I do not have, nor have I ever had perfect skin. I’ve struggled with breakouts since high school, and unfortunately I still do. (I’m almost 30). I think unless I stop working out and/or my hormones stop, neither of which will happen, I will need to continue fighting acne.
I have some scarring from acne, and I also have melasma from pregnancy. I also have fine lines (wrinkles sounds bad, so we’ll call them fine lines). But, I have some solutions!
I was determined that I would improve my skin (and my teeth = Invisalign…another story for another day) before I turn 30. My first step was to use my Christmas money and see a highly recommended esthetician in Charlotte. To find out more about her (Melissa) go here. I bought some products she suggested, used them for a month, and I’ve since done my own research, done some trial and error, mixed in a few of my own finds, and voila! My skin is FINALLY clearing up!
It is not perfect, and still definitely needs improvement, but I haven’t had a bad breakout recently, and I feel much more comfortable without makeup. I used to feel like I needed to wear makeup to spin class, which is in the dark, and you sweat a ton – that’s how self-conscious my skin has made me feel.
I wanted to share my day time and night time regimens with you. Some of these products are inexpensive and some are not cheapat all, but in my case, they are worth the investment. Plus the expensive ones last months and you literally only use a few drops at a time.
(By the way, I have dry-normal skin)
Day Time Routine
1. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (love love love this stuff!) I wash my face with this every morning.
2. iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum I use 6 drops all over my face (besides right around my eyes) every morning. This is also a great spot treatment if you have a breakout starting to flare up.
3. eltaMD SPF 45 Unless it’s going to be raining all day long, I apply this sunscreen every day to my face and neck. It has a great texture and hasn’t caused breakouts. Plus it isn’t too greasy to wear under makeup. (I do use a primer before I apply makeup, fyi).
Night Time Routine
1. Pond’s Wet Cleansing Towelette This is my go-to makeup remover. It is gentle and does a great job at removing my eye makeup.
2. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser Wash my face with this again, but I add the cleansing-rotating brush. It is an off-brand of the Clarisonic. Mine is from Ulta. I’m hoping to invest in an actual Clarisonic soon.
3. iS Clinical Active Serum 4 Drops around the face. This is pricy, but the first time I used it I could tell a difference in the morning. Worth it to me.
4. Rosehip Seed Oil (bought at EarthFare) This is a type of natural Vitamin A. It restores your skin. I was staying away from retinol/vitamin A, but apparently it is what I needed! Here is an article about it’s benefits.
5. CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM This lotion is my favorite face lotion – it is gentle, it doesn’t clog your pores, but it is effective. CeraVe came recommended by my esthetician as well. I make sure and use this around my eyes, too.
6. Evening Primrose Oil (bought at EarthFare) I take 1,000 mg nightly (along with fish oil).
7. Biotin (bought at EarthFare) This is for my hair, nail, and skin health. Great supplement for women.
Hopefully I can officially say, SO LONG, ACNE! You are no longer welcome on this face. 😉
FYI!! I’ve tried natural methods, such as coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Here are my thoughts:
Coconut Oil: Love it for everywhere besides my face. It makes my skin look great, but apparently clogged my pores and I had some bad breakouts.
Apple Cider Vinegar: It “detoxes” so apparently it kept pulling everything out, and I had some bad breakouts. Otherwise I liked it for reducing the look of scarring and melasma. But I just can’t handle the acne that came along with it.
I hope this helps someone! Thank you for reading!
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