I have always been more physically developed than my peers, so i started to get the odd pimple now and then around the age of 11. By the time i was twelve i had developed spots on my back and chest, although mild, i went to the doctors and they gave me a gel. This gel did nothing, other than bleach all my clothes. i went back a year later when i was put on antibiotics, again these failed. i stayed on the antibiotics for about two years before last year when i started getting much more severe break outs. I had lots of big, deep, painful spots on my chin, forehead, chest and back so i was put on a birth control pill which worsened them even more, so bad in-fact that i could not sleep on my back as the spots hurt so much. After that i tried two more contraceptive pills, neither worked but my skin seemed to get a bit better. Three months ago i was put on differin, but i am yet to see any difference at all. most reviews i have seen say that their skin started to dramatically improve around this time (12 weeks) but my skin has not changed as much as other people have said it would have by now. My skin is worst around my period, although even when off it is still never full clear. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Every case is different, some people will respond immediately whilst others will take longer, so stick with the Differin - it worked pretty well for me, although I had to use it morning as well as evening.
I can only really suggest that you take everything you have written above and speak to your Doctor to see if there's any other treatments or lifestyle changes that you can combine with the Differin to help.
1 hour ago, Hominid said:Every case is different, some people will respond immediately whilst others will take longer, so stick with the Differin - it worked pretty well for me, although I had to use it morning as well as evening.
I can only really suggest that you take everything you have written above and speak to your Doctor to see if there's any other treatments or lifestyle changes that you can combine with the Differin to help.
How long did it take for differin to work for you?
On 04/12/2016 at 5:27 PM, LGM2001 said:How long did it take for differin to work for you?
I think it was a month or so before I noticed it was working for me. But my skin wasn't really that bad at the time as I had taken a course of roaccutane a few years previous, so I already had a lasting effect from that. My skin just needed a little something to control the oil each day. I used Differin for about year and it was very effective most of the time, but for me it wasn't quite enough as I had to use it fairly heavily, so I switched to Epiduo which for now seems to be the perfect thing for my skin.
When you say you have yet to see any difference at all, do you mean that literally or has there been some minor improvement? It's still perfectly possible that it will make a difference, but if you really feel like it's doing absolutely nothing then I would say go back to your Doctor and see if they can recommend a replacement or supplementary treatment.
Try going all natural to treat your internal body, which will cure your acne.
check out: thelovevitamin.com
or my blog: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/blogs/entry/32202-how-to-heal/
20 hours ago, Hominid said:I think it was a month or so before I noticed it was working for me. But my skin wasn't really that bad at the time as I had taken a course of roaccutane a few years previous, so I already had a lasting effect from that. My skin just needed a little something to control the oil each day. I used Differin for about year and it was very effective most of the time, but for me it wasn't quite enough as I had to use it fairly heavily, so I switched to Epiduo which for now seems to be the perfect thing for my skin.When you say you have yet to see any difference at all, do you mean that literally or has there been some minor improvement? It's still perfectly possible that it will make a difference, but if you really feel like it's doing absolutely nothing then I would say go back to your Doctor and see if they can recommend a replacement or supplementary treatment.
I haven't had any deep, painful spots for a couple of months but i now have lots of small pimples and bumps, so my skin has changed, but ii don't know if for the better.
My skin isbetter than it wasbut i've been comparing myself to other reviews on here that say it took them two to three months to have perfect clearskin so i was concerned there was an issue, but maybe it will just take longer or i need a stronger percentage.
I wash my face with mario badescue acne face wash morning and night after removing makeup, next i put on my differin then a light moisturiser. occasionally i will exfoliate but i find the more i do to my skin, the worse it gets.
I've never had my hormones checked or heard of that to help my skin, but now that seems quite obvious.
It's true that 12 weeks sounds like enough time, and maybe that's when most people see results, but each person responds differently so if you can find the patience for it (I know it's difficult!) I would use it for a little longer and see if you see further improvement. Try not to compare yourself to others. I think it might be a good idea to get an appointment with the doctor and ask about getting your hormones checked, and also see what they think of your skin's response to differin. It could be that your skin has purged and the acne is now closer to the surface, and if that's the case it's on the right path.
