The products that ACTUALLY helped my acne

My skin-care journey started sometime when I turned 14 and acne began to make its way on my face. For years to come, I would suffer mentally due to my skin. The amount of stress anyone can get from acne and skin conditions shouldn't be taken lightly. I spent months and months trying to hide my face from people so they wouldn't see my acne. After spending hundreds of dollars on prescribed medications and creams from dermatologists I was losing hope. That being said I want to share some important points on what helped me go from troubled to clear skin!

The science behind skincare

So one of the biggest reasons my skin took YEARS to improve is because I didn't understand how skincare works. So I ended up just using a bunch of different products, but I didn't use them correctly nor did I use the right products for my skin type.

The first step in fixing your skin troubles is to identify what type of skin condition you are suffering from. There are many types of acne, eczema, and other conditions that you could have and they need specific treatment. I won't go into detail about that now because it is a whole can of worms. This may seem daunting but do not stress! I will leave links to help you identify your skin concerns!

The types of acne I had

After spending hours on research I finally learned that I had cystic, fungal, and superficial topical acne. I will now explain what products or methods helped each of these types of acne.

1. Cystic/hormonal acne

The only thing that helped me get rid of the hormonal acne that appeared on my chin and jaw was starting hormonal birth control. The hormonal type of birth control helps to balance your body's hormones so that you don't get such severe acne during your cycle. Talk to your doctor about which brand would be best for your hormonal acne.

2. "normal" pimples/superficial acne

Superficial acne is acne that is on the very surface layer of your skin. It's what we usually call pimples. These types of acne usually turn into whiteheads. What helped me the most with this type of acne are salicylic acids, and cica/tea tree/madecassoside creams. The tricky thing about my skin is that if use strong acids too much it quickly becomes irritated. If you find your skin is sensitive make sure to use a daily acid with a lower concentration.

3. Fungal acne

This type of acne was my biggest enemy. These are the bumps that do not pop and just ruin your skin by giving it texture. This is the type of acne I was the most frustrated about and the only way I ended up clearing it was by strong BHA and AHA acids. But the thing you have to know is that this type of acne will come back no matter what if you do not stop using other products that contain ingredients that feed the fungal acne. This part is CRUCIAL.

Product recommendations

1. For getting rid of fungal acne and pimples

Stridex Pads

Stridex pads are the most affordable ($3) and one of the most effective ways I got rid of my fungal acne. This product does include menthol which isn't my favorite.

Good molecules AHA overnight treatment

Good molecules is my current favorite brand of skincare. They have all the essentials and all their products are very affordable ($6). I use this AHA and BHA serum 2 times a week when I am having a flare-up of pimples and fungal acne. Use this as a treatment only a few times a week not every day because it is potent.

Link to website

2. products for cystic acne and pimples

A'pieu madecossoside cream

This A'pieu cream and their whole line of madecossoside products are great for acne in general and the redness that comes from it. The thing I love about these products is their affordability ($12) and how they repair the skin barrier to prevent future acne.

Cosrx snail mucin

You can believe the hype. After using my first bottle I wasn't sure if this was helping me. But while I didn't use it for a few months I noticed my skin was dull and when looking at photos I realized this helped calm my acne redness, scars, and made me glow. I recently bought another bottle and have already used most of it. It really helps with preventing new pimples as well.

Things to remember

When treating acne it is important to remember a few things.

1. Your skin is unique so finding what works best for you can take time with trial and error.

2. To heal acne you also need to treat it from the inside out; eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can for the antioxidants.

3. Always read the ingredients. Although everyone's skin is unique it is important to always avoid these things in skincare: parabens, sulfates, sulfites, synthetic colors and fragrances, Triclosan, talc, phthalates, alcohol, and more.

4. In my opinion, the best way to make sure your skincare doesn't have harmful ingredients is to use Korean skincare. This is because many toxic ingredients that are found in western skincare are illegal to be used in cosmetics in Korea and therefore will not be in any of the products.

5. Don't give up! it is frustrating to have skin trouble but trust the process and know you are beautiful no matter what!