Acne & My Miracle Finds

The bottom line is: ACNE SUCKS. But it's normal and natural and that makes it suck even more. Here's my story and what has worked for me. Hopefully, it helps someone who is dealing with the same thing.

Having had acne since I was 13, I have never ever ever ever ever ever gotten compliments on my skin before... EVER. And it's been a long and painful journey finding products that work for my skin. This past summer, my skin was breaking out really bad. I didn't want to leave the house or hang out with friends. I avoided the sun at all cost. I washed my face twice a day and took care of it best I knew how. I have tried a million things and that includes salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, Proactiv, Murad, doxycycline, clindamycin, birth control pills and sulfur. I remember about 5 years ago, my doctor put me on oral antibiotics for my acne and it made me so sick that I went to work this one morning and threw up. It was awful. Proactiv worked at first, but did not completely clear my acne and then my skin eventually got used to it.

Murad also has a 3-step system for acne-prone skin and after my mom urged me to try it out, I went to Sephora to get the set. After a week, my skin was so irritated, so raw, so painful. I continued to use it because people were advising me that that's normal as an initiative reaction. Two more days of using it and I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I remember the products burned so much after every application that I almost cried. Literally, it felt like it was tearing my skin apart. When I went home on the weekend, my mom was shocked at what Murad was doing to my skin and she took me to a dermatologist the next day. The derm gave me products to soothe the irritation. Ever since then, I have been pretty skeptical and afraid to try new skincare products.

Anyway, over this summer, my skin got the worst that it's ever been. It was frustrating and embarrassing. Nothing worked. Some days I remember feeling really down about myself. Anyone who has or had acne knows how discouraging it is to look for products that are compatible with your skin. And you guys know how irritating it is when a friend bitches about having 1 measly, teeny, tiny zit that looks non-existent. *rolls eyes

So, I was watching random youtube videos and came across one with a girl talking about products from acne.org and how it completely cured her acne. Out of curiosity, I looked up the site and basically acne.org is a community website where people talk about what has worked for them to get rid of their acne. The founder of the website was an acne-sufferer and he created a 3-step system that worked for him. His regimen included a cleanser, a treatment and a moisturizer. The cleanser and moisturizer do not have any ingredients aimed to help acne, but instead just soothe and moisturize since the "treatment" can be drying. I was, of course, skeptical of trying the products at first, but I figured what the heck. I bought all three products. About 2 weeks into using it, my skin hurt. It was dry, patchy and flaky. I didn't notice it doing anything for my acne either. I stopped after two weeks because it was painful. Within a week, I started breaking out a lot more. Then I decided to give acne.org another try. This time, I didn't use their cleanser or moisturizer. Even though it's marketed as being gentle, I didn't think it was working with my skin. I started using Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash. When you're using an acne treatment, your skin usually gets dry and this scrub will get rid of dead skin cells and bacteria to help promote skin turnover. I used to use the super popular St. Ives, but because the scrub particles are made from crushed apricot seeds, it was too harsh for my skin. This Neutrogena scrub has little beads that exfoliate without being too rough.

Then after washing and pat-drying my skin, I use Acne.org's treatment. The treatment is a gel that has 2.5% benzoyl peroxide in it. The creator basically believes that 2.5% is the perfect percentage because it will take care of the acne without excessively drying your skin. I really like that it's a gel product because once it's dry, it doesn't have any white leftover residue that cream products leave behind.

After letting the treatment dry, I apply my moisturizer. I found this Oil-Free Neutrogena Moisturizer for sensitive skin to be AMAZING. It gives me just the right amount of hydration without the nasty heavy cream feel that a lot of moisturizers have. Since using this product, I don't find the acne.org treatment to be too drying.

I didn't get the same reaction as the first time I used all three acne.org products. The second time around, I used the treatment once every two days. After two weeks, I started using it once a day. Then I eased my way into using it twice a day. I didn't see results right away. About two months into this regimen, I noticed that my acne was slowly going away and my skin was a lot smoother and clearer. It's been five months now and my skin continues to look great. Like I stated earlier, I'm not used to getting compliments on my skin and lately, my friends and family have definitely taken notice of the difference. I feel like my confidence has improved tremendously since I've completely gotten rid of my acne. I'm not even afraid to go without makeup nowadays, which I have never been comfortable with!

I do want to say that this regimen is mine and I'm not saying it will work for everybody, but it's worth a try. I really do stand behind acne.org's treatment because it is the only thing that has completely cleared my skin. I have not had a breakout for about 5 months. My skin used to be really really oily and since using these products, I feel like my skin has kind of normalized. When I say I used to be oily, I mean I used to have to blot my skin with oil-blotting papers or a blot powder 5-6 times a day. Even after about an hour or two of applying makeup, my skin would just look like an oil-slick! Now, I blot my skin once and it's usually after wearing my makeup for about 6 hours! 

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this post and that it helps someone. :)

Love you guys,

Kim