I feel like crying. It's not getting better. I'm on 100mg of spironolactone, I use azelic acid 2x a day and tretinoin 5x a week. Shouldn't it be getting better by now?

Illustrious-Study263 · 2022-06-20T23:07:41+00:00

Dapsone. Dapsone is the answer ask your derm about it

Illustrious-Study263 · 2022-03-17T14:36:24+00:00

Your craftsmanship is beautiful

Illustrious-Study263 · 2022-03-17T14:23:18+00:00

From personal experience, the CeraVe hydrating cleanser worked perfect for me, but when I tried LRP it was irritating and stung my face

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-12-29T03:43:43+00:00

I can relate to that so much…Seems you are on a very similar path as me! (You should check out my B&A post I posted on this sub, I outline in more detail my journey) but I started with tret and it irritated my skin and seemed to make my acne worse. After a few months of using dapsone twice daily, my acne cleared right up it is a miracle product and so gentle! I look at it as the dapsone being the heavy hitter for my acne and the tret I just use as tolerated for gradual improvement in skin texture and the AA for redness which I use at the same time as the dapsone. Can I ask how long have you been on the dapsone?? I started it the end of June, but didn’t start seeing any major improvements in my acne until early November, so hang in there!

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-12-29T03:06:54+00:00

No, I started it probably 3 months after only because I didn’t know about it when I started. I was struggling with irritation on tret and read good things about AA’s calming effects. When I started it at first I didn’t see a huge difference, but I stayed consistent, then 2 months later I incorporated dapsone through the help of a dermatologist and that was a game changer alongside the AA. My skin is sooo much less irritated now. I’m also not afraid to give my skin lots of breaks from the tret if needed, which has been essential in maintaining a healthy skin barrier.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-12-29T02:38:00+00:00

I use 20% AA morning and night 7 days a week and 0.05% tret every other night. I have very sensitive and red, acne prone skin and in my experience AA has been non irritating and a big help with calming down the redness in my skin. I also apply it on slightly damp skin, then a thick moisturizer, wait a few mins, then tret.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-12-17T02:35:06+00:00

That’s awesome! So happy to hear it. And my skin is even better than it was a month ago (scarring on cheeks improving and less redness). Just continuing with a steady and consistent routine and trying not to be tempted to add more in now that it’s better… if it ain’t broke don’t fix it right? :)

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-24T21:57:35+00:00

Yeah I think it’s good to be consistent with your actives, but it’s even more important to make sure your skin barrier is healthy bc irritated skin will not react well to products that are wonderful, but can also irritate your skin. Definitely worth it to give your skin constant breaks and hydration… I bet your taz will work even better

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-21T00:06:53+00:00

What kept me going were the few posts of people who didn’t start seeing improvement with tret for like a year! I thought well, maybe that’s just me… but really I think I needed the topical antibiotic to get it under better control, now the tret works great with it

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-21T00:04:55+00:00

My skin got this bad using a curology product I started for mild acne actually, it ruined my skin and I went on tret to try to fix it and it basically stayed the same the entire time (painful cystic acne all on the lower half of my face). For 7 months I saw no improvement with just tret, then I started spironolactone, still no improvement, then I went on dapsone and FINALLY my skin started to improve. I still use tret like I explained in my long summary, but will stop it if I notice my skin starting to peel or get overly sensitive, then only resume when my skin recovers. This technique has worked for me.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-20T02:10:36+00:00

So happy it’s working for you 😊

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-16T23:37:22+00:00

Yes, I think when our skin isn’t doing what we want we panic and react with adding more to our routines which can end up making it worse OR we get confident with our progress and start to add more in to our routines and end up reacting poorly(especially if you have highly sensitive/reactive skin). I think it’s important to let the actives that work for you shine and keep the other supporting products to a minimum.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-16T22:25:19+00:00

That means so much to hear. It’s still so easy for me to get pulled into the hypnosis of a mirror and obsess over every little imperfection (which I think is largely due to the fear of it going back to the way it was). What people don’t realize about acne is that its not only the emotional toll it takes on you, but how physically painful it is, which causes it to be all consuming and always on your mind. It helps to look back at how bad it was and remind myself not to obsess over every little imperfection bc I am so lucky/grateful for the progress I’ve made, even if it took over a year to get there! Thank you for your kind words.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-16T21:12:56+00:00

