Hey I'm in week 7 and I'm just totally sick of this.
The worst parts of my face are the parts that I do the regimen on. It's cleared up my chin a lot but every other part of my face has red blotches and feels terrible. Hardly any active pimples and my flaking is under control, but my skin tone and texture is terrible. Aside from that, I'm still getting the odd pimple that seems to never go away and they are just adding on top of each other because the BP seems to slow down the healing process so much.
I'm at my wit's end. I can't take this anymore. I've put so much work and diligence into following the regimen as closely as possible, but the clearest parts of my face are now the parts that I decided to skip the regimen on.
Beyond that, I'm terrified that if I quit the BP now my face is going to freak out and my acne will spiral out of control. I quit the regimen on my forehead a few days ago and my skin texture is slowly recovering, but I'm dealing with a pretty embarrassing breakout right now as a result. The amount of emotional anxiety that the regimen has caused me has now affected me more than the emotional anxiety I got from acne in the first place.
Does anyone have any experience successfully weening off of the regimen without dealing with a horrible breakout? I can't go on with this any longer. My emotions are shot because all I want is clear skin and the regimen has made me MORE self-concious about my skin. I find I'm CONSTANTLY looking in the mirror to see whats going on with my face.
please help
ugh. i was on the regimen for 8 months and had to quit because it was destroying my face. my skin was constantly red or had a weird brownish color to it. it had burnt patches. it peeled. it was severly dry. just plain awful. so i quit 2 months ago and my face was actually really healthy looking. then out of no where my face exploded. i have little pimples all over my face and clogged pores. i am completely disgusted with my skin and i bawl my eyes out every day looking at myself. i am now suffering from depression and have to get on anti depressants. be careful quitting. i don't know how you can quit successfully without your skin freaking out. i know some people can quit and have no problem, but i wasn't one of the lucky ones i guess. =(
The biggest problem is I think that the regimen let acne take control of my life. I'm spending so much time on taking care of my face and thinking about acne now, it's driving me insane. I've come to the conclusion, it's not the acne that's the problem. It's me. I have a self-image problem. I never had that bad of acne in the first place, and now I'm letting it control my life and the way I perceive myself and my life. Well screw this shit, I'm taking back control. Fuck acne, I'm me no matter what red marks are on my face. I'm taking zinc now and going for a blood test to see if I'm deficient in anything and then I'm weening myself off of the regimen.
Did you go cold turkey or did you slow down treatment and then stop?
I feel you man. I've tried everything under the sun and bp is all tht has worked...been using for 8 years. Currently I use the regimen once a day. My skin is the clearest it has ever been acne wise but my skin texture is SOOOOOO bad for a 22 year old. Its red, pink, has discoloration, large poors, oily, and severly dry. Whenever i get a spot about once a day or too the scar stays FOREVER. I have some on my forehead from last halloween. I tried to stop and broke out horribly. Like 200 spots, that was so emotioanlly damaging that i went back on it....the scars still remain. So I had to make the decision of either living my youth with acne, or living my life after that with horrible skin. Tough call =(
I would try to cut down to every other day and just moisterize like crazy on the days in between
The biggest problem is I think that the regimen let acne take control of my life. I'm spending so much time on taking care of my face and thinking about acne now, it's driving me insane. I've come to the conclusion, it's not the acne that's the problem. It's me. I have a self-image problem. I never had that bad of acne in the first place, and now I'm letting it control my life and the way I perceive myself and my life. Well screw this shit, I'm taking back control. Fuck acne, I'm me no matter what red marks are on my face. I'm taking zinc now and going for a blood test to see if I'm deficient in anything and then I'm weening myself off of the regimen.
Did you go cold turkey or did you slow down treatment and then stop?
i cut down to using BP once a day, which was fine. but then eventually i was still getting signs that i might be allergic. the redness and burning etc. so i stopped and just washed, toned, and used clean and clear dual action moisturizer so that i was at least using some form of acne medication. it seemed to do the trick and then i eventually stopped using that and all hell broke loose. so i don't know if it was the fact that i stopped treating, or because it was the 2 month mark of being off the regimen. from what i've read, everybody usually breaks out on their second month of quitting the regimen.
i know what you mean about acne controlling your life. it really sucks. i definitely think the regimen increased my OCD with my skin, but at the same time i learned a lot of important things. i had no idea i was using the wrong kinds of ingredients and scrubbing was causing the problem. so i don't regret the regimen, i just regret over medicating my face.
