Hey everyone! After two and a half years of trying to solve the problem that is my face, I visited a dermatologist recommended to me by a friend and was told to take doxycycline 100 mg once a day, use a pea sized amount of tretinoin cream .025% every night, and wash my face with a sulfur face wash.
I thought Id create a log to share my ups and downs so maybe someone else could relate and we could all feel less lonely in this journey.
Let me start off with my skin care routine, because it had improved my skin, just not enough to where I felt it would be sufficient in the long run:
*WARNING: THIS PART IS LONG SO JUST SKIP IT IF YOU DONT CARE*
I had stopped washing my face so often to see if thered be a positive change. There was. Whenever I feel crusty, however, I will use Himalayas neem face wash. Its very gentle and I love it. Most of the time, however, I dont wash my face. I have dry skin and this works for me so yeah.
Every night and morning, I first tone with Humphreys lilac witch hazel facial toner. Then I mix a couple drops of Provence Beautys argan and jojoba facial oil with a couple drops of tree tea oil and pat it in all over my face. I know that some say only use tea tree oil on problem areas, but you see I have acne on all parts of my face, so I find this works best. At night only, I would now pat acouple drops of Klairs vitamin c/ascorbic acid serum. This has helped with dark marks that are left on my face. Finally, I moisturize with First Aid Beautys Ultra Repair Cream. Id highly recommend this moisturizer to anyone with dry skin and perhaps anyone doing doxycycline + retinoids, because it is safe for sensitive skin and is made for those with eczema and other conditions.
For face masks, I like to do a honey face mask a couple times a week. Just honey. Its easier to wash off than you think, but do it before you shower in case you get it on your side burns or anything. Also, Ive been using Nizoral, the dandruff shampoo, as a face mask, because I also have those tiny bumps on your forehead that arent exactly pimples but its still annoying texture. It may sound crazy but its worked for many people. Its a dandruff shampoo, so its anti-fungal and used topically normally. It has helped not only those small dots out a little but has also reduced the number of my normal pimples. YouTube it. My texture is still very noticeable in sunlight, however. What is usually just on the forehead is on my whole face. Apparently it will all bubble up to the surface in a couple weeks as pimples, which I am kind of looking forward to but kind of not?
For a couple months I took this Neem herbal supplement for mild acne by Himalaya. It did help a little and has good reviews by others, but again, I wasnt cured.
But obviously even with all that care, coupled with switching to almond milk and other lifestyle changes, I still have skin sucky enough that I was put on this regimen! My dermatologist advised me against doing any face masks for a while, now that my skin will be 10x more sensitive than normal. I still recommend my routine to anyone with minimal to mild acne however.
Unlike this post, my updates will be pretty brief. I took my first doxycycline capsule today and am about to use the tretinoin after I figure out what parts of my skin care routine I need to change up to ensure the tetrinoin is allowed to work its magic. Hopefully this stuff works in 2-3 months like my dermatologist said it would, because I have my senior prom then graduation in a little less than 5.
Thank you!!! Please share yalls journeys if you too are on any of these prescriptions!
Hey guys! Day 3 of Doxycycline and Retin A (I havent gotten the sulfur wash yet because of a screw up with the prescription).
So I know that getting the initial breakout this early is not normal, but I think I might be getting there. There are a lot of red marks and whiteheads on my chin and cheeks mostly. My skin hasnt looked this bad since the summer, when I wasnt on my current skin care routine. But who knows, maybe I am only seeing bad skin because Im waiting for the IB.
If anything at all, Id suspect this to be the start of the IB, but Im not feeling too sucky yet since my skin has been here before.
Also, update on my skin care routine:
1. Im putting the tretinoin cream on after the witch hazel toner.
2. Ive decided to stop using the vitamin c serum for at least until the end of my doxycycline and retin a journey. Since it targets dark marks, and Ill constantly be getting new marks, I thought itd be best to save my product.
