Hello!
I have been on Retin-A 0.1% for almost a year now. For the most part I've been very happy with it... but, I guess I'm feeling frustrated. about two months back i was getting foundation matched at the counter and the lady used what seemed like an alcohol makeup remover... or something along those lines. Anyways it gave me a chemical burn for a good week and I suffered from rashes all down my chest. So I kinda had to taper off the Retin-A to every other day so my face wouldn't hurt so bad and be SO red. Also about two months ago I started taking a Zinc supplement. For the first month 30mg a day for the second 50 mg a day. My breakouts have increased and my skin scars so easy. I wonder if anyone has had experience with a Zinc supplement? Or really any comments? I'm just feeling really tired of fighting this acne. The first image of my face is the side that rarely breaks out... It is almost always the other side. I don't get it. I change my pillow cases and everything. Also if someone would recommend an herbal supplement that would be nice too. I think i'm willing to give that a go because I haven't tried that yet.
Thanks!
Oh also check out my page for other photos of my skin's progress.
Well if you were satisfied with the way Retin-A was working I'd go back to that! But as you mentioned it irritates your skin too much so oral treatments are a good option. If you've been on zinc for two months and it's not working you might want to consider Vitamin A or D. A natural supplement, not quite herbal though, could be apple cider vinegar.
Don't overdo the zinc. Too much zinc is bad news for acne. Unless you have been tested for zinc deficiency or you're vegeterian/vegan, I would cut out the zinc.
The best supplements for acne are:
Vitamin D3 (5,000 IU a day). Vitamin D3 is a pre-hormone that directly affects the skin and helps modulate other hormones that can cause acne. With indoor lifestyles many people are deficient in vitamin D3. Remember that driving in a car or sitting by a window does not help vitamin D production (glass hinders the light rays you need to stimulate vitamin D). If you're not out in the noonday sun with lots of skin showing for at least 60 minutes a day, you are probably vitamin D deficient.
Saw Palmetto (640mg a day). Saw palmetto modulates testosterone to help acne. Many women with acne have excessive testosterone.