Hi everybody, I am completely new to this so I hope I am in the right place!
Recently I was going through a tough stage with my acne (ugh, such an ugly word), so about a week ago my Mum took our family doctor. Despite the fact I told my doctor that I had been using over-the-counter BP cream (5%) for about 8 months (which managed to clear 60% of my skin but it is slowly becoming less effective); he then prescribed me Duac one daily, which is basically the same thing.
I've been using it for a week now and I notice no difference, if anything my skin has gotten worse and definitely more oily I was hopping to have some improvement before my birthday in January but my next appointment isn't until after so i'm getting really frustrated.
So what makes Duac different from BP cream? Has anyone tried it and had good results after using BP alone, I feel like i'm wasting time and money on this stuff.
My doctor said if I come back and my skin hasn't improved he will put me straight on accutane which i'm scared about as it often has bad side effects and my acne is only moderate.
Duac is benzoyl peroxide + clindamyacin. Clindamyacin is a topical antibiotic. Benzoyl peroxide is a pretty potent antibiotic, though, because it oxygenates the skin, which basically makes it impossible for bacteria to survive.
Personally I don't think Duac is all that great of a product.
Are you a male? If you are female, your derm should always recommend birth control before Accutane. Many women do wonderfully on birth control, which regulates their hormones so they aren't creating acne anymore. A lot of women who think they "grew out" of their acne conveniently forget that they went on birth control when they went to college...and that's what actually cleared their skin.
However, if you are a male, Accutane is sort of the last resort. Usually, though, a dermatologist will try a retinoid such as Differin or Retin-A before they jump to Accutane.
This is the 8 step plan most derms follow:
1. Benzoyl peroxide
2. Topical antibiotics
3. Oral antibiotics
4. Retinoids
5. Birth control
6. Accutane
7. Accutane again
8. If you're still not clear, just give up
So just remember those are really your only options with a dermatologist.
There are lots of people on here who have found other things that cleared them...that don't require a dermatologist, if you want to look into that as well.