If anyone out out there has gone through this/is going through this, please let me know when the start of your IB was! 🙂
Day 6
hey guys. Still dont know if this is the initial breakout or just a pretty bad breakout. My skin has starting flaking a little, but it only really shows after I get out of the shower. If this isnt the big IB, I know that at least more pimples are coming to the surface and the retin A is working. Its ridiculous how dry my face feels lol. Plus it being winter sucks.
Day 8
Hey guys! So my face is pretty clear right now, just 3-4ish pimples. I have lots of marks though, especially on my chin. My skin feels so smooth from the retin a. I could really get used to this. My skin hasnt gotten dry today like it has before, which is odd but great. I even showered, which usually dries out my face a lot, and no flakes! I dont think I went through the IB anymore. The sailing has just been too smooth! Plus it was waaaaaaaaay too early anyway so idk what I was thinking. But yeah, I havent worn any makeup to school or anything, even on my worse days. Id rather let my skin breathe. Just waiting for the day I can say my skin looks perfect :-/
Day 22
hey guys. I know its been a while, I was waiting for some actual change to occur. So far, my skin is still very smooth, theres just a couple of those tiny bumps on my forehead, nothing too bad. There were a couple of days where my skin looked VERY clear, other than some marks, but since then Ive gotten a couple pimples. Nothing I cant handle. Its around the time of the month where my skin gets a couple more spots, so this is comparatively really nice.
I got the sulfur wash and have been using that 1-2 times a day. The doxycycline makes me feel pretty sick after taking it, like Im gonna throw up, because Im taking it 30 min before dinner. Sucks but its worth it.
For some reason I feel like my skin got better but is now reverting to how it is before. Hopefully this is an IB or just because of the time of the month, because Im really hoping I can go to the dermatologist on Feb 27th and have close to clear skin. I know 2 months seems short, but I dont have cystic acne like others who take this medication do, so I expect it to be somewhat shorter. Others have noticed my skin clearing though, so Im happy already.
Alright Ill try that! I had only been taking it 30 min before just because I had initially felt so sick after taking it. Thats stopped, thankfully, so Ill start 1 hour before now. Thank you! 🙂
Day 31
Hey guys! So right now I have one pimple on my right cheek and a couple small texture bumps on my left that cant even be seen. Id say pimples but I can only feel them so lets say they are very small pimples. My chin and cheeks still have dark marks, which I thought would have gone away by now from the Retin A since these marks are from before I started the treatment. Because of that, Ive decided Im going to start using the Vitamin C serum again. Ill use it ~20 minutes before putting on the Retin A to give it time to soak in.
So doxycycline 1 hour before meal, then at night sulfur wash > toner > serum -(20min)-> retin a. Will update yall soon on any benefits, problems, or changes in general.
Hope you don't mind me asking but just out of interest are you worried the doxycycline will give you the IB or the typical products? I'm just concerned, as I mentioned before my daughter is using topical dalacin t lotion which is working wonders but we've just added oral doxycycline in to help with her back acne. I'd hate her to get an IB on her face since we've made such big steps.
Fingers crossed the doxycycline works for you both. It seems to have relatively good reviews.
On 1/26/2018 at 9:55 PM, Quadboy said:You should take the doxy 1hr before food,2hrs after.
Is this to allow it to absorb better? My daughter is taking it after a big meal to avoid the sickness. She was supposed to be taking 200mg a day for a month but I think it's too strong for her. She's only 14 and small framed. She felt unwell after the 200mg dose.
@Akae8@ceri23My skin did get worse during the first week! This is because theres a lot of bad stuff under the skin that the doxycycline is pushing up. These pimples were bound to show up, but now they are coming up all at once rather than separately over time. Dont worry though, my skin looked VERY nice just a few days after it started to look bad! After being on doxycycline for just a month, I only get one or two pimples at a time. Mainly I just have dark marks left, which is so much better than lots of texture.
P.S. I do suspect the doxycycline causes the IB. And taking the doxycycline not close to meal time makes it more effective. Hopefully the 100 mg is easier on your daughter!
