The answers were really useful and kind, I'm thankful to all who took their time to write.
Unfortunately, I have broken up badly, and have 4 painful cysts on my scarred cheek now which will add up to the rolling scars collection I guess. My jawline and forehead have deep bumps too. It seems that my skin became resistant to Duac and Epiduo, probably need to turn to some oral medicine and change my diet. On the top of that - dryness and stomach problems, just great!
Oh no, sorry to hear that. Maybe you had more cysts because of your cycle? I got some huge cysts a few days ago when I was PMSing, then my period came and now my skin is calmer. My skin becomes resistant to topicals too, gotta switch them up! How about just try a natural approach, like diet and probiotics (for the stomach pain), or just some ginger tea for digestion?
I'm not quite sure if it's pms, there are still around 2 weeks left until I get my period. Coincidentally I started taking probiotics yesterday (10 billion)! More than that I'm trying to change my diet to a low carb diet also taking vitamin A, riboflavin and niacinamide supplements (heard good things about niacinamide). Which diet are you on, WishClean?
The answers were really useful and kind, I'm thankful to all who took their time to write.
Unfortunately, I have broken up badly, and have 4 painful cysts on my scarred cheek now which will add up to the rolling scars collection I guess. My jawline and forehead have deep bumps too. It seems that my skin became resistant to Duac and Epiduo, probably need to turn to some oral medicine and change my diet. On the top of that - dryness and stomach problems, just great!
Oh no, sorry to hear that. Maybe you had more cysts because of your cycle? I got some huge cysts a few days ago when I was PMSing, then my period came and now my skin is calmer. My skin becomes resistant to topicals too, gotta switch them up! How about just try a natural approach, like diet and probiotics (for the stomach pain), or just some ginger tea for digestion?
I'm not quite sure if it's pms, there are still around 2 weeks left until I get my period. Coincidentally I started taking probiotics yesterday (10 billion)! More than that I'm trying to change my diet to a low carb diet also taking vitamin A, riboflavin and niacinamide supplements (heard good things about niacinamide). Which diet are you on, WishClean?
I get PMS symptoms twice a month! 2-3 weeks before my period, and 1 week before...how delightful lol. That's why I'm taking saw palmetto, in hopes of regulating my imbalance. I think 10 billion probiotics is too much to start with....I started with 1.5 billion and had an initial breakout. Maybe your body is getting used to your new regimen. My skin also broke out when I started taking Vitamin D....so you could just be in the adjustment period.
I'm following the anti-candida diet, and eliminating sugars, caffeine and processed foods because I suspect I have candida growth (based on the symptoms and the saliva test). Unfortunately, I'm not as strict on the diet as I should be, but I'm doing my best given my demanding work schedule. My skin seemed to be purging and flushing out toxins, and now it feels more calmer....but I'm left with a lot of red marks 
What measures I have taken so far:
- Dairy free for 2 weeks already.
- Cut off bread, cookies, sweets, fruit juices.
- Taking probiotics once a day.
- Eat a lot of healthy fats like avocado, walnuts and salmon.
- Drink wild blueberry smoothies with some fresh pressed orange juice every second day.
- Reduced green tea to 3-4 cups a day.
- My diet doesn't contain any pasta, rice or fast foods.
- I'm sleeping at least 8 hours, started going to sleep at 23.00
Still my skin continues to go worse and worse. My stomach kills me after every meal, ANY meal, it aches like hell and the bloating is unbearable. The only time it's ok is when I'm starving and don't eat for the most of the day. Maybe I should cut off all foods, lol...
Have you tried the candida diet? Maybe fruit are your sensitive food group? I started avoiding fruit and my skin is calming down, but I'm also avoiding a bunch of other stuff so I'm not sure which food group is the most aggravating to my acne.
Nuts and avocados should be kept at a minimum...I have 1/2 an avocado every 2 days to make sure my Omega 3s are balanced, and I also drink flax milk with it (has a good omega 3-6-9 ratio). For me, brown rice helps settle my stomach and doesn't seem to break me out....maybe you should have a bit of rice or millet bread (=not actually bread, very healthy) with food to avoid stomachache. Also, your recent breakout might have to do with your cycle - my skin gets better or worse depending on the time of the month, so just try not to stress out about it and stay consistent with your diet and supplements. Maybe look into antifungals as well, some people gave me useful advice on that.
Anyway, this is my advice....I'll post pics of my progress soon, I'm trying to be patient and not get discouraged
Well I don't think your acne is severe though. I would say its moderate... of course to a regular person who doesn't have acne... they would think that is severe.
How motivating...
I didn't mean to sound rude. I mean my acne is moderate as well but to most ppl they won't think its pretty bad yet they have no clue what is really bad.
Well I don't think your acne is severe though. I would say its moderate... of course to a regular person who doesn't have acne... they would think that is severe.
How motivating...
I didn't mean to sound rude. I mean my acne is moderate as well but to most ppl they won't think its pretty bad yet they have no clue what is really bad.
