Hey,

My GP put me on tetralysal 300mg and I have been taking that for 4 weeks. My acne is improving a bit, but I know antibiotics are a disaster and my skin will inevitably get much worse the minute I go off them. I'm also suffering from a shockingly bad cold, which may or may not be caused by the A-Bs. I'd much rather have a topical treatment that works, even if I have to use it for years, and I want to start it ASAP so I have some chance of having nice skin this summer.

Basically, I have suffered from acne for a good four years, and have had so much time to judge topical treatments like BP. I tried the acne.org regimen for four months and it did help (the cleanser and moisturiser are great products I still use now and then), but the 2,5% BP just didn't work. I know that my skin only responds to 10%. I know lower percentages are meant to be as effective, but I honestly tried 5% a while ago and my skin got SO much worse. It's under some form of control now with 10% BP and isn't dry or irritated.

However, I have these really flat, painful "spots" of acne on my cheeks and jawline that BP doesn't work on. They never come to a head and I really think I need some kind of retinol cream that will help them go. They remain for weeks and hurt so much when I wash my face (very gently), which makes me feel like I have terrible acne and a face covered in sores, even though my skin's been so much worse. They also leave a light brown patch of pigmentation that DOES fade, but means my skin always looks terrible even when I have very few breakouts (I'm sure differin would help the scars too, as it helps skin turnover).

My GP said she'd prescribe differin after 12 weeks of using the tetralysal, which annoyed me, because I feel like my acne is enough of an issue to jump straight in with as many treatments as possible.

Since my GP has essentially said differin is suitable for me, I want to just go ahead and order it now online in bulk (much cheaper). I'll be careful with it etc. but I am really frustrated with my acne. I know everyone here will advise against doing that, but I don't see how it's bad, because I know that if I went to my GP today she would give me differin.

Has differin helped any of you? How accurate is the "no improvement for 12 weeks" disclaimer? (I assume I'd see improvements after about 3 weeks with a topical treatment, especially because I'm on antibiotics?)

Thanks so much - I'd do anything to have clear skin. It's so annoying seeing a couple of my friends, who eat rubbish the entire time, binge drink, smoke a lot and don't remove makeup at night etc., have absolutely flawless skin all the time!