Here is hoping for the best.

I went to a new dermatologist today as I'm hoping to finally end my battle with cystic acne. I first got cystic acne at 18 years old, which is later than most people (I had minor acne though from about age 12). I'm currently 20 and this is close to the worst it has ever been (it was at its worst when I was 18). The dermatologist I went to today was great and really helpful.

She now has me on an antibiotic and I have to follow a very strict acne regiment to follow, but I'm wiling to put in whatever time I need to finally get a clear face. Acne has completely killed any self-confidence I had. I even struggle accepting compliments nowadays because I just see and think about my acne.

I'm going to try to post daily to let you all know how this journey goes. I know several people struggle with acne, so I'm hoping for the best!

 

I'm currently on doxycycline, which was prescribed by dermatologist during my appointment yesterday. I am on a 50mg dosage, taken twice a day. Last night was the first time I used it and I used it again this morning. My skin seems to be drier than usual (I tend to have disgustingly oily skin). That's the only difference so far, but it's only Day 1.

 

Day 3: Woke up this morning and my skin was quite oily. My skin feels smoother, but appearance wise, I look exactly the same. I read online that for some people their acne got worse before it got better when on this antibiotic. Somewhat nervous to see what happens.
I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

 

Well, yesterday I started the full acne regiment: a tedious 4-step process in the AM and a 6-step process in the PM, not including the antibiotic twice daily. I did the 6-step process for the first time last night. My skin looked better this morning, but there is still many marks and pimples, especially on my cheeks.

I am not that hopeful though because acne treatments "appear" to work the first few days and then you realize your face is exactly the same. My dermatologist is really confident in it going away and I'm just not confident at this point; I've tried so many things in the past, I cannot see my skin getting better.
I also saw old pictures and realized how old my skin looks. I look like I have the skin of a 60 year-old man instead of someone 20 years old. I'm just very stressed about it at this point, which probably isn't helping my acne (oh, the irony).

So this is Day 4 and everything I'm feeling currently. Skin appears to be a little better, but I can't really tell at this point.

 

Day 5: Not going to lie, my face looks better than it has in about a month. There are obviously still a lot of marks, but I haven't had any new breakouts and my skin feels smoother than ever. I'm still going to try to remain realistic though and not get over excited.

My face has been burning a little last night and this morning when I applied the products. I know that somewhat means 'it's working,' but it is still not the best feeling. I'm sure my face isn't accustomed having 4 things applied to it every morning and night. We will see over the next few days / weeks.

 

Well, very good news and some bad news.

Day 6: My face is clearer than it has been in the past 2 years and I'm not even joking! I have a few pimples left on my cheeks, 1 or 2 on my forehead, and some near my jawline. However, they are all small and not very obvious. The area of my cheeks near my eyes and my nose are completely clear. I still have the scars, but this is the best my skin has looked in a long long time. I even took Snapchats today and didn't have to try to cover half my face - haha.

The bad news: My face and neck are quite red and it is obvious by my neck because it goes from red to quite a tannish-pale. One of the products I'm using is a medicated pad which feels like it is burning my face after I use it; I'm going to try and not use the pad for tonight. The area of my cheeks near my nose is burning and I think it's from those pads.

Overall, I'm very happy with the improvements! I just hope this keeps up.

 

More good news and more bad news.

Day 7: My face is continuously looking better. It appears even some of the scars are going away. I still have pimples on my cheeks and jawline (and I got one new random pimple on my forehead). Overall though, in terms of acne, I'm very, very pleased and hope this continues.

Now, the bad news. My face is redder than EVER, it's burning crazy, and partially peeling. I was stupid and used the pads last night even though I said I wasn't going to. I didn't use them this morning and don't plan to for a while. I don't know what's worse, the acne or this pain. I tried calling my dermatologist and she never answered.

It seems like I can never win :/ Also, I'm getting a cold so this day has been excellent (sarcasm).

 

Hey, thank you both for the responses. One of the creams is a moisturizer, but it is still burning my face. Applying anything to my face at this point is burning it. Sorry for constantly calling them "pads", they are actually erythromycin pads. I have not taken the erythromycin since Monday night so we will see.

