For some of you experiencing a reversal in results after some period of time on this regimen, I believe it may be a direct result of underhydration (a.k.a overdrying). This is a common occurance with any regimen based on benzoyl peroxide as the main component. I can say this because I myself have used BP for close to 15 years now. I've found it to be the most effective at treating pre-existing acne. But, despite its impressive ability to tackle a breakout, it can also become the cause of the next breakout for two main reasons, I think: 1) its over-drying effect on the skin. 2). its ineffectiveness at exfolliating the pores and keeping them from clogging up, which leads to a breakout. Dryness + clogged pores = guaranteed breakouts!

What you must do in conjuction with using BP, and this is absolutely essential, is to use a good moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and your pores clear. I've struggled to find something like this for the longest time. And lately I've found Glycolic Acid to work! It is known to be a natural exfolliant, similar to salicylic acid, but with much smaller molecular structure, therefore allowing it to penetrate much deeper into your pores to unglue all the conjestions inside them and allowing dead skin cells to rise to the surface and out of your body. Additionally, glycolic acid is a fantastic natural moisturizer. It has intrinsic water-binding quality that allows the skin to retain moisture without the added oil or other harmful elements that exist in most other moisturizers e.g. Cetaphil, Olay etc.

I would suggest some of you try this before giving up on the regimen completely. I myself have found the combination of salicylic acid wash (good for cutting through surface oil), BP masking (rather than leave on) technique, and the psyllium husks to be a very effective combination. It has kept my skin clear for several weeks now, and that has NEVER happened before in the past. When I used BP before I found out about glycolic acid, my skin would begin to be severely starved of moisture by this point. And I would react to the dry condition by laying on more moisturizer (usually Olay "noncomedogenic"). But it would always be too late as I would start experiencing a breakout that I could not control. Isn't it weird? Your regimen remains constant, but your skin condition changes for the worse? It's because your skin is out of its natural balance, and that happens because we're altering its moisture balance with a drying substance like BP. Now that I've incorporated a 10% glycolic acid lotion (Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Lotion) into my regimen in place of a moisturizer, my skin has remained incredibly hydrated and soft and blemish free after several weeks of being on BP. In contrast to BP, which only treats the end symptoms by killing P.Acne bacteria that has already occured, glycolic acid works to clean your pores throughout the day, preventing buildup of dead skin cells and regulating the production and distribution of sebum. This effectively treats the root cause that is so common to most types of acne: buildup of dead cells + sebum -> clogged pores -> bacteria formation -> infection (i.e. acne).

I would caution one thing about glycolic acid though: always use sunscreen when you go outside. Glycolic acid will increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun, and this may affect the healing rate of your existing acne, or may slow the fading of post-acne scars. So, use a good moisturizer with sunscreen. I've tried three brands that I found to work without being too greasy: 1). Reviva Labs Sun Protective Moisturizer w/ SPF 25, 2). Jason Natural Moisturizer w/ SPF 15 for combination or oily skin (I prefer this one the most for its superior mattifying finish = less oily), 3). Alpha Hydrox SPF 15 sunscreen (I'm not so sure about this one; I used it for only a few times before switching to the other two.)

I hope some of you will take this information into consideration before writing off the effectiveness of a BP based regimen, and resorting to prescription medications like accutane. I'd give this a try because it is a lot more affordable, has less severe potential side effects, and it can work as a long-term solution. I cannot guarantee that this will work for absolutely everybody, but I really feel that if it has worked this well for my very stubborn acne condition, it will possibly work for many others as well. Good luck!!

Tony

How does the Psyllium Husk help you? I know what it does, what does it do for you?

Good post T-Man, Glycolic acid sounds like an excellent addition, some peopleto get clear using it alone and it would probably help with the redmarks that BP seems to postpone the healing of.

How does the Psyllium Husk help you? I know what it does, what does it do for you?

The ability of psyllium husk to promote regular bowel movements allows for toxin resulting from rotten food inside your intestine to leave your body via the "nature intended" outlet, which is through your digestive system. When this doesn't happen regularly, due to constipation or simply irregular bathroom habits, the toxin will find other ways to leave the body, which sometimes means through your pores in the form of acne.

