I am a thirty-two year old black female who has had acne since age 11. For some reason my chest and back are clear while my face would be horrible. I have deep pockets of acne on my cheeks and very dark patches and spots. I've tried all kinds of oral or topical antibiotics, retin-a , spirolactone, differin, skinoren etc with no success until this year. I started getting microderms and laser facials with some success, about a 25% improvement over 6 months but it was pricey ( 3 microderms $300 US one laser $200 US) and not doing enough for the deep dwelling pockets under my skin. My derm put me on 250 mg tetracyclin 3 times a day for 30 days along with predisone for 2 weeks. Then i went back and she prescribed another month of tetracycline along with tri-luma. Tri-luma contains .01% fluoctinole (anti-inflammatory) 4% hydoquinone and .05% tretinoin. In one month my acne has improved about 65%. My scars are diminishing and I have less new acne while my old pockets are shrinking. One tube 30 grams cost me $96 and is not covered by insurance but it is deemed cosmetic. But my results have been worth it. The only drawback is that my skin is still really oily. For that i Use Clinique pore minimizer. Maybe one day I can leave my house completely makeup free and totally spot free. Oh, I also use bare essentuals powder only. You dont have to join the club you can by the sets one at a time at the dermstore.
