How I Cleared My Skin, Again

I definitely haven’t tried every skincare product on the market, but sometimes it feels as if I have. I’ve dealt with problem skin for about 14 years and I’m pretty sure I have finally figured out my algorithm. Now, don’t quote me on that because I’ve said this before and right after, my skin freaked tf out! However, I haven’t had a bad breakout in almost two months now. I cleared my skin yet again with no birth control and no dermatologist prescribed pill or medicine. Here’s how I did it!

One of the first steps I took into clearing up my skin was adding in more moisture to my routine. I found my skin to be pretty oily throughout my teen and young adult years. So I cut out all of those oil-free products I once swore by and added in some hyaluronic acid, deep hydrating creams (or gels,) some penetrating oils. With that being said, I also added fatty oils and acids to my diet. While I don’t take fish oil, I do tend to eat fatty fish like salmon and tuna throughout the week. I’m looking for a good fish oil that’s more bioavailable than a capsule pill. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Cheese is one of my many vices, but it was something I had to seriously cut back on if I wanted clear skin. Dairy, in general, can cause acne, eczema, and rosacea in certain individuals. I happen to be one of those individuals who get cystic acne if I don’t control my dairy intake. Luckily I have an aversion to milk, so that’s one less dairy product I have to worry about. Cheese is bae though. Even after I found out it was causing my breakouts, I still kept eating it. My breaking point was when I was sick at the beginning of last month and physically had to stop intaking any dairy in order to get rid of inflammation in my nasal cavities. After about three weeks of little to no dairy intake, I don’t even want it anymore. Of course, there’s a HUGE difference in my skin. I barely get any pimples anymore, with the exception of hormonal pimples. 

I thought I used to be extremely sensitive to salicylic acid for years. I would use face washes formulated with AHA’s and BHA’s only to find that my skin was just irritated, inflamed and just plain unhappy. Those supposed “purging pimples” were actually irritation bumps and only made the acne worse. I stayed away from any acids until I happened upon The Solution by Glossier. This acid toner is probably one of the most gentle chemical exfoliators on the market. I can honestly say, if it wasn’t for The Solution, I would have never used a chemical exfoliator which would have made clearing up my skin that much harder to do. I slowly worked my way up to M61 PowerPeel Pads, but actually prefer Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Daily Peel Pads these days. AHA’s, BHA’s, and PHA’s are incredibly important for those of us who have acne-prone skin. I recommend NOT skipping this step if you want clear skin, but also do what works for you.

It took me a while to find a good Vitamin C to clear out those pesky dark spots. Unfortunately, exfoliators don’t really do the job when it comes to hyperpigmentation. So yes, yet another product I had to purchase. It took me so long to find one because Vitamin C is freakin unstable. There’s no point in buying a product that goes rancid after a month – it’s just a waste of money. I tried the Triple C Lightning Liquid, but not only did it go rancid it also lost it’s efficacy very quickly. However, that product did work, but it was extremely potent and harsh. Like I said, unstable. Now I’m currently using the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum; I’m still experimenting with this product so there isn’t much I can say about it right now. I do like the consistency and I am seeing a brighter complexion these days. Expect a review very soon!

Another way to get rid of those annoying dark spots is to do some manual labor like dermaplaning or dermarolling. Dermaplaning is basically just scraping the top layer of your skin with a razor and dermarolling is rolling tiny needles into your skin. Both promote cellular renewal and give you softer, more radiant skin. They both sound a little crazy, but they do seem to work pretty well at fading dark spots. Plus this means this is one less product you have to purchase as well as experiment with. I would definitely try either of these methods out before ruling them out.

I know this was a lot to take in, but that is simply because it took quite a bit of time, patience, and trial and error to figure out what worked and didn’t work for my skin. I’m so glad to have finally found products and methods to clear my skin. I share this with you all because I think this can also work for some of you out there.

Tell me some products that have worked for you!

ChelsiKay