UPDATE: Read my Accutane experience and How I got rid of Acne for good.
Hello There!
I have already posted an article about my experience with retinoids and how they played a major role in getting rid of my moderate acne. I just wanted to come back to the topic now, after over 1 year of using these products, and kind of tell you more details about my experience which might be helpful for you, hopefully.
When I first got my acne, around 3 years ago, it started really light and almost unnoticeable, but then, after nearly one year, it started getting a bit out of control and I never really cared about it that much or felt self-conscious before people, mainly family and school friends, started asking me "what the heck is happening to your face?". It was really frustrating, and thankfully, it wasn't severe, still it bothered me tremendously and lowered my self-esteem.
After a couple of months I saw that it's necessary to go to a dermatologist, and the first was a female doctor who prescribed me tons of products that were not easy to use, tons of pills.. It was utterly a waste of money and time. Afterwards, I visited another doctor who was obviously more skilled and experienced and he prescribed me Tretinoin (Retin-A or Retisol-A, it's the same thing) and a gel wash (which I didn't like and never used, I only used water to wash my face because my skin was very dry). At first I was very skeptic about it. I thought to myself that the tons of expensive products that the first doctor prescribed, promised great results but they didn't do anything, let alone this little cheap cream tube. Still, I was very patient with it, and I stuck to it for a couple of months (3 or almost 4) and it paid off! I saw an amazing improvement. People even started to tell me "Wow! Your acne's gone!". I was extremely happy about it. I stopped using it afterward and my skin remained clear for the whole summer, but I was left with a very minor scarring (some purplish/red marks because I couldn't stop picking at my pimples all the time).
In autumn, for some reason, probably stress, my acne came back and worse than ever. I was so frustrated. I immediately bought the Retin-A again, and started using it but after a couple of weeks, I couldn't find it anymore. The drugstore lady recommended a better alternative: Differin. It is like a milder but a more effective form of Tretinoin. I was skeptic about that too but as usual, I stuck to it and I'm still using it till this very moment I'm writing this article.
This stuff really cleared my acne. I used to wake up with at least a new whitehead or a cyst every other day, and around my period it was a disaster! I also had tons of clogged pores and bumps because I was using a very bad foundation everyday. It helped get rid or at least improve all this tremendously.
It took a very long time indeed, 6 months at least, but at least it worked. Now I can wake up everyday and look at my face and there are almost no active breakouts. Only some tiny, unnoticeable zits around my period.
Unfortunately, despite that it helps improve the scars, it's absolutely not enough. I'm left with a hideous discoloration all over on my cheeks, my forehead, my chin, my back and even my chest. So I figured out another regimen for that.
I hope this helped. Stay tuned because I will post my scar treatment routine soon.
Hello There!
I have already posted an article about my experience with retinoids and how they played a major role in getting rid of my moderate acne. I just wanted to come back to the topic now, after over 1 year of using these products, and kind of tell you more details about my experience which might be helpful for you, hopefully.
When I first got my acne, around 3 years ago, it started really light and almost unnoticeable, but then, after nearly one year, it started getting a bit out of control and I never really cared about it that much or felt self-conscious before people, mainly family and school friends, started asking me "what the heck is happening to your face?". It was really frustrating, and thankfully, it wasn't severe, still it bothered me tremendously and lowered my self-esteem.
After a couple of months I saw that it's necessary to go to a dermatologist, and the first was a female doctor who prescribed me tons of products that were not easy to use, tons of pills.. It was utterly a waste of money and time. Afterwards, I visited another doctor who was obviously more skilled and experienced and he prescribed me Tretinoin (Retin-A or Retisol-A, it's the same thing) and a gel wash (which I didn't like and never used, I only used water to wash my face because my skin was very dry). At first I was very skeptic about it. I thought to myself that the tons of expensive products that the first doctor prescribed, promised great results but they didn't do anything, let alone this little cheap cream tube. Still, I was very patient with it, and I stuck to it for a couple of months (3 or almost 4) and it paid off! I saw an amazing improvement. People even started to tell me "Wow! Your acne's gone!". I was extremely happy about it. I stopped using it afterward and my skin remained clear for the whole summer, but I was left with a very minor scarring (some purplish/red marks because I couldn't stop picking at my pimples all the time).
In autumn, for some reason, probably stress, my acne came back and worse than ever. I was so frustrated. I immediately bought the Retin-A again, and started using it but after a couple of weeks, I couldn't find it anymore. The drugstore lady recommended a better alternative: Differin. It is like a milder but a more effective form of Tretinoin. I was skeptic about that too but as usual, I stuck to it and I'm still using it till this very moment I'm writing this article.
This stuff really cleared my acne. I used to wake up with at least a new whitehead or a cyst every other day, and around my period it was a disaster! I also had tons of clogged pores and bumps because I was using a very bad foundation everyday. It helped get rid or at least improve all this tremendously.
It took a very long time indeed, 6 months at least, but at least it worked. Now I can wake up everyday and look at my face and there are almost no active breakouts. Only some tiny, unnoticeable zits around my period.
Unfortunately, despite that it helps improve the scars, it's absolutely not enough. I'm left with a hideous discoloration all over on my cheeks, my forehead, my chin, my back and even my chest. So I figured out another regimen for that.
I hope this helped. Stay tuned because I will post my scar treatment routine soon.