I would suggest washing face with water or a gentle creamy cleanser in the morning while using the BP cleanser and clindamycin at night.

So an update: I've been two weeks now of just doing my AM routine and not washing my face at night. I've been having small pimples still pop up, but no major big ones, like I would have when washing my face at night with the BP cleanser. So what does that tell me? I'm doomed either way.

I'm just scared about gentle cleaners b/c they seem to make my face greasy and break out with big ones. When I used the baby shampoo (can't get anymore gentle than that!) in the evening, you think it'd be harmless, but I had more big ones pop up when I did that, then I when don't do anything at all.

Should I try something else? the BP cleanser and the clindamycin lotion seem to keep the big ones at bay, but don't stop me from getting littles ones and overall messing with my complexion.

I hate this. It just seems stupid to do this AM regimen when I still get pimples daily!

And now I feel like going back to using the BP cleanser at night. I really just need some honest feedback from people. I know I need to find a new dermatologist b/c I don't think they're doing everything they can for me. I thought about how two times I went and they pushed one of the products they sell there. They could have done that during the first visit but they didn't, because like many say it is just about the money.

I mean I was told to just wash my face with baby shampoo, and that was one of the worst breakouts I had.

So it's been keeping it stable enough with pimples still arising but it seems I have been getting less cystic ones when just washing my face in the morning and using the clindamycin lotion, but my face gets oily during the day, I feel gross not washing it. It's been almost 3 weeks and it's table but there must be something I can use that will just give me a rinse and wash off the oils. Ugh, wish there was an easy answer.

Please help, any suggestions from what people have used here..

I also worry about just using the clindamycin at night b/c I just sleep like seven hours so at least during the day it's on for awhile to prevent my acne. so I just need to know what I can do to just not break out and not irritate my skin - all from something I can wash my face with.

So for awhile I was using baby shampoo just at night and this glycolic acid they sell at my derm's office. That caused big cystic pimples. Then I was doing the glycolic with the BP cleasner at night, still would get big pimples off and on. Then I've been doing the BP cleanser at night alone, and still get pimples off and on. So now almost 3 weeks with no face washing at night, I've had pimples but nothing major that doesn't go away in a couple days.

I'm a 34 male by the way who's been dealing with acne nonstop since I was 15.

On 9/24/2016 at 11:48 PM, seckf93gj said:

I have been washing my face with a 2.5 percent BP cleanser morning and night and applying clindamycin phosphate lotion 1 percent on in the morning.  I still get whiteheads, sometimes a small one or two every day.  I feel like my regimen is pointless if that still occurs.  My dermatologist said this regimen is okay and has no reason why I still get ones regularly, not much help.  She originally had me using baby shampoo as a cleanser but I broke out a lot with bad ones so I stopped using that.  So, I think maybe the BP cleanser twice a day is what's causing the breakouts?  I want to try just washing my face in the morning with the BP cleanser and applying the clindamycin, and at night not doing anything since technically the clindamycin is still on.  Any suggestions? please.

Or I could do the BP cleanser at night and just wash my face with water in the morning in the shower and use the clindamycin? I don't want to just wash my face with water at night as I heard that doesn't do anything, and using a gentle cleanser didn't do anything for me either.

I'm 33 and have been dealing with acne since 15 and am so lost with this...

Baby shampoo? That sounds crazy to me. Honestly, baby shampoo made me get weird bumps and itchiness in my scalp, so you're not the only one who reacted poorly to it. I cringe thinking of what it would've done to my face if I'd washed with it! 

The so-called gentle cream-based cleansers by companies like Cetaphil and CereVe do not work for everyone. For the super sensitive types out there, myself included, all they do is cause whiteheads, blackheads and closed comedones. This is largely because these types of creamy cleansers have cetearyl alcohol and other derivatives of coconut oil that are quite comedogenic. So I completely urge you to ditch these cleansers since you sound like me and many others who simply cannot tolerate them. Currently I am using Neutrogena's oil-free acne wash and it does not seem to be irritating. Also, avoid anything with sodium lauryl sulfate [toothpaste and shampoo included] since it's another huge coconut oil offender.

I have tried going Caveman before and not washing my face with anything but water in the AM and using minimal amounts of cleanser in the PM. All this did was cause tons of closed comedones and whiteheads where I NEVER get them, like my nose. My reasoning is, if you have a ton of dead skin cells just hanging out from not sloughing them off, they'll end up shedding back into your pores and causing more acne. This can also happen when you dry your skin out excessively and it's peeling too much. That is why it's so important to find a good balance. 

I personally do not like BP at all, even as a topical treatment. All it does is make your skin irritated in the long run, it drains your skin of antioxidants and replaces them with harmful free radicals, and it can be too drying. I would stick to SA over BP any day. Retinoids could be a great option for you to prevent acne in the long run. Also, since you're a guy, it's worth mentioning that if you take protein powder with Whey in it, that will raise testosterone which can contribute to more acne [especially bacne].

I like topical probiotics to find a good balance between the ratio of good and bad bacteria in your skin. I really like Probiotic Action and I'm seeing results with it. You should check it out.  

Quick summary: 

1. Stay away from anything thick/creamy, especially Cetaphil. Avoid SLS/SLES and coconut alcohols in every product. See if this makes a change in 4-6 weeks. 
2. Use a gentle oil-free cleanser with SA instead of BP. Wash twice a day for only 15-20 seconds at a time to cleanse enough without over-drying your skin. No harsh scrubbing, just gentle circles to increase blood flow and promote healing. 
3. Try topical probiotics by PA for 4-6 weeks, 2-3x a day and note any changes. 
4. Avoid probiotic capsules, as they can trigger acne in some. Try probiotic-rich foods and drinks instead, like kombucha and kimchi. Avoid ALL inflammatory foods, like wheat and dairy. If you're curious, go to an allergist to see if you have any other food allergies that could create inflammatory acne. 
5. Avoid taking supplements or powders that raise T, as this can make more acne. This includes zinc and Whey/protein powders. If you're curious, get a hormone panel run with your GP or a naturopath and see if your T is way too high. Spiro is a good traditional option for lowering T so you can get straightened out with a retinoid and temporarily stop the onslaught of acne. [Antibiotics are another option for this, but you HAVE to supplement with probiotic foods every single day when you take them.] 

I'm not a doctor, so I cannot say if this will work for you 100%...but I hope you do find relief and these suggestions help a bit. A new derm is definitely in order for you. 

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I couldn't believe the baby shampoo angle either, was very hesitant, but hadn't seen a dermatologist in ten years so wasn't going to deny, was desperate. It's because it's very gentle, but acne prone skin needs more than that. I broke out badly, and when I tried gentle cleansers before I broke out badly too - like neutrogena hydrating cleanser. I tried for awhile to find one and went crazy since so many contain acne causing ingredients.

For ten years I was using the 3 step AcneFree BP regimen, so I was using way more BP than I am now. The clindamycin Lotion has definitely been a great idea mixed with the the 2.5 BP cleanser, I just need something else in my regimen to keep my acne under control more, if it's possible A white head shouldn't be popping up every day or two, or sometimes multiple pimples, when I'm doing something in the morning and night, unless I'm just hopeless

I never tried the cavemen regimen (way too scared) but I did try just the neutrogena hydrating cleanser twice day and my face went to hell, and I tried just baby shampoo and clindamycin and my face went to hell. The BP cleanser seems to be the only thing that works. I tried SA cleanser for bit too and that broke me out badly. Whenever I go back to the BP cleanser it works right away. Maybe my skin is just so adapted to it now from all that time using it on my face that I can never get away.

I don't know.