Officially started week 2! Day 8

i started to use a generous pea sized amount which covers the the top part of my finger twice a day as of yesterday.. I dont know whether its because I used BP for two years up until three months ago, but Iam yet to get any redness, irritation, or peeling.. I will probably eat my words in a couple of days!

The giant cyst on the left side of my chin has FINALLY stopped draining! Its just red blister, and the pustules surrounding it seemed to have died too. Theyre just red.. bumps? Will they go down by themselves?

On The right side of my cheek, the papules are just.. there? Theyre not coming or going. Theyre very bumpy and redand I suspect that they will form into pustules soon, and that thereare more to come!

The clusterof pustuleson my right cheek also continue to form, but three suddenly popped this morning! Inflammation seems to be going down too!

On my left cheek, a deep cyst is still forming, and two papules which hurt to the touch and are pulsing.. this is normal for me, and is usually a sign they will turn into pustules in a couple of days!

Okay, today is the finish of week 3, tomorrow I will be on week 4, soin total I am on day 20. And what a roller coaster!

I am happy to announce that the cysts on my right cheek have GONE! They all came to a head together and a couple of days in, were completely flat! Since, I have not had any breakouts around that area! However, I did notice a potential blind pimple.. but it doesnt hurt, its just a bump.

My left cheek however.. exploded with cystic acne. I have this one literal solid line of cysts that all connect together. However, they came up maybe 4 days ago, and already I see the inflammation lessening. I am hopeful that it will disappear.

May chin area has flattened SO MUCH. I still feel the uneven texture, but no longer is it plagued by disgusting sharp bumps. The over all texture of my skin is baby soft!

The areaaround my lips continues to be a problem area, clusters of pustules come up at any given moment. However, they never last more than a week.

I am on my time of the month, so I think that has contributed towards the pustules. I am happy to announce that almost all of my whiteheads are gone!

And I just got over the redness/dryness! I have severe dry skin for maybe 2 weeks? I am still at two thirds of a fingers length of BP day and night just because I feel like its a good balance between product and the ability to cope.

I will say that my skin seems dull overall, the hyperpigmentation is severe, and some days it feels like snake skin towards the end of the day. However, jojoba oil is a life saver!

Today marks the start of my fifth week, and just the other day I cried because of how much BETTER my skin looks. Especially on my right side, which is where the drama began. A few pustules cropped up to the right of my nose on top of my cheek, but they have just come to a head this morning and without much pressure popped! Im hoping that they heal soon.

The same is to be said for my left side. The cysts have all but eithercome to ahead and/orhave dramatically decreased in inflammation. Just one more came up in Monday but its already starting to fade.

my chin.. oh my goodness. It is FLAT. The huge cyst is still quite tender but nowhere near as much as it was just a week ago. And the cysts surrounding them are drying up. It will take a LONG time for that section of my face to heal.. but I think that its finally on its way out!

I will say however, I am still getting small whiteheads popping up, but they do dry quickly.and just one or two blind pimples every so often, but nothing in comparison to what I was getting before. Its just frustrating to see progress and then a few new blemishes.. I do know that it takes a while not only for the regimen to work, but also for birth control to take a positive effect.. if any at all!

Nothing on my forehead, and all the closed condones have gone! Just the space between my eyebrows that a few healing whiteheads, its sooo hard not to pick at them, but so far I have 80% resisted!

Also, I incorporatedL-Lysine supplements just two days ago. Ive heard that those are a GODSEND for acne (though they are taken for cold sores). I will say that I had a cluster of pustules AGAIN around my lips, and usually it takes a good week for them to come to a head and drain.. theyve all but gone.. and it came up maybe 3 days ago? I dont want to get my hopes up, it could just be a fluke.

And I missed a lot of days taking vitamin A/Zinc because I ran out and they dont often sell those in Japan separately, theyre usually within other vitamins id rather not waste my money on.

Have started AHA just a few days shy of the month mark, 1 pump moisterizer and one pump aha, and noticed an intense burning sensation for a couple of hours. I think thats a good sign? Im going to go slow. This routine once every other day. My skin was quite red the day after I applied the AHA.. wish me luck!

Yesterday marked the start of my sixth week on the regimen.. and things have changed. Both for the better and for the worse.

Im not sure if its because I incorporated the AHA+ glycolic acid once a day mixed in with my moisterizer, but my left cheek has broken out. Not as awful as before, but thoseannoying tender papules and one VERY tender under the skin mountain cysts. Its a lot smaller than what my cysts have been like in the past, but still very annoying! This is the halfway mark, so I suspect that my skin is still renewing and revealing deeper trapped acne bacteria before the BP can fully penetrate it. Its only the halfway mark, and im Still remaining positive.

