I have finally found something that works (not just for me!)

[DrainBead 0]

Hi,

I've never posted to this forum before, but I've been a long-term lurker.

Here's my story: after being blessed with clear skin throughout my adolescence, I started developing acne when I was 19 years old (ugh). I'm 22 now and for the past four years have tried almost every suggestion (short of Accutane) to control it: Dan's regimen, a million different over-the-counter topicals, Retin-A, B5, and even antibiotics (specifically monocylcines, but I turned out to be allergic--the 6-week hives were worse than the acne!).

Finally, I think I've found a regimen that works, and it's amazingly cheap and easy. I'm not promising it will work for everyone, but here's how it developed:

My roommate (also 22) had been struggling with mild acne, and one day I noticed that her skin had just cleared up--almost completely. She, too, had tried almost every remedy on the market (including the regimen, but bp never worked for her). What was she doing differently this time? Simple: she just changed her facial cleanser (from St. Ives to Cetaphil daily face wash).

I was skeptical, but I didn't have much to lose; I was using Neutrogena's daily cleanser and a 2% salicylic acid lotion, but I was still getting acne. Well--and I can't explain exactly *why* this worked--since I've switched to the Cetaphil cleanser, I have not developed a single pimple. I've been following this regimen for about 3 weeks, so it's still early, but I used to wake up each morning with at least one new spot--now, all I have are fading red marks.

The best explanation I can offer is that, to me, it seems like Cetaphil's daily face wash is not as harsh as most of the others I've used. My face used to get kind of dry and flaky when I used Neutrogena and the salicylic acid, but with the Cetaphil face wash I can use the sa without worrying about dry skin.

So, here's my current regimen:

morning--wash with Cetaphil daily face wash

night--wash with Cetaphil and apply 2% salicylic acid lotion overnight (I use Neutrogena's sa, the 8-hour stuff)

That's all I do. I'm excited that I've finally found something that has worked for more than a few days, and since it's worked so far on both people I know who have tried it (me and my roommate!), it's definitely worth a shot if you're not having success in your current regimen.

Let me know if you guys have any questions, and I'd love to know your progress if you try this!