrow. I don't want to be too rough and cause scarring or anything. However, I do think I relieved some of the pressure and fluid.
The monster zit is absolutely awful. I tried popping it a couple more times - nothing. Some liquidy pus always comes out, but the sebum plug refuses to emerge. The zit is massive and reddish-purple. I feel so gross about it. Last night, I dissolved epsom salts in boiling water, let it cool a little, and dipped a cotton ball in it and put it on the zit for about 10 mins, hoping to draw the infection out. I then mixed some epsom salt water with the Aztec healing clay and put it on the pimple overnight. I think it did shrink it a bit, so I guess it helped, but now the zit has this dry crust over it. And it still oozing out pus through the crust. I think I'm going to slather it tonight in the PC hydrating mask to hydrate it and help it heal - I don't think drying out this zit further will help, I need to moisturize and wait for the sebum plug to be able to be extracted. I'm traveling on Thursday to Europe to see family, so I REALLY want this gone before then, or I know it's going to kill my confidence seeing relatives I haven't seen in 8 years. I also hate going to work with this on my face. I seriously think that this is one of the worst zits I've ever had - the absolute worst being a huge cyst on my chin that was the size of a quarter. I had that one injected with cortisone. I'm not going to do that with this one, although it might help - it's not cystic, so I know it will go away as soon as I'm able to extract the "root" of it.
FINALLY victory! Just popped the zit, a TON of hardened sebum came out at the end, plus a lot of blood. Yep - definitely the worst non-cystic zit I've ever had. I want it to heal really fast, so I'm thinking of applying olive oil at night and throughout the day with a Q-tip to help it heal. I used this once before and it really sped up the healing time and helped with hyperpigmentation (PIH). I'm so happy I finally got it out, though. Unfortunately, I think the trick with most zits/acne is to just give it time. I can tell that the PIH is going to be rough, though, because it was so big/deep and lasted for like a week. But it's okay - it's in the crease of my right nostril, so it's kind of out of sight, even if there is PIH, it won't be super visible.
A comedone on my chin became inflamed this morning, gently pricked it and pushed out the gunk - it's healing nicely now. Could possibly use the olive oil on it too. Currently have 4 comedones on my chin!!! Amazing. I really hope my chin doesn't suddenly explode with a bunch of them.
I've been really frustrated with the blackheads on my nose lately. A couple months ago, I was using a washcloth and rubbing my face with it (probably not so gently) to exfoliate, but my face started to understandably get irritated from it, so I stopped. However, the rubbing did help to "rub out" some of the gunk in my nose pores, and now I feel like my blackheads are worse than ever. Oh well. I might start GENTLY using a washcloth only on my nose once the zit heals.
Giant nose pimple seems to be healing well. I think the olive oil helps. I put on AHA gel + olive oil this morning to hopefully stop some hyperpigmentation. Other than that, my face is pretty good. I have 4-5 comedones on my chin, one between my eyes, and one in the crease of my nose. Also blackheads on nose, but whatever. This is so great - I really hope my face stays mostly comedone-free like this.
ALSO - I started using the Earth Therapeutics Complexion Brush from Ulta. I really wanted a gentle way to exfoliate my skin. I believe that most scrubs are way too harsh, and so was using a washcloth like I did before. I was initially not very impressed - the brush is EXTREMELY soft and gentle, but I just wet my face and the brush and went around in circular motions. I didn't think it really did much. However, I started adding my Cera Ve foaming face wash to the brush, and I LOVE it now! Somehow adding the cleanser makes the brush work better and really helps with exfoliation. The brush is SO gentle but my skin is smooth afterwards. I really like it. It also comes with a nice cap for traveling. Plus, it was only $6 at Ulta, which is a bargain in my opinion.
Back from my trip! 4 comedones inflamed during my trip - the one between my eyes and 3 on my chin. I now only have 1 comedone left of my chin and none between my eyes. The couple of comedones on the side of my nose inflamed, but in a cystic pimple, so I haven't tried to pop it or anything. It's gone down a lot in the past couple of weeks, barely noticeable, but I still want to get the clogs out. I think I might see some more comedones forming on my chin - not sure if this is me being paranoid or actually happening. I really hope not. I haven't done my Aztec mask in 3 weeks, so my skin feels kind of blackheady and gross.
