Left – 2012, right – 2015

Hello everyone, I hope you’re all doing great! Today is the time for a little more personal post in which I will share with you the key tips that helped me get rid of acne. In the picture on the left unfortunately I’m wearing makeup so you can see only a bit of acne, but you can trust me – it was AWFUL. My face was literally almost completely covered with spots (both acne and acne scars). This is the only closeup picture I have from that period – I was feeling so insecure I literally didn’t allow anyone to take a picture of me (sounds familiar?). You can probably notice also a significant weightloss in these pictures – I will make a post about that soon too!

So back to the topic, here are my tips for getting rid of acne!

1. Go to a dermatologist.

If you are really suffering from acne (and by this I mean you have many spots, not just one or two occasionally) the best and fastest way to get rid of it is seeing a doctor because acne is, in fact, a skin disease that should be treated. It’s most often caused by either bacteria or hormonal problems and only a doctor can prescribe the most effective treatment for you based on the cause. My treatment was retinoid with antibiotic, let me know in the comments if you want me to make a separate post about it!

2. Be a good kid and do what the doctor said.

Once you got the meds, it’s very important to follow the doctor’s instructions thoroughly because they simply know better (usually). If you don’t apply the medications regularly or if you overuse them, the effect can be none or opposite to desired. It is also very important to continue treatment for a while after your skin looks perfect, otherwise acne is likely to be back (been there, done that).

3. Hygiene is key.

Even the best treatment will fail if the hygiene is not on point 😉 Wash your makeup sponges and brushes after every use, preferably with antibacterial cleanser and try to use paper towels to dry your face instead of the same towel over and over again. Jar packing is to be avoided, but if your fave moisturizer is in a jar make sure not to dip dirty fingers in the jar. I always take the amount of a moisturizer enough for my whole face on the back of my hand and work from there. That way, the bacteria doesn’t go into the jar and you don’t spread it all over your face every time you use the product.

4. Acne prone skin is sensitive skin.

The mistake I used to make in the past was using lots of harsh, anti-acne cosmetics that were drying my skin and stripping it off it’s natural barrier and leaving it as a playground for bacteria that causes acne and therefore making it all worse. It was a vicious cycle. What I go for now is double cleansing with gentle cleansers and moisturizing properly at night and using a sensitive skin friendly cleanser and a mattyfying but not drying moisturizer during the day.

5. Check the ingredients.

I made a separate post about cosmetic ingredients that can worsen acne that you can read here, but in short it’s better to avoid silicones, alcohol and paraffin (mineral oil). Essential oils and added fragrance can irritate your skin inflaming the blemishes too.

6. Don’t forget about deep cleansing and exfoliating.

Let’s take a second here to talk about deep cleansing and for me that is cleansing clay or charcoal masks. We have plenty of products to choose from, but many of them can be drying and irritating. To pick the best one check the ingredients and pick as natural one as possible without additives like alcohol. As for exfoliating, I’d rather avoid very harsh ones and go for the “everyday” ones such as Clinique 7-day scrub cream used twice a week because it’s not abrasive for the skin. Chemical exfoliants can make wonders too! These steps are necessary to clean pores, and clean pores mean less chance for breakouts!

7. The cleaner you eat, the clearer your skin is.

I don’t know how to prove this one, it’s only based on experience. The less the sugar and junk food in your diet the better your skin will look and the less the breakouts. And actually not just your skin, also your hair and nails, not to mention the overall wellbeing.

8. Don’t touch your face.

Unless you’re applying skincare or makeup products, don’t do it. Especially sometime during the day, when your hands are not that clean.

9. Chill out with makeup.

When having a face covered in blemishes the temptation to hide them behind a ton of makeup is too strong but try to resist it. Makeup usually contains ingredients that can be pore clogging or even acne causing if you’re sensitive to them. Unless it’s a special occasion it’s better to skip the heavy coverage routine and go for lighter products or not to wear makeup at all if you don’t have to. While applying a lot of makeup you are putting at least three layers of silicone based products that is kind of like a greenhouse for bacteria. Sounds disgusting, doesn’t it? Your skin cannot breathe and cleanse itself properly under such a layer. I know, i know – most of the products have “non-comedogenic” written on them but not everything written on a packaging is always true and different ingredients can work differently on different people.

10. BE PATIENT.

Yes, the Caps Lock is on purpose here. Any acne treatment doesn’t give immediate effects. Sometimes you need to wait a few weeks to notice first changes and it can take from months to years to clear your skin completely. Persistence and patience is unfortunately required but the effects are worth it!

I hope the post was useful for you, thank you for reading! Please let me know in the comments about your favourite tips to banish acne!