I tried The Regimen when I was 19 and a freshman in college for my moderate/severe acne. I used it for an entire year and followed it precisely. I saw improvement in my skin, but nowhere near the clearance I have seen others experience. I eventually gave up and started oral and topical antibiotics, where I have had much more success, but never total clearance. However, I have now become resistant to many antibiotics, and I now know how bad it is to use them long term.
I am thinking about trying The Regimen again. I am now 25 years old, I eat and sleep better than I did in college, and I am on birth control. I keep hoping that means I have come far enough that The Regimen will work for me now, but I'm just not convinced, and I do not miss all my clothes, towels, pillowcases, and hair being bleached.
What do you think? Is it worth another try?
I honestly think that it's a bad idea, BP only hides the problem, it does not solve the problem and I strongly believe that BP makes your acne last as long as you live and use it because your skin never ever gets the chance to learn to work normally. Yes, BP does kill acne bacteria very efficiently but it makes your pores large and makes your skin oily and you get acne more easily, it's a never ending cycle really.
Hi Kay,
You know, I think the regimen could really improve your skin like it did before, but I agree with AthleteMan that it won't "end the cycle" and you will still be facing flare-ups. It's relatively inexpensive, so why not give it a shot? I totally understand hating the bleaching effect. I have lost many a blessed favorite tee shirt to the BP, and I have never had a "normal" looking pillow case.
I am waiting to get on Accutane (had to get on BC, waiting for 1 month for first blood test, then another one...) but I have had some success with strict diet changes and supplementing a few things. I have to be pretty strict about it, but for me what works is...
avoiding refined sugar as much as possible (it is hard!)
same for dairy
as many veggies as possible
fish and nuts
low carb in general but especially wheat!
lots of water and green tea
calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, zinc supplements
milk thistle extract
Most of these ideas came from acneeinstein.com He has lots of info about scientific studies on acne, and I've had success following his recommendations. When I stray for significant amounts of time, I see it on my face.
Also, I am on a "sub-antimicrobial dose" of doxycycline (40 mg/day), where it acts solely as an anti-inflammatory and doesn't effect your microbial flora. It seems like this is viable for long-term use and is pretty effective.
Sorry to bombard you with advice, but I just really wanted to give it. I hope you find it useful!