The scientific explanation is that psyllium husk, the resulting product from milling of psyllium seeds, has very good water absorbing quality. It enters the intestine and basically absorbs the fluid along with fat and other toxic deposits from the intestinal walls. This results in bulkier and softer bowel, which has an easier time moving through and out of your intestinal tract. Essentially this means that each time you go to the bathroom more of the bad stuff comes out rather than remaining inside to create harmful toxins. Sorry if you didn't want a graphic depiction of the process, but I feel it is useful in helping you understand why taking natural digestive aides like psyllium husks can help prevent something so seemingly unrelated as acne breakouts. I oftern ask people if they've ever noticed experiencing a breakout while suffering from constipation. What I've mentioned here is one possible explanation for that.

I hope this answers your question.

Tony

Thanks TMan. The reason I ask is I have taken in for 2 days and my face seems less oilier. My cystic acne came out due to heavy sugar intake and working out during high sugar intake for maximum energy. I use to feel my face burning from the excess sugar I consumed. I dont know what to do, I think my skin is now oversensitive to sugar and it my skin cant metabolise the sugar. Any suggestions?

For some of you experiencing a reversal in results after some period of time on this regimen, I believe it may be a direct result of underhydration (a.k.a overdrying). This is a common occurance with any regimen based on benzoyl peroxide as the main component. I can say this because I myself have used BP for close to 15 years now. I've found it to be the most effective at treating pre-existing acne. But, despite its impressive ability to tackle a breakout, it can also become the cause of the next breakout for two main reasons, I think: 1) its over-drying effect on the skin. 2). its ineffectiveness at exfolliating the pores and keeping them from clogging up, which leads to a breakout. Dryness + clogged pores = guaranteed breakouts!

What you must do in conjuction with using BP, and this is absolutely essential, is to use a good moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and your pores clear. I've struggled to find something like this for the longest time. And lately I've found Glycolic Acid to work! It is known to be a natural exfolliant, similar to salicylic acid, but with much smaller molecular structure, therefore allowing it to penetrate much deeper into your pores to unglue all the conjestions inside them and allowing dead skin cells to rise to the surface and out of your body. Additionally, glycolic acid is a fantastic natural moisturizer. It has intrinsic water-binding quality that allows the skin to retain moisture without the added oil or other harmful elements that exist in most other moisturizers e.g. Cetaphil, Olay etc.

I would suggest some of you try this before giving up on the regimen completely. I myself have found the combination of salicylic acid wash (good for cutting through surface oil), BP masking (rather than leave on) technique, and the psyllium husks to be a very effective combination. It has kept my skin clear for several weeks now, and that has NEVER happened before in the past. When I used BP before I found out about glycolic acid, my skin would begin to be severely starved of moisture by this point. And I would react to the dry condition by laying on more moisturizer (usually Olay "noncomedogenic"). But it would always be too late as I would start experiencing a breakout that I could not control. Isn't it weird? Your regimen remains constant, but your skin condition changes for the worse? It's because your skin is out of its natural balance, and that happens because we're altering its moisture balance with a drying substance like BP. Now that I've incorporated a 10% glycolic acid lotion (Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Lotion) into my regimen in place of a moisturizer, my skin has remained incredibly hydrated and soft and blemish free after several weeks of being on BP. In contrast to BP, which only treats the end symptoms by killing P.Acne bacteria that has already occured, glycolic acid works to clean your pores throughout the day, preventing buildup of dead skin cells and regulating the production and distribution of sebum. This effectively treats the root cause that is so common to most types of acne: buildup of dead cells + sebum -> clogged pores -> bacteria formation -> infection (i.e. acne).

I would caution one thing about glycolic acid though: always use sunscreen when you go outside. Glycolic acid will increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun, and this may affect the healing rate of your existing acne, or may slow the fading of post-acne scars. So, use a good moisturizer with sunscreen. I've tried three brands that I found to work without being too greasy: 1). Reviva Labs Sun Protective Moisturizer w/ SPF 25, 2). Jason Natural Moisturizer w/ SPF 15 for combination or oily skin (I prefer this one the most for its superior mattifying finish = less oily), 3). Alpha Hydrox SPF 15 sunscreen (I'm not so sure about this one; I used it for only a few times before switching to the other two.)

I hope some of you will take this information into consideration before writing off the effectiveness of a BP based regimen, and resorting to prescription medications like accutane. I'd give this a try because it is a lot more affordable, has less severe potential side effects, and it can work as a long-term solution. I cannot guarantee that this will work for absolutely everybody, but I really feel that if it has worked this well for my very stubborn acne condition, it will possibly work for many others as well. Good luck!!