I agree with you, it's normally better to keep the skincare to the minimum! Have you thought of changing your face wash? Apparently it exfoliates, which might not be what your skin needs every day.
Also, it's very important for your skin to be well hydrated, I think people like us with oily/acne prone skin forget that sometimes, but it can be the key to healing the skin. I use Avene's soothing moisturising mask, which can be used as a mask or night cream. It's good for sensitive skin, non-comedogenic and oil free. It's great. If you feel a little more adventurous, I would recommend trying rosehip oil (I use Pai's rosehip bioregenerate oil), it's great. I know your eyes probably went wide open when you read oil! But you should research online, it's a very good oil for acne prone and oily skin as it doesn't break you out or make you oily or shiny. It's good for hydrating your skin but it also stops spots, specially cysts. I was scared about putting oil on my face but it works great.
I hope your skin improves soon! Keep us posted!
2 hours ago, LGM2001 said:My skin isbetter than it wasbut i've been comparing myself to other reviews on here that say it took them two to three months to have perfect clearskin so i was concerned there was an issue, but maybe it will just take longer or i need a stronger percentage.
I wash my face with mario badescue acne face wash morning and night after removing makeup, next i put on my differin then a light moisturiser. occasionally i will exfoliate but i find the more i do to my skin, the worse it gets.
I've never had my hormones checked or heard of that to help my skin, but now that seems quite obvious.
Mario B. facial cleansers are utterly horrible. They dry out the skin and cause worse acne. It made me 500x worse in the matter of a few weeks. I think most of them include SLS and Isopropyl alcohol, so how anyone can get or remain clear on their skin care line is a mystery to me. I'd try something basic like Neutrogena's oil-free SA cleanser, it contains no fatty alcohols or alcohol derivatives.You could always try buffing the Differin by applying a thin layer of moisturizer first, if it's too strong. It's important to use only a pea sized drop.
What kind of birth control pill were you on? It sounds like your acne is T/Androgen related and if you're on the wrong brand, it can definitely make androgenic acne SO much worse [my own story is testament to that].
I've had no issue with Mario.B face wash, i ran out for a couple of weeks and used a neutrogena face wash temporarily and my skin stayed exactly the same.
In regards to birth control i've been on femodene and desogestrel, neither made any difference. I have also been on a pill containing levonorgestrel which absolutely ruined by skin. I had never had skin so bad on that pill! I think it was called rigevidon. It's the generic first pill every doctor tries first apparently. It gave me deep, painful spots that lasted weeks and came up in clusters then then stretched my pores so they just refilled and started again. I had these all over my chin, forehead, chest, back and neck. I had never felt more ugly; i couldn't even look at people.
On 12/7/2016 at 5:32 PM, RikiMe said:It's true that 12 weeks sounds like enough time, and maybe that's when most people see results, but each person responds differently so if you can find the patience for it (I know it's difficult!) I would use it for a little longer and see if you see further improvement. Try not to compare yourself to others. I think it might be a good idea to get an appointment with the doctor and ask about getting your hormones checked, and also see what they think of your skin's response to differin. It could be that your skin has purged and the acne is now closer to the surface, and if that's the case it's on the right path.
I agree with you, it's normally better to keep the skincare to the minimum! Have you thought of changing your face wash? Apparently it exfoliates, which might not be what your skin needs every day.
Also, it's very important for your skin to be well hydrated, I think people like us with oily/acne prone skin forget that sometimes, but it can be the key to healing the skin. I use Avene's soothing moisturising mask, which can be used as a mask or night cream. It's good for sensitive skin, non-comedogenic and oil free. It's great. If you feel a little more adventurous, I would recommend trying rosehip oil (I use Pai's rosehip bioregenerate oil), it's great. I know your eyes probably went wide open when you read oil! But you should research online, it's a very good oil for acne prone and oily skin as it doesn't break you out or make you oily or shiny. It's good for hydrating your skin but it also stops spots, specially cysts. I was scared about putting oil on my face but it works great.