Thanks for good intentions, I'm sure you didn't mean anything wrong, but I didn't ask about the severity of my acne
I have large pores too, and when I wear mineral makeup it makes them look even larger. I tried some pore-shrinking/ pore-smoothing primers but they just irritated my skin so I wouldn't recommend them. Try warm or cold water, I can't remember which one is the best for shrinking pores, check Dan's posts on how to shrink pores. I tried it but didn't notice a difference on my pores.
hey there! Please don't get down about skin, its really not bad at all, i'm being honest. you are not a moon face or whatever it is you said you are - Your scars can easily be treated with lasers. Your diet is fine, you are doing nothing wrong but i noticed your acne is really only on the lower half of your face, a few doctors (and i have read) that this is hormonally related. Please get tested for pcos through an endocrinologist (not gyno). You mentioned you breakout halfway through your cycle, that is when there is a surge in LH. I also think you should consider switching up your BCP pill if you are on one, they aren't all the same. Some make skin worse, some just don't do anything at all.
hey there! Please don't get down about skin, its really not bad at all, i'm being honest. you are not a moon face or whatever it is you said you are - Your scars can easily be treated with lasers. Your diet is fine, you are doing nothing wrong but i noticed your acne is really only on the lower half of your face, a few doctors (and i have read) that this is hormonally related. Please get tested for pcos through an endocrinologist (not gyno). You mentioned you breakout halfway through your cycle, that is when there is a surge in LH. I also think you should consider switching up your BCP pill if you are on one, they aren't all the same. Some make skin worse, some just don't do anything at all.
Hey LillyRose, thanks a lot for your post!
I will go to my doctor and ask about a PCOS as soon as possible. I always thought that my acne is related to my diet, but now I can clearly see that it's not. I'm not taking BCP and frankly I'm a bit afraid of it, especially after what I read about Diane35, but if it's the only option and wouldn't harm me seriously, I should probably take it. I was on Belara BCP a while ago, but it probably didn't suit me.
Also thanks for giving me hope that my scars can be treated by lasers... Do you think I should get some Fraxel done? Someone told me that I should do it asap, otherwise my skin will not be as elastic. Hope they're wrong, cause I will not have money for it any soon 
forget Diane, i took it and had the WORSE side effects. Its been banned in a few countries last week. There is YAZ/Yasmin and belara as well which is fairly new but supposed to be good for acne. I take belara, i can't tell if its effective or not. I have to wait at least 3 cycles. I think clear up any existing ones you have then go for any resurfacing, fraxel is good, so is the CO2 fractional resurfacing. my bro had scars and marks similar to yours and he did a course of fraxel he had a lovely outcome. There are options. you don't need to suffer.
The only way to actually shrink pores (not just the "appearance" of them) is laser (fractional lasers are most effective, though other lasers can have small benefits) and Accutane.
You can do "poor man's Accutane" which is taking about 50,000 IU of Vitamin A a day. Some doctors would do this in the 70s before Accutane really got going.
green gables you make a good point with the vitamin a. i went to a wellness doctor that wanted me to take 112,000 IU a day and i got too scared and didn't do it. when i asked him about toxicity and things like that he said he had patients on 300,000-400,000 iu a day and they were fine but it made me nervous. i wonder what would be the amount for it to be toxic?
Girls, I'm sorry for my ignorance, but what is IU? How much is it in mg?
This "poor man's Accutane" sounds slightly more attractive than the real thing, hehe. I am taking A vitamin daily together with B complex and it says on the package that there's 4,5 mg of natural beta carotene, and 2,25 mg of vitamin A. Is it sufficient?
Properly formulated Vitamin A and Vitamin D are always measured in IUs. If it's measured in milligrams, honestly I have no idea what that translates to but I doubt it has enough vitamin A to have an effect.
Beta carotene is not the same as vitamin A. It has the potential to convert into vitamin A, but really beta carotene has only the fraction of the power of pure vitamin A.
green gables you make a good point with the vitamin a. i went to a wellness doctor that wanted me to take 112,000 IU a day and i got too scared and didn't do it. when i asked him about toxicity and things like that he said he had patients on 300,000-400,000 iu a day and they were fine but it made me nervous. i wonder what would be the amount for it to be toxic?
Pianina, I really don't think your skin looks bad, and I agree with PP that it looks like it's getting better!
You may have answered this already, but have you tried Dan's AHA? I think it might really help in evening out your skin's tone and texture. I've been using it for about a week and can already notice a difference. Spots heal a lot faster, too.
Just found this and thought it could be useful:
Pianina, I really don't think your skin looks bad, and I agree with PP that it looks like it's getting better!
You may have answered this already, but have you tried Dan's AHA? I think it might really help in evening out your skin's tone and texture. I've been using it for about a week and can already notice a difference. Spots heal a lot faster, too.
Just found this and thought it could be useful:
I think I might have spoiled my skin already and it will not react to Dan's Regimen, I've been using Duac for about a year now (it has BP included) and Exuviance AHA cleanser for 4 months. I suspect that it wouldn't work for me. Or how do you think?
Pianina, I really don't think your skin looks bad, and I agree with PP that it looks like it's getting better!
You may have answered this already, but have you tried Dan's AHA? I think it might really help in evening out your skin's tone and texture. I've been using it for about a week and can already notice a difference. Spots heal a lot faster, too.
Just found this and thought it could be useful:
I think I might have spoiled my skin already and it will not react to Dan's Regimen, I've been using Duac for about a year now (it has BP included) and Exuviance AHA cleanser for 4 months. I suspect that it wouldn't work for me. Or how do you think?
I don't really trust the effectiveness of cleansers since they don't really sit on your skin. I would give Dan's AHA a shot! Different blends can also make a big difference. I was using a drugstore brand AHA occasionally before Dan's arrived and it was crap...my skin would sting all the time and peel. And that was only 8% glycolic compared to Dan's 10%!