Tony

Agree 100%, my success on this regimen has increased dramatically after adding the Alpha Hydrox Souffle to it. It also makes the hyperpigmentation fade super quick.

I also think the reason some people keep breaking out on this regimen is because they are leaving soaps and cleansers on the face for up to 15 minutes. When I was on this reg I did not use cleansers and soaps, I cleansed my face with aqua glycolic and then left my 2 %bha then left the normal 10% BP on for 20 mins. I think the soap and cleansers may be blocking pores, they are not designed to be left on the skin. The thing about bfg is that he wants you to follow his regimen to the T or he will ignore your questions. Dont just follow this reg blindly, use your common sense. No disrespect to bfg, this regimen has worked for him, but everyone is different.

well, it has been about 2-3 weeks, my skin is looking good! it is difficult to say how much of it is BFG's oxy/fiber reg and how much of it is the YASMIN birth control i started..

regardless, diligence and patience seems to be paying off. (knock on wood). now i just need to get rid (fade) the pestering red marks.

i am keeping a log of my personal reg/ journey.. to see what i'm doing:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/acne-horm...ls-t178680.html

Thanks TMan. The reason I ask is I have taken in for 2 days and my face seems less oilier. My cystic acne came out due to heavy sugar intake and working out during high sugar intake for maximum energy. I use to feel my face burning from the excess sugar I consumed. I dont know what to do, I think my skin is now oversensitive to sugar and it my skin cant metabolise the sugar. Any suggestions?

Hey,

Your assumption is exactly right about the correlation between high sugar intake and acne breakouts. The direct effect of high sugar intake that allows for explosive performance during sport activities is as follows: when your blood sugar level rises rapidly due to deliberate sugar injection, the body naturally releases large amounts of androgenic hormones to metabolize or burn the sugar, and convert it into energy. Any excess sugar that is not burned by hormones becomes whats called blood fat or LARD. So essentially two outputs of the sugar metabolization process are a rapid increase in hormones and the creation of blood fat or LARD. The increased hormones, besides buring sugar, also causes your sebum glands to produce skin oil in excess of the normal level. This abundant sebum combines with the blood that is now contaminated with lots lof blood fat (LARD) to spawn an environment condusive to bacteria formation, infection, and ultimately acne flare-ups.

In short, hight sugar intake in excess of what's naturally consumed everyday can really contribute to an out-of-balance skin condition. You should consider other alternatives for your workout needs. Low-sugar protein shakes or complex carbohydrates might be a more natural alternative you can use before each workout. But if you must continue with this high sugar intake method, you have to increase your body's ability to metabolize the excess sugar that's not converted to energy. Chromium is a trace mineral that's been used effectively to treat diabetes, because it seems to enhance the ability of insulin to metabolize sugar in the blood stream. The most widely used form, with the most scientific research done on it, is Chromium Picolinate. A maximum of 1000 microgram is all that's required to help regulate sugar metabolism.

But if you ask me, I think you should try other alternatives for performance enhancement that feels more natural to your body. Something that will not interfere and throw your body's hormonal system out of balance so dramatically. Remember, excess hormones floating around in your system does more than just stimulate acne breakouts. You may be setting yourself up for more serious problems in other aspects of your health down the road. Then acne will be the least of your concern. Just something to think about.

Good luck.

Tony

All products can be had at walmart

Oxy 10 Chill Factor

Oxy Bar Soap

psyllium husk fiber capsules

Simple

In the morning take 6 psyllium husk fiber capsules

Then lather the oxy bar soap on your face.

Then rinse it off with a rag

Then use the oxy 10 chill factor apply to the acne prone areas. Let it sit on your face for 10 to 15 mins.

Then rinse it off with a rag. Let your face air dry. One might ask how thick should I put the oxy 10 chill factor on. I say just a decent amount. Not to thick but not to thin.

Wow. I cant believe I just read the whole thread, top to bottom. So, from what I understand there is no water rinsing every after step, right? Wiping off the soap lather, applying the chill factor, sit a few minutes, wipe off?

Does it differ if I use a paper towel to wipe it off?

@tman378: When does the glycolic acid come in on the regimen? after? do i wipe it off as well?

Wow. I cant believe I just read the whole thread, top to bottom. So, from what I understand there is no water rinsing every after step, right? Wiping off the soap lather, applying the chill factor, sit a few minutes, wipe off?