I definitely feel like I've over medicated. Well, I've only been using BP for less than two months now, so hopefully my face won't freak out when I ween it off. I'm just going to go very slow. Once a day, every other day, every two days etc, I'm starting to realize that acne is an internal problem. Not that there's some chemical balance, but there's a problem with the way I feel about it and the way I view myself. My acne was very mild and I had no reason to go with such an intense treatment, but I tried a few other things and just got frustrated and wanted to see results. I was seriously considering accutane for a while... what a mistake that would've been.
yea same here. i didn't need an intense treatment either. everybody keeps telling me that it's my emotions causing it because i'm so upset and stressed about it. i definitely agree. i'm sure there are other factors, but that makes a lot of sense. going to the doc for that today, so hopefully once my emotions are normal again, things will get better.
good idea on doing it slowly. take your time. you shouldn't be too bad since you've only been on BP for such a short amount of time. but still do it cautiously. once you're down to doing it every few days, see how your skin reacts. then try skipping a week and see what happens. keep me posted =)
hey aiden
that sux that the regimen hasn't helped you. I have been on it for 2 years now. In those 2 years i have 'quit' for a few weeks at a time (not because i hated it, just because i was too lazy to do the regimen haha). When i stopped the regimen (as in, i stopped using BP all together) the first time, i broke out about 2 weeks later. When i stop the regimen now, I only get miniscule bumps after 2 weeks. So i definitly think it is a process. With your skin texture/tone you could always try getting some mandelic acid. I know lionqueen has a thread on it. I bought some awhile ago and it worked well for me.
While i am clear, i still dont have the best skin texture and tone as i havent used mandelic acid in agesssss. It used to worry me, know i just think...who gives a flying f**k! I realised that the only person who was looking at my skin and judging it was me. And worrying about my skin is too exhausting. I'd rather spend my time doing something that will make me smile, rather than obsessing over something i can't change 
I've had a similar problem with BP, not the regimen however. I had a prescription that contained a very low dose of BP. It worked for awhile, then all it did was break me out. I hated it, and I was looking for so many ways to quit it, but it had been the only thing that worked. What I found out is that switching up the products I used to balance out the dryness and flaking was the real key. I'm currently on the regimen and it's working wonders for me, but everyone is different.
Maybe if you lower your dose of Bp, and use things like aloe vera or a different moisturizer, it could help solve part of the problem. An optimistic attitude definitely helps a lot.
Thanks for the advice everyone. For me, I think the biggest problem is that the Regimen has made me structure my entire life around acne. Sometimes I feel like it's all I think about these days. I've developed a lot of anxiety about it. I'm just going to relax more and learn to accept that having a few spots on my face isn't the end of the world.
hey there aiden. u know what, im on my week 5 now. and i have discoloration around my face though its clear now. i just worry about the dryness and the weird brownish color that i had bec of the regimen. Ive read the comments here about having pimples after stopping the regimen. I guess we dont have a good exit strategy with the regimen. 
there are some days that i wanted to quit, some days that i think i regret of buying the regimen cos it cost me ALOT since im not living in US.
but.. sometimes we have to feel good inside first. and be patient with it as well. and i have put all my faith here with the regimen. and it says anyways, within 3months. if it doesnt work for me then i can have a refund right? but still. im really really really hoping that my face will get better after finishing it.
Small update. I'm doing the regimen only at night, trying to be super super careful with my forehead. The texture of my skin is... still kinda shitty, but it's coming back. The flakiness is still horrible and it seems like I can't stop it no matter what. I even did an oatmeal exfoliation on my face today, but no luck, still peeling like crazy.
