Alright today I took my 20th pill out of the 30, and so far everything is going good! I haven’t broken out, not even with one pimple since the last time I updated, which is a super good feeling by itself! I must say though my skin defiantly is definitely drying up more and more each day, and my chin and the area around it is starting to peel. I have to start putting on two layers of moisturizer everyday now otherwise my skin gets too dry, and I’m putting on Chap Stick for my lips every couple of hours. Other than that the only other thing I’m noticing is that I’m getting headaches a lot; I have had a headache every afternoon since this Friday. They’re not super bad are anything, just annoying, and I’m not sure if it’s actually from the Accutane or just drinking too much water. I’ve been drinking so much water to make sure that I stay hydrated that I’m peeing about 3-4 times every hour, and I read that drinking too much water can give you headaches. So I’m going to lay off the water a little bit and see if that helps. Also I noticed my lower back gets sore whenever I bend over to pick something up, or whenever I’m doing certain exercises, so I’m thinking of getting a lifting belt to support my back some while I’m lifting. Other than that everything is going smoothly and my skin is changing significantly for the better, which I’m surprised because I heard it takes months for Accutane to work! Just the fact that I haven’t had a new pimple in 8 days is a great feeling in itself and I’m glad that I decided to finally start Accutane!


I’m actually going to have my monthly blood-test tomorrow, and then I’m having my first dermatologist appointing since starting the Tane a couple of days after that. I really think my dermatologist is going to be surprised at how well my skin is doing in such a short amount of time, but I’ll update you guys in a couple of days!



-jpc

Accutane Update: Day 10

Hey guys just a quick Accutane update! Today took my 10th pill out of the original 30 for the first moth. I still haven’t experienced any of the side-effects yet except for maybe a few pimples on my chin and upper lip, and a couple that hurt like crazy on the side of my nose! The only other thing I can say side-effect wise is that my chin is peeling very lightly; like if you look at it close up you can see a bunch of dead skin, but it doesn’t feel dry at all. Other than that my lips get a little bit dry if I don’t put on some chap stick, and my scalp is still a little dry, but none of these things are serious or concerning at all.

I’m still washing with Cetaphil every morning, and sometimes at night, if not just splashing it with some water. In the mornings I apply some SPF 30 called BurnOut (Which I definitely recommend) to my face that does a really good job of keeping my skin moisturized without getting it greasy at all; the only thing though because I’m tan it makes my face look a little pale and weird like I’m sick or dying. At night I’ll just apply some Cetaphil moisturizer or even just more BurnOut because it makes my skin feel good.

So far in these very early stages I can say that I am very pleased with how things are going! My skin definitely looks a lot tighter, firm, and even but in a very good healthy way. Believe me though it still has a long way to go, but my skin definitely looks like it has a lot less texture than it did 10 days ago so I am very happy with that! Also one more thing that I noticed since I started taking the Tane, was that I feel a lot colder in places where I used to feel normal or even warm. Whether it’s the Tane or not it’s nothing serious just a little weird I guess. So I hope you all are having a good one, and I’ll update you in a week or so!

-Jpc

Healthy Diet and Acne

So today after work I went to the grocery store, and it made me think more about foods and how they relate to acne. I know that some people say that acne has nothing to do with diet or what you eat, and that it is all about dirt and germs on the surface of the skin. Others though think that acne is caused by an internal problem in the body that is caused by a bad diet or toxins in your system. I think it is a little of both, but from all of my experience with acne I think that it mostly has to do with internal problems in the body (although everyone has different types of acne). I think that one of the major causes of my acne had to with puberty and the raging hormones inside the body. Now days my hormones have calmed down a lot so I don’t experience a ton of breakouts, but my skin is full of scar blemishes left behind from over the years. I do also believe that food and diet play a big part in acne too. I remember reading someone’s blog and he had a theory that eating foods can cause acne, but to a certain extent. He believes that you can eat whatever you want, but that everyone has an imaginary line and once you cross it then you will breakout. Everyone is different for example one guy might be able to eat a whole pizza before he breaks out within the next few days, while one guy can eat a couple of pieces or even just one piece and breakout. So it’s important to try and pay attention as much as possible to what foods and the amount of them will make you breakout after eating them. It might take some time figuring out exactly what foods make you breakout, but in the long-run it can really help you out in the future. Besides you should stay away from foods like pizza, or fast-food, or hamburgers etc. anyways, or at least do not eat them all the time. I found this article from http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Healthy-Foods-That-Help-Cure-Acne&id=994885
,and it has some good tips and pointers to get you going in the right direction, here it is -


"A healthy diet is needed for those suffering from both mild and moderate acne. It plays a big part in the condition of the skin and usually when a soft drink or other foods high in sugar are consumed a breakout is inevitable.