Does it differ if I use a paper towel to wipe it off?

@tman378: When does the glycolic acid come in on the regimen? after? do i wipe it off as well?

Thats a good question, maybe you should ask BFG at his website here.

All products can be had at walmart

Oxy 10 Chill Factor

Oxy Bar Soap

psyllium husk fiber capsules

Simple

In the morning take 6 psyllium husk fiber capsules

Then lather the oxy bar soap on your face.

Then rinse it off with a rag

Then use the oxy 10 chill factor apply to the acne prone areas. Let it sit on your face for 10 to 15 mins.

Then rinse it off with a rag. Let your face air dry. One might ask how thick should I put the oxy 10 chill factor on. I say just a decent amount. Not to thick but not to thin.

Wow. I cant believe I just read the whole thread, top to bottom. So, from what I understand there is no water rinsing every after step, right? Wiping off the soap lather, applying the chill factor, sit a few minutes, wipe off?

Does it differ if I use a paper towel to wipe it off?

@tman378: When does the glycolic acid come in on the regimen? after? do i wipe it off as well?

 

Hey,

The glycolic acid can be applied after you're done washing your face and masking with Oxy Chill Factor. You can leave it on since it acts as a moisturizer and it actually works to exfolliate your pores throughout the day and night. In fact it needs time to penetrate the pores and do its work over several hours. So washing it off after a few minutes would not be sufficient time for it to take effect. It feels good to have it on instead of other moisturizers in my opinion. It absorbs very well into your skin and makes it soft and feeling clean. But be sure to use a good sunscreen when you go out each day.

As for the BP application, I personally wash off with water after each step. I think it allows the BP from Chill Factor to absorb more readily if you wash the salicylic face scrub off completely first (after leaving on about 5 minutes). Then after you've left the BP on for 15-20 minutes, I'd suggest washing it off completely too, since wiping off without rinsing could leave some residue on the skin and cause excessive drying over the long term. Then it would be very difficult to bring your skin moisture back into balance and thus risking another breakout from the dryness.

You can see my other post from another thread about how I apply this regimen, and see if it will work for you: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/I-guess-I...cs-t179945.html (post#5)

I've stopped the reg and just started using apple cider vinegar on my face, It's stinky so, I only use it at night (straight on a cottonball) I've been doing this for over a week and have noticed a huge improvement. my mom is about the only one allowed to see me makeupless and she's said " I can't believe your face, it looks so much better!" the red marks are fading, my pores are shrinking and I'm getting this glow to my skin, it's also super smooth. there's a website that I went to, I started using this cause of all the testimonials so, i thought i'd give it a try. A bottle of ACV is only $1! I've seen more improvement with this than anything else I've used and It's only been about a week. I wish I had the before pics, I had to do a system restore on my computer yesterday and I lost ALL of my pictures!!! I had a acne folder just for this reason. I would have posted them. anyway, look it up and try it out. it's all natural so there's nothing to worry about, you're also supposed to drink it if you can (2tbsp) in water or juice. I'm gonna try to do that daily also to make it even better

Just in case anybody wants to learn more about the more fundamental causes of acne, some of which I've mentioned in this thread, I suggest you check out [Removed]. It has very good information about every aspect of your body that can actually contribute to your acne condition. The e-book offered on the site is $39, but there's plenty of free information you can have without purchasing the book. Don't worry, this is not an attempt to advertise anything, because it is not my site and I have absolutely nothing to gain from it.

Tony

Hey,

I really want to try this but I'm having difficulty getting hold of the Oxy products.

It seems that the UK Oxy Range is very different to the US one - neither the bar soap nor the Chill Factor are available. Does anyone have any advice on where would stock these Oxy products, or am I best ordering them online?

I've tracked down the psyllium Husks at Holland and Barrett but I want to try this properly, using all the products.

Hey, I don't have severe acne, I'm more moderate, but I have been reading this whole thread and find it very interesting. Would this regimen be too harsh for someone with moderate acne?

No, its not harsh. Try it, its not yet proven as to how well is works, but it might be worth ago.

hmm, seems like my post got deleted.

Anyways, like I was saying. I've been on this reg for almost 3 months now and its still the best reg I've ever been on. The feeling of having clear skin and not having to leave any creams on my face all day is awesome. I think more people need to give this reg a shot if nothing else has worked for them, although if you do, make sure you're in it for the long-term and don't expect instant results!

