[Acne] Azelaic Acid has pretty much saved my skin
mid-30s male here who has had acne issues ever since puberty. My
acne was generally pustules or cystic. While not as severe as some, at
the worst, I'd probably have about 10-12 blemishes at the same time.
Most of the time though, I'd have maybe 1-3. The vast majority of it
would be around my mouth, chin, and jawline.
I think my acne issues have always been inflammatory and probably
genetic. My mothers side of the family has had acne well into their
40s-50s. Not severe acne, mind you, but would still get noticeable
blemishes well into adulthood. I thought I had tried everything; over
the counter, antibiotics, topical antibiotics, accutane... all things
that would help for a bit but never really help enough.
For whatever reason, my acne started getting worse a year ago. I
gave in, started seeing a new derm, and she prescribed Biacna + doxy.
Doxy did what it did... cleared up the skin as long as you're on it but
as soon as you stop, everything comes right back. The Biacna, which is
part tretinoin, didn't seemingly have an affect after several months.
It wasn't until I started noticing azelaic acid being mentioned on
reddit, that I kept looking into it and decided to give it a try. I
started noticing improvement within the week I started using it. My face
was no longer as red and the acne I had at the time started shrinking.
Don't get it twisted though. This was just the beginning. It didn't
solve all the problems immediately.
But I'm happy to say now that I'm around the 10-11 month mark of
daily use and my skin has been better than I remember in years. Instead
of getting 2-3 blemishes every several days... I now get maybe 1 a
month, if that.
Keep in mind, I use prescription grade 15% azelaic acid (Finacea
brand). It's funny because no dermatologist, including the one I
currently see, has ever recommended AA to me. It wasn't until I kept
reading about it that I decided to try it myself.
pretty simple routine
wash face with cold water in the morning (I dont use a cleanser)
after drying, apply thin layer of azelaic acid
apply vanicream daily moisturizer
then a facial sunscreen
at night, I just wash my face in the shower. Again, no cleanser.
Then I moisturize again before bed.
Technically, I still use the Biacna twice a week. But I have a
suspicion that it's causing the occasional blemish since it irritates my
skin if I use it more than twice per week.