Yep, you can definitely take doxy whilst using the differin. It is common to use an antibiotic in the first few months of starting a retinoin to hopefully mitigate any initial breakouts. After a few months once the retinoid is hopefully now working at its optimum, you can wean off the antibiotic.

I'm sorry you are going through all of this, it's like looking in a mirror, that's pretty much about what my skin has being doing the last couple of years.

The big bumps, the dry skin, the sand paper feeling.

You don't mention Accutane, have you tried Accutane?

The thing is, my skin is so painful, dry, flakey and upset right now, I feel I can't use too much on it or I will cause even more scaring and premature aging. I put on the Differin for the first time and it stung and felt very drying... which does concern me.

Also the La Roche Posay Effaclar K is a retinoid cream as well, if I'm not mistaken. I've been using it as my main treatment for the past 4 months and not seen an improvement... so I'm worried that this could be an indicator for Differin's likelihood of succeeding on my skin.

I suppose, what I will try is to let the oral AB alone do its magic for a week or two and give my skin time to rest from all the topical madness. Then I will gradually introduce Differin.

But using it while on AB will make it difficult to determine its effect, as my skin will be clear thanks to the AB anyway.

You probably can feel, that I'm not really keen on trying more topicals at this point. I hold the firm belief that my acne is a symptom rather than a cause and that suddenly something in my body came out of whack when I turned 21. I feel that all the topical treatments just thin out, damage and rapidly age my skin, but have zero effect on the real root cause that's located elsewhere in my body. I just don't know where to look for it.

Sigh...

@noche Oh no, you too? Whilst it's comforting to know I'm not alone, I really don't wish that on anyone else.

Never thought I'd say this, but I do wish my hormonal teenage acne back. The oily skin and whiteheads are well researched and most people understand them. By friends and family, I've been told multiple times "Oh, that's not acne what you have, because your skin is dry. You simply need to clean your face better and put on a moisturizer."

Does Accutane help you? I personally haven't tried it and don't really consider doing so. I did quite a lot of research on it and it seems very brutal on the body and prone to relapses. I once mentioned it to my GP and she said, they only prescribed it for cystic acne (which I don't have) anyway and that I wasn't a candidate for it.

(Silly question, but I don't quite understand the "quote"-function in the forum. I click on "quote" underneath your post... and nothing happens.)

Ok, my son used differin plus solodyn antibiotics , both of them for about 3 years. The differin took about 5 to 6 months to clear the whole face, the purging is long with differin, and like any other retinoid , pimples should be left alone, no picking, they will turn yellow with puss and either they will dry or come to a head , most likely they come to a head .

My daughter used ziana , antibiotics made her sick.

She used ziana for about a year, washing with purpose and just using ziana, ziana worked faster than differin, oh I forgot, she had used some differin from my son's, for about a month, so the differin took everything out but didn't clear anything, so we went back to the dermatologist and then she started ziana, she was clear and happy for about a year, then all of a sudden redness, big red angry bumps .

The dermatologist wanted to put her corticosteroids and hydrocortisone creams , but I said no, those things calm the redness and itching but in the long run they turn the skin into fragile and leathery skin,I know because it happened to me .

So I went and did some research and put together some products to use.

She uses this, but still gets breakouts, not major, the dermatologist told her that nothing is 100%.

As for me I used these over the counter products too, but still kept getting dry flaky skin, and I could live with it, at least no pimples.

Then after my hysterectomy, I'm 52.nothing worked anymore,I got the worst acne ever , plus all that you describe, my dermatologist doesn't know what this condition is, he wanted to try Accutane , but I don't think I will do well on Accutane, so my dermatologist said, I'm going to send you to Stanford, where they have the specialist, I'm 4 hours from there and back, driving .So I don't think I will be able to deal with that.

I have been doing my own experiment .I started writing about that on the rosacea forums under the seborrheic dermatitis thread,starting page 46.

All I can say to you, it's not to give up, and don't let anybody tell you that you will have to live with acne for the rest of your live.because that is a lie. Fight it !

I don't know how to work that quote either, I'm sorry . I just do it like you did, don't worry ,someone will show you how to do that eventually.

And I also don't wish my situation on anyone either.

