I've been on the regimen for 1 month. I don't have severe acne. I have mild but constant acne. I haven't noticed too much while on the regimen but I understand it takes time. What I do notice is I believe the regimen has caused either acne scars or is somehow stopping old pimples from healing resulting in a scar like spot. I really hope its the latter. I made a thread about it and someone said to add on AHA and it'll get rid of those spots so I'm going to try it.

My question is, is there a cheaper alternate I can use? The regimen and AHA would cost 60$+ on this site which is a lot.

I think using cleanser and moisturiser you can easily get would be your best bet. Drugstore products, if you find the right ones, can clear you up. But I think for the treatment and the AHA, it would be best to get Dan's products because they do comes in huge bottles which save you a lot.

Where are you from? it is easier to recommend drug store alternatives if you say which country you are in.

For an alternative AHA product definitely take a look at the products from Alpha Hydrox http://www.neotericcosmetics.com/alpha-hydrox/products.html . Dan actually recommends them as the alternative and they get good reviews here and on makeupalley. If you are in the US they can be bought from Ulta and some drug stores, if not you can buy them from iHerb. I am yet to try them but ordered the "souffle" one last night! they are actually a decent price!

I think the reason some people feel like blemishes heal more slowly with BP is because of the dryness that it can cause. A healing blemish needs to have moisture. If I were you I would apply Vaseline as a spot treatment after moisturizing to more recent red marks or healing blemishes to lock in the moisture and decrease water loss. I've been doing the same thing but with Ungvita Vitamin A Ointment (it is just retinyl palmitate in a petroleum jelly base).

If there's a Walgreen's near you, I think you should look into the Studio 35 alpha hydroxy cream. I've heard really good things about it. I believe it has a concentration of 5.6% rather than 10%.

If you use AHA you don't need bp. AHA if used only on face will last you 2 or 3months+ also you can just buy cetaphil moisturizer and jojoba oil. That's what I do. I brought my expenses way down.

If you use AHA you don't need bp. AHA if used only on face will last you 2 or 3months+ also you can just buy cetaphil moisturizer and jojoba oil. That's what I do. I brought my expenses way down.

BP is needed to fight acne; it suppresses future acne and 'kills' active acne. By the way, OP, i suggest Cerave Moisturizing Lotion instead of Cetaphil, cetaphil is way more greasy, kinda just stays on top of skin, and can literally drip off in the heat or with sweat.

I keep my costs down on the moisturizer and face wash and spend the Money on treatment. Johnson's head-to-toe baby wash is listed as an alternate cleanser and the Dollar Tree carries a near-identical baby wash with no ingredients on the 3-5 comedogenic list. It is 15 fluid oz for $1. Also at dollar tree is a sesame street night time lotion that I have been using as a moisturizer. No ingredients listed on the comedogenic list and 10 fl oz for $1. Both are on the baby aisle. They do both have fragrance but it is very gentle. I have wicked sensitive skin and it does not bother me at all. As for cheaper BP on amazon.com you can get Dr. Song bp 2.5 % for 8 oz for $17 (that INCLUDES SHIPPING) if you do these things you bring your basic regimen down to $20 per month. That's half what the basic kit cost per month. I haven't found AHA locally but it is on amazon for $10.32 per bottle free shipping if you buy over $35, so if you can afford to stock up it will save you money. Either way it's lower pricing.

If you really NEED to cut cost further I can explain how to dilute 10% BP to 2.5% to give you 32 oz for about $30 but that takes some work and chemistry. HTH

-Heather