I mentioned a few times already that I struggled with acne for a couple of years (six years, to be precise). And today is the time to tell you what cleared my acne.
I talked about my history with acne in my About me post. Essentially, I’ve spent the majority of my life thinking, fighting and researching acne. Mentally, I’ve gone through all stages someone can be in while struggling with acne. I was naively following random people’s advice (which only made it worse). I was covering my acne in layers and layers of concealers and foundations, I was ignoring it, I was pretending I don’t mind it (alongside all the strangers looking at my face), and I accepted it.
Until one day, I decided enough was enough. I enrolled in a beauty therapy course and got a CIDESCO and ITEC diploma. And I learned more about skin health. I wish I could tell you I learnt a lot about acne, but I haven’t. It was more about skin in general. And other beauty bits. But I’m still glad I did it.
After six long years of battling acne, I can finally say my acne is gone. Not entirely, but enough to feel good in my skin. In this post, I will tell you what cleared my acne.
Related post: About me
What cleared my acne
Without further ado, I will list what cleared my acne. Just keep in mind that it was all the things combined and, I don’t know would the results be different if I didn’t do some of them.
What cleared my acne:
- using tissue instead of towels
- changing my pillowcase every two days
- being more gentle with my face
- stopped using coconut oil on the face
- less dairy in my diet
- stopped using natural products
- I accepted that I have sensitive skin
- hydration
Using tissue instead of towels
If there is one thing I recommend to do in your battle with acne, it is this. Even though I was changing my face towels daily (I have around 15-20 face cloths) and I was the only person using them exclusively for my face, I was still getting acne. I don’t know whether it was a detergent I was using on them or something else, but once I swapped them for tissue, my acne started decreasing. Honestly, it was like magic.
Often, a towel hangs in their bathroom, and everyone uses it for their hands while girls use it for their faces. Please don’t do that. There are so many germs and bacteria on those towels, and you don’t know what else your family/partner wipes with them. They are ok for the hands but not the face.
Changing my pillowcase every two days
Similarly, pillowcases can be a huge culprit for acne. We sweat and drool all night long, and our skincare and haircare products get smothered all over our pillowcases. And then we sleep on that night after night for how long? A week, two weeks, a month??
It makes sense to change your pillowcase every few days. I find it perfect to change it every two days. I turn my pillow after the first night and sleep on the fresh side on the second night.
Also, I wash all my pillowcases (again, I have around 15) together with a very mild detergent suitable for sensitive skin.
Being more gentle with my skin
If you ever struggled with acne, I bet you were harshly scrubbing your face and squeezing your pimples at some point. My younger self always thought that it could only help remove my acne. I was so frustrated with acne that I tried every scrub and brush. Now I know that only made things worse.
Any skin with acne is inflamed and needs a gentle approach. So forget about those face brushes and mechanical peelings. Instead, choose gentle acid exfoliators like AHA’s or BHA’s.
Also, pat products into your skin instead of rubbing them in.
I stopped using coconut oil on my skin.
Once, I read somewhere that coconut oil is fantastic as a makeup remover (amongst other things). So, naturally, I started using it like that for months. And my acne was only getting worse. Bear in mind – I was doing a double cleansing method, so it wasn’t sitting on my face for long. But it was still causing problems.
Only when I replaced coconut oil with a proper makeup remover did I notice an improvement in my skin. So use coconut oil where it belongs, in the kitchen. And stop believing everything you read online.
Less dairy in my diet
Around the time my acne was at its absolute worst, I was following a meal and workout plan. The meal plan included a lot of cheeses and dairy products for proteins. And the workout plan included two hours of workouts five times a week.
Even though I never felt stronger and noticed a change in my body composition, my face was never worse. It was so bad that it hurt to sleep on the sides of my face. I could only sleep on my back. I hit an all-time low mentally as I was in so much pain.
Surprisingly, I stuck to it for a good three months and again, once I stopped with that kind of diet, It got better. Now I know that I can get my proteins from other sources, not just dairy. And that is a prime example of how an individual approach to anything is necessary.
I should mention that I still eat dairy but much less. I have it a few times a week, not a few times a day. The only dairy I don’t have is milk. I use plant-based milk instead.