I tried Accutane once , when I was younger, it cleared my skin , even when I used it for a short time, but I had to stop, because I have high cholesterol.

You say , that you have clogged pores,well then that is cystic acne.

Cystic acne hurts and when it comes to a head , it can make a mess.

I had 4 cysts removed from my face. It's very painful.

That is really interesting that you mention rosacea! My mother suffers from rosacea - all her life - but it got worse after she reached menopause. For quite some time I have been thinking that I might have inherited some characteristics of her rosacea condition, but that it somehow "mutated" with my teenage acne.

Last year, I visited her for a week and forgot my topical antibiotic cream at home. I completely freaked out, terrified that my face would fall off if I didn't apply any cream at all for a whole week. So I went through my mom's entire bathroom desperately looking for any moisturizer until she told me, she didn't own any because any moisturizer makes her rosacea go through the roof. (Sounds familiar ... just that with me any moisturizer clogs every pore)

The only cream she had was her rosacea topical (I'm afraid, I don't know what it is called, but the cream itself was dark blue... which was a bit weird). In my desperation I used this one for the week. It didn't help with the bumps and blackheads (they actually became quite inflamed), but for that week the sandpaper texture and the flakes were completely gone.

It sounds like my mom's rosacea cream did the job, but I think that would be jumping to conclusions. After all, the flakes and dryness seem to be caused by the harsh topical treatments that I use, so forgetting them at home and giving my skin a break for a week probably helped equally as much as the rosacea cream. Still, it's a very interesting connection.

I think it's very wise of you to avoid Accutane. I have no experience with it, but I feel it's more harmful to the body than our acne is. I would think differently about Accutane if I had large, painful cysts all over my back and therefore couldn't sleep on my back etc ... but for my condition it just doesn't seem helpful.

You say your acne got worse after your hysterectomy - this sounds very much like a hormonal problem, which is manifesting itself in your skin. Do you balance your hormones with medication since your hysterectomy? Maybe it needs to be adjusted?

If I'm not completely mistaken, the thyroid is another important hormone producer in our body. When people get off birth control (lose the steady hormone supply from birth control), they are often advised to take Kelp (Iodine) to "awaken" the hormone production in the thyroid instead. Maybe the thyroid could also help stabilize hormones after a hysterectomy?

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and sharing the Differin experiences of your kids. Now, I feel a lot more positive about trying it.

Cairene 2010... It's really interesting all that you have mentioned, and it's true.

People with Hypothyroidism complain about dry, itchy skin.

I told my obgyn about my hormones, he checked them,I'm menopausal, he left one ovary but it seems that the ovary is not producing estrogen anymore, the test show I'm postmenopausal and the androgens are too high.I mentioned hormone therapy and he's against that.too many side effects he said, look for something natural or over the counter,I looked but too many side effects too.

About having family with skin problems I'm one of them, my dadhas always had these embedded black heads on his forehead, where he had surgery twice to remove a cyst.I mentioned this to the dermatologist and he just kind of didn't care much.

My mom, she has always had a pimple on her face, and itchy scalp.

The thing with my dad is that his skin looks like dead skin, kind of like my skin is looking right now, growing up,I don't remember my dad having acne anymore, the cysts happened when he was young.

My brothers had acne when younger, but they grew out of it.

2 of my sisters have always battled with acne, one of them with the whole face and the other one perioral, kind of like mine right now.She has always have dry skin, and tries to moisturize it but gets acne.

I really hate dry skin and acne, since as I already mentioned, moisturizers work for awhile and then bam , more acne and clogged pores.

Also my mom's face was almost clear except for a big pimple every now and then.

From my mom's side of the family, no acne, not even my cousins or my grandparents.

From my dad's side, no acne, not even my cousins or my grandparents.

And all these bunch of people probably washed their faces with soap, not probably, they all did, and not wear make-up.LOL...I'm sorry but I had to laugh.

So I'm like???????????

Oh I forgot, only one sister didn't have acne, not even when she was young, but she had a lot of cystic boils, when she was a child, poor little one, she had parasites in her tummy, so I think she suffered enough as a child.

I remember my mom squeezing out a boil from her chest.she's the one when I go visit them in Mexico says, stops picking your face.it's horrible picking or not these acne has sadly mark me forever.

