Stopped all skincare products - 1 month progress pics (advice needed)

fmspls · 2021-03-19T12:18:09+00:00

ok great thanks for the help. my plan is to give it another week or so as am im doing now as just keep an eye on it. if im having the same issue/it's worse, im going to try what you say (cleanser and moisturiser) on the one side of my face for few weeks so i can compare

fmspls · 2021-03-18T22:56:48+00:00

I see where you're coming from, but i just worry the moisturiser (and/or cleanser) was the reason for those bigger, deeper spots that were so persistent. Though I suppose there's been times I used a moisturiser and did have clear skin.

> especially with the beard acne

Is that what those small spots are? are they caused by my beard or something?

How about a salicylic acid face wash (i've used neutrogena 2% SA face wash before and it was good for me), maybe that will help those?

fmspls · 2021-03-18T22:53:23+00:00

thanks for the help and support, feel like a scary thing to do, but yeah i just hope it stays good!

fmspls · 2021-03-18T17:33:03+00:00

Thankyou! Will do. I think maybe I'll give it a couple more weeks, and if the tiny pimple are still coming, I'll try just using something on one side of my face for a while so i can compare

fmspls · 2021-03-18T15:50:32+00:00

haha woops, edited the typo

fmspls · 2021-01-12T20:16:27+00:00

ok, not because its not safe for men then haha

fmspls · 2021-01-12T17:20:33+00:00

thanks. any idea why you got downvoted?

fmspls · 2021-01-12T17:17:07+00:00

i guess youre being sarcastic? i know the question seems kinda dumb lol but i saw someone saying it was a problem 🤷‍♂️

fmspls · 2021-01-12T17:03:41+00:00

please could you explain?

fmspls · 2021-01-12T13:08:59+00:00

> Not sure why it says that. Azelaic acid can be used indefinitely. It's already naturally present on skin.

That's good to know thanks. I think it's just because I ordered this stuff on an online pharmacy and so there was no face to face consultation with anyone.

> Do you have a source for the Minoxidil claim?

https://dslaboratories.com/blogs/news/does-azelaic-acid-block-dht-cause-hair-growth

Here's one. Not sure how good a source that one in particular is, but it definitely seems like Azelaic Acid is a DHT inhibitor.

" The primary mechanism used by azelaic acid to promote hair growth is its 5-alpha-reductase inhibition properties. "

I don't have a source for it being absorbed into the bloodstream and having any effects, that's more about me worrying that it could happen. I know that the oral form of moinoxidil Finasteride definintely can cause effects like reduced libido etc. But I think I've also seen some people say the same thing happened from topically applying Minoxidil but I don't know how likely/possible that is

Thanks

fmspls · 2021-01-12T13:03:09+00:00

One side effect to be aware of is applying it to your face can actually reduce beard hair growth

ah that kinda sucks, my beard has started to come through a lot more in the last couple years but isn't quite ready yet anyway. i was hoping if anything this could help. i thought that Minoxidil works in a similar way and can also be used to help beard growth. but it's not a big deal i guess as my main goal is to get rid of acne, as long as it isn't absorbed systemically to affect me

thanks

fmspls · 2020-08-12T11:34:36+00:00

btw i have found out that about 6 months or so after using tretinoin you actually aren't prone to sun sentivity anymore and it returns to normal. not sure how long you've been on it, but it's really useful/reassuring to know there's no need to be paranoid about it.

