Duac Acne Gel - A Review

I have mild-ish acne, and my dermatologist gave me this stuff called Duac Acne Gel. It's a facial gel and pretty much like cream only it's partially clear and the consistency is slightly different.
Also, it works wonders.

I was told to put it on every evening, after washing myself and all that jazz, and I do. And no matter what my skin looks like in the pm hours, in the morning it's considerably better, so with some foundation (I use La Roche Posay, which is expensive, but it's magic) my face looks perfectly fine.

So much for the awesome things about it. Now for some negative crap.

There are two main concerns for me. Firstly, oh-shit-man-but-it-freaking-BURNS!!! After using it, for, let's say, seven nights, every time I put it on it starts to burn, and occasionally, when it's like the 15th day or something, my face gets all red and it feels like I'm on fire.

Which is not fun.

But, I decided I wouldn't let that stop me, and every week or so I just skip applying Duac for one night, and that fixes everything. By the way, I don't have sensitive skin. I have oily, clogged-up, big pores skin that should be able to handle everyting that comes its way.

The second concern, and this one is, for me, really concerning, is that it dries my face out like crazy. Seriously, my skin is comparable to the Sahara. And like I said before, my skin is oily. Normally.

To clue you in, let me tell you that I generously moisturize in the mornings (and occasionally the afternoons when my skin feels like sandpaper). I use quality products. It does not help.

The actual real super-issue here is that MY SKIN IS FLAKING OFF. It sounds disgusting, and let me reassure you, it looks plenty disgusting, too. Everywhere, even in my T-Zone, I've got little skin flakes.

I tried to find remedies. Once a week, I use this great exfoliating product from Olay, and follow that with the best Vichy moisturizer ever made. It's like pure liquid, in a cream. By the way, this day also happens to be the no-gel day. Because otherwise it would hurt like hell.

Anyway, so I mega-exfoliate once a week. In the evenings, part of my skin care routine is this Garnier number that also exfoliates, but less, kind of more like a pore-declogger and oil-remover, but it exfoliates, too.

Despite all of this exfoliating, my skin is flaking. I've learned to never, ever use powder makeup because it enhances the flakes in an highly unflattering way. I've learned to avoid using very much foundation to avoid emphasizing the grossness. I've learned to deal with it.

Now, you ask, why do I still keep on using Duac Acne Gel if it leaves me like a burning Sahara?

It's because the stuff WORKS, and really, that's all I'm requiring. I know very well that with my skin, I can't afford to be picky. Beggars can't be choosers.

I never wanted to be a beggar, though.