Here is some advice on the best healthy food for your skin:

1. Vegetables. Very good, leads to less acne and a nice complexion. Also high in antioxidants.

2. Fruit. Even though high in sugar, it has vitamins which help the skin recover from problems.

3. White Meat. Chicken has proven to be very helpful in overcoming conditions such as dry skin.

4. Tuna. High in Omega three and any other fish is in the same category. The omega three and natural fish oil help the skin build immunity against problems and infections.

5. Salad. Even though this may be in the vegetable range. A salad includes all different types of vegetables and allows the skins pores to open up and be clean.

Good Drinks to help cure acne :

1. Water. By staying to a water diet, you will notice immediate improvement in your acne.

Bad Foods which aggravate acne :

1. Chocolate. Very high in sugar.

2. Soft Drink. High levels of sugar and caffeine trigger breakouts and irritation.

Even though a lot of doctors say diet is not related to acne. For most people suffering from mild or moderate acne it very much is, not so much those people with severe acne though. A water diet with a lot of vegetables will help cure any disease of the skin."

Also I have heard people get pretty good results when they take vitamins and supplements that are good for the skin, and supplements that detoxify the body which will help flush out any bacteria you may have that’s causing your acne. I’ll go more into vitamins and which ones are good for clearing acne tomorrow, so until then tell me what you think, your feedback is always appreciated!

-Jpc

Tazorac, Duac, and Solodyn Product Review

The reason for me reviewing all three of these products at once is because I was using them all at during the same time. About a year ago during my senior year when my acne was at its ultimate worst I decided to see a dermatologist. I basically told her that I had tried everything except Accutane but nothing had worked. So she prescribed me all three of these products and told me to apply the Duac in the morning after I shower along with one Solodyn after breakfast, and then apply the Tazorac after washing my face before bed. She explained that these products are very strong and should be treated that way, and that they are the last step that someone usually takes before going on Accutane. She also explained to use the creams in very little amounts, and that it was important to always wash your hands right after. Lastly she said it is extremely important to try and avoid sunlight as much as possible and always use sunscreen when you are going to be in the sun.


Before I go on I just want to say that this regimen has been the only thing to completely clear up my skin whenever I was using it! Now the Tazorac and Duac are strong creams, and the Solodyn is an oral supplement that kills acne causing bacteria inside the body. The Duac kills all the bacteria and acne on the surface of the skin, while the Tazorac penetrates and goes into the pores to kill and prevent acne causing bacteria. Here are some links that go more into detail about each individual product:

• Tazorac:
 http://www.tazorac.com/tazorac_acne_treatment.aspx

• Duac:
 http://www.drugs.com/cdi/duac-gel.html

• Solodyn:

http://www.solodyn.com/

Once you pick up your prescriptions the Tazorac should come with a Cream 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Wash which works really well but dries your face up like no other, so it’s important to ask your dermatologists about a good moisturizer! Both the Tazorac and Duac also come with a gentle cleanser which is pretty much the same as Cetaphil, but still comes in handy when your face needs a little break.

My personal experience on this regimen was really good! The first couple of weeks to a month are pretty rough though; my face was super sensitive, dry, easily irritated, and a little flush or pretty red on some days. My skin was so sensitive on this regimen that if anything barley touched my face the area would light up like a cherry! The thing that set this regimen apart from others was that, I was beginning to see results from the 3rd week all the way up until I was completely clear about 2-1/2 - 3 months later! The process was slow, but sure enough every week I was seeing slight improvement, and from having super bad acne to none at all 3 months was nothing! I was finally able to walk with my head in the air and not be scared! I had a new sense of self-worth and confidence! Though whenever I tried to stop using the products I would begin to breakout again only after a couple of days, so I continued using them until I was out and had to see my derm again. I told her that I tried to stop, but would breakout so she said that I would have to try Accutane then! I told her that I was totally against Accutane, and that I just wanted another prescription. She agreed to one more, but that was it because it’s not good to be on anti-biotics for more than a couple of months as there can be some bad side-effects. So I used it all up and tried things like using the creams every other day and taking the Solodyn every other day to try and make it last, but when it was gone my acne started coming back. I guess that it’s just because of my age, and it’s inevitable that I’m going to have acne until I just grow out of it. I definitely definitely recommend that you go to your dermatologist and ask them about these products, and see what you can work out! Also one big mistake I made was not caring to wash my hands after I used the creams, and I would touch and rub my eyes without realizing it. I started to have eye problems but I didn’t know why until I went to play laser tag one day and I looked in the mirror in this black lighted room and my eyes were straight neon yellow! I then realized that whenever I was picking an eyelash out of my eye I was getting all of those harsh creams in my eyes, and I still don’t think they’re better to this day!