So that is why I tell you , don't give up, if you don't see improvement within 2 months of using any product, don't wait, switch because nothing will happen.

I'm always checking on my daughter and asking her to run to the dermatologist if needed.right now it's under control, but she gets lazy, the ziana worked on her skin because she didn't have any scars.

I tried the retin a for a month, then my skin was getting oilier then the dermatologist switched me on retin a micro, and after 4 months cystic acne that never went away ,I stopped until the 9 month, see I also have ocd.I really wanted the retin a micro to work ,I stopped until my kids and husband said, what are you thinking.

Retin a worked on my skin , when I was younger and had no scars from the cysts, but I think since I have so many scars now and retin a move collagen ,then the collagen I guess didn't know where to go.

That is what I think, the dermatologist never gave me a sure answer.

May i suggest seeing a Nutritionist? i know you said you tried cutting dairy etc but there may be deficiencies or other issues. I am studying Nutritional therapy at the moment and i have learned how EVERYTHING comes from within!! Unfortunately I'm not further enough through my course to advise but its really worth trying! They can test for all sorts of things your body might be lacking or getting to much of. Understanding the importance of nutrition is the secret to life. You may think you are healthy enough but a nutritionist may think other wise according to your genes and how your individual body works. All these antibiotics are killing your bodies fighting system making your condition worse in the long run... please try this, a nutritionist can lead you in the right direction for a happy,healthier and acne free life. Please remember by changing your diet you wont see results immediately it is something that will take a little time while your body detoxifies

best of luck mate!

Here I am again, thought I post a little update:

The Differin and the Skinoren did not do anything except aggravating my skin and turning me into something resembling a burn victim. End of February I stopped, because my entire face had turned into one huge infection, which by no means was an initial purge. This infection was not caused by Skinoren and Differin (explanation for it comes in the next paragraphs), but Skinoren and Differin were making it worse by the hour, so my doctor told me to stop using them.

The Doxycycline was a complete fail too, but self-inflicted. One night in late December I did not think, just swallowed the pill with a drop of water and went to bed. A couple hours later I woke up with the most excruciating pain I have ever felt - I honestly thought I was experiencing a heart-attack until it dawned on me that the Doxycycline had gotten stuck in my esophagus and was burning through its lining. Note to self: There is a goddamn reason why they tell you to drink a HUUUUGE glass of water with Doxycycline and sit upright for half an hour. I crawled out of bed (I could not even stand upright without crying out in pain), into some sweat pants and made my way to an emergency GP's office (not my usual GP) at 7am. To make matters worse, this happened on one of the two or three business days between the Christmas holidays and New Years holidays, so the GP's practice was full and I sat there waiting in agony for SIX FREAKIN HOURS not knowing if I was even going to be seen at all.

That emergency GP prescribed me some milky solution (Sucralfate) for my esophagus. I was also ordered to interrupt Doxycycline for the duration of the Sucralfate treatment, which lasted two weeks. Not only could I not eat without tearing up at every bite for two freakin weeks, but the acne came back worse than ever... which is to be expected when you interrupt an AB course.

When I restarted the AB after my esophagus had healed up, they had become utterly useless. They had no more powers against my acne bacteria and my moderate pustules and clogged pores had for the first time ever developed into huge, deep and painful cysts around my nostrils and mouth. My skin had never been oilier. If you read my initial post, you see that I was suffering from dry, rough bumps... now my skin was dripping in oil, not only in my T-zone but everywhere. Even my cheeks, which had ALWAYS been completely clean and baby-soft, turned oily and clogged with blackheads.

My usual GP was so shocked when he saw me again after Christmas, he wanted to do a pregnancy test there and then and put me on Accutane right away, but I refused. I read too many horror stories about Accutane.

So we settled on Oxytetracycline - every 4 hours 2x 50mg pills. While my acne remained not only unaffected, but gradually became worse and worse and worse, the rest of my body started to break down under this heavy load of AB. I'm very thin, 57kg at 176 cm, so I think it was a bit unrealistic by the GP to throw that much AB on my poor body in the first pace. I got constantly ill and developed yeast infections in my mouth and downstairs areas. I got so weak and tired, I felt constantly light-headed and could barely walk 4 meters from my bed to the bathroom without fainting. It was an absolute nightmare. After two months (beginning of March) I was told to stop Oxytetracycline too and so went through yet another brutal flare-up of cysts due to yet another broken off AB course. Fantastic. While my facial skin suffered more and more, the rest of my body slowly recovered - thank god!

