16 hours ago, Convinceme said:

Yeah, that's what I thought too; a month on Doxy definitely won't cut it. The best experience I had on that drug was when I took it for 8 months and the results were consistent. I had smooth, blemish free skin. It even seemed to lighten the existing scars. Dang.

Anyway, that doctor is trained in dermatology so he doubles up as a dermatologist and in fact, more patients consult him for skin problems than for the common flu. I've had great success with that doctor in the past but it sucks that he's not going to prescribe long-term antibiotics anymore. As for switching doctor, I've thought of that before but it means I would have to start on a clean slate because the new doctor wouldn't be that familiar with my condition and may have to tinkle with the treatment possibilities until they fit my skin.

Sigh, accutane. Yes, I've considered that but objectively, I wouldn't say my skin condition warrants it. I get a couple of inflamed pimples and my face looks somewhat blotchy from all that pigmented scarring but I don't think I should take accutane (yet) as I've heard all kinds of horror stories. Also, accutane is like the last line of defense for people with acne so if that fails, there's practically no hope left. I'm leaving accutane as my final, miracle resort. That said, I would really like to give accutane a try by conscientiously ignoring the well-documented side effects because I just can't stand my skin anymore. I've never gotten cysts in my life and in the past two months or so, I've gotten 3. The first on my nose subsided after a cortisone injection, the second on my chin healed naturally after multiple days of pus drainage and is now scabbing. The most recent one is on my right temple and I hope Doxy will take care of that. Phuck this sheet. What's up with cysts? I've never gotten them in my life before and they just seem to magnify my skin problems because they are so obtrusive! Sorry for the rant. Looking forward to more of your updates here.

Well, if accutane doesn't work, there's always a second or third course... for some people, it takes multiple courses to get clear. When I was prescribed accutane, my acne wasn't nearly as intense as some people's - but my dermatologist decided it was the best course of action because my acne was leaving scars.

Anyway, I've broken out more since my last update. These new breakouts are not as deep as the other ones, but they are still inflamed and painful. I'd say I have about 12 "active" pustules on my face (inflamed ones that push out pus and blood) as well as some older ones that aren't as inflamed, but aren't going away either. My morning regimen has become increasingly difficult: I've let my beard grow, but as a result it's more difficult to get rid of flaking that's happening around the pimples. Once I have all the flakes out, I moisturize and then dab BP on each individual pustule to try and conceal it somewhat. That's basically what I've been doing for the past month in order to try and look somewhat professional at work. I end up with white, flaky spots on my face where I applied BP, but it's better than showing up to work covered with pus and bloody scabs.

I'm still waiting on doxycycline to kick in. I know it might take longer, especially since I'm only on 100mg nightly (not 100mg x 2 a day). How long did it take for you to start seeing improvement when you were on doxy?

6 hours ago, wombat666 said:

Well, if accutane doesn't work, there's always a second or third course... for some people, it takes multiple courses to get clear. When I was prescribed accutane, my acne wasn't nearly as intense as some people's - but my dermatologist decided it was the best course of action because my acne was leaving scars.

Anyway, I've broken out more since my last update. These new breakouts are not as deep as the other ones, but they are still inflamed and painful. I'd say I have about 12 "active" pustules on my face (inflamed ones that push out pus and blood) as well as some older ones that aren't as inflamed, but aren't going away either. My morning regimen has become increasingly difficult: I've let my beard grow, but as a result it's more difficult to get rid of flaking that's happening around the pimples. Once I have all the flakes out, I moisturize and then dab BP on each individual pustule to try and conceal it somewhat. That's basically what I've been doing for the past month in order to try and look somewhat professional at work. I end up with white, flaky spots on my face where I applied BP, but it's better than showing up to work covered with pus and bloody scabs.

I'm still waiting on doxycycline to kick in. I know it might take longer, especially since I'm only on 100mg nightly (not 100mg x 2 a day). How long did it take for you to start seeing improvement when you were on doxy?