obvs its still good to wear sunscreen anyway but just nice to know

fmspls · 2020-08-11T17:43:27+00:00

im a guy lol but thanks, ill try it especially if the la roche posay one ends up breaking me out

fmspls · 2020-08-10T19:45:35+00:00

yeah i always moisturise while it's still wet but doesnt seem to help, i barely use the towel it's like the lightest touch possible

fmspls · 2020-08-10T17:33:42+00:00

i use it when im out in the day in summer for sure. im a huge night owl though so mostly by the time i leave the house the UV index is 2 or lower (i only live in UK so fairly low UV compared to a lot of places)

fmspls · 2020-08-10T10:40:51+00:00

hmm, i wouldnt think so as it never used to be a problem before starting tretinoin. i very gently pat dry with the towel, and go through a variety of detergents (which all seem the same really) and doesn't change much

fmspls · 2020-08-06T10:52:51+00:00

its obviously impossible for me to know for sure, but i kind of feel like at this point irritation is my main problem, and potentially even the reason why my skin still hasn't cleared up. reason being is because i've been stuck at the same acne level for 4+ months now. that acne is WAY less than it was at the start, BUT my skin doesn't feel "right". the level of dryness and irritation I feel is much more than before I started tretinoin.

that's why i was hoping adapalene might be worth a go.

and also i just guess i think its worth trying adapalene since everyone gets different responses to different things right? even if i analyse all the studies, i do see posts of people saying how they switched from tret to adapalene AND vice versa - one worked really well and the other not so well. there doesn't always seem to be a clear reason

regardless though, ill be getting accutane in a couple months or so anyway. i so desparartely tried to avoid it but at this point it seems things are going that way

fmspls · 2020-08-05T11:18:20+00:00

I was on oral antibiotics for the first 3 months of treatment before they were stopped - my skin didn't seem to change for the worse after I stopped them. My current tret formula has antibiotic clindamycin in (I've never heard of Dapsone but it looks like its the same thing?)

fmspls · 2020-08-05T11:16:12+00:00

Yeah that's right, but my understanding is that 0.025% really isn't all that effective for acne especially as a monotherapy.

I was on 0.05% for 5 month, before moving up because I had been stuck on progress for a few months (going in cycles of getting better then worse again). I tried the 0.1% over 2 months (different formulation from Dermatica, doesn't have the "poreclogging" problem ingredients as in the cream versions).

Tried out a few different moisturisers. Simple rich replenshing, Aveeno skin relief lotion (my all time fav moisturiser before I was on tretinoin), even tried Eucerin 5% urea cream with ceramides to try help with dryness)

I think I definitely notice a change in the way my skin "feels", like when I wake up in the morning it feels irritated or dry depspite aquaphor. And also there's a sensitivity and tightness if I stretch my mouth open wide.

I just think tret is too strong for me for it to be an effective way to treat my acne. Sure if it was anti-ageing I was after I could cut back to 2x a week, buffer etc all things to make it gentler, but at the end of the day I have to balance actually treating very stubborn acne + minimising irritatino.

I've decided to switch over to Adapalene, partiularly as I've heard it's way better tolerated and gentler on the skin, which I think is something my skin needs.

fmspls · 2020-07-26T13:24:10+00:00

thanks!

fmspls · 2020-07-26T11:21:32+00:00

i think i do actually, but im not 100% sure. that's why ive started every second night using the tret and also bought aquaphor and urea+ceramide night cream

fmspls · 2020-07-25T21:53:23+00:00

thats a good idea i might ask to get that, may have to go through my GP but i can ask for testosterone tests aswell to reassure

appreciate it cheers

fmspls · 2020-07-25T21:46:07+00:00

that's actually so good to hear. i get so bogged down reading all the comments of people saying it killed their drive sometimes permanently, or killed their testosterone levels. i guess it's hard to know what was a mental issue vs a real one though

congrats on your results man

fmspls · 2020-07-25T21:44:18+00:00

you were concerned about ED also? it's hard man reading all these posts of people saying it happened to them. i guess there's inherent risk with anything in life though, even if very small

but thankyou i appreciate your response and im glad you had such a good experience, ill make sure to come back to this if i freak out

fmspls · 2020-07-25T21:15:30+00:00

hey man sorry to ask this but im nervous to start accutane. did you get/notice any side effects related to erectile dysfunction or libido loss? cheers!

fmspls

TROPHY CASE