At this point, my facial acne had completely changed from only dry, bumpy clogged pores into full-blown oily, cystic infections. It was like I had a different skin altogether. This brought with it a small silver lining: Most acne products I had previously tried (and listed above) had not done anything for those dry, clogged pores, but they did show some effect on this new oily, cystic acne. Avene Cleanance K, for instance, does slightly control the oil production and also the La Roche Posay Duo and K, which had never had any effect on my skin before, now show some benefits in this new oily mess.

I did a Candida cleanse during the month of March in order to get rid of all the yeast infections caused by the AB and ever since adapted my diet to a Candida-unfriendly-nutrition, but my skin remains piss-poor and still has not recovered from the broken off AB trauma.

Even though that was one of the last things I wanted to do, I went back on birth control (which I had stopped a year ago), because I need something to control these oils and cysts and this surely won't be Accutane.

My GP initially was against birth control, because he did a hormonal blood test and my hormone levels seemed - despite my mess of a skin - fine. Also my pre-birth-control-periods were totally regular and never gave any hint on a grave hormonal imbalance.

Nevertheless, for the past 7 days I've been taking 30/150 Gedarel again and I've got to admit I don't feel as extremely oily anymore. I can also see it in my hair. During the AB madness since end of December my hair suddenly needed to be washed almost TWICE a day, for the past week I only had to wash it every other day, which is an unbelievable relief.

Since the first breakout after I was forced to stop Doxycycline end of December, I tried to counter the cysts and inflammation all over my face with a BP from Neutrogena. It hasn't cured these cysts, but it certainly slows down their havoc... at the cost of burning, red, thin and aggravated skin of course. When I try to counter this with moisturizer, of course my pores get clogged and inflamed. I discovered the Resist Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum from Paula's Choice, which has so far been the only product that improves the aggravated skin without re-clogging/inflaming it too much (it still does though).

So yeah... my dry, bumpy and clogged skin is still filled with blackheads, aggravated and painful, but now also sports extreme oil production and deep inflamed cysts around my nostrils, under-eye-area, forehead and chin, as well as clogged pores all over my formerly ever-clean, baby-soft cheeks. I also have now pustules on my scalp, back of my neck and behind the ears, where I never had them before. On the front of my neck (underneath my chin) I have a couple cysts that have been there for about three weeks now and won't budge. Before all of this I had never anything on my neck other than tiny uninflamed, clogged pores.

Awesome. Just awesome. But hey... it can only get better.

Hi there,

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. I can't imagine your frustration - although I do know what it is like to have acne and how our skin can hold us back from really living our lives to the fullest. From what it sounds like your gut bacteria is likely to be very imbalanced. This could have been from birth (especially if your mum also suffers from a skin condition). The amount of meds that you've been on over the last 11 years would have significantly contributed to this imbalance, which is why your acne keeps changing. It's interesting that the more meds you take the worse your acne seems to get - especially after you finish a course. I suspect this is because each time you take meds you're killing off more and more of the good bacteria.

Additionally whatever your doctor's tests say about your hormonal levels they're not correct. There is a large margin of what is considered "normal" hormone levels. I have PCOS and my GP said my latest results were "normal" whereas a private doctor I've been saying said that they're clearly out of whack - quite significantly so.

There are a few things that may help you - so you can look into them for yourself and see if anything speaks to you. There is the GAPS diet - which addresses gut imbalance. And then there is the wonderful team at Flo Living [Edited link out] - it's founder Alissa Vitti had very similar acne to yours and she has created a holistic approach to healing. She told she would never be healed and she'd have to be on meds all her life but she refused to believe that was the only way - it took her over a decade to create the most amazing programme. She talks about everything from gut imbalance to blood sugar management and explains how your endocrine system works. Have a look and see what you think.