Since I started taking zinc and a multivitamin I haven't had one single zit appear on my face. I'm hopeful for the future, and not worrying so much about my skin already. There are some dark spots on my forehead from damage from the BP, even though I haven't applied any in over a week now. The wrinkle that the BP created is still there as well despite me constantly moisturizing my forehead. It's probably gonna take a few weeks for it to get back to completely normal. We'll see! Going outside to get my vitamin D now, I'll check back soon 
Hi, I'm glad to hear you are persevering and that speaks volumes for you character (I can definitely relate with many of your same problems and it sucks, but it gets better). Just wondering, but could you expound on the Zinc and multivitamins you take, including D, and how (if) they actually work? I have never been a vitamin-taking kind of person and some incite would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Nick
Zinc is an anti-inflammatory (meaning it helps zits become less angry and go down), boosts the immune system and helps the skin heal itself. The biggest thing for acne is that it helps regulate your hormones a bit better, so if your acne was onset by a hormonal change, like it was for me, it'll help alleviate those hormonal acne breakouts. Multivitamins I take to make sure my body has everything it needs otherwise, just to make sure I'm in top form from the inside. Vitamin D you get from sunshine and it helps clear your skin as well, so I'm just making sure to soak up some rays every day. Being tanned also helps to hide those little red marks as well!
Had a small breakout today and also a small anxiety attack about it. I need to vent. Trying so many different acne products has been such a drain on me, both emotionally and financially. I'm constantly considering new options... right now I'm thinking about CeraVe Hydrating wash with witchhazel.
I dunno... the breakout isn't even that bad but I'm really freaking out about it. They're the moooost miniscule zits you've ever seen, but of course they're all I can see. 
Trying to relax right now... I've gotta really important exam I need to study for tomorrow. It's just so frustrating to see the same pattern of acne come back after so long.. especially with my forehead looking like it is from the damage from BP. Oh well. Soldier on I guess. I go on vacation Sunday so I'm particularly worried about having my face clear for that, but it doesn't look like it will be at this point. Grrr i fucking hate acne! just go away I'm 22 years old ffs!
Omg I can totally relate. Ill have the smallest pimple and its the only thing I seem to think about! I hate stressing over my face its just so exhausting sometimes. I hate acne too! I was looking into trying the regime but I'm somehow afraid to do so. Since I hear of all these problems ppl have....I don't need anymore stress....but just try to relax and live life. Things could be a lot worse but still the skin on our face everyone sees so I understand how it affects your self esteem. But just stay strong. It shall pass.
sigh
alright i'm gonna make another post. I'm finding this to be a good emotional vent! Those zits that I was talking about earlier... I used some AHA on them (not dan's, another product with 8%), and they all either came to a head or disappeared completely! I think this AHA is gonna be my ace in the whole over these coming weeks. The one's that came to a head I was very careful with and lanced with a sterilized pin. One was extracted beautifully, but the other one started to bleed after popping and I didn't want to go any further. There's still a little hard spot inside there, but hopefully it just recedes back in! Haha okay, maybe too much information.
I let my beard grow waaay out past where I usually let it because I was studying so much for that exam and never made time to shave, and I think having so much hair on my face irritated my skin. There's some redness here and there that almost looks like a rash, but it's not raised at all. Not too noticeable so it's not a big deal though!
The zinc... it's strange. I know it's too early to tell, but I reduced my dosage a couple days and I broke out exactly on both of those days. When I take the full dose everything seems fine... probably just a coincidence, but I'll let you know otherwise. I'm leaving to mexico in two days! Hopefully my skin looks good for then Overall I'm feeling like a 6.5-7 out of 10 on my skin right now. Definitely the biggest blight on my self-confidence, but the internal healing continues! Fuck acne!
edit: just looked over some pictures of moderate-severe acne on other parts of the site to put everything in perspective. Definitely feeling like a solid 7 out of 10 now lol! I hate being so self-conscious about my skin, I doubt anyone notices but me =/
Hey man don't worry. I'm more or less going through the same thing as you, I just got into week 8 and I'm still experiencing some minor breakouts and a little dryness/redness. What I've been doing to improve skin tone and texture is using a small dap of Aquaphor along with a generous pump and a half of my moisturizer (Cetaphil).
I understand you might be upset over the lack of desired results, but at this point, I feel like our skin is still adjusting to the large amount (if you're going with the full dosage). I think it will get better!
Yeah I've already decided I'm going to quit for sure. The regimen definitely gave me clear skin, but it messed up my complexion. I have a coupe weird wrinkles (forehead and right cheek), my skin is constantly flaking and the spots that I do get on my face take FOREVER to clear up after being popped. I'm worried now that BP has weakened me skin's resilience and might actually leave me scarred. My forehead still kinda looks like shit. Definitely made some progress from when I stopped applying the BP, but the skin still looks... weird, i dunno. Uneven and discoloured. And I haven't put a drop of BP on it for over two weeks now. I don't want to use any product that has that kind of lasting effect.
