I've been doing the regimen for 9 weeks and I have very few breakouts now compared to before. Unfortunately since it took all those weeks of rubbing BP on to achieve this, the BP magnified all the red marks that I had. Not only that, every time I get a new large zit, it is a guarantee now that there will be a red mark left behind.
The result is that I am mostly clear but do not look it. I have blotchy skin and the redness is noticeable all over. I have been using AHA mixed with moisturizer at night for a week or so and that hasn't done anything for red marks that I am aware of.
I am looking for an honest opinion now, is my best option to have some kind of chemical peel done by a dermatalogist? It's not even worth quitting BP now, because I would still be left with all these red marks and then more breakouts might come. On the other hand, the BP makes every red mark worse and guarantees that cystic acne will leave red marks.
I do have darker olive tone skin so this might be part of the problem. This thread doesn't really belong in the red marks section because I am asking specifically about the regimens effect on skin tone and what you were able to do to overcome this.
Thanks
I did the regimen for 11 weeks and have a story similar to yours. All of my acne disappeared, but it didn't look like it. The red marks were so bad one night i just looked in the mirror and broke down ad decided to quit. I really don't think the regimen is worth it if the red marks last for what seems like forever. I still have marks from it. This isn't really probably an answer you're looking for but i would suggest just going off the regimen. Bp just makes hyperpigmentatio last forever!
Firstly, I definitely would not recommend that you get a chemical peel, especially this early on in the regimen. One of the hallmarks of the regimen is to reduce irritation as much as possible, and a chemical peel is certainly going to cause irritation and prevent you from using the regimen while your skin heals.
Secondly, you are not going to see results from the AHA within a week, especially when diluting AHA with moisturizer.
You just have to be patient with the red marks; they will fade in time. AHA has really improved my skin tone and I consider it to be an essential part of my regimen as I've been using it for a few years.
I did the regimen for 11 weeks and have a story similar to yours. All of my acne disappeared, but it didn't look like it. The red marks were so bad one night i just looked in the mirror and broke down ad decided to quit. I really don't think the regimen is worth it if the red marks last for what seems like forever. I still have marks from it. This isn't really probably an answer you're looking for but i would suggest just going off the regimen. Bp just makes hyperpigmentatio last forever!
What did you replace the regimen with and are you still clear?
Firstly, I definitely would not recommend that you get a chemical peel, especially this early on in the regimen. One of the hallmarks of the regimen is to reduce irritation as much as possible, and a chemical peel is certainly going to cause irritation and prevent you from using the regimen while your skin heals.
Secondly, you are not going to see results from the AHA within a week, especially when diluting AHA with moisturizer.
You just have to be patient with the red marks; they will fade in time. AHA has really improved my skin tone and I consider it to be an essential part of my regimen as I've been using it for a few years.
This is a helpful post, I will probably continue to use AHA and wait for results.
And maybe consider using AHA without the moisturizer (as long as it's not too irritating or uncomfortable) to see if you get better results. I know it seems like everything is taking forever now, but your skin will improve over time, especially since you've already had good results with the regimen in only 9 weeks. Just keep with it.
I'm using retin-a and antibiotics as of now. Almost all the pimples are gone and I don't have to worry about red marks.
Theres a lot more than red marks youll have to worry about if you stay on the antibiotics (i'm assuming you are using them just for acne).
I put a lot of faith in doctors, but what the F are they thinking prescribing antibiotics for acne? I mean, im not a MD so i'm not telling you to come off them, but just be careful
I've never heard of the baking soda exfoliation method. But for now, I'd really recommend just sticking to the regimen, and the regimen does not include anything other than cleanser-BP-moisturizer plus jojoba oil and AHA if needed. If you start adding things to make your own regimen, it may impede your progress.
I did the BP regime for about 2 years. The junk thing about bp or topical solutions is that they require maintenance after your clear and once you stop the regime the probability of your acne returning is high. From a personnel experience BP did make my red marks stay around longer but it took about 6 months for my skin to remove them. Retin-a micro does help with the regeneration of new skin faster so if you can get a prescription for that, it would speed things up but will leave your skin red for a day or two before the shedding begins. Derma rolling with a 0.5mm will help encourage new skin growth and therefore speed up the process of new skin but your skin will look sun burnt for a few hours. Basically, anything that will help with exofliation and skin cell regeneration will help your red marks fade fast. If your red marks aren't fading, there might be a possibility of an infection still present subsurface and can be drained by a professional.
When I was doing the BP regime, finding the very minimal amount of BP to keep me clear was where I wanted to be. This helped my skin stay hydrated, reduced irritation, prolonged the use of each bottle, and minimized sensitivity. I got down to once a day on 1 day and then twice a day on day 2, alternatively. Then, I got down to just sleeping with it, so once a day for 8 -10 hours a day. Once I stopped, acne returned. In regards to skin tone, BP did bleach my skin and my skin was very whitish when I'm normally tanned but again quantity control reduces side effects.
