Jokerj's Hopeful Log

[jokerj 1]

ok guys, can someone please help me decide on whether i should start bcps and slooowwwlllyyy wean off the doxy?

whats your opinion?

thanks

[jokerj 1]

ok guys, can someone please help me decide on whether i should start bcps and slooowwwlllyyy wean off the doxy?

whats your opinion?

thanks

DAY 60

knock on wood, but the skin on my face looks GREAT

no noticeable active pimples and marks are slowly healing

but it swings back and forth a bit

overall great though- just the tiniest bit of dryness but easily moisturized

as for my stomach-

today, the damn derm tells me- oh well maybe its just eczema!!! wtf

i'm so confused

it has seemed to go down quite a bit on the antibiotics, but then also now there are these tiny bumps that look like the start of the staph infection i had from before

oh god

not this all over again

im hydrcortisoning my stomach and antibacterial-geling the little bumps

oh lord please let this all clear up safely, effectively, and quickly!!!

back and chest- relatively great but there but still getting over breakouts there from alst week

also, i will be starting bcps soon and slowly weaning myself off of the doxy

my doctor thoguth this was a great idea, but, then again, wtf does he know?

[jokerj 1]

hi everyone

saw my regular doctor today to get some tests done

the eczema, or whatever it is, is now just some flat, faded red patches. hope they clear up even more!

had some blood tests drawn today, and my regular doc was not super pelased with me going on bcps

she prescibed me 50mg spiro to take instead for the 3 weeks until my period starts, and then to decide form there, so her we go with new meddies!

just a few tiny zits on face, thank gosh, and they went down significantly with some benzaclin

yayy

still breaking out on collarbone and such

been really dehydrated lately

trying to drink more water

love and peace

jokerj

EDIT: btw, lately i've been taking naturemade vitamin b stess complex in addition to fish oil, garlic, and probiotics (and calcium + vitamin d when i can)

[frustratedgirl 0]

Hi Joker

I also have the same bumps on my legs. They look like little blisters. My legs are modeled looking and dry. I also have acne looking stuff all over my neck which itches bad. You can read some of my previous posts and get a greater understanding of all I have been through with it. Mine started in August and is still going strong. I was just recently prescribed an antifungal oral med, cant think of the name. The doc said it would wipe it out. I have a totol of 9 pills to take but I havent started it yet for fear It will bring something new. I believe all of my skin problems came from starting an antibiotic which I only took for 4 days. I know it is making my life miserable!! Please keep us updated on your progress.

[jokerj 1]

Hi Joker

I also have the same bumps on my legs. They look like little blisters. My legs are modeled looking and dry. I also have acne looking stuff all over my neck which itches bad. You can read some of my previous posts and get a greater understanding of all I have been through with it. Mine started in August and is still going strong. I was just recently prescribed an antifungal oral med, cant think of the name. The doc said it would wipe it out. I have a totol of 9 pills to take but I havent started it yet for fear It will bring something new. I believe all of my skin problems came from starting an antibiotic which I only took for 4 days. I know it is making my life miserable!! Please keep us updated on your progress.

ahh i hope yours gets better!

mine arent so blistery- more patchy, which makes me think its more eczema related

good luck!

[jokerj 1]

hi guys

so with the help of some extreme moisture + topical antibiotics (jsut for safe measure) the patches seem to be healing quite slowly but very nicely

hope all continues to go well

still breaking out on chest a bit, less on back than before

one active zit on face! and its actually just past the active point

wowza

and none that i see on neck!

though after almost half a week off of retin-a due to dryness problems i'm seeing some little clogged pores in many places, so i think i'm gonna start doing it jsut 3x a week, should be pretty good i bet

i put some clindamycin on the little clogged guys under my nose, as the they were the most prominent (though still teeny tiny), though i don't know if it does much for them

took 50mg spiro tonight, but found out my doctor said 50mg TWICE a day, not once

gonna take 25 mg twice a day though for a while

see how that goes

try to wean off the antibiotic

wish me luck! i'm excited! trying to drink plenty of water

[fletch1978 0]

hey joker...so sorry to hear about the myriad of derm problems you seem to be having

when did you stop using the retin-a? i know that its a real bummer that with topical retinoids, ince you stop using them, your skin (sometimes rather quickly) reverts back to its pre-treatment state. i hope you don't revert that quickly! as for the blocked pores, i doubt the clindamycin will help get rid of them, but it could certainly keep them from becoming inflamed, which is always a good thing

glad to hear youre on spiro...its something i WISH i could try, but seeing how im a guy and all, i think the side-effects of becoming a he-she would outweigh and anti-acne benefit :/ so keep us posted on the spiro, and also how the 3X weekly application of retin-a works. i'd be interested in trying to lower my application of tazorac to every other night, at least! best of luck.

ps...how is the staph infection? i hope its going away!