BP definitely works to clear acne, but for me the negative side effects aren't worth the trouble. Applying for almost 30 minutes twice a day, looking greasy at work in the morning, and then flaking all afternoon, having a uneven complexion, redness, tightness, my skin feeling horrible. Screw that. It works, but I'll find my own way.
Yeah I've already decided I'm going to quit for sure. The regimen definitely gave me clear skin, but it messed up my complexion. I have a coupe weird wrinkles (forehead and right cheek), my skin is constantly flaking and the spots that I do get on my face take FOREVER to clear up after being popped. I'm worried now that BP has weakened me skin's resilience and might actually leave me scarred. My forehead still kinda looks like shit. Definitely made some progress from when I stopped applying the BP, but the skin still looks... weird, i dunno. Uneven and discoloured. And I haven't put a drop of BP on it for over two weeks now. I don't want to use any product that has that kind of lasting effect.
BP definitely works to clear acne, but for me the negative side effects aren't worth the trouble. Applying for almost 30 minutes twice a day, looking greasy at work in the morning, and then flaking all afternoon, having a uneven complexion, redness, tightness, my skin feeling horrible. Screw that. It works, but I'll find my own way.
Just want to reach out... Aiden i feel like you are me in another body... Everything you say is exactly how I feel. My self-esteem has been destroyed by acne as well. I'm SO hard on myself and I know that my acne isn't really that bad. There are so many people that have it worse than me, but for some reason, all I do is focus on the few pimples I get. It is SO DRAINING, physically and emotionally. There are days I don't want anyone to see me, and all I want is to cry in bed. I am so embarassed. I have been on the regimen for a little over 2 months and I am also debating quitting. I don't know what to do.. I'm so scared to quit but like you said, I 'm just not sure its worth the side effects. I have definitely had very few breakouts over the past 2 months of being on the regimen.. but my skin is extremely irritated. I wake up in the middle of the nights from my face itching like crazy. It is always red and dry. It looks like shit sometimes and I just want to cry when I look in the mirror. I know I'm my own worst enemy.. but its just so sad because I have tried everything over the counter and I am so disciplined with my regimen, as I'm sure you are. And it kills me because people I know don't even have to wash their face and they have perfect skin. It's nuts. So I am at a crossroad also.. not sure what to do.. I can't take this itchy, dry, red skin anymore! I may reduce to once a day and see what happens. I have also been on Zinc since March and I think it has helped. I also take Evening Primrose Oil, which is supposed to be a good vitamin for acne (not sure if it's just for women?) and a multivitamin. Please keep me updated with your status.. I wish you the best of luck, and it's so nice to know that there's people out there that I can relate to. No one truly understands our pain and suffering unless they have experienced it.
Oh, and you can always vent to me, I'll listen! I don't really talk to anyone about how I feel because I'm so embarassed and hurt.. so this is like my outlet as well. So let's all vent when we need it!!
Try some homemade remedies. ACV, Green Tea, Lemon Juice, etc.
^
This
For anyone using chemical topicals and moisturizers, you should not use them. They do exactly what people are saying they do in this discussion, leaving your face red, itchy, and flaky, thus causing even more oiliness, and doing nothing to strengthen your skins natural ability to fight off acne. I have been down this road so many times with so many products. And yes, once you're off of them your skin is going to freak out for a while cause it's been constantly slathered with chemicals month after month.
There are so many powerful natural routes you can take when addressing your acne. The best thing that I have ever used on my skin is a topical green tea/sea salt solution that I make. The green tea is highly concentrated, and extremely effective at both providing a great skin tone and warding off acne. And the sea salt makes it even more powerful. The difference here is that these two ingredients are not going to cause the harsh side effects that chemicals do. I will post a link to a thread I started discussing how to do this
Also, diet is huge when dealing with acne. And there is a pinned topic in the nutrition section titled 'good things for the many factors that lead to acne' It's worth your time to read it
So to anyone still using topical chemicals, please stop abusing your face. Your skin is going to age very quickly and unhealthily the longer you use them. And you will never be rid of the redness, oiliness, or flakiness. If you need a moisturizer I posted a couple homemade recipes in the green tea/sea salt discussion