On that note, my right cheek is GLOWING. Its flat (bar one cheeky papule but it is tiny). And the hyperpigmentation is fading every single day!

The huge cyst on my chin.. came back. I committed the ultimate skin sin and popped it a couple of days ago. Its still tender, and there is a gaping hole where the underlying fluid came out, but I am treating it was witch hazel and carful cleaning. I just PRAY this is the end now. My dermo said he doesnt do any procedures where he can remove the cyst or INjectit (I live in Japan and the number of doctors that speak english are limited).

Start of week 7 from today.. and wow.. Im really starting to feel like myself again!

Anyone with, or who has suffered from, cystic acne might relate to, is that it feels and looks like it has deformed your face. You feel like there is always something foreign on you, making you less of who you really are. From today, I only have two pustules on my face, and even they are dying after just 4 days!

I actually had five pustules come up all at once. Since my body is still adjusting to the birth control, my regular ovulation time (where I often get the worst of my cystic acne) is still present, which is why I think those five cameup. However, three died within a day, and the others as I said are on their way out.

I am also seeing a drastic improvement in my overall complexion. Im still dry (however where I live in Japan it has suddenly gotten freezing cold and dry, which probably didnt help with my skin situation either) and still only using two thirds of a fingers length of BP twice a day. But I have been using the AHA solution once a day (or as much as I think my skin can handle) for about two weeks now. My skin is GLOWING. My scars have faded dramatically, to the point that only the worst lighting picks it up. In the sunlight, you can barely see them!!

Im still taking all my vitamins, and they seem to be helping. Ive also stopped taking my antibiotic and replaced it with a probiotic. Ive been doing that for about a week now, and whilst I believe its doing my good to detox, I wonder if im doing too much. I might have to do an elimination process on these vitamins to see what is really working.

I really do think that taking L-Lysine has helped tremendously. Perhaps not all about skin issues, but I have noticed how CALM I am. Ive suffered with anxiety and depressive tendencies (I have never been diagnosed so I want to use these terms loosely) for more than ten years now, and I can honestly say I have never felt so.. light. There is some research which suggests taking l-lysine inhibits stress, which I turn could help lessen acne, but I would advise everyone to do their own research first.

What I am currently taking in the morning is as follows

2 l-lysine at 1000 mg each

1 vitamin a

1 omega 3 (if I dont eat fish or plan to eat fish for breakfast or lunch)

1 zinc

1 milk thistle

1 b complex with additional b5

what im Taking at night is as follows

2 l-lysine

1 omega 3 (again, if I dont plan on eating fish for dinner)

1 birth control tablet.

I will say that this week is my week break from my birth control. So, im very anxious as to how my skin will react. I am hoping that my topical treatments have started to take effect enough to warn off breakouts, or at least the worst of them, but only time will tell!

Start of week 8! I cant believe its been 2 months.. it seems surreal!

I have just one largepustule growing on my jawline on theright side of my face, but I have a feelingits a sebaceous cyst surfacing and draining as the cyst that was there is getting smaller everyday! Other than that, I have two small whiteheads growing just around my bottom lip.. but I cant remember the last time I JUST had a Whitehead.

I even just had my period and nothing drastic happened. That has NEVER happened before. Since I just took my sugar pills as part of my birth control pack, I wonder if reintroducing the hormones will cause acne? This will also start my third official month on birth control too.

Now, I am left with horrendous hyperpigmentation and some lingering under the skin sebaceous cysts that are currently not infected. I THINK that the two main ones (both on opposite sides of my cheek) are going down naturally. I think the daily AHA exfoliation is helping a lot. In general, the AHA and BP is helping with my hyperpigmentation marks. They have gone down significantly since introducing the AHA a little over three weeks ago. Im excited to see new progress. I still have a beard of red marks, and in the wrong lighting its just horrendous. But, in natural and gentle lighting, it really doesnt look bad at all!

I have also starting to take vitamin E and C supplements.. putting my supplement count on 9.. I think that is WAY too much, but until my skin has calmed down, I dont want to risk anything just yet.

I hope things continue to improve!

Hi! I just wanted to say that I appreciate your detailed account of your experience. It gives me hope too, that this will get better and to just stick to the regiment. Ive gotten super red just from the BP and very flaky per the inevitable side effect of it, so I need to do more research on what else I can do when it gets really itchy and dry feeling.
thanks again!
B