Regarding the BP that you're applying on your pustules, I'm not one to recommend specific topical treatments because I know skin is highly individualized, but have you considered sulfur? A few months ago when I was still getting active pustules, I bought a tube of acne cream with sulfur as its main ingredient. I did some research and realized that it's actually the unsung hero when it comes to drying out acne, with BP and SA as the two mainstays. I tried sulfur for a while and realized that it really dries up the pustules in a way that it sort of cakes up? If that's the right term to use. The only downside is that sulfur stinks. However, after maybe three weeks of consistent usage, I reckon that it's getting difficult to wash off the remnants/debris of the areas where the sulfur cream is applied because I'm using Cetaphil, and it's too gentle to do any heavy-duty cleansing. Maybe your cleanser is stronger so you can give sulfur a try.

The last time I was on Doxy, I think it took for a month or two for things to clear up. And I mean really clear up, no pigmentation, no redness, no more active this and that pushing their way out in the morning. It was great. By the way, I'm taking 100mg x 2 at the moment because I think the doctor is kind of noticing my desperation *and* exasperation that I won't be prescribed antibiotics for longer than a month. After I'm done with this course, I really have no idea where I'm heading (and I'm not even sure if the Doxy this time will be just as effective). Should I like go back to the same doctor for 'maintenance' advice? I mean, after a month is up, I'm thinking of showing him the progress (if any) on Doxy and let him decide the next best course of action. Or should I just get a dose from another doctor who's willing to prescribe longer-term antibiotics? Though I know antibiotics in the long run is really harmful to the gut. Yeah, dilemmas. As if acne isn't frustrating enough.
 

On March 5, 2016 at 8:30 PM, Convinceme said:

Regarding the BP that you're applying on your pustules, I'm not one to recommend specific topical treatments because I know skin is highly individualized, but have you considered sulfur? A few months ago when I was still getting active pustules, I bought a tube of acne cream with sulfur as its main ingredient. I did some research and realized that it's actually the unsung hero when it comes to drying out acne, with BP and SA as the two mainstays. I tried sulfur for a while and realized that it really dries up the pustules in a way that it sort of cakes up? If that's the right term to use. The only downside is that sulfur stinks. However, after maybe three weeks of consistent usage, I reckon that it's getting difficult to wash off the remnants/debris of the areas where the sulfur cream is applied because I'm using Cetaphil, and it's too gentle to do any heavy-duty cleansing. Maybe your cleanser is stronger so you can give sulfur a try.

The last time I was on Doxy, I think it took for a month or two for things to clear up. And I mean really clear up, no pigmentation, no redness, no more active this and that pushing their way out in the morning. It was great. By the way, I'm taking 100mg x 2 at the moment because I think the doctor is kind of noticing my desperation *and* exasperation that I won't be prescribed antibiotics for longer than a month. After I'm done with this course, I really have no idea where I'm heading (and I'm not even sure if the Doxy this time will be just as effective). Should I like go back to the same doctor for 'maintenance' advice? I mean, after a month is up, I'm thinking of showing him the progress (if any) on Doxy and let him decide the next best course of action. Or should I just get a dose from another doctor who's willing to prescribe longer-term antibiotics? Though I know antibiotics in the long run is really harmful to the gut. Yeah, dilemmas. As if acne isn't frustrating enough.
 

That's unfortunate... I really think you should be on Doxy longer. Do you take probiotics at all? Or eat kefir / live yogurt? I know they are helpful while on antibiotics because they help replenish the gut flora. I haven't had much experience with probiotic supplements (I tried them once because someone said they "cured" their acne, but they only made me break out worse). Kefir, on the other hand, has never given me any problems.

Have you ever had a culture test done on your pustules? Do you think you can get your dermatologist to do one? Sometimes this kind of bacteria isn't even p.acnes, so it won't respond well to BP. I know some people have had folliculitis that resembled acne (caused by staph bacteria or even fungus), so that might be worth looking into. If they know what kind of bacteria is responsible, maybe they can put you on a more appropriate topical regimen (like clindamycin or an anti fungal cream). That way you won't be damaging your gut by taking antibiotics internally, but you'll still be targeting the bacteria on your skin.

I don't have much to update... I finally shaved last night. I know it's not advisable to shave with pustules, but I didn't have a choice, since I was starting to look like a hobo and it was really unprofessional. It was pretty traumatizing while I was doing it, since my acne was popping and peeling and bleeding all over the place. However, I'm glad I went through with it, since I looked a lot cleaner this morning.

