How I tackled the worst acne breakout of my life

Hi, my name is Adim and I am an acne survivor. So a little background story: I had some acne when I was a teenager, nothing alarming or out of place for a girl in her teens. I progressed to generally flawless skin all through my twenties with just the occasional spot. Then two months or so before I turned 30, I experienced the worst break out ever. I had these big, painful spots all over my face and it was a really traumatic experience.

I tried so hard not to panic and hoped they would disappear the same way they came- like a thief in the night. Needless to say that did NOT happen and I panicked. I decided to take active steps to tackle it and went on a huge product haul. Honestly, some products made the acne worse and some led to slight improvements. I went to a celebrated skincare specialist in my city and had an acne treatment done and some products recommended for me. This cost me quite a bit but I was desperate at this point. The treatment and follow up products were too harsh for my skin because they made my skin even more inflamed, dry and itchy. For someone with oily skin, this was truly a nightmare.

It was at this point that I changed my strategy. I switched my skincare routine and mixed some products with acne fighting ingredients with ones that had a soothing effect on my skin. I had used some of these products at different points in the past so I was familiar with them. I am not a skincare expert (I just do a lot research on skincare and wellness) but this is what worked for me.

Image Clear Cell Salicylic Gel Cleanser on Amazon

I used this salicylic gel cleanser twice a week for about six months. It was extremely gentle on my skin. My skin did not feel stripped after use which is a lot to say for a cleanser targeted at acne prone skin. 

SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment

The SkinCeuticals Blemish +Age Defense is targeted at breakout prone skin. The key ingredients are Dioic Acid, LHA, Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid all of which are great for treating acne. I alternated between morning and night with this serum as it left my skin slightly dry. While I found this serum a bit drying, I noticed that my spots were not as inflamed. I always applied a hydrating serum after this. 

Biologique Recherche Lotion P50

The Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 has been a staple in my skincare routine for years. It is an exfoliating toner with several active ingredients like lactic acid and salicylic acid to help resurface skin. I did not use this everyday so as not to overwhelm my skin with too many actives. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum

This is not your typical acne fighting serum but it worked wonders for my me. I first used this serum a few months prior to my breakout, just because I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I did not go back to it until I needed products that would soothe the skin and balance out the many active ingredients I was putting on my skin at the time. 

It did exactly what I hoped it would. It had a cooling and very soothing effect on my skin. My skin felt calm with this and not as irritated. I have done a more detailed review of this serum here.

Clarins Double Serum

The Clarins Double Serum kept my skin moisturized! It understood the assignment and then some. I love this serum. It is a staple for dewy, supple and bouncy looking skin. It just made my skin look better and I needed that especially when I did not feel great about my skin.

Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Mask on Amazon

 

This mask was a game changer for me. It does exactly what it says- tackles acne and blemishes. I started out using this almost daily but soon realised that this was a bit much for my skin to handle so I cut it down to three times a week which was perfect. It contains maximum strength sulfur, kaolin and bentonite clay and these work together to clear breakouts.

This is not an exhaustive list of all products that I used during my acne breakout. I tried other products which  came highly recommended such as the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant and the Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution.  They were alright but I believe the ones I listed above had a more significant impact.

In addition to using products well suited for your skin, patience and kindness to yourself goes a long way. You are beautiful regardless of the state of your skin and just because you would prefer your skin to be devoid of spots does not mean you don’t love yourself. Do not be hard on yourself for wanting something different. 

 

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