I hope your skin improves soon! Keep us posted!
This week has been to the doctors and i had been given duac in combination with my differin in the hopes to strengthen it as the process is working although slow. My doctor also said if this doesn't work they would look to put me on a retinoid version of accutane (which basically means without the side effects it usually has). Have you any knowledge on this combination?
I've never tried that combination, in fact I have never tried differin. But Duac contains benzoyl peroxide and that has worked for me in the past. It could dry your skin more though, so be prepared. My doctor never told me this when I had the problem but apparently it's okay to put moisturiser on top of Duac, differin, etc if you allow some time for it to dry first. That could help with the dry skin. I hope this combination works for you!
I haven't tried the retinoid version of accutane but I have read very good things about it. I was on accutane a few years ago and the side effects made it awful but it did get rid of the acne almost fully. I was in a situation similar to yours, as I could see other people's skin improving greatly in just a few months with accutane, but mine would only very slowly evolve. I ended up with a treatment time of almost 2 years, really long, and I was desperate by the end because of the side effects. It didn't fully fix my skin but I went from very severe to mild acne and it was worth it. It made my acne controllable with basic skincare.
Let us know how it goes!
On 12/19/2016 at 1:07 PM, RikiMe said:I've never tried that combination, in fact I have never tried differin. But Duac contains benzoyl peroxide and that has worked for me in the past. It could dry your skin more though, so be prepared. My doctor never told me this when I had the problem but apparently it's okay to put moisturiser on top of Duac, differin, etc if you allow some time for it to dry first. That could help with the dry skin. I hope this combination works for you!
I haven't tried the retinoid version of accutane but I have read very good things about it. I was on accutane a few years ago and the side effects made it awful but it did get rid of the acne almost fully. I was in a situation similar to yours, as I could see other people's skin improving greatly in just a few months with accutane, but mine would only very slowly evolve. I ended up with a treatment time of almost 2 years, really long, and I was desperate by the end because of the side effects. It didn't fully fix my skin but I went from very severe to mild acne and it was worth it. It made my acne controllable with basic skincare.
Let us know how it goes!
i've been using duac in combination for about four days and my skin burns so much! my whole face is very dry and very sensitive, i keep waking up in the night with an extreme burning sensation all the way down my neck despite only using it on my face. I have carried on using this as differin began with a similar way expect not so extreme but I'm beginning to wonder if it is a bad idea as it is souncomfortable
Doesn't sound good... How many times a day do you use it? Maybe you should slowly introduce it, use it only twice on the first week, then 3 times a week, then 4 times and so on... If your skin still reacts badly when you only use it twice a week you should go back to the doctor's, it might be an allergic reaction or that your skin is too sensitive.
Make sure you moisturise your skin really well!
I'm sure there are other brands but I know Avene has a thermal water spray that calms the skin while moisturising. You can use it anytime, even on top of makeup, might be worth trying?
Hopefully someone who has tried the same products will comment and be able to help more than me!
So, a little background on me. I suffered with acne for YEARSSSSSS, like ever since I became a teenager. Since this time, (I am now 27) I have tried accutane3 times, tried too many topicals to even name and have taken a number of antibiotics. So cut to a few years ago..I was 24 with the worssttttt acne ever. It was terrible (hurt to smile), so I wanted to try something new. My mom took me to a homeopathic doctor, and the first question he asked me was how often I was going to the bathroom. Basically, he said that our body eliminates toxins through our digestive system, and if were unable to do that, then the toxins will come out in different ways. (i.e. your skin). Since this appointment 3 years ago, I have cleared up my acne (not without a few scars, unfortunately. But my skin is now literallyperfect.
The reason I'm writing on this forum is because I understand the stress and lack of confidence that you can have when you're skin is, and more specifically, my most recent post about getting to the bottom of your acne. I'm not commenting here as a means to get attention for my blog. This is my passion project and I want to share the knowledge that truly changed my lifestyle. If you are so inclined to check it out, here's the link![link removed]. Please ask me any questions!!