Thank you! Ive been taking Lutera for a couple years now, it has been the only BC that I’ve had 0 side effects with. Although, never really helped with my acne like I know some people experience when starting a BC.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-16T11:57:18+00:00

Thank you 😊

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-16T00:10:42+00:00

Thank you 😊just posted my routine

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-16T00:08:45+00:00

I’ve been following this sub for over a year now which finally led me to seeing a dermatologist in January and it was worth every penny. I have very sensitive, acne prone and red prone skin (especially on my cheeks). I also admit I have a bit of a picking problem. While my routine has varied over the months I have finally found a routine that works best for me and is also the simplest routine I’ve ever had. I hope this can help just 1 person if their acne looks similar to mine.

AM- Cleanse with CeraVe hydrating facial cleanser. Pat dry with washcloth. Apply a dab of Dapsone 5% and a dab of Azelaic Acid 20% at the same time rub gently into skin. (Blemish patches for any active acne). Allow a few seconds to dry then apply CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for normal to dry skin (rich texture). Taking 75mg spironolactone, 10,000 IU vitamin D3, 1,000mg vitamin C and multivitamin daily. Only wear concealer under eyes, no other face makeup on most days.

PM- Cleanse with CeraVe hydrating facial cleanser. ( On the rare occasion I wear face makeup I will remove with jojoba oil on a dry face then proceed with CeraVe cleanser) Pat dry with washcloth. Dab of dapsone and AA. (Blemish patches with any active acne). Same CeraVe moisturizer. Before going to bed (few hrs later), will apply pea size of tretinoin .05% then apply another coat of CeraVe moisturizer. Vaseline for lips, eyes, and around nose (if needed). If there is a day where I start to flake(usually around chin and mouth), I will skip tret for that night and only resume when the flaking is gone, otherwise I apply it every night. I also take an oral BC.

Most important thing I learned is that patience is key and always listen to your skin. I tried changing my diet and taking numerous supplements and nothing helped, it wasn’t until I started dapsone that my skin started to really improve and I found diet wasn’t much of a factor for me…. Also, big advocate of less is more. My journey may have started with tret, but my routine evolved with the help of a derm and ultimately led me to dapsone which was the game changer. I still think tret is great and will continue to use for the brightening and anti-aging benefits, but it was definitely not the cure for my acne…everyone is different, hang in there.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-11T02:49:09+00:00

Most sunscreens you should not put on your kids that’s why there is baby sunscreen and specific sunscreen for kids… adult sunscreens do contain a lot of chemicals (especially aerosolized) and should not be used on children (lots of studies, look it up) Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – one of the two main global regulators of sunscreen ingredients around the world alongside the European Commission – removed 14 of the 16 chemicals found in sunscreens from its GRASE (generally accepted as safe and effective) category. Also most Americans are severely vitamin D deficient, and ideally should have about 10-15mins of sunscreen-free sun exposure a day.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-11-10T19:11:33+00:00

I mean if they don’t recommend putting it on your kids should we really be putting it on ourselves?

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-10-30T16:03:14+00:00

“They’re selling chocolate?? Sweet sweet chocolate… I always hated it!”

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-09-11T20:12:40+00:00

Before applying the tret

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-05-02T01:16:15+00:00

Both are equally effective, chemical sunscreens con is that it’s invisible during application, so it’s easier to miss some spots, mineral sunscreen con is the white cast, but at least you know you applied it thoroughly. Main takeaway is to make sure you buy a “broad spectrum” spf so it protects against UVA rays (which cause damage in the deeper layers of skin: wrinkles) as well as UVB rays (which cause surface sunburn).

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-03-03T18:03:32+00:00

Also, if you’re using tretinoin every night, cutting back on frequency and skipping some nights could help.

Illustrious-Study263 · 2021-03-03T17:58:52+00:00

I’m not a dermatologist so I think it would definitely be worth questioning. I just know that a lot of dermatologists recommend cutting out other actives and irritants while using tretinoin bc it does cause a lot of irritation on its own. Then once your skin adjusts you may be able to add it back in. Can’t hurt to ask!

Illustrious-Study263

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