Consistent use of BP (the regimen and acne.org products for instance) during a period of 3-4 months should clear you up.

Epiduo / Differin / Tazorac - 3-4 months - you'll need a prescription for that.

I would say your acne is moderate- nothing cystic which is a blessing, TRUST ME

and you have tried a lot of products, but have you tried each for at least 60 days? you have to be patient with acne

I would say get on the regiment here, with BP and stick to it religiously for 60 days before tossing in the towel...if you have success, and chances are good that you will with your acne type, then start with the AHA and use it as directed on this site...that will help fade the red marks you have

and your diet, make sure it's clean whole foods, minimize processed foods, nothing fried and don't overdo the sugar

good luck and keep us posted!

Hey Cathy!! I think it looks moderate! I know you feel like its severe, but trust me, there are soooooo many worse cases than ourselves out there, try to find comfort in that.

It sucks that you cant afford accutane because i think that would definitley do the trick. You only need a small dose Ive learnt, and makes a HUGE difference.

From my experience, you need to takle these issues from the inside, as well as topical treatment.

Youve listed loads of brands, as acne sufferers we will try anything! But more expensive, or trendy brands arent always going to help - evidently.

I think that using gentle cleansers like cetaphil and cerave are really good.

For me, Benzoyl Peroxide is just a band aid for acne, it helps clear it, but as soon as you stop using is, acne comes back twice as bad - but everyone is different.

Also, what kind of moisterizer do you use? You could look at a different moisterizer specifically for oily skin - thats what I have, but only moisterize once a day.

I found 'normal' moisterizers were way to heavy and would make me oily and thus breakout.

I use 100% aloe vera (from the actual plant) on my face morning and night, and it has made a huge improvement. Its proven to help with acne and hyperpigmentation.

But, at the end of they day these things worked for me - everyone is different.

See a doctor and get some professional advice if you can, they may have an alternate solution.

What can you afford as far as topicals? Because you'll end up spending more doing trial and error (looks like you have already) that you would to see a dermatologist who will make things worse for your skin in the long run (Acne bacteria gets resistant to the antibiotics, oral and topical, and accutane is a massively risky drug that has made as many miserable as it has made them happy, and you can't be on it forever.)

I promote TCM on this board because it saved my life when years of Western dermatology did nothing.

- You can get the thrust of the core TCM treatments by eliminating acidic foods from your diet. Nothing spicy, no sugar (very little fruit,) no meat or dairy while you clear up and less meat when you are clear (but when you do, eat the hormone free stuff.) Go on a fish and green/orange veggies and brown rice diet!

- On a site called Active Herbs, there is a basic formula called AcniPearl which has the main ingredients of a prescription formula. Do you suffer from anxiety and/or depression? Also get the EaseTonic and HeartVigor. Adrenals affect acne as much as hormones and genetics and can certainly worsen existing acne susceptability.

- Jason Aloe Vera (with Tea Tree) for moisture/treatment, or The Body Shop's Aloe Serum (rated BEST on Paula's Choice) with just a drop of 100% tea tree oil

- Crysanthemum (whole dried flower, boiled for 10 min, allowed to cool and rubbed gently on face) and sulfur soap (like Sulfresh or Kavi Coral or Aqua if sensitive) to cleanse with.

- when the active acne is gone, get a Hair Skin and Nails supplement and take Pearl Powder orally and topically at night!

Also....

- Proactiv's mask to spot treat (more sulfur)

- MSM baths and orally taking MSM (more sulfur)

- get a Vitamin D blood test and see if you are deficient

- take a good antioxidant like Ubiquinol or Acetyl Glutathione (these are superior to the rest) and a multivitamin with 100% DVA of Vitamin A, C, B complex

- EllaRose Minerals for makeup

As many of these things you can do at once the more and faster you will see results.

plz stop with all the topicals itll ruin your face you'll never get cured this like that you need help of a doctor that practices functional medicine that does some intense lab work to find the root cause that is causing your inflammation find one near you

https://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117

make sure you check the box on the lower right and make sure they are certified

I think my derm would say that as mild to moderate. Used to have something like that.. and I couldn't afford seeing a derm at that time too.

For now, I would say what my derm told me and worked:

- Use a facewash that's as simple as possible, without all that added ingredients and added properties like brighter skin.

- Keep your regime as simple as possible. Cleaner and moisturiser, once after waking up, once RIGHT BEFORE BED. edit your regime here and there ( heavy or light moisturiser, deep cleanse or not, and even diet wise: diary or not, chocolate or not ) every month depending on how your skin reacts.

*Because your young, keeping it simple prevents complications due to the major changes your body is experiencing at that age.

And I would agree with mrsrobinson, using a face wash for 3 months is about the shortest time it can show effects. And as for whether the face wash is bad or not, you will have a burning sensation on your skin or allergy straight after using it, which is bad. I would stay away from BP if i were you, those make your pimples more red and in most cases, result in blemishes later on. As said earlier, keep it simple.

In the long run, if you want clear skin without acne that looks good, you need consistency and discipline to exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and find out what your body reacts to badly ( for me, i get breakouts when i take dairy ).

Oh, and an example of a simple cleanser would be this if you haven't tried it:

http://www.cetaphil.com/gentle-skin-cleanser

I use the body one and not the facial one cause there's less additives in the ingredients.

But this worked better for me after most of my pimples cleared ( its for men btw ):

http://www.neutrogena.com/product/neutrogena+men-+skin+clearing+acne+wash.do?sortby=ourPicks&page=2

How experienced am I to say this?

I did accutane for 6 months with mild acne. And since then, which has been 3 years, I get 1 zit every 2 weeks.

Hey so I've always had pretty clear skin

Last year I changed my facial wash and it didn't suit me.and ever since that I kept gettting tiny pimples and whiteheads.went to the derm and he prescribed me Accutane 10mg.

So far it's been a month,there's been dryness on face but lips are fine also I haven't had any major breakouts,iam now on my second month.and I plan on taking this small dose for the next six months atleast.what do u say people?

Oh and I use garnier light Facewash,suits me fine and shiso moisture lotion from body shop

Also if anyone would recommend a good sunscreen?

Hey so I've always had pretty clear skin

Last year I changed my facial wash and it didn't suit me.and ever since that I kept gettting tiny pimples and whiteheads.went to the derm and he prescribed me Accutane 10mg.

So far it's been a month,there's been dryness on face but lips are fine also I haven't had any major breakouts,iam now on my second month.and I plan on taking this small dose for the next six months atleast.what do u say people?

Oh and I use garnier light Facewash,suits me fine and shiso moisture lotion from body shop

Also if anyone would recommend a good sunscreen?

Please start your own post... 10mg for 6 months seems fine. I did that before and turned out good. A high SPF with moisturizer would be good since skin is very sensitive to sunlight during accutane, then you won't have to lather so much products onto your face. Cetaphil has one of those sunscreen + moisturizers.

definitely stick to one

I also think that the acne.org regime is highly effective!

Also, you have to be consistent!