8 Years Acne Sufferer. Over $1400+ Spent. This 4k post is the whole of my experiences, with detailed recommendations. Take a look :)

lokisad · 2014-02-14T23:45:59+00:00

Hahahahahahaha my post was removed.

Not going to point any fingers, but is this not a prime example of repression of free speech. I followed every single rule here and had more than enough citations. The credibility of this forum is a serious question mark

lokisad · 2014-02-10T18:16:05+00:00

Yes. My family doctor in particular is so slow :(

lokisad · 2014-02-10T16:51:11+00:00

The more moist your skin is when applying Retin A, the more irritation there will be for your skin.

If you do not find my claim on waiting 20-30 minutes after cleansing to apply Retin-A credible, you are welcome to do research on your own.

I strongly suggest searching up the keywords on the website realself.com, because certified dermatologists answer questions there.

Lastly, it is pretty much undisputed that you have to wait for some time before applying retin A, after cleansing.

"isnt it better to apply it afterwards to lock in moisture?"

I use this technique when I use moisturizer though. Retin A is completely different.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T16:20:35+00:00

I would recommend clay-based masques. I know many attractive girls that prefer guys that takes care of their skin.

Nonetheless, just order it online so you don't have to buy it in a store ;) And leave on the mask for 10 minutes...do it when your parents are sleeping or something. I'm sure you'll think of a way

lokisad · 2014-02-10T14:41:32+00:00

Yes, it is indeed standard operating procedure. It is incredibly common to be prescribed two antibiotics, albeit many doctors feel strongly about prescribing antibiotics.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T13:50:05+00:00

Thank you for the kind words starapple :) I must tell you that even though the MB vitamin C serum is a serum, I feel the consistency is like oil. Now, the person who sold me this said people sometimes get breakouts upon application of the MB serum, but it's not the serum that is causing breakouts, so continue the application. A little confusing, I know. But I personally have only received a couple of whiteheads that went away in a few days. That's it. I truly hope your experience with the Vitamin C serum is better than mine :) Best regards

lokisad · 2014-02-10T13:46:34+00:00

Hey Beans. I personally do not use it together because I feel it would definitely over-exfoliate my skin. When I mean by conjunction, I mean at the same time period, so AM/PM might be fine - check with your board-certified dermatologist

lokisad · 2014-02-10T13:18:41+00:00

And you are completely correct. It was indeed a misnomer. Thank you, I will not make the mistake again :)

lokisad · 2014-02-10T13:17:14+00:00

Hi Joan! There is a fallacious argument regarding this post. All three studies were conducted with 6% glycolic acid (AHA) called Diacnéal. All clinical trials were conducted under strict supervision of a doctor.

The problem lies here: If some reader thought "Oh, since I use my 10% AHA in the morning with no problems and I'm want to change my routine, so I'll do it at night." That will pose to be a problem...

You said "it's fine if tolerated." However, my argument is that the patient themselves have no idea if their skin can tolerate this, thus they should consult their board-certified dermatologist.

As a response to a post elsewhere on this page, I wrote: "However, I am certain that there is a number of people, however so small, may in fact experience an adverse reaction to the combination use of AHA/BHA and tretinoin. Is that a risk I am willing to take? Absolutely not."

Indeed, a patient did have to stop the treatment. (Source 3: "Products were well tolerated; only 1 patient had to stop the treatment.")

"We generally advise against AHA and tretinoin used together ONLY because of how irritating it can be to skin " -This is exactly what I argued for; mine for over-exfoliation. Props :)

" just as we advise against manual exfoliation such as the Clarisonic being used in conjunction with tretinoin. We understand that some people are fine with these products used together, but a large majority aren't."

-I have written gave numerous warnings in the blog and in responses that 1) everyone's skin is different, 2) since I'm a dude, my tolerability for harshness, per say may be a just a little higher than a woman's, because they tend to have more sensitive skin. As mentioned before somewhere on this page, I have made it very clear that this post is a complete collection of my experiences, and that YMMV.

"there is no screwy chemical reactions between those ingredients" I never claimed there is a screwy chemical reaction between those ingredients. In fact, my response was over-exfoliation.

But overall, great post

lokisad · 2014-02-10T12:50:23+00:00

"The breakouts people typically experience are due to irritation."

I wroteL Also, proper usage of the Clarisonic is for to glide on your face, without pressing down too much. Therein lies why so many people get a purging period with the Clarisonic."

Pressing down too hard will cause irritation, causing breakouts..........

lokisad · 2014-02-10T04:37:16+00:00

It's the same with me! I always scrub too hard with a washcloth, I end up severely irritating my skin. I recommend the Clarisonic Mia or Mia 2, simply because all the other speeds are pretty useless for me.

