So in a couple of days, at the ripe ol' age of 25...I will be going to my FIRST EVER dermatologist appointment.
I am on BCPs, so I am not going to be taking any antibiotic pills. I'm not a fan of too many pills.
I will, however, be looking for a prescription topical acne medication. So when I talk to my dermatologist, what are some topical prescriptions he might throw at me?
I am 25, like I said, and just recently started breaking out due to hormones (we suspect). Skin apparently likes to change it's chemistry once every 7-10 years. Never had acne before...now all of the sudden it's a problem. Good times.
Anyway, the main thing I am looking for is anyting prescription that is effective, and has no initial "purging" process. Tall order, I know. But I can't take another "purge"...oh no. No, no, no.
My BCP, Ortho Tri Cyclen, had a HORRIBLE purging process. My skin is still recovering. I have scars, hyperpigmentation, and confidence in a million pieces on the floor. While most of my lower cheek acne is gone, I am still suffering from many tiny bumps on my jaw and chin. I am almost 5 months into my Ortho Tri.
The location of my acne is another reason I suspect it's hormonal, other than the sudden appearance in my adult life.
So...are there any topical prescriptions that do not "purge" your skin?? I need something that just gets strait to the point!
I'm so sick of hearing "It may get worse before it gets better"..... It's gotten worse already! I need a break!
If there is anyone out there with a similar experience to mine, or if you are on Ortho Tri, tell me if you have found something that worked, or prescribed something that worked. And please, God....NO PURGING >.<
Feedback is really appreciated, being that this is my first time doing this dermatologist thing, and I know virtually nothing about prescription acne medications. I'd like to go into my appointment with a little bit of knowledge on prescription topicals, so I don't wind up with something that will just purge my skin again.
If you don't want any 'purging' then steer clear of topical retinoids! I really wanted to like them but they made me break out worse than ever before and apparently the 'initial breakout' can take months and I don't want to make myself get more spots and more scars when I can be controlled straight away with other things...
Benzoyl peroxide works straight away no purging. Only downside is it bleaches things. And it isn't a cure you have to keep using it or you break out again.
Azeleic acid - Skinoren and Finacea don't cause purging or bleaching and apparently help with red marks but they weren't strong enough for me. They might work for you though if your acne is less severe? -I'm also 25 but I've had acne since I was a teenager. Without benzoyl peroxide it is moderate/severe, with benzoyl peroxide it is mild.
wow, REALLY helpful info, thanks so much!!
"Azeleic acid - Skinoren and FinaceaAzeleic acid" -- will definitely try that because I DO have mild acne now (after it finally seems to be calming down from ortho tri's IB)
The dermatologist prescribed me Epiduo,
which I believe is technically a retnoid.... meh. But I've read fantastic reviews. However, in another post, I've expressed my fears about using this stuff because it seems a little harsh. Not to mention a few people did say that it gave them an initial breakout before giving them perfect skin.
Have yet to get direct feedback from anyone that has actually used epiduo, it appears to be a fairly new topical medication.
It contains 2.5% BP, but also it has something that opens your pores, violently forcing the BP inside of them, and forcing out or killing impurities.
Not everyone (in all the reviews I've read) has experienced and IB on epiduo, though some people have, and it's enough to make me weary.
Maybe I should call my derm back and ask for something like mentioned above.
I know I run the risk of an IB with this stuff...but so many people said they didn't have one. So I'm still on the fence.
Anyone tried epiduo?
Glad it helped 
I haven't tried epiduo but I did try combining 2.5% benzoyl peroxide with retin-a. I'm sure you're better off reading reviews of actual epiduo but I thought I'd add my experience for what it's worth. I had been given retin-a by my doctor but it was making me break out so badly that I had to stop it. I then got clear on benzoyl peroxide but wanted to try using the retin-a to help with my red marks and was hoping to eventually switch to it instead of bp. I thought maybe if I used the bp at the same time as the retin-a the bp would kill all the new acne that the retin-a was bringing up in the initial breakout phase. It seemed fine for a week or so but then I started breaking out really badly again so I've decided regretfully that for me eventual benefits of topical retinoids aren't worth the extra scarring the initial breakout would cause me.
Anyway I hope you find something that works for you. I guess you could always try the epiduo and if you do start to break out ask for azeleic acid?