I was using my sister’s tretinoin topical 0.025% for a few months, but my dermatologist recently told me to stop and prescribed clindamycin benzoyl peroxide topical gel (1%/5%).
My main issue right now is acne on my chin. That’s pretty much the only place I break out, but it’s constant and definitely my worst area. I usually have at least like 2–3 pretty noticeable pimples there at a time, and they’re not small they’re usually bigger, more inflamed, and come to a really obvious whitehead. As soon as one goes away, another shows up, so it never actually feels clear.
I was using tretinoin for a few months and honestly my skin never cleared. I always had active breakouts, especially on my chin, so I don’t feel like it did much for me.
I’ve also never really struggled with acne before, which is why this is so frustrating. I’m about to be a senior in college and this is the worst my skin has ever been. I do have an IUD, but my acne didn’t start getting bad until like 1.5–2 years after getting it, so I don’t even know if that’s related or not. I did try multiple different birth control pills in hs and didn’t have this issue with skin, which is why I’m confused if hormones are actually playing a role here.
I also have a lot of post-acne marks. I have really fair skin (like… basically Casper lol), so everything shows up as dark red, almost purple, and it sticks around forever. Even when I don’t have a ton of active acne, my skin still looks bad overall because of how visible the marks are. It’s not subtle at all and it’s really hard to cover and my chin never looks clear.
Current routine:
AM:
La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
SKIN1004 Centella Ampoule
Purito Oat-in Gel Cream
Trader Joe’s Face & Body Sunscreen SPF 30 (orange bottle I bought it in the fall so I don’t think they sell it right now, but it’s one of the only SPFs that I don’t THINK makes me breakout)
PM:
SKIN1004 Cleansing Oil (only when I wear makeup)
La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
Clindamycin + Benzoyl Peroxide gel
Purito Panthenol/Bamboo Cream
My skin is usually pretty normal now a bit drier since starting the topical. I’ve been using the clindamycin + BP for about 2-3 weeks and my skin looks basically the same so far.
Recently I started:
- letting the medication fully dry before putting moisturizer on
- not using the ampoule before it so it can actually absorb better
I mainly need help with:
- how to fade the dark red marks (this is honestly a huge issue for me because they’re so noticeable on my skin) !!!!!!!
- what to do about the chin acne that just won’t go away
- if I should be changing anything in my routine or adding/removing stuff
#acne #Clindamycin #tret #tretinoin