So I've been on the Acne.org regimen for 3+ years now and I've never even been close to completely clear. Every pimple I get leaves a dark mark that lasts for ages and most of them also leave a tiny indented scar or larger erythema scar. I don't know if the benzoyl peroxide is to blame. My skin is sooo bumpy and never stops breaking out completely, just slows down from time to time. I'm 35 years old and breaking out worse than a teenager. Unfortunately I react badly to birth control pills and won't touch Accutane so the only things I have tried are topical.
Can you please looks at my pics and offer some advice? I have a few active pimples right now and also whenever I get a pimple it takes forever for the bump to go down even when it's no longer inflamed. So some of the bumps you see are older pimples as well. I'm also afraid some of the bumps might be hypertrophic scars. I've been on Retin A before but only .025% and that didn't clear me completely either. Since my skin is so bumpy I'm thinking of trying Retin A again but at a stronger dosage of .05% and then also using the BP during the day. Do you think Retin A might help?
PS: I also tried to incorporate Paula's Choice BHA 2% liquid into my regimen but it only broke me out worse and never stopped even after two months. I've always suspected that my skin does not like Salicylic Acid so maybe that was proof. I don't think purging from SA is supposed to to last that long.
Current Regimen (The Olay face wash, BP and AHA lotion have been a constant for years, the toner and SA I added in recently)
AM
Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin
Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner
Acne.org BP
Equate All Day Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15
PM
Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin
Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner
Acne.org BP
Lac Hydrin 5 AHA lotion (I add my own lactic acid to this to make it stronger)
Sometimes I spot treat with Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment (2% SA)
If I get too dry I use Cetaphil Cream
The first pic is much more indicative of how my skin looks in sunlight. The other two pics don't seem to really capture the bumpiness but it is the best I could do.
I am sorry you are struggling 
I know how it is. I am new on here trying to tell people about what has helped me clear up my skin. It is called Dark Angels from LUSH. My skin was always covered in red, swollen, bumps... cystic acne sucks. I was so depressed and I was always trying to hide it with makeup. But seriously, I have had the Dark Angels cleanser for about a month and it is really clearing up my skin... without all the harsh chemicals! They give out free samples in the store too. Please look it up and good luck!!!!!
Is your face dry at all? (Does it sting when you put moisturizer on? Do you ever feel itchy? Is your skin flaky? Does your acne get worse in the winter?) For me, Dan's regimen worked really well to clear up my "baby acne" on my forehead summer after my first year of college but the dry skin eventually led me to develop cysts that winter. Now, four years later, I wish I'd never used it. I realized this past winter ( for which I was in Chicago) that avoiding dry skin really is the key for me. That's why AHA works so well -- it exfoliates and gets rid of the dry skin but is also moisturizing, unlike BHA or Benzoyl Peroxide.
Just a suggestion! Irritation and dry skin can make inflammatory acne a lot worse.
Is your face dry at all? (Does it sting when you put moisturizer on? Do you ever feel itchy? Is your skin flaky? Does your acne get worse in the winter?) For me, Dan's regimen worked really well to clear up my "baby acne" on my forehead summer after my first year of college but the dry skin eventually led me to develop cysts that winter. Now, four years later, I wish I'd never used it. I realized this past winter ( for which I was in Chicago) that avoiding dry skin really is the key for me. That's why AHA works so well -- it exfoliates and gets rid of the dry skin but is also moisturizing, unlike BHA or Benzoyl Peroxide.
Just a suggestion! Irritation and dry skin can make inflammatory acne a lot worse.
Yeah, I think it's impossible to be on the regimen and NOT have dry skin lol. However, mine is nowhere near as bad as others I've seen here. I will sometimes get dry patches but nothing too bad, and I rarely get flaky. I've been using AHA for over a year now and I do think it has definitely helped the hyperpigmentation marks as well as dryness, but unfortunately I still break out.
I started supplementing with Vit. D a week ago and haven't had a new pimple since so *fingers crossed*.
Also, I've had keratosis pilaris since I was a kid so I believe my skin is just really bad when it comes to cell turnover and keratinization. That doesn't explain why my skin was perfect until my late 20s though.
I noticed from your sig. you are on Tazorac. Does that keep you clear? I think I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and try a retinoid again.
Is your face dry at all? (Does it sting when you put moisturizer on? Do you ever feel itchy? Is your skin flaky? Does your acne get worse in the winter?) For me, Dan's regimen worked really well to clear up my "baby acne" on my forehead summer after my first year of college but the dry skin eventually led me to develop cysts that winter. Now, four years later, I wish I'd never used it. I realized this past winter ( for which I was in Chicago) that avoiding dry skin really is the key for me. That's why AHA works so well -- it exfoliates and gets rid of the dry skin but is also moisturizing, unlike BHA or Benzoyl Peroxide.
Just a suggestion! Irritation and dry skin can make inflammatory acne a lot worse.
Yeah, I think it's impossible to be on the regimen and NOT have dry skin lol. However, mine is nowhere near as bad as others I've seen here. I will sometimes get dry patches but nothing too bad, and I rarely get flaky. I've been using AHA for over a year now and I do think it has definitely helped the hyperpigmentation marks as well as dryness, but unfortunately I still break out.
I started supplementing with Vit. D a week ago and haven't had a new pimple since so *fingers crossed*.
Also, I've had keratosis pilaris since I was a kid so I believe my skin is just really bad when it comes to cell turnover and keratinization. That doesn't explain why my skin was perfect until my late 20s though.
I noticed from your sig. you are on Tazorac. Does that keep you clear? I think I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and try a retinoid again.
No the tazorac is really just for my cysts. And it's good for anti-aging so I use it. I still get really bad inflammatory acne on taz. For me, it really just is dealing with dry skin that doesn't exfoliate properly. My theory is that my acne is from plugged follicles from dry skin, which eventually get infected. With BP, I stop the infections but the dry skin gets worse. That's why it eventually gave me cystic acne. During summer, my skin clears up completely and looks wonderful. The dry skin really is the trigger for my acne. My acne also got worse when I moved to Chicago. The winters are harsh there. Basically, for me, avoiding dry skin and exfoliation really is the key. My family is Indian. My skin just wasn't made for dry cold weather. My mother actually got acne after moving from Delhi to NYC.
That said, I was able to clear my skin to summer levels in January, in the middle of the winter, by cutting down on topicals and exfoliating.
Anyway this is not the case for everyone. Just me, specifically. If you don't notice that your acne gets worse in the winter or with dry skin, dry skin is probably not the problem. I use heavy moisturizer, moisturizing face wash, moisturizing foundation if you notice. A drying foundation or a powder will break me out.