Thanks. The 100mg is fine for her. My daughter is on day 5 of doxy and her face has no IB, her back is still slightly worse but I wouldn't say a break out, just not better. I feel the dalacin t (day 10) is still doing wonders for her face (fingers crossed). Good luck ceri23.
@ceri23No problem! Ill do my best to update when changes occur. Yes Im still on doxy, just finished 1 month. I have a dermatologist appointment on the 27th to check on the progress. He prescribed 3 months worth of doxy so we shall see how long I need to be on it.
Hey guys! Sorry its been a while. So Im about 5 weeks in. My cheeks still have marks and a few pimples lol so no changes really. But I did notice that yesterday I got like 4 pimples on my rightcheek and one on my left cheek. The one on my left cheek appeared during school and I swear to you it was gone by this morning. So crazy! It usually takes like a week for a pimple to go away. So I know that even though overall there havent been huge changes in the last couple weeks, the treatment is still working. Maybe my acne was only kinda bad on my cheeks so my IB is coming in slow waves on my cheeks? Idk, all I know is my case is different from what I expected after reading other peoples logs. Heres how it all went down:
2 nights ago: red marks on my cheeks. Very unusual for me.
Yesterday: pimples showed up early daytime.
Today: all pimples aregone or had shrunken to an unnoticeable size. Still have slight marks in those areas, but not nearly as red and are normal for me when a pimple goes away.
I am two weeks in, and so far my skin has gotten a lot worse. For a minute it looked promising, but then my acne broke out even more than it already was on my cheeks and forehead. I also now have acne on my chin when in the three years I've had acne I've never had spots on my chin.
10 hours ago, ceri23 said:I am two weeks in, and so far my skin has gotten a lot worse. For a minute it looked promising, but then my acne broke out even more than it already was on my cheeks and forehead. I also now have acne on my chin when in the three years I've had acne I've never had spots on my chin.
I still wouldn't say my daughter has broken out. However after 3 weeks on doxy she is getting bigger spots instead as well as small pimples. She has smoother skin in general i suppose but larger spots appearing from nowhere in odd places (by her nose/eye and upper cheek, she doesn't have acne on her cheeks normally)I wonder how long it will take to show a difference as I'm sure it's not the doxy that's smoothed her skin up so far.
Good luck, hope it improves.
On 2/19/2018 at 3:06 PM, ceri23 said:I am two weeks in, and so far my skin has gotten a lot worse. For a minute it looked promising, but then my acne broke out even more than it already was on my cheeks and forehead. I also now have acne on my chin when in the three years I've had acne I've never had spots on my chin.
Dont worry, thats totally normal! The doxycycline is pushing out whatever is under your skin to the surface, like pushing a restart button. A restart button with a really long delay. I hope things get better soon, though. Hang in there!
Hey guys! So Im 7 weeks in and Im going to see my dermatologist tomorrow. My skin hasnt been looking the best these past couple days compared to before, but thats because its that time of the month for me. The breakouts have been concentrated on my upper cheekbones, which is still better than where I started out. There are quite a fewbumps of texture with some redness. Ive been getting a couple breakouts on my head, but nothing too bad.
So I had a few weird experiences last week after I took my doxycycline. I had taken it one day 2 hours after I ate and then my stomach soon started hurting real bad. I felt like I had to throw up and went to the bathroom to do so, but never actually threw up. After a while I decided to eat again to see if the feeling would go away, and it did almost immediately.The day after that I decided to take it an hour before breakfast. I took it when I got to school with the intent of eating breakfast in class. I couldnt last 30 minutes. I was in the middle of a quiz when I had to go to the bathroom because I literally couldnt even calm myself down and gather the strength to open the packet I had containing my breakfast. But again, I didnt throw up. I ended up crouched on the floor holding my head to try and calm myself down, because I physically couldnt walk back to my class. It worked, and I returned to class and ate my breakfast. The day after that, I was too scared to take it again, so I skipped it. I actually had a cold that day and later a cough, so Im glad I didnt add on the urge to throw up on it. The next day, I decided to eat a couple bites of a snack then take it to see if it would work well, and it did. So PLEASE, if you ever feel sick after taking this, EAT SOMETHING! The pain will lessen immediately! Now Im completely fine while taking it, snack or no snack.