The Doxy is still not showing any signs of working. One thing it's been doing is drying me out and making my skin more sensitive, as well as causing small red pimples to spring up here and there on my body. I think I might be going through a bit of a purge right now, but hopefully it begins clearing up within the next couple of weeks.

Hey, I was just browsing through and saw you guys talking about probiotics.. I happened to be reading this article on Forbes so I'll link it just in case you are interested. It basically says there is probably great useful stuff that will come out of this field, but that no-one actually knows enough to make any specific recommendations yet. And that all the hype claiming cure-alls is around cos people want to sell us stuff (no surprise there). Anyway, if you find that kind of thing interesting, here it is (it's a new article today). I hope you don't mind me posting it, but I'm happy to delete it if not, just let me know.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kavinsenapathy/2016/03/07/keep-calm-and-avoid-microbiome-mayhem/#7e6c142811c2

Brief update - still breaking out in big painful lumps. The old ones don't hurt and are kinda flattened out but are still super-red. Starting to see more small pimples on my chest and back, probably a result of the doxy. Can't wait to see actual results (if they ever happen) and not just more breakouts.

I've been mega-stressed lately (moving into a new apartment, having to work late), but surprisingly my skin hasn't exploded. It's just the usual 1-pustule-a-day business. I guess stress just isn't a trigger for me. Doxy-related body breakouts haven't gotten any worse, so that's good as well.

I've been running out of BP... I ordered more, but it's currently at a different address (I wanted it shipped there during the move, so that the package wouldn't get lost in transit somewhere). I'll have to pick it up when I get a free moment. I've also been avoiding washing my face / moisturizing on certain mornings / nights, just because I've been too tired. Luckily, it hasn't really done a number on my face. I've had only a couple of new pimples since my last update, and they haven't been too major. Going to pick up my second month's worth of doxy soon as well. Knock on wood...

Have gotten some smaller pimples (comedonal, not cystic), but still no new big ones, and the old big ones are not painful anymore. Hopefully it's the doxycycline starting to kick in. I've been using Duac on my face for the past two nights instead of Dan's BP, since I won't have a chance to pick up the BP until the weekend. Compared to Dan's BP, Duac is a lot rougher and not as easy to put on - makes me understand why Dan's BP gets so much praise. I've also been sick for the past week, and am only now starting to feel better (still congested though). Good times!

So I've been slacking with the washing / BP application due to stress and tiredness. Some nights I wouldn't even wash my face. As a result I got some fresh pimples (between 6 and 8) and some of them, especially ones near my jaw area, are quite painful. I finally picked up my new BP, and have started using the Acne.org cleanser, which I've used briefly before. I like the fact that it foams more than some other cleansers I've tried (aka Cetaphil), but doesn't completely strip the skin. My main reason for switching was that I didn't want to be using the antibacterial soap anymore. No matter how gentle it is, using a product with triclosan in it on my face for a prolonged period of time is just asking for trouble (and I'd actually been using it since fall of last year).

My skin is redder and itchier right now than I'm used to. Still waiting for the doxy to start doing something, I guess. Overall, no noticeable change since I started this log, in fact things are a lot worse now. Tons of bumps and big red marks. Just have to take it all in stride.

Face has been itching a LOT. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess that the BP is working better than before, or at least staying on my skin longer? Anyway, my red marks have been a LOT redder, I've gotten some new tiny comedonal pimples, but other than that, nothing to update. Face has also been redder and mega-oily. I took some vitamin D3 yesterday night because when I took it in the past, it helped with oiliness, and people have also had success with D3 combatting oil. I know I shouldn't be supplementing, but I think some D3 should be okay. Hopefully...

Okay, so things aren't looking good. Basically, I've been using BP as a "cover-up" for my active pimples / red marks. In the mornings I would put a glob of BP on each spot, and when the BP dried up, it would act as a sort of concealer. I would have white spots on my face - but still better than red bloody ones. Unfortunately, recently I've developed some serious dermatitis / eczema on the spots where I'd put BP. They are red, swollen, itchy, and have these little crusty bumps. It looked like an angry mosquito attacked and bit me all over. Fortunately, my girlfriend worked her magic and put some BB cream on my face to cover up a lot of the redness, so that I was at least able to look somewhat clean / professional for work this morning. But looks like I won't be using BP during the day anymore! Hopefully the eczema patches go away soon. The only other time I remember having those was during Accutane, when my skin was super-dry.