It sounds like there are two issues going on here though, underlying hormonal imbalances and gut imbalances. They're both related to one another as well. The great thing is our bodies want to be healthy and they have amazing abilities to repair themselves. So once you have access to the right information that will change everything.

I really hope this information helps. I really, really do.

Sending you much love.

HH

Hello!

So first of all you need to switch as many of your products as possible to ones that are PH balanced and contain no SHIT. Something me and my sister started using recently is the Aveen lipid replenishing cleansing oil. Although it is an oil, it does not seem to be comedogenic at all( and I'm pretty sure it states this on the container) .

It is used to treat people with Eczema, dermatitis and other skin conditions. I just have moderately dry skin and need something that will moisturize without, in the meantime, putting loads of S**t on my face that will cause acne.

So with this now you can gently cleanse your face and if you break out it won't be the fault of this product!

You might not recognize it as a miracle cleanser right away as it does not do much for acne directly, but by helping to moisturize your skin, over time it really prevents and helps acne recover while improving the condition of your skin.

They also have a few moisturizers that have the same goals, but because I have clogged pores I find it better to use a simple salicyclic day moisturiser all over my face. I just use boots botanics shine away moisturizer. This is a moisturizer that does it's job without clogging pores( it actually cleans pores but at the same time allows you to be moisturized).

At night I only use a tiny bit of moisturizer on areas in which I know pores will refill,( but you seem not to have a problem here).

Try to not use moisturizer at night as it will help with all the bumps but if you are really dry(you shouldn't be after that moisturizing cleanser) use a light night one.

I found Elder Flower ( i used the actual plant mixed with boiling water) to be a miracle as an anti-inflammatory for the bumps.

And Green tea another miracle if it might be caused by diet or hormones.( aim for at least 4 cups a day)

I hope all of this helps.

And if it's worth noting, I think it's the products that really turn periods of temporary teenage acne into more severe acne, and in general the less products used the better

Great I'm not the only one who doesn't understand the quote thing...I had the same problem when I tried it!

I understand your disillusionment with topicals (I did resort to acutance in my 20s and now my eldest son has started the acne journey) but I'd like to see you try the epiology system. The cleanser has chlorhexidine so you'd wash away some of the potential acne bacteria with a different active to what you've used previously and then the cream is moisturising while the active proteins work on the acne in multiple ways to help the skin to regain its natural balance.

This sounds just like my story , for the past 5 yrs things progressively got worse, I really didn't pay too much attention for the first few yrs as it wasn't super bad and I had been dealing with so many other things in my life. But the last couple yrs I have tried to address these issues only to make the problem worse. I have literally spent roughly 300 a month over past 2 1/2 yrs on expensive products or diy , Desperately searching internet doing what worked for others only to have my skin getting worse more clogged dull tons of lines everywhere nothing moisturized everything irritated it, even all the creamy sensitive things.. Tried emu oil, cleansing grains, every oil out there, milk cleansers, burt bees sensitive, made from earth, clinique, garden of wisdom, simple kind to skin, olay, honey, water only, dove, african black soap, oil cleansers, cleure , Cerave ugghh just irritated..so many to mention..I have sensitive skin that doesn't do well with any fragrance whether it's natural or not,and hyaluronic acid seems to dry me further..don't understand unless it's because skin in such bad shape... I tried many Paulas choice recovery, earth sourced ect. Finally I have the hydrating resist cleanser, and then resist clear skin hydrater for combination skin..seems too light at first , but I noticed the cleanser and the moisturizer when rubbed in thousands of hard plugs dead skin just keep coming out and skin feels lighter and a bit more moisturized..I could not understand why all the creams and things I've tried never worked for the dryness or the flakes, exfoliating makes things worse. My skin was dry flaky bumpy oily gross with aged lines( well still working through it) . but Paulas choice resist hydrating cleanser and resist clear skin hydrater has been the only thing that has helped.. What I believe is we have severely dehydrated skin.. A lot of products I bought were meant for dry or dehydrated skin and they felt heavy and clogging. This is the best at getting hydration in without leaving a film to clog or heavy creams as well. Wishing you the best

Look into Spironolactone. I joined this site just because It can change one's quality of life.
No dermatologist ever mentioned Spironolactone to me during the decades I suffered from chronic acne.
When I went through menopause my skin got worse! I came across references to Spironolactone's anti-testosterone effects when I was over 50. Spironolactone has no dangerous side effects for (non-pregnant) women. Took it for a whole month with no visible effect, then suddenly, normal skin!