Popped the cystic clogs on the side of my nose - they weren't actually cystic anymore, just two clogs that came out easily. so my skin is pretty much clear of old comedones, (the last one on the side of my chin came out as well) but I kind of see more comedones coming up - some on the side of my chin. I've also had more blackheads on my forehead, between my eyes, etc. I'm not sure if I'm just being super paranoid and looking at every little thing closely now that I'm close to being clear, but idk, I think I see more stuff surfacing. It's been a little over a month since I started using the PC toner, so I think it might have something to do with that - the face that I'm putting a layer of plant oils/silicones in between the pore-clog-fighting ingredients (Taz and acids) which makes them a little less effective. Even deems have told me to put the Taz on clean skin b/c it would be most effective then. I don't think the PC stuff has been clogging my skin, really, just not allowing the others stuff to be as effective in unclogging, if that makes sense. So a week or so ago I stopped using both the toner and the mask and started putting the Taz and acids directly on my skin, obviously causing a lot of dryness. So to compensate I started using a heavier moisturizer OVER the Taz at night - the Cetaphil cream, which I have heard many good things about. So far, I love it, and I love this regimen.
Night: Taz and Cetaphil cream
Day: PC AHA and BHA, Cera ve lotion, and Aczone
The Cetaphil is amazing, I hope it doesn't start clogging my pores or something. My skin isn't too dry with this.
I think putting tazorac directly on my skin without toner is really helping! A small blackhead between my eyebrows surfaced, and I can see other tiny blackheads going away. I'm annoyed that it was almost completely clear before i ruined it with the toner - I feel like I set my progress back a couple of months. Oh well. It's definitely not that bad - only about 8 or so comedones on my chin, which is so much better than it was originally. I'm sure the tazorac will bring them up in the next couple of months and I'll be clear again. I'm hoping not many more pop up.
I definitely think going bak to taz directly on my skin had helped. About a week after starting, I broke out in 3 cystic pimples, which almost never happens. And 3 at once!! 2 of them have gone away (on my chin) leaving behind a couple closed comedones - proof that the taz brought up comedones and is purging my skin (I think). One is still between my eyes. Same status as last time - new comedones on my chin, about 8-10, I see possibly some emerging on the left side, but not sure. The blackheads on my nose have gotten better since skipping the toner, also good news! I'm really hoping that the toner simply clogged my skin and not that I'm getting more comedones after so close to being clear!!
I also think that my skin felt "blackheady" during my travels was due to starting the toner a couple of weeks before, not due to skipping my mud mask (possible proof).
Ugh, my comedones have returned. I have about 15ish on my chin right now and one between my eyes. Super frustrating. I'm not sure what's causing it - I'm hoping it's just clogs my toner from before caused that are now surfacing. It could also be my switch in birth control - I'm on a higher dose of estrogen now. The last thing I can think of is that I started using Cetaphil cream. I'm going to wait it out, I'm thinking it's probably due to my hormone switch or the toner, I'm hoping they'll inflame and no new ones will follow. We'll see!
So my skin has definitely become more clogged - I do not really think it's due to the Cetaphil or the toner, because I stopped using the toner 3 months ago and still have clogs. I have about 15 closed comedones on my chin and a couple between my eyes. I'm not sure why my skin has regressed - it was almost perfectly clear over the summer. It might be (1) my switch in birth control to a pill with more estrogen or (2) my skin always gets worse during the winter - I don't know why - maybe because it gets dry and irritated from the cold. Also, it's significantly less bad than it was last winter, or any other winter - so maybe my skincare routine is working, it's just that it's winter, so I'm bound to get more clogs. Also, the clogs aren't really that bad - annoying and they become inflamed occasionally and I break out, but for the most part, my skin appears pretty clear. ALSO I felt pretty good about my skin being so clear this fall, that I did not take as good care of it as I usually do early this winter - I wouldn't wash it occasionally, or it would be dry so I wouldn't use my salicylic/glycolic gels. Some nights I also wouldn't use Tazorac PLUS the food I was eating at school is not super healthy. I'm sure not taking amazing care of it didn't help either. Now I'm paranoid haha so strictly sticking to my regimen as follows: (Not much has changed)
AM
Wash with Cera Ve foaming cleaner
Apply thin layer of PC Salicylic and glycol's gels mixed together
Cera Ve lotion
Aczone
PM
Wash with Cera Ve foaming
Tazorac 0.05%
Cera Ve lotion
Cetaphil cream in addition (if very dry)
Spot treat with Aczone
I'm seeing my derm tomorrow for the first time in a year and will ask about anything that can improve these comedones. I COULD probably increase my Tazorac to the higher dose, but feel that it would almost be worse b/c of the peeling, flaking, and redness a higher dose would cause. My skin is dry enough now. I'll see what she says and then try to wait it out and see if my skin improves - I'm hoping it's simply due to me not totally sticking to my regimen and the fact that it's winter. I'll let you guys know what happens!
