I am down to about six remotely angry zits and they're all on my jawline, plus a bunch of scarring and redness on and under the jawline.
Current routine:
A.M.
*Wash face with First Aid Beauty cleanser
*Wipe face with First Aid Beauty exfoliating pads (full of glycolic and lactic acids!)
*Moisturize/boost with Desert Essence Age Defying Pomegranate face serum
*Apply sunblock - right now I'm using up Lavanila The Healthy body sunscreen
Do makeup
P.M.
If face is super gunky feeling, maybe remove makeup with either a self-made oil cleanser, Simple eye makeup remover, or Caudalie cleansing water.
*Wash with CeraVe foaming facial cleanser and a face brush.
Tone if I feel like it - currently using witch hazel beefed up with tea tree oil, but the Thayers cucumber aloe witch hazel I ordered FINALLY came in the mail today. The packaging is still in a heap by my feet, lol.
*Apply Silk Naturals Super Serum (vitamin C, niacinamide).
*Apply Peter Thomas Roth retinol serum.
Moisturize if I feel like I need it with 365 facial moisturizer, Lucy Minerals ambrosia serum, blend of tea tree and lavender oil, or any combination of the above.
* These are things I am doing every day. Nonstarred items I only do if I feel like it.
My skin hasn't gone downhill since running out of the Philosophy Booster C sample, so I'm probably not going to go run out and buy that. I don't personally think that the cleanser is that important. I mean, yeah, you should wash your face, but these specific products aren't Holy Grail items, just things I happen to have - the FAB cleanser came in a set with the pads, and I like to keep my acids for A.M. and my niacinamide for nighttime - both seem to be useful but they don't play well together. When I run out of those, I have roughly 16 oz. left of a fragrance free body wash that also works as a facial cleanser.
The exfoliating pads, Super Serum, and possibly the retinol, have contributed the most to my skin's improvement, I think. The other antioxidant stuff and the sunblock address my other concerns of not wanting to age prematurely and definitely not wanting a repeat of my skin cancer experience.
What has helped you clear up your cystic, hormonal acne? Has anything really helped you with the scarring?
I haven't had acne on my face, but about a year or two ago I developed bad back acne. I found Sharon Marie Skin Care glycolic acid products to be my only savior! They have now become my HG cleanser and treatment products. I would definitely recommend at least browsing what she has available and see if anything interests you.
ReplyDeleteI think that glycolic acid is definitely something I've introduced that is helping. I was scared off by the stuff after a bad purging experience with another "peel" product, but the Anthony for Men cleanser brought so much crap to the surface that I think that it's a great ingredient, if not in as high concentrations as the Dennis Gross Alpha-Beta peels. Sharon Marie's stuff looks great - but I love how easy to use the FAB pads are!
DeleteAlso, it's weird - the acne's not so much on my face as around it - look from the right angle and it's like my skin's clear!