[jokerj 1]

hey joker...so sorry to hear about the myriad of derm problems you seem to be having :(

when did you stop using the retin-a? i know that its a real bummer that with topical retinoids, ince you stop using them, your skin (sometimes rather quickly) reverts back to its pre-treatment state. i hope you don't revert that quickly! as for the blocked pores, i doubt the clindamycin will help get rid of them, but it could certainly keep them from becoming inflamed, which is always a good thing :)

glad to hear youre on spiro...its something i WISH i could try, but seeing how im a guy and all, i think the side-effects of becoming a he-she would outweigh and anti-acne benefit :/ so keep us posted on the spiro, and also how the 3X weekly application of retin-a works. i'd be interested in trying to lower my application of tazorac to every other night, at least! best of luck.

ps...how is the staph infection? i hope its going away!

thanks for the concern fletch

yeah its been a rough little while

the eczema seems to be basically under contorl, though, and the staph seems to be gone, except i do get the odd bump every now and then in the same area, which antibacterial cream gets rid of. i dunno if its staph of something else, with my body.

i never stopped the retin-a, really, only for like 4 days, i've been putting some on every other day lately and will soon be going down to the 3x a week i talked about before

yeah i'm really excited about the spiro. but it only helps hormonal acne, though i don't really understand what other kind there would be, other than like a sensitivity/allergy thing, or some type of contact dermatitis, do you? and i agree that the side effects for you would outweigh the positive effects. man boobs = no good haha

its only been a few days so i'm not really seeing a big difference sprio-wise

i've been trying to drink plenty, but its hard

just been a bit light-headed when i stand up quickly but otherwise i'm really good

i do actually seem a bit drier... i hope this doesn't make the eczema flare up at all, that would be sad :[

if this doesn't work after like 3 months i'll try pairing it with the ortho tri-cyclen (also probably not a good idea for you, fletch! tehe)

can't really go the accutane route cause of the other skin conditions, though my brother, who was on a generic tane for half a year, is back from college and looks absolutely AMAZING except for redmarks

though he only had acne on his face and no dry skin, sooo

but he also doesn't seem to have any of the other nasty side-effects, and he drinks like a fiend!!! (frat boys... sheesh :wacko: haha)

already have lowered my doxy dose to once a day, we'll see how that goes! :pray:

happy thanksgiving everyone! peace and love! drop me a line anytime...

jokerj

EDIT: btw, just as far as face goes- some clogged pores, healing zits on cheek and neck, and some slighty painful ones (2 to be exact, one right below eye?!?!?! and one underneath chin, though they are small)

[jokerj 1]

FUUUUUCK

the bumps are now spreading as quickly as before, and these seem to be more the bumps of a while ago than the patches of lately

and i was jsut on antibiotics for all of this

WTF?

[jokerj 1]

hi everyone!

stressful week to say the least, but its over now (yay!)

it was really nice to be away from school for a few days, though

so it seems the only way to get the bumps on my tummy to go down is to slather them with antibacterial ointments for days

hope the little buggies that cause them don't become resistant

it seems to just be some weird follicullitis, enflamed by some mild eczema

so lately my back and chest have been breaking out ever-so-slightly, and my anniversary is coming up on friday so i'm putting benzaclin on the damned little spots everyday so that i can be relatively smooth by then!

my face had a minor break out which is now healing, and was probably due to the 4 or so days without retin-a

kinda sucks to be reliant upon a product, but oh wellll...

this week i've upped my dose of spiro from 50mg to 75 mg a day! (25 in the morning, 50 at night) and we'll see how that goes. i think i'll try staying at this dose for two weeks. i want to be off antibiotics by my bday! (jan. 28) or hopefully by my party (jan. 4)!!!

