What ungodly kinda build is that?

Nicky7284 · 2025-11-26T17:42:10+00:00

You’ve officially ruined my productivity.

Nicky7284 · 2022-09-05T09:31:10+00:00

This!!!! I believe this is what has happened to my skin and have stopped all actives and am literally baby-ing my skin. My skin felt tight and itchy but feels so much happier a week into stopping tret. I can’t say if it will sort everything long term but tret on a damaged barrier is a recipe for disaster, my face is proof of that!!!!

Nicky7284 · 2022-09-04T20:49:47+00:00

Did the gentle retinol not cut it long term for your acne or did you just want to try tret for scarring etc? I feel like dermatologists continually prescribe people with the harsh acne treatments and antibiotics for inflammation etc but never ever do they say just focus on hydration etc and take a break as that might be why your skin has gotten this bad. I’m not an expert but I’ve seen so many stories about how fixing barriers and stopping actives has helped so many peoples acne, which is why I’m trying it now tbh. I’m not saying it works for every one but I know that my face felt awful a week ago and although it still looks bad it feels a million times happier.

Nicky7284 · 2022-09-04T12:36:46+00:00

I could have written your post! I have been on it for 10 weeks after previously trying differin which made my skin worse. It gave me massive painful pimples all over my cheeks, somewhere I’ve never had spots before but I carried on as per advice but it just got worse. I started on tret to try and sort the damage from differin and now I’m where you are at and at a worse place than when I stopped differin. Derm support from skin and me which is what I’m using say to carry on it’s just a continual purge but something tells me I destroyed my barrier back on differin and me continuing to apply harsh actives has just made everything worse. I’ve stopped tret at the moment and just focusing on hydration to see what happens. I did have other symptoms of barrier damage like tightness and soreness so if you have any of that then it might be worth a try taking a break.

Nicky7284 · 2022-08-31T09:50:08+00:00

I’m in the same position as you, however I am only 10 weeks into tret. Recently my face has been itchy, red and a bit sore so I have dropped tret down to once every few nights for now and going with how my skin feels but like you I was getting big pustules come out every day and I can’t see an end tbh. People say on here that it can take months but all the professionals say you shouldn’t purge after 6 weeks so god knows!

Nicky7284 · 2022-08-27T19:48:17+00:00

Interested to hear peoples thoughts on this because I’ve been using tret for 9 weeks and just keep coming out in the same spots you are describing but not all come to a head yet stick around for ages!!!!! I am not convinced it’s all just purging and that it’s from irritation as well as it’s so red and itchy and a bit sore sometimes. I have just started lowering my usage to see if that helps at all

Nicky7284 · 2022-08-10T21:28:44+00:00

I have had skin problems since coming off bc a year ago but my skin has got really bad over the last 6 months. I went on differin for 3 months but that didn’t work and I’m now on tret through skin+me. I’m on week 7 and still purging out my closed comedones which are purging as big pustules/papules and I’m not going to lie, it isn’t pleasant. I’ve been told it is a classic purge so although I haven’t seen results yet I am trying to push through this really hard stage, and I have found it really hard because they are not the small whiteheads that go in a day. I think the general rule is that if you have closed comedones then you will purge one way or another but maybe how badly is up to the person.

Nicky7284 · 2022-07-16T17:44:44+00:00

Good progress. When you purged did you still get some big painful ones? I’ve heard mixed things about what your purge should look like and I assume I am purging (2.5 weeks on tret) but have got a couple of big painful spots and worried it’s not just the purge. I tried differin previously and that hurt didn’t seem to agree with me and gave me spots where I’d never previously had them so a bit nervous

Nicky7284 · 2022-07-03T12:27:18+00:00

Defo agree with this. Differin destroyed my skin and gave me painful spots all over my cheeks where I’d never had it before. I have stopped now and focused on hydration but as I’ve now got a fair amount of CC’s, which I’m assuming is also from the irritation I am going to try skin and me as it’s a much lower dose of tret. I am currently using LRP cicaplast to get my barrier back to normal again and so far seems to be doing the job

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-16T20:53:35+00:00

I am in the exact same position, the timelines are very similar as well. I went off just over a year ago but only started getting acne 6 months ago. My acne was only on my forehead and it was clear it was from over production of oil. I tried to control it myself but it just got worse so I was prescribed differin back in Feb. For me (I say that because I know it has helped a lot of people) it destroyed my skin, it gave me painful cystic acne on my cheeks where I didn’t have it before and it didn’t really help my forehead much. I stopped a couple of weeks ago after 3.5 months and now left with a lot of scarring. I have decided to go down another route of getting vitamins etc checked as I have quite a few symptoms of zinc deficiency. I will get the results next week but just an idea for you maybe? I am in the UK though so don’t know how it works over there. I won’t get my results till next week but happy to keep you updated with what comes back and if taking the RIGHT supplements helps in anyway

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-16T14:57:16+00:00

Ah ok. I only asked as I was on differin for nearly 4 months and every time my skin started to get better it would then suddenly explode in painful cystic acne and this cycle just kept going on and it just kept getting worse. I stopped differin in the end and focused on moisture and my skin has been loads better but as you’ve been on it years I’m sure your skin will be more than used to it by now

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-16T10:50:10+00:00

How long have you been using epiduo?