Last but not least some final pros and cons!

Pros:

• It works! (for me that’s all that matters)

• Started seeing results fairly quickly!

• Gives you confidence!

• The Duac and Tazorac last a pretty long time!

Cons:

• Pricey, around $120 dollars for all three!

• Dryness and flaking occur; the flakiness goes away, but not the dryness unless you use a moisturizer every day.

• Being in the sun for 30 seconds feels like your cooking your face in an oven.

• Face becomes extremely oily throughout the day. (My friends would sometimes joke that my face was literally dripping!)

• Redness and flushness can occur at anytime from just about the littlest things.

• Solodyn has many possible side-effects one of which is depression, which I think I might have felt when using it.

Hope you guys enjoyed, and if you decide to try it tell me about it!

-jpc

Product Review: ZENO Hot Spot Acne Treatment

So I read about this acne device called the ZENO. I hadn’t read any really bad reviews on it, and everyone just about had something good to say about it. It claims to remove your blemishes fast, eliminates acne bacteria, and that it starts clearing your acne in 1 hour.

I decided to try it to see if it could help get rid of some of the whiteheads I get, and to help prevent new ones from forming. So I picked one up at CVS for $40, and went home to try it. The whole device is really simple; there is an on/off button, and a plastic tip that heats up and is what you put on the pimple. Also it only has 80 uses in it, so there is also an indicator light that lets you know how many more uses you have left. Each pimple needs to be individually treated for 2-1/2 minutes, and the ZENO beeps every 30 seconds, and then turns off after the 2-1/2 minutes are up. It heats up pretty fast, but it doesn’t get super hot or anything, so you don’t have to worry about burning your skin.

I tried it on 2 whiteheads I had, and a pimple I had forming under my skin, in front of my ear. The process went by pretty fast, but I couldn’t see myself doing for every pimple I had. Also the heated plastic tip is small, so it’s annoying trying to keep it on the pimple the whole time without looking in the mirror. After an hour went by absolutely nothing had changed, so I tried again a few hours later as directed, and they decreased in size a little, but nothing drastic at all. Though the back of the box says that in their studies “up to 90% of blemishes treated with ZENO disappeared or faded within 24 hours.” So before I decided if it was complete garbage or not I waited till the next day.

After about 24 hours I looked in the mirror and the whiteheads had gotten a little smaller, but whether or not it was just my skin healing naturally or the ZENO, I was disappointed.

The bottom line… I think the ZENO is a piece of junk! I could use an ice-cube on my pimples and see results 4-times as good, and it’s free! If you suffer from mild – severe acne and breakout a lot, the ZENO would be just a big money and time pit, and I wouldn’t recommend it. If you are thinking of trying it though I suggest that you try putting an ice-cube on your problem pimples and see how that helps; I guarantee that you’ll see results! Also more picture updates on my face will be going up in a couple of days, so be looking for them!

                                                                   -jpc

Welcome to Pimple Planet

Hello, and welcome to Pimple Planet, the place designed with only one thing in mind... Pimples, Zits, and Acne.

Here you will find an array of interesting videos, helpful tips, and detailed information on dealing with the struggles of acne.

Having been dealing with acne for the past 4 years, and letting it take over my life I understand the hardships that many acne sufferers can endure, and go through on a daily basis. I created this site with an optimistic viewpoint in mind that acne sufferers no longer have to stress or feel down about themselves, but rather know that there is a helpful community of interesting and knowledgeable people that can share their experiences and what they've learned from dealing with acne. Also who can resist a video of a big juicy pimple being popped!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Pimple Planet Blog and our main Pimple Planet Site!

                                               -JPC