Skin woes.

I don’t have good skin. Some days my skin is better, but I’d say those days are rare and few. I tend to break out very frequently. I’ll admit, it’s not like really bad acne where you have these ginormous cystic pimples, and I thank god for that. The type I get a lot is small pustules with white or yellow centres and they mostly appear on my cheeks and jawline.

It’s really annoying because although it’s not that bad, at the same time you wouldn’t wanna go out with yellow-centred pustules on your face. If you pop them, the whole area just gets inflamed and what started out as a small pustule becomes like a full-blown pimple.

There was a point in my life that I was really affected by these breakouts. That was when I decided to try Roaccutane. At $180 for a month’s supply, it was pretty pricey. But it worked, when no other topical product did. I was on it for a little over a year and enjoyed the clearest skin for another six months after I stopped. But sadly the effect of Roaccutane didn’t last. The oiliness came back, and then bit by bit the pustules reappeared.

Nowadays I’m not really as affected by the state of my skin. I still do want clear skin (who doesn’t?), but not by Roaccutane. As it is, I’m already on some strong medication for my arthritis and cholesterol, and I don’t want to destroy my body by taking another strong pill.

So I was randomly googling (I LOVE GOOGLE!) and I chanced upon acne.org‘s The Regimen. Dan Kern, the founder of acne.org had been battling acne throughout his teens and had tried almost everything on the market. Through trial and error, he finally found a regimen that worked for him. He decided to share his success story through acne.org to help others battling the same problem avoid aimless experimentation with the gazillion products available on the market. And so far he’s gotten feedback from an astounding number of people that his regimen has worked for them too!

The Regimen basically consists of three steps: cleansing, treatment with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide and LOTS of moisturising. Over the years, Dan has educated himself considerably in skincare, so he has come up with a list of ingredients or products to be avoided or recommended when buying skincare products. He’s also formulated his own line of products for The Regimen to make it easier for people to access the exact same products he uses. But he stresses that clear skin IS achievable even if you don’t use his products. By finding the right product with the right ingredients, and by the right methods of application (common skincare mistakes listed here), anyone can achieve clear skin.

I was so excited to try out The Regimen that I went out to get two tubes of PanOxyl 2.5% benzoyl peroxide from Guardian pharmacy and a bottle of pure jojoba oil from Nature’s Farm the very next day. Jojoba moisturises well, and Dan says you can mix it with your everyday moisturiser to prevent your skin from flaking from the benzoyl peroxide. It also works well as a makeup remover!

It’s my second day into The Regimen. My skin has started to flake from the benzoyl peroxide but the jojoba oil is keeping the dryness under control. The BP stings my skin after application and upon contact with my moisturiser, but this effect is known to subside in time, after your skin’s gotten used to the BP.

I’ll write an update if and when I see a noticeable, hopefully positive difference!