I had never read of anyone having a similar experience really. People have gotten sick from lying down too soon or not drinking enough water, but this was neither of those. I think it has something to do with the cold, but Im not sure how.
If Im being honest, Im a little disheartened. I really thought that I didnt have too severe acne, just a lot of mild acne all over my face. I thought it would be clear by now. I thought that breaking out because it is that time of the month would be one or maybe two pimples, not a bunch of little pimples that took me a month to get rid of last time. I just want clear skin already and I cant believe that its so much to ask for.
ALSO, my skin used to be desert dry. I was fine with it, just put on moisturizer and Im good. I had invested in an amazing moisturizer for my skin type. Now my skin is oilier than the Middle East! I wake up and see pools of oil around my nose and its so weird! Id be fine with it if my skin was clear and it made me look glowy and nice, but no! It just makes my acne look worse and my skin look unwashed all the time. Literally washing it barely does anything for me. Its a good change though. I hope whenever my skin clears (if it ever does) a little oiliness stays and looks more glowy.
Ill update y'all tomorrow after I meet with my dermatologist.
5 hours ago, HenrytheDuck said:Hey guys! So Im 7 weeks in and Im going to see my dermatologist tomorrow. My skin hasnt been looking the best these past couple days compared to before, but thats because its that time of the month for me. The breakouts have been concentrated on my upper cheekbones, which is still better than where I started out. There are quite a fewbumps of texture with some redness. Ive been getting a couple breakouts on my head, but nothing too bad.
So I had a few weird experiences last week after I took my doxycycline. I had taken it one day 2 hours after I ate and then my stomach soon started hurting real bad. I felt like I had to throw up and went to the bathroom to do so, but never actually threw up. After a while I decided to eat again to see if the feeling would go away, and it did almost immediately.The day after that I decided to take it an hour before breakfast. I took it when I got to school with the intent of eating breakfast in class. I couldnt last 30 minutes. I was in the middle of a quiz when I had to go to the bathroom because I literally couldnt even calm myself down and gather the strength to open the packet I had containing my breakfast. But again, I didnt throw up. I ended up crouched on the floor holding my head to try and calm myself down, because I physically couldnt walk back to my class. It worked, and I returned to class and ate my breakfast. The day after that, I was too scared to take it again, so I skipped it. I actually had a cold that day and later a cough, so Im glad I didnt add on the urge to throw up on it. The next day, I decided to eat a couple bites of a snack then take it to see if it would work well, and it did. So PLEASE, if you ever feel sick after taking this, EAT SOMETHING! The pain will lessen immediately! Now Im completely fine while taking it, snack or no snack.
I had never read of anyone having a similar experience really. People have gotten sick from lying down too soon or not drinking enough water, but this was neither of those. I think it has something to do with the cold, but Im not sure how.
If Im being honest, Im a little disheartened. I really thought that I didnt have too severe acne, just a lot of mild acne all over my face. I thought it would be clear by now. I thought that breaking out because it is that time of the month would be one or maybe two pimples, not a bunch of little pimples that took me a month to get rid of last time. I just want clear skin already and I cant believe that its so much to ask for.
ALSO, my skin used to be desert dry. I was fine with it, just put on moisturizer and Im good. I had invested in an amazing moisturizer for my skin type. Now my skin is oilier than the Middle East! I wake up and see pools of oil around my nose and its so weird! Id be fine with it if my skin was clear and it made me look glowy and nice, but no! It just makes my acne look worse and my skin look unwashed all the time. Literally washing it barely does anything for me. Its a good change though. I hope whenever my skin clears (if it ever does) a little oiliness stays and looks more glowy.
