My journey with my skin has been a LONG one, but I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet. Over the years, I have tried nearly every type of skincare product out there hoping to clear my skin. After dealing with cystic acne, and going on Accutane to finally clear my skin about four years ago, I have definitely streamlined my daily routine. I’m definitely not perfect with my skin care, but I find that the more consistent you are, the better your results will be. I cut out a lot of extraneous products that I used to think were essential, and have found that I’m still happy with the results. Of course there’s always room for improvement, but for now I’m really liking my routine!
They're difficult to post, but I wanted to include some pictures of my skin before starting Accutane, while being on it, and then some pictures of my skin currently. I included pictures of my skin today, with and without makeup. To provide a little more background, I was on a five month course of Accutane, about four years ago. Since I have had pretty severe acne, I definitely have a lot of hyperpigmentation, and some mild scarring. Because of this, I focus my skincare around helping pigmentation issues. I follow The Ordinary’s suggestion for a routine geared toward this area. I really like The Ordinary products, and have used them for a little over a year now. I have hyperpigmentation from such severe cystic acne, so topicals can only do so much. I’ve found that this is something that takes a lot of time, patience, and consistency to improve. My skin definitely isn’t where I’d like it to be, but coming from having such severe acne, I’m content with my skin. I want to look into getting laser treatments down the line, just because it's honestly still really hard for me to go out without wearing makeup, and I'd like to get to the place soon where I don't feel so insecure without it.
I have been off of Accutane for about four years now, I have had really good luck with my skin staying clear. However, around December/January of this past year, I started noticing I was breaking out around my mouth, jaw and chin. I went to my dermatologist and she recommended trying Spironolactone. I have been taking 50 mg of Spironolactone daily for three full months now, and definitely have noticed an improvement in these hormonal breakouts. It took about a month to start noticing results, and I’ll still get the occasional small breakout, but overall it’s still very manageable.
Getting into my actual skin care routine for the morning, I actually don’t wash my face with a cleanser when I wake up. Before being on Accutane, my skin was so oily, but after being on the medication, my skin tends to be on the drier side for the most part. Because of this, I don’t want to completely strip my skin in the mornings. I think of it like washing your hair every single day, and how you don’t want to strip your natural oils. Instead, I use Thayers witch hazel to kind of refresh my skin. Witch hazel has astringent properties so it can be drying, but this brand doesn’t make my skin feel dry. I’ll then use The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA followed by their Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. I’ll follow up with The Ordinary Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%. Next, I use a lightweight moisturizer. I really like the Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream. Even though it’s called a cream, it has a thin texture, which I prefer. Another lightweight moisturizer that’s cheaper and still works really well is the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion.
I end my morning skincare routine with sunscreen. I’m dealing with a lot of hyperpigmentation, especially on my cheeks, so keeping my skin protected from the sun is really important. There’s some controversy over the order in which you should apply serums, moisturizer, and sunscreen, but this is just what I find is best for me. Using physical versus chemical sunscreens is also widely debated, but the one I use is a physical sunscreen. There are a ton of options out there for facial sunscreens, but lately I’ve been liking the Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Liquid Face Sunscreen SPF 50. I have tried the CeraVe Moisturizer with SPF 30, but I found that it “pills” easily and has a really gritty texture. I’m sure there are moisturizers out there that have SPF built in and don’t have that gritty texture, but I prefer to use separate moisturizer and SPF even though it’s adding an extra step. On the days I’m wearing makeup, I try to leave some time between doing my morning skincare, and putting on makeup. This doesn’t always end up happening, but I find that makeup does apply easier if my skincare has at least 30 minutes to set.
For nighttime skincare, I start by removing my makeup with the Makeup Eraser. This product is great because you only need water to take off all of your makeup! Micellar water definitely helps if you have stubborn makeup, especially mascara. For cleanser, I’ve really been loving the Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash for the last few months. I would say it’s probably my number one choice for a cleanser, but it is a bit pricey. I’ve also used the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser, which is a great option as well. I’ll then tone with the same witch hazel that I use in the mornings. Then I use The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA and Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. Finally, I’ll finish with the same Kate Somerville or CeraVe moisturizer.
In terms of skincare that I don't use every day, I only have a couple go-to products these days. I honestly feel like less can be more when it comes to your skin care routine. I used to have every popular gadget and product, but I don't think that those products make a significant difference a lot of the time, unless you're religious about using them. Exfoliating for instance is something I used to do a couple days a week. These days I don't feel like my skin needs physical exfoliation very often with the products that I'm using. I bought the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant in the trial size a few months ago, and I honestly haven't been a huge fan of it. It's not a bad product, and definitely works well for a lot of people based on reviews, but it's just not it for me. Something I've done ever since college is use brown sugar as an exfoliator. It sounds so weird, but it's cheap and really does work. For a mask/spot treatment, I really like the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. I don't really do full on masks anymore, but I find this helps speed up the healing of a pimple.
Seeing it all written out, it definitely seems like a lot of steps, but for me, this is a very manageable routine. Skin care routines can easily become pretty tedious, and there are definitely mornings when I'm in a rush and skip most of my steps, and nights where I'm happy if I get my makeup off and wash my face. My skin still has quite a ways to go, but I also have to remind myself how much better it is now than it used to be. I've tried to start looking at skin care like working out and eating healthy. The more you do it and stay consistent, the easier it becomes and the better your results will be. If anyone has any suggestions, or must have products they've been loving, I'd love to hear about them!