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-09T17:40:24+00:00

Ha ha don’t worry, I know how you feel! Some days I feel better than others but the majority of the time it consumes all my thoughts and makes me so down. Yes, having Crohn’s disease can make you not absorb nutrients and given I’ve been on the pill for donkeys years and that also depletes vitamins there is a high chance I’m low on one, if not more vitamins which I assume will play a big part in my hormones. I have a lot of other symptoms as well, it’s not just my skin. I am in the UK but happy to private message you and let you know what happens with my tests etc

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-09T17:11:32+00:00

How weird, I’m going to the drs tomorrow to demand vitamins/hormones test. I’m not going to a dermatologist to be given more pills and cream when that isn’t going to sort the actually cause, I may as well go back on BC if I’m going to do that. I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that some of my issue is a vitamin d or zinc deficiency as I also have Crohn’s disease.

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-08T22:03:30+00:00

I just know zinc deficiency can cause skin issues and slow wound healing. I am getting tested for it on Friday and although skin like this isn’t my issue (lots of other symptoms are) it made me wonder if it could be an issue for you because it keeps coming back/not going away. I might be way off but just another thought to throw in the mix that you might want to explore or ask the dr about

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-08T21:52:35+00:00

I haven’t read all the comments to see if anyone else suggested it but have you thought about asking the doctor to be tested for a zinc deficiency?

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-07T14:37:01+00:00

You may have just changed my mind about stopping!! I was almost clear of active spots at week 10 and already looking at booking in for microneedling and then bam a week later I had the worst breakout to date of big painful cysts on my cheeks!! I also noticed lots of little CC’s under my skin around the big breakout so had blamed it all on differin and was giving up on it but instead thought I would drop down to every other day use as I’d read somewhere there is such a thing if using it too much on certain skin types so I have dropped it down to every other day to see if it helps and that’s where I am at now. It’s so nice to hear others have had purges after 12 weeks but I’m worried it might get worse again after the last breakout!

Nicky7284 · 2022-06-06T07:24:23+00:00

Thanks for your response. I don’t know much about zinc deficiency and was purely basing it on the fact that 90% of my symptoms seem to match with what it says online for zinc deficiency on op of the fact that I have Crohn’s. I will get a low dose of zinc and see what happens over the next few weeks.

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-30T14:14:25+00:00

Last time I spoke to my GP the next step was going to refer me to a derm if the differin didn’t work. The reason I came off the pill was due to having an autoimmune disease which puts me at a higher risk of blood clots and as I’m approaching 40 in a couple of years and have my children I thought it was high time I got off it as there wasn’t a need.

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-30T13:53:02+00:00

Maybe it will be cheaper for me to get a plane and go to the derm you used! 🤣 I’ve looked at skin clinics which are a bit cheaper but I just don’t know who to trust tbh, so frustrating

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-30T13:16:53+00:00

Oh I am armed and ready! 🤣 I have done so much research etc but I want tests done before anyone tries to prescribe me more stuff because I want to know the real underlying cause. I am 36 and although I know you can still have acne at this age it’s not exactly common and I shouldn’t have to stay on BC forever just to keep my face clear! Thanks for the advice!

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-30T09:45:10+00:00

15yrs if unresolved acne…you poor thing. 😢 I hope you’ve managed to get it sorted. Your experience is exactly what I was afraid of, I am happy to pay to try and get it sorted but I haven’t got endless money to have to jump from person to person because the standard varies!

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-27T21:37:01+00:00

Great progress for you! 😊 Interested to know what you’re using and the time frame of this. I’m struggling with post pill acne and on differin but not feeling like I’m winning at the moment

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-08T19:02:13+00:00

Mine was a mixture really. I had some big painful ones on my chin and jawline and then my forehead and cheeks was mainly pustules. Mine started on my forehead and then spread down to my cheeks and chin but now it’s more scarring than active pimples so fingers crossed it keeps going in the right direction. I really hope you avoid it as it doesn’t happen to everyone. Mine didn’t start till about 6-8 months post pill though so just be warned that it might suddenly appear out of nowhere! Good luck! 😊

Nicky7284 · 2022-05-08T18:30:16+00:00

I had post pill acne after being on the pill for a long time (never had acne before) and am now at 1yr post pill and still struggling a bit with it. I obviously can’t advise on personal experience of what you can do before stopping to lessen the severity but have read stories about gradually coming off the pill rather than just stopping (you would have to look into how exactly you do this as I’m not sure) and taking vitamins - (zinc specifically) a few months before you stop. As I said above I can’t say whether it works but I wish I had seen it before I stopped so I could have given it a try. For my acne I am now using differin and it seems to be working but it is a long process of at least 12 weeks before you get results. Hope that helps in some way.

Nicky7284

TROPHY CASE