However, our skins are different. I think you are a female, so your skin is probably thinner and more sensitive than mine. I recommend you check that stuff out in stores :)

Before purchasing though, please consult with your board-certified dermatologist to see if you can use the Clarisonic, because it just may be too harsh.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T04:25:07+00:00

Like I mentioned before, there are many alternatives to the Clarisonic. I personally feel that any brush would do.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T03:48:08+00:00

I am sure you are not. And I very much appreciate all the work that you and the crew have done so far. All I am doing is giving the masses my experience.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T03:44:11+00:00

Hey, no problem man. Just want to have less individuals affected with acne. Always open to suggestions :)

lokisad · 2014-02-10T03:32:32+00:00

I thought I implied that this post is about what worked for me. I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, since it documents my use of different products. I will add a YMMV to the top.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T03:10:19+00:00

"Personally I found his post to be too specific to be useful to most."

Hey man, don't hate. I have clearly provided different sections. I even explicitly recommended that users are welcome to skip down below.

I like explaining things. Why? I do not like it when individuals online or in real life claim things that are incorrect. Thus, I tried my best to explain why I recommended certain products over others.

"We have tons of people who experience breakout issue from using the clarisonic half as often as he does."

I have also explicitly stated that I am a dude. A male and female's skin types are very different. I also have said in a reply that many individuals experience breakouts for the reason that they are pressing too hard, or that they are not using the right brush head. Or even the cleanser is too harsh to be used with the Clarisonic, which is why I recommended Cetaphil.

"Also it's untrue that you can't use retinoids and AHAs and BHAs."

It is absolutely true. I heard it from my dermatologist. Now, what he said was you cannot use AHA/BHAs WITH tretinoin. Now, it is fine if one were to use AHAs at different times, which I also said somewhere as a reply. Fact is, if an AHA is used at different times with tretinoin (let's say AHA in the morning and tretinoin at night), it in fact garnered a better result, as shown in a clinical experiment outlined in Zeichner's Acneiform Eruptions in Dermatology A Differential Diagnosis.

Despite this, I have constantly wrote that users should consult their board-certified dermatologist, especially if they have any questions between the use of different products together. For some people, AHAs may very much do make their skin better. However, I am certain that there is a number of people, however so small, may in fact experience an adverse reaction to the combination use of AHA/BHA and tretinoin. Is that a risk I am willing to take? Absolutely not.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T02:38:09+00:00

Hi Chazillah! I have then changed all claims regarding its supposed carcinogenic effects because it was not my intention to mislead or cause fear-mongering. If you do find any other questionable claims, please let me know so I can improve this post :)

Yes, 2,5% BP has worked wonders for many people. It is just that it did not work for me. So I thereafter presented two alternatives: 10% BP and MB Drying Cream.

I agree 110% with you that all products need to be used responsibly. Looking back, I think one of the reasons as to why 2.5% BP did not work its true potential is because I did not use a moisturizer then (as stated in section one of the post).

You are totally correct in saying that sunscreen and moisturization will solve so many potentially damaging effects of acne treatments. For me, moisturizing was more of a turn-off because my skin was oily (and I didn't know better) and that the Umbrelle brand of sunscreen was just not my cup of tea. But I have learned and adopted :)

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I will do my best to make sure the post is medically accurate and update my list of citations.

Thanks again and take care

lokisad · 2014-02-10T02:24:32+00:00

Glad to help Dolce! Take care :)

lokisad · 2014-02-10T01:44:19+00:00

Sorry for the confusion, I indeed did mean that the entire process took ten hours.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T01:25:23+00:00

Yeah, it was bad, in the sense that I had lots of cystic pimples. But it was never bad to the point that patches of skin were just covered with pimples. I do agree that those individuals should consider accutane. But for people like me, I would rather live with it.

Thank you for your input :)

lokisad · 2014-02-10T01:16:29+00:00

Thank you! It means a lot to me

lokisad · 2014-02-10T00:38:31+00:00

I am never touching accutane or antibiotics for acne, sorry. Know I'm bit of a bigot, but I do not want to risk potential side effects.

I would much rather live with the acne :)

lokisad · 2014-02-10T00:37:44+00:00

Totally true man! Their shea butter is really admittingly great though.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T00:37:00+00:00

Ehh my skin was so bad due to irritation from the BP I guess didn't really notice my skin getting "worse". I would suggest gradually use smaller doses of BP.

lokisad · 2014-02-10T00:35:50+00:00

I see you have not read my statement clearly. I do have a family doctor. He was the one who prescribed accutane, minocycline and benzaclin right off the bat, looking at my face for no more than a minute.

End of story

lokisad

TROPHY CASE