Ill update y'all tomorrow after I meet with my dermatologist.
My daughter is on week 4 of doxycycline and she isn't really seeing great things either. She's on 100mg (supposed to be 200mg) but if she takes the prescribed dose she feels sick too. So she's sticking to 100mg. Her skin is possible slightly better but it seems to change over night. Just when we think it's improving the next day it's bad again. Good luck today
@Akae8I totally relate to the last part about my skin getting worse right when I thought I was good and it was over.
So my dermatologist prescribed me 4 additional refills to go with the 3 I already had. Fun stuff 🙁 my next appointment will be right after graduation, which is scary to me because it makes me feel like expecting clear skin by prom (which is 3-4 weeks before my appointment) is unreasonable.
Also, Im not sure Ive mentioned this, but I have had a cyst between my eyebrows for almost a year if not more. I forgot to mention it last appointment, so I did today. My dermatologist told me that its a calcified cyst (theres bone in it) because its rock hard. He said theyre common in younger people and he doesnt want to cut it out because it will leave a mark and theres a chance it could go away on its own. I honestly doubt this one will because its been so long already and my skin sucks and never does what it should. He said hed hope it goes away in the next couple of years(!!!!?!!!???) and I should massage it to help it dissolve. If it gets bigger he will cut it out. Tbh Id rather have a scar all of my life than this cyst for so long. Maybe Ill have to lie about it getting bigger so he can take it out.
On 2/27/2018 at 6:23 AM, Akae8 said:My daughter is on week 4 of doxycycline and she isn't really seeing great things either. She's on 100mg (supposed to be 200mg) but if she takes the prescribed dose she feels sick too. So she's sticking to 100mg. Her skin is possible slightly better but it seems to change over night. Just when we think it's improving the next day it's bad again. Good luck today
I did 28 days of doxycycline and my acne got better after a week. But, then it completely got worse. My acne must've doubled and for three weeks it didn't get any better only worse. I have just come back from my doctors and he prescribed me dianette ( the pill). I am hoping that this works for me as I've tried everything else. Good luck with your daughter's skin.
My daughter is on the pill, she started the same time as the doxy. Reason being the pill takes 3 months to work and she has 3 months of doxycycline. Then the pill should kick in. My daughter broke out during the gap week so has been advise to take the next 2 packs of pills back to back to stabilise the hormones. All a bit of a worry taking meds but we'll follow the advice for now and see how we go.
good luck too x
5 hours ago, ceri23 said:On 2/27/2018 at 6:23 AM, Akae8 said:My daughter is on week 4 of doxycycline and she isn't really seeing great things either. She's on 100mg (supposed to be 200mg) but if she takes the prescribed dose she feels sick too. So she's sticking to 100mg. Her skin is possible slightly better but it seems to change over night. Just when we think it's improving the next day it's bad again. Good luck todayI did 28 days of doxycycline and my acne got better after a week. But, then it completely got worse. My acne must've doubled and for three weeks it didn't get any better only worse. I have just come back from my doctors and he prescribed me dianette ( the pill). I am hoping that this works for me as I've tried everything else. Good luck with your daughter's skin.
My daughter is on the pill too. She started the same time as the doxy. Reason being the pill takes 3 months to work and she has 3 months of doxycycline. Then the pill should kick in. My daughter broke out during the gap week so has been advise to take the next 2 packs of pills back to back to stabilise the hormones. All a bit of a worry taking meds but we'll follow the advice for now and see how we go.
good luck too x
Hey yall, sorry I was so whiny earlier this week. And well, a bunch of times before that too lol.
There havent been any changes recently. I used to put face masks on religiously, but havent since I started doxy. I think Ill start to use them about once a week now, because that is what I plan to do after Im done with doxy. I want my skin to get used to how Ill take care of it after I get off of it. Plus, prom and graduation is 2 1/2 - 3 months away and I need to figure out what masks make my skin look its best, now that my skin has gone from dry to normal-oily.