still wondering about the long-term side effects of spiro, and really needing some extra encouragment as far as staying hydrated goes! i keep slacking, but i really am trying!!!

and still trying to find a good success story on here about teenage spiro use, or just teenagers using spiro in general! it seems to only be prescribed to adult women, but it makes even more sense for teens it seems! we're the ones who are probably getting acne from our crazy hormone shifts, right? ah vell

really peely today, and of course n oone told me, so i went to the bathroom during alst block and- WHOA! luckily i had some aquaphor on hand and i've learned to gently exfoliate on-the-go, which i've only used for lips so far so we'll see how it breaks me out skin-wise

on a side note, a friend of mine ahs been battling upset stomachs for weeks now. she told me on tuesday that she was constipated, and i gave her 3 of my probiotic pills. the next morning she... went... and went twice a day for 3 or 4 days after that! and no stomach problems! this morning was really bad for her though, but i'd brought her the rest of my old probiotics that i used before i got the ones that are okay to use with antibiotics. she went home and took some and i hope will be feeling better in no time!

the wonders of learning about proper nutrition when trying to solve your vanities!

peace and love

jokerj

EDIT: p.s. i'm thinking about trying baby products (tip from CG! magazine, my sister's) as far as products that usually irritate my sensitive skin (some conditioners, bubble baths). i posted some burt's bees and california baby products i might try out in the products section of the boards if you guys wanna check it out and let me know what you think

i'm also thinking about trying kiehl's products in that regard

[jokerj 1]

hey guys

nothing much to report other than these really painful cysts on my shoulder that i haven't gotten in a while :[

and i started a parasite cleanse today... you know... for the hell of it... it was like 22 dollars

ugh money.

[MisterTwo 0]

Hey Joker!

It feels like ages since I have been on the boards. I recently moved into my new place in Anaheim. Hope you are doing well. It seems so from your log.

I am almost clear from the use of retin-a. In my fourth month now. I will try to come back more often.

See ya.

[jokerj 1]

Hey Joker!

It feels like ages since I have been on the boards. I recently moved into my new place in Anaheim. Hope you are doing well. It seems so from your log.

I am almost clear from the use of retin-a. In my fourth month now. I will try to come back more often.

See ya.

hi mistertwo! missed you here! but i guess it's good that you were gone- means you were doing well, eh?

face-wise i'm pretty spectacular. some tiny clogged pores. maybe a zit here or there VERRRY rarely, and some red marks left over. also some eczema sometimes.

my back isnt doing so well right now. mostly it's my shoulders in trouble. trying to keep it under control and less inflamed for tonight- my 3 month with my bf.

i'll keep posting though! i know that things will be getting better! (...or at leas ti can hope it will!)

[jokerj 1]

DAY 16 for spiro

DAY 78 for retin-a

go away body zits go away!

face = perfection!!! (knock on wood) sooooo thankful

just one teeny active guy on the underside of my jaw

plump and fresh!!!

[jokerj 1]

guess i didn't knock on wood hard enough

three tiny chin zits

it is the pre-that time of the month bit right now though sooo

btw, i decided on the whim to try a tto/acv/water spray for my back monring and night for a few weeks. might as well right? started last night.

used non-organic with no tto, but just got organic and tto and also bought jojoba oil and teeth whitener

jsut used all of those

was also gonna buy coconut oil but couldn't really bring myself to do it! it was too pricey for something which i don't enjoy the taste of

everythign at whole foods is so expensive, though!

geeeesh

can't wait for yoga tonight when i have to around more snooty people who pay to think they're all zen and health-conscious... like me... hmmm

teeheehee

love and peace y'all (haha my mom and stepdad say y'all sometimes)

[jokerj 1]

i had the worst nigthmare about going off antibiotics and flaring up in cystic acne all over my body and face liek a i used to... gulp...

support please!!!

[jokerj 1]

MY LIPS HURT

i think i have some cold sores

some small clogged pore son face, neck, and collar

ok... not to get my own hopes up

but acv seems to be drastically reducing redmarks, and so far there's been some improvement zit-wise too!

yayyy

[MisterTwo 0]

Ahh I hate cold sores :/ I always poke em with my tongue, which obviously won't make it better.