I actually took Roacutan (isotretinoin) when I was younger. Back then, I took it for about six months and had no ugly side effects. Of course, the doctors have to check your blood levels and inner chemistry before prescribing this type of product. Also,I followed the dietary restrictions and lifestyle recommendations to the letter. Roacutancleared my skin and kept it that way (along with mild topic treatments and dietary restrictions) for about 14years.
What I learned from that experience: go to a doctor. If after three months you're not seeing improvement, it's time to look for another doctor. There's someone out there bound to know how to treat your specific skin type. But DON'T experiment. It'll make it worse and you'll lose a lot of time and money!
Last year however, I started experiencing breakouts ...because my hormones have changed (no longer a teen here), and my skin has changed: it's becoming dry. Not only because of age but because those treatments that controlled teen acne have made it sensitive. Also dry skin means there's dead skin cells clinging to your face and that's what clogs the pores. My doctor (the same miraculous one who prescribed me Roacutan) recommended Effaclar H (which is a moisturizer specifically for dry skin due to harsh treatments) along with a alcohol-free, paraben-free face wash.
Here's a list of some products I've used: Sebium H2O, Sebium AI, Sebium AKN, Effaclar K, Effaclar Gel Moussant, Effaclar H, Differin, and chemical peelings made by the doctor. AND ALWAYS: gel sunscreen (not the creamy ones) !

I had oily and dry flaky skin.. It sucked.. Seemed like a dam anomaly. But my skin is no longer oily or flaky. Probiotics was the only thing that had an actual visible positive impact for me.

The gut bacteria are essential for digestion, supporting your immune system, nutrient absorbtion, toxin emilination. A lot of things we come in contact with.. Like eating meat. Have trace antibiotics.. That kills the bacteria in ur stomach.. Good ones and bad one.

Now im not fully cured. But for sure much improved from before.. Google it.

Hi Cairene2010, I ended up on this page because I was in desperate search of an answer to a question to why my pores constantly get clogged. Although my story is very different from yours, I feel that I can relate to you in terms of rough bumpy skin. I always had a problematic skin, very sensitive to the point that i had to carefully choose products, but I was able to maintain its overall decency by using high end skin care. Until one day, when my skin went complete bonkers on me, exactly what you described happening in your early 20s, except I am 36 and it just happened about 6 months ago. I was at my wits end, my sister kept insisting I'd see a dermatologist, but I don't like to go to doctors unless I'm dying lol so, I consulted my good old friend Google. This is when I learned about oil cleansing, and I was never, I repeat NEVER a healthnut, my eye would twitch every time I heard about someone's new home remedy solution to their lifelong problems, I happen to be allergic to essential oil and those oils are present in every "natural" skin care product. No, I preferred chemicals. I liked chemicals, they smelt good. I ate chemicals for breakfast (I am totally exaggerating on this one LOL). You get the point! But my skin became so messed up, rough bumpy texture, sensitive to EVERYTHING!! My normal skin care products suddenly irritated the crap out of my face, Oh and Rosacea came at me with full force. My father has rosacea and I inherited it from him
Anyway, one night I took a shower and my shampoo left me with chemical burn on my forehead and cheeks. This called for some serious action. I held my breath as I reached for a bottle of olive oil. I smeared it on my face and began massaging it in while dreading something horrible like my skin melting off or something.. but all of a sudden, I felt incredibly smooth skin under my fingertips and I could not believe such thing was even possible! That night my new skin care routine was born and I shall never depart from it even when I grow old! Olive oil is my holy grail now, along with castor oil and honey. I tried several other oils due to their suggested benefits, but my skin did not accept any of them, some would cause allergic reaction, some would trigger rosacea. Oh, and the rosacea! It does come back when there is a trigger, but goes away the very next day. Before the oil cleansing method, it would take days to clear up. I also read that rosacea and clogged pores go hand by hand, and I started enzyme cleansing with papaya enzymes and honey masks a couple times a week.