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Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:10 pm  |
Well ladies, I'm sure most of you know my story by now but just in case, here's a short recap:
I went off of birth control a few months ago and my face exploded in acne. I went to the dermatologist right away and treated it very aggressively, and the good news is that I finally have it under control again. The bad news, however, is that I've been left with a healthy smattering of red marks, aka battle scars from the blemishes. My derm. prescribed Finacea for me, which is a 15% Azelaic Acid cream.
Without insurance this stuff is pretty pricey, like $90 or so, but with my insurance it was only $20 which I definitely think is reasonable. It comes in a metal tube and the consistency is kind of a gel-cream. After I wash and tone in the mornings I spread this stuff all over my face and then let it soak it before continuing with my routine. One word of warning: the first few days while my skin was adjusting to this stuff my skin was VERY dry. Not flakey dry, just tight dry, and a little extra moisturizer took care of the problem. Now, though, my skin has adjusted and it's barely drying at all.
Now for the verdict: Holy Grail alert!!! I strongly urge ANYONE who has acne or scarring issues to ask their derm for a prescription for this stuff because it has been working wonders for me. I've only been using it for a few weeks and already my red marks are fading. On top of that, it seems to heal inflammatory acne AND eradicate clogged pores. It really does it all! I've been using this in conjunction with my beloved Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel to fight the red marks, and it's a winning combination--- maybe I'll look human in time for that wedding I'm going to this month after all!^-^ |
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27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Tue Oct 03, 2006 7:30 am |
Oh, manslayerliz, I'm SO glad this has worked so well for you! For me, personally, I think it has been a nightmare. I am breastfeeding right now. I've been either pregnant and/or breastfeeding for the past 6 years -- I had to go off of all my acne creams when I got pregnant the 1st time and now my face six years later is scarred so much more.  Anyway, after years of my dermatologists telling me there was NOTHING they could do for me, my lastest doctor prescribed this. My husband and I talked a lot about whether I should do this because the cost is very high (until we meet our deductible).
After using this gel for about a month, my skin developed a red, very irritated, scaly patch that covers my chin area. I was also using homemade vit. c at the time plus physician's formula mineral makeup. I eliminated ALL new products from my routine, went out and bought the Dr. H foundation and concealer (they are so soothing to my skin!) and switched to all Dr. H products (including now I'm doing the conditioner). It's taken me 22 days of the conditioner so far to get the scaly part of my chin to calm down but it's still red and sore. I've included back into my routine the MMU but I won't even attempt the Finacea gel or the homemade vit. c until I get back to normal. Then I will try them out again slowly to see how they do.
This has been a horrible two months with my chin and I think this gel started it all. I am tempted to try it just on my forehead, though, later because I have some melasia from my pregnancy. If it fades that, I'd be psyched!
Isn't it crazy how our skins are all so different??  |
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Tue Oct 03, 2006 7:45 am |
Wow, thanks for the input, Elly! I'm sorry you've been going through such a hard time with your skin! To tell you the truth I'm a little worried about getting pregnant because if I have to stop my acne prescriptions I have no idea what my skin would do... 
I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad reaction to the Finacea. It may have just been too drying for you. I'm lucky (I guess...  ) that my skin is super oily, so it has taken to the Finacea pretty well. My skin must be the opposite of yours, because when I tried all Dr. H products they were way too rich for my face and they clogged my pores so badly that I'm still trying to get them all unclogged, whew! Good luck with getting your skin back to normal and keep us updated! I'll updated too! |
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27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:55 pm |
Hey! It's taken me awhile to get back to you.
Unfortunately, you will have to stop all acne meds with pregnancy. It's been sooooo depressing, year after year, having my derms say that there is NOTHING they can do for me. When my latest one suggested the Finacea Gel, I jumped on it! It's good that you are into natural skincare because that should help you some. I do think you will go through a purging period as your body adjusts to no more chemicals from your prescriptions. It has been a hard journey for me to find a solution to my acne problem.
I just decided to go all natural sometime in April. I have to say that I think my skin will like it better in the long term but I am going through the purging process now.
I gotta go now -- kids are all awake.... **sigh** |
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Wed Oct 04, 2006 5:34 pm |
| Acnederm from inhousepharmacy.com is 20% azelaic acid. They charge about $20 for it and shipping is reasonable. Just started using it and waiting to see if the azelaic acid will do a good job on a cystic acne mark that is pretty noticeable. |
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