My acne story starts back when I was 17! I was very depressed and stressed and my face showed it. I tried every possible over-the-counter and prescription acne medication you can possibly think of.
For a while, I even tried acupuncture. Which by the way, surprisingly worked! My acupuncture treatment included, face and stomach heat needles once a week, washing my face with baking soda, and taking probiotics every morning. I did this for a month and although I wasn't 100% cured I saw a big improvement.
I kept experimenting with many over-the-counter acne treatments with no look of ever getting rid of the scars, etc. I even took Accutane, which was painful, my skin dried up so bad, my lips dried completely, and I never got clear acne.
Then, I moved and maybe I was the weather, the water, I don't know what it was, my skin CLEARED COMPLETELY! I was finally not wearing tons of makeup for a chance.
However, when I moved back to the states it was a matter of time for my acne to flare back up.
Now, I was decided to get down to the root cause of my acne. I thought it was hormonal, and then a dermatologist said no way it's not hormonal. Roadblock there...
I kept trying with different products, I found some help with clay cleansers. But, of course, I was always using 10+ skincare products it was hard to tell what was working and what was making it work.
So, I took ALL my skincare products, ALL my makeup products, and my face to a dermatologist and said: "this is what I use, this is how my face looks right now, this is how my faced look 2 years ago (when it was clear), please HELP ME."
Obviously, the dermatologist laughed at me because she definitely was not expecting that. By now, I know my skincare ingredients, I know my routine, and I know what doesn't work. We talked for a while and we ended up with this SIMPLE skincare routine:
1. Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
2. CeraVe AM/PM Moisturizer with SPF
3. Ventil (Retinol)
--> nothing else!
I was skeptical, but I was determined to give it a try. After 3 months, IT WAS GONE! My acne was completely banished. That's the power of a simple skincare routine.
Now, I'm only working on getting rid of the dark spots left by the years of acne. For that this is my beauty treatment routine:
- Every night: I use a red LED light therapy home device
- Once a week: I use an at-home derma roller
- Once a month: I use an at-home microdermabrasion device
- On occasions: when I have a pimple, I use a blue LED light therapy home device
Well, that's my story. Good luck!
