Hey, pretty girl!
Soooo I know you’ve ALL been wondering about my skincare routine (had to make that joke I’m sorry)! Seriously though, the change in my skincare routine over the last year has made all the difference in the health of my skin and my confidence.
Your skin is affected by so much – diet, skincare products, stress, hormones and gene – that it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what the cause of your acne is. Acne and skin care management definitely is something that you approach based on the level of severity.
At the beginning of senior year, I noticed that I was getting acne a lot more frequently than I had before. These frequent breakouts started to come closer and closer together. I felt like as soon as I cleared up one breakout, I would have another. I also began to experience cystic acne – basically painful acne that is caused by bacteri under the skin.
Now, I wouldn’t recommend everyone to immediately to go to the dermatologist when experiencing acne, but when my acne was leaving scarring I knew it was time to go into the doctor. If you feel like 1) you cannot manage your acne 2) your acne is leaving permanent markings or 3) acne is affecting your self worth, it’s always worth a visit to the dermatologist.
After visiting the dermatologist, I learned that in order to manage my acne I had to approach it in 2 different ways: skin care products and lifestyle choices.
My Current Skincare Routine – Morning
- I wash my face using Sensitive Skin Dermalogica Face Wash.
- I moisturize my face with Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Gel-Cream.
My Current Skincare Routine – Night
- First, I use Smartly Makeup Wipes to remove all my makeup (these are good for sensitive skin since they are unscented).
- Next, I wash my face using a prescribed face wash – Sulfa Cleanse 8/4
- I wash my face a second time using the Sensitive Skin Dermalogica Face Wash.
- I moisturize my face with Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Gel-Cream.
- I use a small amount of prescribed anti-bacterial cream – Dapsone 5% for Cystic acne.
- On smaller white-heads I use “Yes to” Detoxifying Zit Zapping Dots. These draw the whitehead to the surface so that you don’t have to pop pimples and get scars!
I exfoliate weekly using Tula’s dual-phase skin reviving treatment pads. All the products I use come from either my dermatologist, Ulta or Target.
I made a few lifestyle changes that has also affected the reduction of my acne. First off, stress reduction!! Taking time to reduce your stress level is crucial to reducing acne (especially if it’s concentrated to your forehead – that’s a sign it could be stress induced acne). I also limit the amount of caffeine I have (I was having Starbucks 1-2 times/day when my acne was at its worst).
My best recommendation is trial and error. It can be a long road to figuring out how to manage your acne and I KNOW it’s frustrating. Another important note is to try your best not to let your acne dictate your life. I used to not leave the house or cancel plans if I got a zit. Don’t fixate on small imperfections, I guarantee no one notices it as much as you do.
With Love, Marin