So the redness and breakouts are likely from rosacea as BP should not be causing redness after such a long period of being on it. I would contact a highly rated board certified dermatologist to determine if you have rosacea but from your post I'm 90% sure you do. It looks like a textbook case considering how it gets worse in the winter (this is common to 90%+ of people who suffer from rosacea). If you can post a picture of the redness I can probably give you a very informal diagnosis but you should still see a dermatologist in person anyway. Treating rosacea is rather complicated as it varies so much from person to person, unlike acne which has pretty standard treatments.

Do you do the regimen once or twice a day?

I only ask because I was using 1 pump once a day for about a little over a year, until I had a huge breakout. Switching to two times a day and 2 pumps has helped me alot to keep severe breakout at bay.

Also, you may want to apply extra moisturizer during the day in the winter time, especially in the morning if you don't plan to shower until later on in the day.

EDIT: ok i just read your post again and saw you do it twice a day, sorry i'm a bad reader. The only thing I can think of is to switch to two pumps a day and to be extra gently when cleansing. Also, try not to take long hot showers, it can severely dry out and irritate the skin.

I would contact a highly rated board certified dermatologist to determine if you have rosacea but from your post I'm 90% sure you do.

I go to a derm twice a year to check for skin cancer since it runs in the family, never have they once mentioned rosacea. I checked around online and i'm certain I don't have it. It's red, but not that red.

 

EDIT: ok i just read your post again and saw you do it twice a day, sorry i'm a bad reader. The only thing I can think of is to switch to two pumps a day and to be extra gently when cleansing. Also, try not to take long hot showers, it can severely dry out and irritate the skin.

Actually that reminds me, during the cross country season I took cold showers and I remember reading on here that the cold from the showers can actually help with oily skin glads. And I always have very clear skin when the season is in. (I don't know the science behind it, but hey, Everything on the web is true!) I'll start that back up tonight.

I have not been on the Regimen for as long as you have but I wanted to give some input. Personally, my skin gets used to a product if I've used it for that long and stops working. Therefore I stopped using the Regimen after three months because it already cleared up my acne. So I think your skin is used to the BP after 1.5 years and it is no longer effective. That's just my personal skin experience though.

Just wanted to comment because I've reached 1 year on the Regimen at the beginning of June. (:

I'm currently clear and have been for a while now, but I was forced to do the Regimen once a day at night (2 pumps) and only moisturizer or AHA in the mornings because my skin was still red after many months. No matter how much I mositurized my face was still red and flaky. But I'm still clear only doing it once a day without the red skin and only a tinyyy peeling.

I'm so sorry for all of your struggles though. Not really sure if my experience is helpful in the slightest but I hope something can be done to help you soon!

What is your current regimen? Usually when you step down your BP dosage, you can experience huge breakouts. Also, I know for myself, hormone fluctuations (huge cystic breakouts) or too much alcohol can severely affect how my skin looks (dryness/redness). Try documenting everything you've done since you've been experiencing the breakouts and usually you can find out what the culprit is. It's good to reevaluate your daily activities to see if there is a possible link between it and your breakouts. I would also suggest switching moisturizers depending on the time of year. My skin reacts best to Dan's moisturizer, but during the harsh NY winters, my skin needs a little extra to stay hydrated. Also, don't forget the power of drinking water to stay internally balanced. Hydration from within shows on the outside, so don't underestimate it's power. Best of luck and let us know how it's going...

What is your current regimen? Usually when you step down your BP dosage, you can experience huge breakouts. Also, I know for myself, hormone fluctuations (huge cystic breakouts) or too much alcohol can severely affect how my skin looks

Current Regimen is the basic Acne.org one with DML lotion, I tried Dans lotion back when I first started the Regimen and it tinted my face yellow and overall it didn't work. I now only do one pump of BP because if I do two pumps my face becomes

1. Really red

2. Really oily (weird right?)

3. Generally disgusting to look at

I've also found no correlation between the amount of BP used and skin condition. For example, last year around the 4 month mark, I reduced my BP intake to half a pump morning and night, and my skin was really clear during that time period.

I think I've attributed my amazing breakouts to hormones. My face is a lot oily-er than i'm used to and just about the only acne I get are big ol' red cysts around the mouth and nose (I've heard these are common areas for hormonal breakouts)

I'm not that worried about it right now because school isn't in. So I've got about two months to figure this out or I'll be pizza-face-boy once again.

* For anyone that's interested, I did start the cold shower regimen for about a week in June and my face felt GREAT during that time, I highly recommend it. However I did move into an apartment for the summer and the water in the shower just isn't cold enough. I'll be sure to start it once I move back into normal housing in August.

Just wanted to comment because I've reached 1 year on the Regimen at the beginning of June. (:

 

I'm currently clear and have been for a while now, but I was forced to do the Regimen once a day at night (2 pumps) and only moisturizer or AHA in the mornings because my skin was still red after many months. No matter how much I mositurized my face was still red and flaky. But I'm still clear only doing it once a day without the red skin and only a tinyyy peeling.

AHA for me made my face BRIGHT red, like everyone I came in contact with would ask if I was ok. If you still use AHA as a moisturizer I'd recommend you to stop. I still use AHA but I use it on existing pimples to hurry the healing processes, but using it flat out on my face would make me look awful.

I have not been on the Regimen for as long as you have but I wanted to give some input. Personally, my skin gets used to a product if I've used it for that long and stops working. Therefore I stopped using the Regimen after three months because it already cleared up my acne. So I think your skin is used to the BP after 1.5 years and it is no longer effective. That's just my personal skin experience though.

I have to wondered if BP just 'stops working' after a certain period of time. I've searched the interwebs for awhile on it and I can't find anything to support the claim. Although I do wonder...