Hey,

When I first started the Regimen my skin had so many dry skin bits and not even exfoliating would help get rid of it all. All I did was just be persistent with my treatment and my skin eventually got used to it along with twice or even three times daily moisturising and I now have no more dead skin or dry bits on my face

I currently have flaky dead skin on my nose region, but it seems to be improving the further I go into my regimen. I'm confident my flaky skin will go away and so far far it's unnoticeable unless someone looks very close at my face.

Yes, the flaking is absolutely horrible. I find that using jojoba oil makes a huge difference, and I also love Vaseline! I put Vaseline on the places where I get most peely, and it helps so much. My skin went from bone dry to only slightly dry with it on. Just slap some on at night and in the morning after cleansing, applying BP, and using a regular moisturizer.

Hey,

When I first started the Regimen my skin had so many dry skin bits and not even exfoliating would help get rid of it all. All I did was just be persistent with my treatment and my skin eventually got used to it along with twice or even three times daily moisturising and I now have no more dead skin or dry bits on my face

How long did it take before your skin got used to the BP and the dryness went away? I'm really struggling with my dry flaking skin.

@meg...My son's been on the Regimen for almost 4 months and was getting the dry, flaky skin until very recently. It can take awhile for your skin to balance out. Just be diligent with moisturizing, and use the jojoba oil/AHA+ mixture for good measure. Everyone's skin is different, but don't be discouraged if this problem hangs around for awhile...very very common complaint but the end results are worth it!

My son is not only over the flaky phase but the hyperpigmentation is steadily clearing as well!! And no inflamed acne for almost 2 weeks!!!

You're not alone. Everyone will go through this numerous times throughout the regimen and especially when you begin. I've been on for more than a year now, but lately I've not been totally clear, mostly because of laziness and inconsistencies in my routine, but I need to get back on 100%. Anyways, the dryness should get better in a couple to few weeks. During the winter and dry months, your skin will be as dehydrated as California lakes are right now . Make sure to use a thick and rich moisturizer or creme at night to drown your face in moisture, but it has to be smoothed out and thin or else you'll clog your pores and be wearing a brown bag over your face for the next week after. I've been through it all at this point and I need to re evaluate my regimen again and switch up products. One thing I've learned is you will need a day regimen and night regimen that you will eventually figure out and come close to perfecting.

In a couple months or possibly less, when you are over the dry spell, I 100% recommend you get AHA. I've found that Dans AHA+ is overall as good as you're going to get and affordable. Start off with about 80/20 lotion and aha. Next week go to 70/30, then so on until it's half and half. It will sting at first. You absolutely must not use this during the day while going out. It gets greasy looking and you don't want glycolic acid on your face with sun shining on it unless you want a comolete face peel and burn for weeks. If the first night your face gets red and hot feeling, reduce the AHA amount by about half the next night until it's mildly stinging at worst, then slowly work your way up over the period of weeks. The reason I so highly recommend AHA is because you'll quickly realize that acne is not your only problem, it'll also be big pores, blackheads, clogged pores, splotches, miscolored skin, acne marks, etc. And AHA will definetly help with this.

Sorry for this massive reply, but the more you know. I've left out product names for moisturizers right now because I think choosing the right one for what you need and want in your situation is the best way to find the right one. The review section here on acne.org is your friend. I've also fallen in love with Paulas Choice. They are expensive, but quality stuff, easy to find what you need, huge selection, great customer service, and my favorite, they sell sample sizes of almost everything they offer for like 70 cents so you don't need to commit a lot of money to find what's right for you, my poverous college budget likes that. If you want though, I will gladly work with you and give you some names to check out. Again, I've been through it all over the 1.5+ years I've been on this journey and spent hundreds of dollars finding just what's right via trial and error.

Thank you so much. It's just beyond embarrassing looking so flaky like this especially when starting a new job. I went home at the end of the day and saw my cheek flaking and was soo embarrassed that everyone saw it. I just want normal skin again because I have oily skin and never thought I would miss it.

This is what you should do today. Go to Target, CVS, RiteAid, Walmart, wherever, and buy a nice rich moisturizer. That will be for night time use only because you want something as moisturizing as can be and it won't matter how shiny or greasy looking it'll be, since it'll be for when you go to sleep. For that I recommend something like Cetaphil moisturizing lotion, their creme, or Olay Sensitive Moisture Therapy Lotion. I can vouch for this olay one, I just got out yesterday and some up today with super soft skin; it also fades marks over time and has some nice soothing ingredients. The name has changed, they always change the name and look, but it's a white bottle with pink accents and a black cap, inside a white and pink box. It also didn't look very shiny, so you could use this for day time as well, but with a lighter application. So I recommend the Olay one since it feels great and you'll probably only need that one product for day and night moisturizing for now.

