My Struggle With Facial Acne So Far, And What I Did To Make It Better
No matter how confident you are, having facial acne can be soul crushing for even the most confident one out there.
I am not a self conscious person myself but facial acne has crushed my self-esteem multiple times.
I struggled with facial acne almost all my teenage life. I wasn't the most confident teenager but I was ignorant and it wasn't noticed much.
I had pretty flawless skin in my early twenties as you acne see in the picture below.
Talking about it is still hard for me and I would rather have an imposter syndrome about it than discuss it in public.
If my journey can help any of you out there then it surely is worth a discussion for me.
I was pretty happy with my skin but then the pandemic hit, everything shut down I was in Lahore at that time. I came back home to Dera Ghazi Khan (south Punjab) and all of a sudden started having breakouts on my cheeks.
They would start with closed comedones and turn into a full blown pimple the next day leaving an acne mark behind.
As the pandemic was at its peak I avoided going to the hospital and started looking up for the cures on the internet.
I would take pictures of it every day aggressively and check the progress I made. But acne needs patience and I was lacking patience the most. I just wanted it to go away all of a sudden as it came.
Patience And Consistency Is The Key
Surely they are needed when treating acne and I learned it the hard way. I would wash my face with harsh surfactants twice a day almost. The facewash I was using was harsh on my skin and I got to realize it later.
I started with one ingredient in my skincare. A Benzoyl peroxide 4% cream. I did spot treatments.
It needs a few weeks of consistent use to notice results but I was impatient and started using a lot of ingredients all at once.
I started using AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) BHAs (beta hydroxy acid), Niacinamide, Alpha Arbutin etc. All at once.
Then I got aggressive with Adapalene (a retinoid, aka vitamin A, derivative that increases skin cell turnover) which made it worse and irritated my skin, hence affecting my skin’s moisture barrier and making it worse overnight.
I wasn’t using the wrong ingredients my use was wrong!
Realizing The Problems With My Skincare And Sticking To The Right Use Of Medication.
I was totally relying on: over the counter treatments. But the wrong use of them impaired my skin’s moisture barrier and resulted in making my skin even worse.
The medication was right but I was using it the wrong way or over using it. I decided to consult a doctor this time (which I should have done at the beginning).
My skin’s moisture barrier was impaired, It became extremely sensitive and inflamed.
I got to know that I was using a harsh surfactant facewash on my face. And was putting my skin under stress by using a lot of products. Which resulted in acne breakouts.
A Simple Yet Effective Skincare Routine Saved My Skin.
I stopped using benzoyl peroxide and all the others ingredients I was using as, they were too harsh for my skin barrier at the time.
I changed my moisturizer to a barrier repair moisturizer.
CeraVe and Cetaphil are good. And if you are in Pakistan then Metaphil is a good dupe for the Cetaphil.
My Morning Routine
- As my skin was too sensitive, I washed my face with only water.
- Applied a fragrance free moisturizer and an spf 40 sunscreen.
Evening Routine
- I did double cleansing in the evening before bed. I used a cleansing balm and a gentle cream cleanser.
All the products I used were medicated and fragrance free. As fragrance in a product can irritate the skin.
- Then I applied my moisturizer on damp skin. Waited for it to get absorbed and then applied my only treatment product that was adapalene (a retinoid derivative). Applied on dry skin.
- I used a pea sized amount on my face. Leaving my eyes and crevices of my nose. It is recommended to cover them with Vaseline first.
- Then I applied the moisturizer for the second time again. That’s it.
In the world of skincare, less is more.
My Skin So Far…
I have stuck to this simple routine since 2020 and my skin is a lot better. The process took some time.
The inflammation after acne was the hardest to treat. But I gave it a lot of time. I stopped being hard on myself and realized that it is normal to have acne, it is normal to have scars.
These things are a part of life, acne cannot change who I am as a person. It should be treated like a disease and not like a curse.
Things started getting better when I stopped hiding it under a ton of makeup and started taking my skincare seriously and slowly.
There was always an urge to use a lot of different products, but experimenting at this stage is the worst thing you can do to your face.
The Bottom Line
Keep your skincare routine supper simple.
Using only one active ingredient at a time and incorporating others slowly over months. Let one ingredient work first. Then use more.
Use sunscreen and moisturizer religiously, with a gentle cleanser.
Retinoids should be used with doctor’s advice only.
Keep it simple and do not panic. Cut down acne causing foods like sugar, oil, dairy and fast food. Keep a track of what you eat and observe the effects it has on your skin.
Drink plenty of water to flush the toxins from your skin. It will definitely improve the quality of your skin.
Note: This blog does not include any medical advice. Acne should be treated by consulting a dermatologist. Do not use retinoids all by yourself. Specially pregnant and lactating mothers are advised to avoid this ingredient.
Hope this blogs helps you if you are struggle with a similar problem. My advice is don’t give up, listen to your doctor, be patient with yourself and your skin will eventually get better.
If you have any questions regarding my acne journey then let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to help you. :)
With love,
Samara.