Good to hear that ACV is working on those redmarks. I have quite a few myself, but I am just going to let them heal naturally.

Yay for modern medicine!

[jokerj 1]

soooo tired

willwrite more later

one medium active zit on cheek, one small one near nose, one small inflamed balckhead

one under-the skin cyst on shoulder

some tiny zits on back

clogged pores on back and chest

but overall doing really great

little bit dry and peely

some tiny amounts of eczema on stomach- possibly the dry weather

soooo

tiiiired

much to do tonight

but its winterbreak now!

yayyy

btw. thanks mr2

[MisterTwo 0]

Hurray for winterbreak. Took my last exam today.

Its time to hibernate for winter.

[jokerj 1]

ughh! my finals aren't until i get back!!!

[jokerj 1]

DAY 30 for spiro

DAY 92 for retin-a

still doing vinegar, benzaclin, and (once a day now) doxy. if there is a painful cyst anywhere, any folliculitis, or a bad breakout, i use a topical antibioitc called mupricen, or even just some neosporin. also spot treat with tea-tree oil if the skin is broken.

treat and prevent eczema with a calming baby eczema wash or some lotion, maybe a steroid cream like hydrocortisone cream or possibly something stronger liek zanos if it annoys me enough

a lot of products, beleive me, i know

sorry i haven't been updating lately

mostly clear on my face, with the occasional pimple, very rarely a deeper one. they come to ahead quickly, i pop and treat them, they fade away, there is a light redmark left after.

my chest has a bunch of teeny tiny pimples on it but they heal quickly, and are more like little red spots. kind of annoying, but not a big deal. My lower back is also doing phenomonally for itself. only a small zit here or there, nothing major AT ALL (knock on wood) since i've been doing the vinegar treatment. all those redmarks are SLOWLY fading

tiny break out every now and then on neck, also very tiny zits, not often at all

that all being said, i am still breaking out on my shoulders, the top of my back, and the very top of my arms. i have a lovely strapless dress for my party two weeks from now that i would hate to cover up, so i'm trying in vain to slather benzoyl peroxide on that area. i also, on a whim, bought dan's aha. i'm scared to use that though because of the possible "purging" process

i should have thought about all of this WAY sooner but oh well there you go

any advice, comments, qustions, or just some love hit me up

happy holidays folks

peace and love, you know where to find me

jokerj

EDIT: btw the spiro makes me a little dry all over, inside and out, but i'm dealing and helping with lots of water and moisturizers

[jokerj 1]

DAY 42 for spiro

DAY 104 for retin-a

hey guys, sorry i haven't really been keeping up, lots to do with my party coming up!

can't really tell you how the stuff is working right now as i strayed off my regimen a bit in anticipation for the party

also i'm PMSing, so i broke out a bit on my chin

but i've been additionally putting bp on my back, and i did on my chest, but it completely inflamed it and broke it out all over in cysts which are just now healed and clearing up :[ hope they look even better tomorrow night for the party!!!

eep

i also broke out in teeny tiny zits on the top of my arms but they were easily treated

peace love, happy new year!

jj

[jokerj 1]

hey guys

tiny breakout on back and still sme small slightly inflamed clogged pores all about the chest area but i've decided to add dan's bacne regimen and cut out the acv cause it's harder to take around with me soi don't get it on every night. besides, they are the same pronciples, both are an aha regimen. hoping not to have an i.b. face is just about perfect right now, except for blackheads and the odd clogged pore, both of which i could not care less about. saw the derm this past week. he said i looked absolutley fantastic, but that i will probably have to live with my minor body acne until i grow out of it since i have such sensitive skin and since i'm a teenager. he says it's normal for teens to get some acne at my age, the important thing is to CONTROL it.

which i basically have. would like to see it a BIT clearer, though

also getting some of those bumps on the top of my stomach again and some ECZEMA, trying to control those with moisturizer and a topical antibacterial creams

peace peace peace love love love

jj

[jokerj 1]

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/clear-scared-t223633.html

btw, i've never really mentioned this, but I use H&S as a shower gel. I don't really leave it on at all, becuase, at least for me, there seems to be such a fine line between leaving it on long enough to treat you body vs. leaving it on too long and causing awful irritation so I don't think it helps with the acne too much except to reduce a bit of redness and smell delicious.