So I've avoided putting BP directly on the spots, eased off on the BP and the cleanser, and used a lot of Hydrocortisone on the spots for a couple of days. The redness subsided and the itching / peeling / bumps have gone away. I've stopped using the cleanser completely, as I think it was causing me to get itchy / develop some kind of reaction. Now I'm just using soap and night-only BP (only moisturizer during day, no BP, even on active spots). Things seemed to have calmed down but I'm still getting breakouts. At this point it's been about 5 weeks of doxy, 100mg / day.

Looks like its a little over 6 weeks of doxy. My actives have been more and more under control, and my existing pimples continue to shrink. I've been on and off Vitamin D3 supplements I notice that if I take them for a while, my old pimples start to swell up for some reason. However, it's awesome at improving my mood and overall feeling of well-being.

My current regimen is BP every other night, to avoid over-irritating my skin. I wash with Dove soap and don't apply moisturizer in the mornings, because I don't use enough BP to dry my skin out. Knock on wood, but so far everything is working, and my skin looks calmer than it has in forever. After this month of doxy is over, I'll have another month to go, and after that - hopefully - I can ask the derm for a prescription through summer.

So these days I've been getting the random smallish pustule on my face, and some random breakouts on my back. I only do all-over BP every other night, and find that I don't need to moisturize. My face stays more or less clear. I think I need to cut out Vitamin D3 after all, because every time I start taking it, my pimples get redder and more inflamed. But besides that, I am happy with how Doxycycline has cleared me up.

I find vitd3 a bit of a hit and miss sometimes i take it and the next day everything is less inflamed and some days it just feels like it breaks me out. I followed you progress back on accutane and are in a similar boat but i have had 2 courses of accutane.

I used epiduo on and off but its very harsh for my skin so going to just spot treat with dans.

sounds like your on the path to find success 🙂

I haven't been taking Vitamin D at all and so far, my acne has been pretty calm and non-inflamed. I still have small-ish pustules, but I find that when I calm down with the cleansing, the BP and the supplements and just take it easy, my skin always ends up looking better than when I put in the extra effort to treat every blemish. Now that I barely need to use BP, my face has returned to being the same color as the rest of my body, which is nice (before my face always had a reddish hue).

I've started month 3 of doxycycline recently... I'm liking what it's doing so far. Too bad it's not a permanent fix, but I'll try to stay on it as long as I can.

I've been trucking along. Haven't been using BP all over my face, haven't been washing too much either. My acne is down to a minimum, but today towards the end of the workday I noticed at least two big pustular ones starting to come up... that really pissed me off, because I thought I was done with the big crazy ones. Apparently not!

So I've been on vacation overseas for a week and a half, and I've been getting a lot of small pimples all over the place, as well as developing seborrheic dermatitis (which I tend to struggle with whenever I don't use BP or get too oily) near my nose. I guess that's because I thought I could get away without using any BP and only washing my face once a day. I've gone back to applying BP, been doing it for two nights now. Still on doxy.

I'm caught between a rock and a hard place right now. I'm not sure why, but the doxy just doesn't seem to be doing much anymore - or perhaps it's even making things worse. I've been getting a million little pimples, and a couple of larger painful pustules. They've been appearing in places I don't usually get acne, such as on my forehead, but basically they are all over my face at this point. I looked in the mirror in bright light the other day and it looked terrible. I'm also getting patches of red, flaky skin in areas where I don't use BP - under my chin, and inside my ears. I also had other flaky areas that the BP was able to take care of (near my nose and on my right temple).

Yesterday I didn't take doxy, and I'm considering tapering off. I don't see the point of continuing with it if it's going to make things worse than they were pre-doxy.

It seems that I've been able to successfully get off doxy. I stopped cold turkey on Thursday (I know you're not supposed to do that, but since I was breaking out hard on the doxy anyway, I figured I might as well). Since then, most of the little bumps on my face have receded, as have the dry, scaly patches in my ears and in my beard. My current regimen, that I'm looking to maintain, is to wash my face with Dove soap nightly, apply Dan's BP every other night (as opposed to every night), and on the in-between nights apply BP only to active pimples. I'm also not washing or moisturizing in the mornings.

