My acne log (BP Cleanser, Alesse, and Tazorac)

[TheCat'sMeow 0]

I went to my derm today, and he prescribed me Alesse for my zits, so I'm going to start my regime tonight.

Day One:

Lots of break outs. Two on both sides of my chin, one between my eyes, and another two on my upper cheeks. Almost all are whiteheads, with the exception of a few cystic ones that hurt. I also have some blackheads on my nose. With the exception of a few days ago, this is almost the worst my skin has ever looked, as I recall. Also huge zits on my upper back.

Nightly regimen:

+ Tazorac for 20 minutes, then wash off with a BP (soap) cleanser.

+ Nivea Light Daily Moisturizer (If my skin is really dry)

+ Neutrogena Body Wash (for Acne) on my back.

+ And, of course the Alesse. Once a night.

Morning Regimen:

+ Same Soap

+ Same moisturizer

Three times a week:

+ St. Ives Apricot Scrub

Weekly:

+ St Helenes Mint Julep Mask

I'll post back in about a week with how my skins doing.

[radsgirl 0]

I definitely feel for you...we've all been there as far as the acne goes.

You may want to be careful with that St. Ives scrub. It can be really harsh and irritating for sensitive, acne-prone skin. Also, you may want to keep tabs on your skin with the Alesse. Sometimes hormones can really help acne, but sometimes they can make it worse. I've had both experiences, depending on the brand of birth control. I also find the Queen Helene's mask drying, but I still use it occasionally, especially for spot treatment (and it's so CHEAP!).

Best of luck to you girl, and what a cute kitty pic!

[TheCat'sMeow 0]

I definitely feel for you...we've all been there as far as the acne goes.

You may want to be careful with that St. Ives scrub. It can be really harsh and irritating for sensitive, acne-prone skin. Also, you may want to keep tabs on your skin with the Alesse. Sometimes hormones can really help acne, but sometimes they can make it worse. I've had both experiences, depending on the brand of birth control. I also find the Queen Helene's mask drying, but I still use it occasionally, especially for spot treatment (and it's so CHEAP!).

Best of luck to you girl, and what a cute kitty pic!

Thanks for replying.

I've used the scrub before, but I might not now as what you said made sense. Is there a less irritating way to exfoliate my skin?

The Alesse actually seems to be working. My skin is pretty clear now(no whiteheads, some red spots), except for on the chin, where there are these huge eurptions. And I read somewhere that chin breakouts are hormonal? So shouldnt the BC help?

Yeah, the mask is drying, but my doc said that's what I had to do - dry out my skin.

[TheCat'sMeow 0]

Ahh! My skin has broken out. A couple of days ago it was looking so good, but now there are about 10 random whiteheads that have popped up on my face, most on my chin.

I'm trying to think what I've done differently in the past couple of days, and I did put on foundation the last couple of days...prehaps thats it?

[TheCat'sMeow 0]

So my skin has cleqared up again....defiently not clear, but better than before. I finished the Alesse for a week, but I'm still using the tazorac, and the bp cleanser. I went to my doctor, and since the alesse didn't help as much as he hoped, I'm going to get a blood test, and possibly go on accutane. I've stopped using the foundation, which I think was the cause for the breakout before.

[LionQueen 39]

Since you are using Tazorac, I'm going to move this thread to the Topical Retinoids log ... you'll find more people in there who are using similar products.

Of course, if you start Accutane, you may want the log moved again ... just PM a moderator if that's the case.

[TheCat'sMeow 0]

Since you are using Tazorac, I'm going to move this thread to the Topical Retinoids log ... you'll find more people in there who are using similar products.

Of course, if you start Accutane, you may want the log moved again ... just PM a moderator if that's the case.

Oh, ok. Sorry.

Anyway, I got my blood tests today, I guess sometime in November I'll go see my derm (long waiting list), and he'll probably put me on accutane. For the time being, I'm still on the Tazorac, Alesse, and using a BP cleanser.

[LionQueen 39]

Oh, ok. Sorry.

No problem at all ... just thought you might get better info and support in here for now.