...but it's not the BP, it's just my freakishly sensitive skin. I've been using Dan's BP once a day (mornings) for probably 5 years for mild acne. Some time late October/early November I began to get red patches on my face. I thought it was the change in seasons or some kind of allergy. One morning at a church service my left cheek began to burn - badly - and a look in the mirror showed an extremely, extremely red, angry, slightly swollen cheek. It had just a small red patch when I woke up. Of course since I've been using the BP for so long it was the very VERY last thing I thought of. A couple weeks ago I decided to try a less than normal amount of the BP (after not using it since that morning incident) and everything was fine...until a few hours later when I began to itch and itch, and sure enough that night after washing my face I had red patches and streaks on my cheeks and itchy redness on my chin.
I don't know why my skin has suddenly decided to reject the BP. I've since been using witch hazel after cleansing and before moisturizing. It's very refreshing and helps heal pimples but the redness takes forever to leave. Also, since I stopped BP I had a break out on my forehead which was a first in like a decade. That's since gone and nothing new seems to be forming. But I feel BP really helped fade the marks faster (I know others have experienced differently).
Why is it that our skin changes or suddenly reacts differently to products? I've also begun to suspect that my moisturizer, which I've been using since high school, is the reason for my chin whiteheads/blackheads. So I just ordered Dan's moisturizer (a first) because if there's any safe product out there I know it's in his store. Plus I've always received tremendous service and I love the mission of this site.
A strong batch of green tea has very similar effects to BP. You can make a toner using green tea and sea salt that is super effective at treating acne topically. So if BP is no longer working out for you, that might be an option for you to pursue. There's a thread on this in the mild to moderate acne forums. Also you might not need a moisturizer if you aren't using something as strong/harsh as BP, and replacing it with something like green tea. Or you could look into adding a touch of fresh aloe vera from the leaf to a homemade toner, like the one i use, for added moisturization. Or a touch of rose hip seed oil, which is an extremely thin/mild oil that is great for adding moisture. And rose hip seed oil is great for scarring/hyper-pigmentation.
There are other options, and it seems your skin has become over-sensitive to BP
I have been searching these threads for over a year now, trying to find others who have successfully used The Regimen in the past, but experienced side effects after changes were made. I don't know if it's the BP or the moisturizer, but I had no side effects for 3 yrs of previous use. When the bottles switched from blue to white, I started having issues. It started with severe itching and ended with a severely burned neck that is steal healing to this day. I never loved the moisturizer, but it worked when it was not yellow. I am so sad right now that I have not been able to use the only thing that has ever worked for me. I was hoping by now, Dan would do a trial for us, maybe selling the old formulas for a while to see if that fixes the issues. I would pay double for the old formula... that is how much I believe in The Regimen. I have tried every suggestion ever suggested in these forums; however, why are the products doing this to us? We didn't change anything! The formula changed! I'm currently only able to use the cleanser & jojoba oil... I have gone from very little acne to a face full of acne worse than ever in my life. Please Dan, do something for us!