So, I saw my derm today (actually, her assistant, but whatever - I don't like her that much so it doesn't really matter) and told her about my comedone problem. She wasn't super helpful - she said that Tazorac was good for comedones and tried to sell me these salicylic/glycolic pad/wipe things but I told her I was already using a salicylic/glycolic treatment. She said the next step for my comedones would be to get a facial at her office called "Dermasweep." I guess it's a brush/vacuum combination and basically sucks all the gunk of of your pores. It's not covered by insurance and $125 per session, and you need about 6 sessions to really see results. I don't think I'll be doing this - (1) it's super expensive, it would be like $800 for the full thing and (2) I don't know how effective it actually is. So yeah.
She also did some extractions - got a few comedones out. Other ones I think she tried to get out but they didn't move, so she left in, but now are becoming inflamed pimples. Ugh. Will be having to deal with chin breakouts for the next few days but oh well.
I think I'm just going to wait out the winter, hopefully my comedones improve. I'll see the derm again in March when I'm on break.
Today I saw my regular derm and told her that I was annoyed by the closed comedones and blackheads that continue to plague me, mostly on the chin area. She said that they were hormonal and that there wasn't really anything else I could do about them, provided I'm already on a strong retinoid and using salicylic and glycolic acid to exfoliate. This was kind of disappointing to hear - even my derm says there's nothing left I can do. Now, my acne isn't horrible - most days my skin looks pretty much completely clear, but I'll get a zit or three every couple of weeks or so as a comedone inflames. At my age (almost 20), it's annoying and embarrassing to be breaking out anymore. I really want my skin to just be clear once and for all. I know, I know that this is not nearly as bad as some people have it - I can't believe I'm complaining about a few pimples - but they still reduce my confidence.
The only other thing I can think to do is increase my Tazorac dosage to the strongest cream, but I really don't want to do this - my skin is already very dry and sensitive from the lower %. I'd rather have acne than horrible red, flaky, dry skin.
I'm also confused - my comedones completely cleared over last summer - why have they come back? Maybe because it's winter, but I don't want to have to deal with more comedones every winter for the rest of my life. Ugh.
SO I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I saw on Reddit that a lot of people were saying that the MUAC mandelic acid peel (25%) has helped with closed comedones, more so than glycolic/salicylic acids have. I ordered this, as well as the MUAC argan oil - I hope this will be a better moisturizer for my dryer days. I'm hoping the peel will clear some comedones. A lot of reviews said that they got rid of them! If this works, I think I may order the mandelic acid serum (10%) to use on a daily or every-other-day basis. However, I want to start by using the peel once a week and just keeping the rest of my skincare the same before I start also using the serum.
I'll keep you guys updated.
Side Note/Clarification: The number of clogged pores and comedones I have is significantly less than before I started Tazorac/this log. Probably about a third of the original number. So I do know that my routine is working, in my opinion though, it's not working well enough because I still have a good amount of clogged pores.
I still have a good amount of closed comedones on my chin. I have a couple of clogged pores between my eyes/on my forehead, but these don't really bother me because there's only a few, so I'll break out very rarely from them. My chin concerns me more. I don't have as many comedones on it as before I started Tazorac, but still too many in my opinion. Over the past week, a couple of them inflamed, so I had two zits. They're mostly done healing now.
I don't see that much improvement from the mandelic acid peel, as described in my last post. I haven't been using it super consistently, though, so that might be it. I've used it about 4 or 5 times randomly over the last couple of months. Last week, I used it twice in a week. I've definitely seen reduction in blackheads, though, on my nose. Right after using it, I can see that the blackheads have shrunk and my pores look clearer. No noticeable difference for my closed comedones, but it might be working subtly if it's working on my blackheads! I plan to try and use this peel at least once a week, hopefully twice.
