Me and my acne: Week 30 update.

There is a reason why I have left doing another one of these posts for this long. Apart from forgetfulness on my behalf, I left it two weeks before I updated the blog because my skin seems to be improving, and I wanted to make sure it had improved enough before I danced/shouted/screamed about it and then jinxed it!

Here is what my skin looks like at the moment;


As you can see, I still have about ten active spots at the moment, but most of the redness you can see on my skin (mostly on my forehead) is just the after-effect of having acne, which I'm hoping should fade in time.
When I went to the doctors just under 2 weeks ago to sort out my skin, he prescribed me Dianette, which is a contraceptive pill aimed at women who were struggling with their skin. Although I have to wait 2 more weeks to actually start taking this medication, and my Lymecycline ran out two weeks ago, so at the moment I'm acne-medication free, apart from my Retin-A which I apply weekly.
This is what makes it so surprising that my skin has cleared up. Why would it be worse when I'm on medication to clear it up?

I am using a few new products in my skin-care routine, which I will indicate whilst going through my normal day to night skincare regime, but I don't think that that really has anything to do with clearing up my skin, although who knows?!.
Morning I use Hibiscrub and double cleanse my face, and after I tone with Vichy's 'Purifying Astringent Toner' (new), and then apply Vichy's 'Capital Sun SPF 50 Mattifying Face Fluid Dry Touch' (new), and that's it for the day.
My night-time skincare routine comprises of a little more. I take off the majority of my make-up/face cream with a blob of Cetaphil and a cotton pad, after which I use the Hibiscrub to double/triple-cleanse my skin and make sure it's squeaky clean. Then I have two options. Twice a week I just use Retin-A on clean skin. The other nights, I follow my cleanse with the same Vichy toner, and then apply Nuxe's 'Huile Prodigieuse' (new) all over my face until it has sank in, and then a layer of Lush's Vanishing Cream (new), and then after that I layer Eucerin's 'Aquaphor' all over my face until I'm a gooey sticky mess! And then I'm done! I find this is the only way to combat the drying effect a retinoid has on your skin.
I'm also using No7's 'Total Renewal Microdermabrasion Exfoliator' and Lush's 'Cosmetic Warrior' (new) face mask. I normally do this after my skin is moisturised enough and before I apply the retinoid for the week.

A break from oral acne antibiotics is maybe what my skin needs, but right now I'm really pleased with the way my skin is behaving, and I just hope it clears up more and more each and every day (one can wish!). I'm also looking forward to seeing what effect starting the new medication Dianette has on my skin, and let's just keep our fingers crossed it gets rid of my acne for good!

Eucerin Aquaphor: My Saviour.

Because I've been using my Retin-A to try and help combat the spots I've been getting whilst being off my antibiotics for acne, my skin is peeling.

Now yesterday I decided to use a small facial brush and some facial wash to try and buff all the dead peely skin off, without aggravating it too much.
I've done it before and all you get left with is a little red face, but if you moisturise then everything is fine!

Well, I washed my face and towel dried it. The towel stuck to my forehead which I thought was a bit odd, and when I looked in the mirror I was nearly sick.
The whole upper epidermis had literally come away from my forehead, and all that was left was bright pink, oozy skin. It literally looked like I had been burnt. I touched it and it was wet and sticky. But it didn't hurt (thank god).
So I had a full scale panic. What cream would I put on it? Surely it had to be of a certain quality as to not sting and damage the exposed lower layer of the skin. And what's even worse is that on the 23rd it's my work Christmas party. Would anything be able to help heal it in time?

Then my beloved 'Aquaphor' came to mind. As mentioned in my review of the cream/balm here, it is suitable for the use of chronically dry skin, even that which is cracked. I've used it after intense exfoliation and it is literally the best thing to be invented, no stinging, no aggravation, just deep hydration and moisturisation.
So I got my well-used tube out and started applying it to my skinless forehead (urgh, sounds gross). No stinging, no nothing. It went on like a dream and instantly soothed the whole, completely putting my mind at ease.

I washed my face and re-applied before I went to bed.
When I woke up this morning it still looks pink and feels a little stingy, but you can definitely see it's started to heal.

I really think this balm is wonderful. Honestly, after this horrific experience I can definitely say that this cream will always be at my side in any case of skin-emergencies.

EDIT 28/12/2011.
I found a picture I had taken which may illustrate the skin issues I had (notice the red raw-looking area of skin just above the gap between my eyebrows).