No, its not harsh. Try it, its not yet proven as to how well is works, but it might be worth ago.

how bad was your acne before? is it better than dan's reg? i was really interested in trying dan's but now i'm kind of interested in this very much

a few questions:

so is this better than dan's regimen then? is it possible that this will make things worse? it doesn't dry out your face?

to be clear: eat six capsules (lol we already have this at my house), wash face with bar (.5% salicylic acid) and then wash off and use chill factor that has BP and leave on for 10-15 minutes, wash off and then done?

i think dan said not to use salicylic acid and then BP. also, washing it off seems counter-productive unless what you say about saturation and absorption is true - that leaving the chill factor takes care of it.

i want to try it but i don't want to make things worse than they already are (though that wouldn't be too difficult in my face's case

Guys, I trusted this guy and went on his reg for about 2 months and it completly ruined my faace, I was red, dry, and flakey 24/7 but i stuck it out and I wish i never went on it. I went to a dermatologist a few days ago and its already looking better so Ide suggest that instead, the key to getting rid of acne is to moisturize imo, your skin needs to have moisutre in order to heal properly and it really soothes the skin and gets rid of inflamation and redness

No, its not harsh. Try it, its not yet proven as to how well is works, but it might be worth ago.

how bad was your acne before? is it better than dan's reg? i was really interested in trying dan's but now i'm kind of interested in this very much

 

Problem was dans reg had cleared my skin from severe but it never stayed clear, and recently i started breaking out pretty badly again. So I decided to try this, its been 2 months and im still breaking out so as i say, there isnt alot of evidence as to how successful it is yet. Im going to stick at it for now and see how happens. I agree with BFG, in that dans reg stops working.

Anon1, Did you apply the bp and sa consistantly twice a day for too months? or did you start skipping it for a few days to moisturise? You cant comment on its clearing abilities until you gave it a good run. Ok so your skin cant handle it and its too drying, doesnt mean it wouldnt have got rid of your acne.

Browsing through the site which I usually do when I have a bad break out, I decided to use this regimen. Although it's something different, I decided to give it a try. It definitely helped cleared me up. It's been about a week and I haven't really had any seriously pimples come up (knock on wood).

I have changed things up a little bit, but the basics is pretty much in line with what bf said.

Just a little background info.

I am 24, male and have had mainly breakouts since college. I've used Oxy before and don't remember why I stopped using it because it was giving me good results. Now I'm backing using Oxy and bf regimen and it's been working great.

Like he said though people seem to disappear after figuring out what works and what doesn't. For me, this regimen has helped me out a lot.

v/r Helioboy

How long were you on it helioboy before you started to clear?

Guys, I trusted this guy and went on his reg for about 2 months and it completly ruined my faace, I was red, dry, and flakey 24/7 but i stuck it out and I wish i never went on it. I went to a dermatologist a few days ago and its already looking better so Ide suggest that instead, the key to getting rid of acne is to moisturize imo, your skin needs to have moisutre in order to heal properly and it really soothes the skin and gets rid of inflamation and redness

Hi Anon1,

I strongly agree with you. Our body is 70% water and so is the earth. Dry skin is like a parched land wherein you will see cracks. These cracks are similar to minute wounds on the skin wherein bacteria and harmful elements enter which start an infection or pimple.

Rehydrating your skin as much as you can will eventually heal it from breakouts.

Two years ago, I was using moisturizers in the morning and bedtime. I was really glad and surprised that my skin cleared up. But because I took it for granted, I missed my regimen and exposed my self to harmful elements like extreme humidity, I started breaking out again early last year. All along I thought that it was just hormonal so I used harmful topicals to treat the blemishes but it got worse. Went to a derm and got my self some medicated soap, toner and glycolic cream but it solved the problem for just a short while. Much worst, my skin got really very irritated and oily. I stopped using everything and resorted to using the mildest possible soap but it did not do any good.

After so much damage on my skin, I have decided to use a very mild, hypo-allergenic tea tree facial wash and cetaphil moisturizing lotion or cream. It's been only 5 days but the change is very visible and I could feel it. The redness has subsided and inflammation has reduced drastically. I still have the bumps but I don't get as much new zits every two days.

I believe I am on the right track to clearing up my skin. Try treating your skin with gentleness by rehydrating and gently cleansing it. Thanks for the valuable info.