That leads me to Day 8:Face looks about the same as yesterday, a few marks and some acne, but it is considerably better than Day 1. But I am kind of lost because my skin is peeling really bad near my nose and it still burns / is red. I don't even know what to apply to my face at this point because everything hurts. I am also still taking the antibiotic. My dermatologist insists this is normal, but not only is my skin peeling embarrassing, but the pain is intolerable.
I wore a scarf today because I also have a cold (I really can't win this week) and the scarf was burning my neck. Kind of lost at this point.

 

Thanks for the reply stoccata, I think I am going to listen to your advice and get off of the creams altogether for a few days. I've been off the erythromycin for two days now and my face is still red and peeling, so I'm not going to use them for 3-4 days and see what happens. If it continues, then I know the antibiotic is causing it, but I highly doubt that. Thanks again for the reply!

 

Sorry, I forgot to post what I am currently on.

- Doxycycline (50mg, twice a day)
- PanOxyl (twice a day) (will probably cut to once a day when redness, peeling, and burning goes away)
- Erythromycin pads (twice a day) (probably will cut out to every other day)
- Adapalene cream (once a day at night)
- Cetaphil Dermacontrol Moisturizer (twice a day)


So my problem is I have no clue which product is causing my skin to get irritated.

 

Unfortunately Day 8 did not end when I posted last yesterday. I ended up using my wash and moisturizer last night and my neck was burning very, very bad. It was intolerable, as I couldn't sleep and I even considered going to the hospital. Then, my mom tried putting Aloe Vera on my neck and that made it 10x worse. The pain died down after about 20 minutes and I got some sleep.

So now Day 9: My skin actually seems to be less red, there isn't much burning, but there is still a lot of peeling. I took a shower and then attempted to put on my moisturizer and it actually didn't burn my skin. I'm going to just stick to the antibiotic and moisturizer for a few days. This peeling is embarrassing, but at least the redness has died down. Ironically, my skin is still as clear as its been in a while.

I scheduled an appointment with my dermatologist for Monday to get all this irritation and dryness figured out. Talk about a crazy week. Let's hope 2016 is better to me.

---------- Post added 31st Dec 2015 at 07:37 PM ----------

Unfortunately Day 8 did not end when I posted last yesterday. I ended up using my wash and moisturizer last night and my neck was burning very, very bad. It was intolerable, as I couldn't sleep and I even considered going to the hospital. Then, my mom tried putting Aloe Vera on my neck and that made it 10x worse. The pain died down after about 20 minutes and I got some sleep.

So now Day 9: My skin actually seems to be less red, there isn't much burning, but there is still a lot of peeling. I took a shower and then attempted to put on my moisturizer and it actually didn't burn my skin. I'm going to just stick to the antibiotic and moisturizer for a few days. This peeling is embarrassing, but at least the redness has died down. Ironically, my skin is still as clear as its been in a while.

I scheduled an appointment with my dermatologist for Monday to get all this irritation and dryness figured out. Talk about a crazy week. Let's hope 2016 is better to me.

 

Day 10: The peeling and redness is finally starting to go away, which is quite nice. My skin still looks the same as yesterday though, if not a little worse in terms of acne. Not using any of the products other than the moisturizer and antibiotic is probably causing that though. I'm becoming a lot more confident in my skin, which is a really nice feeling. Being able to take pictures with friends and not have to hide my face is a nice feeling.

My skin is far from perfect, but I'm becoming more confident everyday and it's great. I also have a dermatologist appointment on Monday to figure out the whole irritation thing. Looking forward to the future and 2016 altogether. Determined to make it the best year of my life.

 

Thanks Penelope! Glad to know someone is reading this!

---------- Post added 3rd Jan 2016 at 04:52 PM ----------

Sorry for missing yesterday, I was extremely busy. I don't even know if anyone is reading this log anyways, so it isn't too big of a deal.
So now, Day 12: Unfortunately, it appears some of my acne is coming back. I woke up and both my mom and dad (thanks parents) mentioned it looked like I had a few more pimples near my jawline. I suspect this is because I'm only on the antibiotic and moisturizer as of now (because some of the other stuff was causing redness, peeling, and burning).

Overall, my face is still 10x better than it was, but I'm still concerned now. Luckily I have a dermatologist appointment tomorrow so maybe I can get back on the creams, but use them less frequently. Here is hoping for the best. Kind of getting nervous.