I also need to start being more consistent about using the Aztec healing clay mask - I rarely do it. But now I'm home from school, and have more time to do this mask. The issue with both the Atzec and the mandelic is that I am not able to use my Tazorac right after it. For the mandelic, I'm not supposed to use retinoids 24 hours before or after, but I've used Tazorac the night before and put on the mask and not seen irritation. I'm scared to use Tazorac after, though, as I always do my masks/peels in the evening. I do not want to irritate my skin with a retinoid after doing a strong mask or peel. Same goes with the Aztec - I don't use Tazorac the night after it. Therefore, if I do mandelic once a week and Aztec once a week, I am skipping Tazorac two nights of the week, which worries me - I want to use it as many days as possible. I might try to use Taz after the mandelic peel and see if this is possible. Ugh. I feel like I'm having to choose between sticking to my medication or doing other treatments that may help.
I'm also wondering if I should increase my % for the mandelic acid peel. Maybe a higher percentage would be more effective. I just hate to spend more $ - maybe I'll get the sample.
Hi getschwifty! I'm sorry I haven't replied, I haven't been on here in forever.
Currently, my skin is not great. It's definitely not awful, but I still have a good amount of clogged pores, mostly on my chin. I have one in between my eyes, none on my upper lip, and a bunch on my chin. I'm really frustrated because my chin continues to clog and then I get inflamed zits from the clogged pores. I feel like I have persistent mild-moderate acne. I went to a new derm today and she changed up my skincare routine.
She is increasing my Tazorac dosage to 0.1% and also having me use Finacea in the mornings, which is good for getting rid of clogs apparently. She said that this was pretty much the strongest topical routine that I could have and that it should make things better. So fingers crossed! She also said that it's possible that Cera Ve could be clogging my pores and gave me her own brand of moisturizer that will not. She also told me to start using a face wash with AHA and BHA in it and gave me one from her own brand. She also told me to stop using the Paula's Choice AHA/BHA I use. I'm really nervous to just stop using these because I feel like they really work and make my skin better! But I also don't know how to fit everything into my routine. She also told me to use moisturizer under the Taz to prevent drying and that it shouldn't decrease its effectiveness as long as I let it sink in before applying the Taz.
She said that if this doesn't work, the next step would be to start using chemical peels and also do this laser treatment. Hopefully I won't have to do this.
I'm a bit concerned because she said this routine is extremely drying, and my skin is already dry. I'll just have to moisturize a lot I guess!
New routine:
AM:
Derm's AHA/BHA cleanser
Derm's moisturizer
AHA/BHA gels
Finacea
PM:
Derm's cleanser
Moisturizer
Taz 0.1
Aczone
Day 1 of New Regimen:
Used Taz 0.1% for the first time last night and Fiancee this morning. No bad reactions, and nothing new to report. My skin does not seem super dry yet. A pustule on my chin that my derm injected with cortisone went down so much from yesterday, and is now just a red mark.
Day 2:
My skin is super dry around my nose, and the moisturizer the derm gave me is not doing enough. I used Aquaphor, but I'm not sure it doesn't clog pores, but I didn't know what else to do. I think it's fine if I use it to spot treat. I'd like to find a heavy moisturizer that won't clog pores, if anyone has any suggestions.
One comedone on my jaw became inflamed today and is now a red, angry pustule. Not sure whether this is due to the new topicals or not.
Day 3:
My skin was so dry this morning thatI decided to wash it with Cera Ve foaming cleanser instead of the more harsh one I've started using and skip my morning routine. So I just put on lotion and no topical meds. I put Cera Ve lotion on top of the derm one, I'm really not sure if it's pore-clogging or not, due to the fatty alcohols it has, but until I find a better one, it's the only thing I have. My skin was so terribly dry when I woke upthat I feel like hydrating it is the most important thing.
Day 6:
Im almost done with my first week of my new regimen! A cyst between my eyes that inflamed a few weeks ago but hasn't completely gone away - there was still a lump under my skin but no redness or swelling - turned into a pustule with a white head! I'm so excited - this means the taz is pulling old acne to the surface. Another closed comedone on my chin inflamed and I extracted it. I can see a couple of comedones on the right side of my chin turning pink which hopefully means they will inflame and be gone soon. I hate breaking out but at least it means all the crud is being pulled up.
Im only using my Cera Ve foaming cleanser as opposed to the one given to me by my derm bc the other one is way too harsh for me while my skin is just adjusting. I will begin using it once my skin gets used to my two new drying topicals. I've been using Clinique lotion on top of everything to keep my skin hydrated and Nivea cream on super flaky/scaly areas. I'm not sure the Nivea is noncomedogenic but I need something to reduce the flakes.