Why you usually need a day use moisturizer is because you don't want it too thick and shiny or leaving a noticeable reside or layer on your skin. For day use you care more about looks than total functionality, but usually the only thing you need to worry about is the right moisturizer since it'll be the last thing on your face and be the most shiniest, viscous, etc.

Some other options for day use would be the Cerave moisturizing lotion or Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer Oil-Free. I've been using the Cerave and is pretty good with not much shine, good moisturization, but doesn't control oily skin well. The clean and clear one, I've never tried, but it sounds like it would work well.

I highly suggest you go to paulaschoice.com and look through their moisturizers for dry skin and oily skin. Chances are you'll want something from their oily skin or combination skin selections for day time, and their very dry skin selection for night time. If you don't have oily skin normally or care about looking a bit shiny, go for dry to very dry skin moisturizers from them to use during day time. They are a bit pricey, yes, but they sell samples of most their products which last for a couple uses and cost less than a dollar. I can help you with choosing the right stuff from them, I love paulas choice now and been trying s lot of their stuff to find what's right for me.

For now, let's not worry about SPF. You're already overwhelmed and SPF moisturizers will be irritating on dry skin and make it even dryer.

Really? I always thought it was important to wear spf no matter what. I didn't know it made my skin drier.

You're not alone. Everyone will go through this numerous times throughout the regimen and especially when you begin. I've been on for more than a year now, but lately I've not been totally clear, mostly because of laziness and inconsistencies in my routine, but I need to get back on 100%. Anyways, the dryness should get better in a couple to few weeks. During the winter and dry months, your skin will be as dehydrated as California lakes are right now . Make sure to use a thick and rich moisturizer or creme at night to drown your face in moisture, but it has to be smoothed out and thin or else you'll clog your pores and be wearing a brown bag over your face for the next week after. I've been through it all at this point and I need to re evaluate my regimen again and switch up products. One thing I've learned is you will need a day regimen and night regimen that you will eventually figure out and come close to perfecting.

In a couple months or possibly less, when you are over the dry spell, I 100% recommend you get AHA. I've found that Dans AHA+ is overall as good as you're going to get and affordable. Start off with about 80/20 lotion and aha. Next week go to 70/30, then so on until it's half and half. It will sting at first. You absolutely must not use this during the day while going out. It gets greasy looking and you don't want glycolic acid on your face with sun shining on it unless you want a comolete face peel and burn for weeks. If the first night your face gets red and hot feeling, reduce the AHA amount by about half the next night until it's mildly stinging at worst, then slowly work your way up over the period of weeks. The reason I so highly recommend AHA is because you'll quickly realize that acne is not your only problem, it'll also be big pores, blackheads, clogged pores, splotches, miscolored skin, acne marks, etc. And AHA will definetly help with this.

Sorry for this massive reply, but the more you know. I've left out product names for moisturizers right now because I think choosing the right one for what you need and want in your situation is the best way to find the right one. The review section here on acne.org is your friend. I've also fallen in love with Paulas Choice. They are expensive, but quality stuff, easy to find what you need, huge selection, great customer service, and my favorite, they sell sample sizes of almost everything they offer for like 70 cents so you don't need to commit a lot of money to find what's right for you, my poverous college budget likes that. If you want though, I will gladly work with you and give you some names to check out. Again, I've been through it all over the 1.5+ years I've been on this journey and spent hundreds of dollars finding just what's right via trial and error.

You mentioned to start with 80 20 aha then 70 30 the following week after the I get over the dryness. How often do you recommend I apply when I start?

Ideally, SPF moisturizer should be worn every day if you're going to be out. Although, I quickly found out that any decent SPF that was not as shiny and greasy as an oil slick would dry out my skin by the end of the day and become flaky the next. So I looked into it and found out that the chemical(s) they use will dry you out, that's why they mix it with moisturizer now, but it still doesn't work well like it should. Once your face has gotten used to the regimen in a month or two, then you can try an SPF moisturizer, otherwise you'll get worse and the dryness will not go away, then you'll start getting irritation and possible rosacea.