I feel like I have to find a balance for BP. I think a lot of the painful pustules I used to get had to do with over washing / excessive BP use. I mean, I used BP for over a year, and while I was mostly clear, I got big, painful bumps on a regular basis. On the other hand, when I stopped using BP, the big, painful bumps would stop, but I would break out with smaller bumps and slowly develop dermatitis. I'll keep experimenting to find a routine that works, but at least I'm glad that I was able to successfully get off doxy.

Still doing pretty good. Haven't broken out much - maybe one or two smaller pimples since my last update. My skin, for the most part, is nice and smooth - no more random little bumps all over my cheeks and forehead. Also, no more dermatitis to speak of. Good times! Now just gotta use BP as little as possible while still using enough to keep acne at bay.

So I got a couple of painful pustules over the weekend. Not so fun. Gonna calm down with the BP even more and see what happens.

Trucking along. Acne is somewhat controlled at the moment, but my skin has been mega-oily. I tried taking Vitamins A and D3 for oiliness, but I think I'll end up having to ditch them (again) because I feel like supplements only ever make things worse for me.

I have two juicy pustules right by my mouth, and some random semi-inflamed, smaller pimples on the rest of my face. Not so bad really. I have yet to find a cause-and-effect for the pustules. I've gone for a couple of months without getting any bad ones near the lips, and all of a sudden I have two. I feel like potential triggers could be either BP or vitamin supplements, but I'm not giving up BP for now.

Also, I've been looking into salicylic acid. I've obtained a wash and a moisturizer. I do get clogged pores and comedonal acne nowadays, plus my skin is always mega-oily by the end of the day. I'm wondering if salicylic acid would help my predicament, or at least help me look less greasy.

So the salicylic acid experiment didn't go too well. I used a SA-based face wash and a moisturizer with 0.5% SA (Clean&Clear). On the one hand, it didn't make me break out too much (although a couple days is not enough time to tell). On the other hand, it made my face super-red and greasy as heck. I feel like for me, having a red, greasy face is basically as bad as having pimples. So I'm backtracking, and going back to using BP every other night with just regular soap cleansing like I've been doing. Still have to figure out what the heck causes these damn painful pustules.

On 2/5/2016 at 11:09 AM, wombat666 said:

So it's only the second day after ditching the god-forsaken fish oil and multivitamin, and I haven't gotten any new deep, inflamed pimples - for the first time in weeks! In fact, I don't think I've gotten any real pimples. Too early to tell, but I think I may be on to something.

On a sour note, the pimples I had are still painful, oozing, and irritated. It takes me forever in the mornings to clean off the nastiness so that I can moisturize over them. Afterwards I dab a glob of BP over each one to cover it up. It's the best I can do to look semi-presentable at work, because otherwise I'd be walking around with a chin full of pus and dried blood (not cool!),

On 2/3/2016 at 2:47 PM, wombat666 said:

So an update - I've continued to use the Hibiclens. It has helped me contain / almost completely avoid folliculitis on my neck and face after a close blade razor shave on Monday.

However, I've broken out even harder since then, and got really pissed off. I have several deep, inflamed nodules around my cheek and jaw area that hurt really badly and show no signs of going away.

I've realized something though - perhaps I should stop taking supplements. I've been taking fish oil for a while now - I can't even remember when I started, and I've been taking it regularly in the last couple of months. In addition, I've been taking multivitamins. I used to take the gummy ones from Vitafusion, but those ran out, and I didn't take them or the fish oil for a week and a half when I went to Florida over winter break. My skin wasn't too bad then, although I assumed it was from the increased sunlight. When I got back, I resumed fish oil and picked up a new, even more epic multivitamin, which also contains a bunch of minerals. In addition, I started megadosing Vitamin D3. That was a couple of weeks ago. I've given up the D3 since then, but am still on fish oil + multivitamins.

I've been browsing the forums and have noticed that a lot of people have reported breakouts around the chin / jaw area, as well as on the forehead (where I've broken out recently) from fish oil and multivitamins. Perhaps that is the key to controlling the cysts... I definitely am going to stay on the Hibiclens though, I think it's doing a good job of keeping bacteria out of my hair follicles.

some vitamins can exacerbate acne. And some people react bvadly to fish oils. Maybe try flax or borage oil instead.