I am 16 year old guy and ive been dealing with acne since i was 13 and its always been a problem for me to go out with my friends or even talk to girls since im so self-conscious about the fact that they'll look at me differently since I have acne. My dad had severe acne in his teen years too but he used accutane to get rid of his. I can say that I have moderate acne and coming from my dad, I am not interested in using accutane due to the severe side effects. I get pimples mostly on my cheeks, some on my jawline and a couple on my forehead(in between eyebrows). Today, ive counted at least 15 whiteheads and countless red spots and I cant take it anymore.
I've been exfoliating once a week(some clinique product), cleansing twice a day(dove for men hydrate), moisturizing daily(clinique product) and I also use a toner(clinique clarifying lotion II). My derm prescribed me tactuo like 6 months ago and i was just over dosing and covering my face with it. It left my skin really dry and red so I stopped using it. But recently, Ive learned that I was using way too much so 3 weeks ago I decided to go back to it. I still cover the affected areas, but I only use a pea-size amount now and I also moisturize after.
After the first week, I noticed drastic improvements in my skin and reduced pimples on my face. Although, when i wake up in the morning, I noticed some dry skin on my face but it seems to be normal due to the benzoyl peroxide. The second week seemed to be a bit better, but stayed the same.
The third week,however, I've noticed changes in my skin. A lot more red spots on my cheek and jawline, as well as more whiteheads than usual. Also, the pimples on my face seem to get bigger and apparently some people have to get used to the product so it gets worse before it gets better. My skin seems to get more dry and red and It just lowers my self-esteem.
So, right now I am stuck and dont know what to do. Should I keep going or should I go see a derm. Anyone with past experience with tactuo(or epuido since its basically the same thing), please comment below.
Can I ask if you're still using all your cleansing products with the tactuo? Just wondering because the pharmacist told me to use it with a gentle cleanser like Spectro. My skin didn't get too bad with flaking, but there was a certain point when my skin got worse with big, deep pimples. I didn't notice my skin getting better until about two months after using it.