When you start with AHA in a month or two, the first night, do mostly moisturizer with a small dab of AHA. Mix it completely, dab small amounts all over your face and gently spread it to a thin layer. If all is well, do it again two nights later. If still good, move up to a little more AHA. Then after a few weeks, if everything is fine and your face isn't reacting badly to the AHA, do it every night. Eventually after a couple months you should be at half and half a night. After a long while, during the summer while the climate wasn't dry like it is now in winter, I did only AHA every other night. This was only after I had very slowly worked up complete tolerance after months. Also, don't do that during the winter because the dry environment will get you dry and flaky again since AHA alone can dry your face as well, at least it does for me.

Make sure to get the moisturizer ASAP and follow what I advised in the last reply I left. If you are able to, get it today. I really recommend the Olay Sensitive Skin Lotion moisturizer. It really does make your skin soft after a while and hydrates your skin. The new formula they made also seems to not be shiny, even during the day. I'm using it now and it just disappeared and my face feels soft again, best part, without extra shine.

Thank you so much I'll definitely look into getting the moisturizer. It's blizzarding right now in Boston so I can't run to the store, but I will soon. I'm already starting my 5th week of the regimen and I know it's different for everyone but will my skin really go back to normal like it was before the regimen, but acne free? I feel uncomfortable using makeup when I try to... And I don't know if all of this is even worth it any more because I can't even picture my skin being good anymore. IM still getting acne as well so it just seems like so much work for little results...

It's honestly depressing. I can't think about anything besides my skin. All day every day. It was never this stressful when I had acne.

Oh man, yeah I've heard of and seen what it's like now over there, nothing like the sunny days here in California lol.

See, I think the regimen is the best example of the saying "it'll get worse before it gets better" because it really does get worse at the beginning and then gets better. The bad part which that is, is dry skin obviously, that's the most common thing.

Itll get better and you'll lose the acne, maybe not all of it if you have severe acne (which you probably don't since most have moderate, but think it's severe), but at least most of it in that case. Trust me, we all go through it. Go into the gallery forums or read all the success stories and they'll all have the same issues, all of which will include dry skin and skin worsening at first.

I remember after a couple or few months in, I wanted to quit because I was seeing no results and investing all this time, but it does need one thing... TIME. It can take half a year for some to see results, others a couple months. I thought the exact same thing, that my skin was being ruined forever. But now it's crystal clear that I was wrong. So much work for so little, yup, 100% felt that way, but like I said, it takes time, lots of time, but it's all worth it after.

It WILL get better as long as you keep the routine and stick with it. It is really depressing, yes, but you have to keep remembering that it will get better soon. Even still, I think everyone is starting at my face and judging. I know how it gets more stressful when you start, for me, it was because now I'm focusing so much more on my face and imperfections due to the fact I'm trying to fix it. You should go to the forum section for the psychological effects and support. It's really helpful actually, don't feel embarrassed, there's a reason it exists, because we all have those issues and need to find support.

Thank you so much. You've been such a big help and motivate me to stay on and stick through it. Definitely makes me more dedicated to keep going and not lose hope.

No problem. Always want to help. If you ever need some advice or just need to talk, feel free to message me. Even on your worst days, keep on with this. Some days you may get a breakout and want to just dissappear, at least that's what happened to me when I was lazy and skipped a day sometimes, but make that your motivation. Like, you see a new pimple or get a breakout, just make it your goal to kill? them all with BP and AHA.

That reminds me, you can get rid of emerging new pimples by covering them with a layer of BP, letting it dry and absorb, then putting a little AHA right over it. You can do this in the morning too, and at night you can do it too even if you're not putting AHA all over your face still.

Also just remembered, for your dry skin, you can try Jojoba Oil. It's sold here and not too expensive. You can wash your face, get some of this in your hands and put it all over your face then gently rub or massage your face with it and some of the dead skin will come off. You can also mix this with your moisturizer for extra moisturizing, but it'll look more greasy, so you should mix it only at night. You can also try using only Jojoba Oil and see how that works to moisturize.

Just keep in mind that this will get better and you will lose that acne, you just need to keep at it. Also just want to add in quickly, if you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed with whatever, try listening to ASMR. It's basically sounds to make you feel relaxed and it really works. You can find endless videos on YouTube and you'll find what works for you. Dont be put off by it if it seems weird, because it really works and meant just to help people. Anyways, stay positive and keep going at this!