Stopped using natural products
Similarly to the coconut oil one, I read somewhere natural products are a way to go in the battle with acne. Another reason I went with natural skincare is that I got a job in a health food store, and I was trying out anything that said acne or clearing on it. Back then, I didn’t know/accept my skin was sensitive, and I used products for oily/problematic skin. Obviously, it didn’t help.
But I have to mention a product I was using that I feel jumpstarted the clearing of my acne. Probably, it contributed to the sensitivity, but it cleared my acne. You win some – you lose some.
The product I’m talking about it is this:
To accompany the spray, I used a face wash from the same range:
The spray was great for drying out my acne. I used it twice a day for a couple of months. And now, I recommend it to anyone looking for something for acne. But I do emphasise the importance of hydration alongside products like this. We don’t want to create a new problem by fixing an old one.
I accepted I have sensitive skin.
In my last post, I wrote about sensitive skin or how to tell your skin is sensitive. I wrote that I was ignoring the signs my skin was sensitive and wasn’t treating it like that. All of that was contributing to the slow process of healing my acne. Or should I say no process? Only once I stopped being so harsh to my skin and started treating it gently – it started showing signs of improvement.
This one connects to being more gentle with your skin. But it also includes not only being gentle but using sensitive skin-safe products. And those are usually products you get in pharmacies such as La Roche Possay, Avene, Dermalogica, Uriage and similar.
Rather than going for an acne range in a brand, go for a sensitive skin one. For example, instead of the Effeclar duo line in La Roche Posay, choose the Toleriane range.
Related post: How to tell if your skin is sensitive
Hydration
It’s no secret that acne products are full of harsh alcohols meant to dry out pimples. But they also dry out the surrounding skin. And that only contributes to the inflammation of the skin. Also, they stimulate the skin to produce more sebum as they are drying it, and more sebum usually means more acne. And it is a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of.
So if you hydrate your skin more, it will give it a chance to regulate its sebum production and reduce inflammation. And it will also give it a healthy, plump look. When I first started introducing more hydration to my skin, I was honestly surprised by how healthy my skin looked. Even though I still had acne, it just had that nice glow.
Related post: Dry skin vs. dehydrated – how to tell the difference
Products
As I said above, the individual approach is everything, so take the following list with a pinch of salt and think about them being appropriate for your skin type. You know already – my skin is sensitive, so the products are suitable for that skin type.
So the products are as follows:
- azelaic acid
- spot treatment
- hyaluronic acid
- SPF
- mineral powder
- exfoliator
Azelaic acid
Azelaic acid is my new best friend. It is safe for sensitive skin, does gentle exfoliation, and helps reduce hyperpigmentation left after acne. I’ve never reacted to azelaic acid, and I’ve been using it for two years now. I try to use up what I have before buying a new one, so I’ve only tried two so far – The Ordinary Azelaic Acid and Paula’s Choice.
I like both of them. I know a lot of people are saying they don’t like the texture of the Ordinary one, but I don’t mind it. As it was the first azelaic acid product I tried, I saw a massive improvement in my skin. Paula’s Choice has some BHA in it as well, so it helps calm and prevents those breakouts.
Now, after two years, I feel like I might’ve reached the maximum one ingredient can do for my skin, so I will try some other type of acid next (probably lactic)
Spot treatment
If you use a spot treatment, you need to apply it only directly on the spot and avoid the surrounding skin because they are strong and can cause drying of the skin and irritation.
That is where my favourite spot treatment comes in handy. It is zinc-based, and it works amazingly. In one or two nights – a spot is gone, and the skin isn’t left red and dry. It does stay on your pillowcase as it is green, but we change our pillowcases every two nights (right?) anyway. So it doesn’t matter.
Hyaluronic acid
As I said above, hydration is key. And hyaluronic acid is a queen of hydration. It provides in-depth hydration and strengthens and helps rebuild the skin’s barrier. Hyaluronic acid is another ingredient that I have noticed a massive improvement in once I started using it.
My favourite HA product is Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. I wrote a review already, so I won’t say too much here – except that it is fantastic.
Related post: Hyaluronic acid: everything you need to know
Related post: Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid Lotion – review
SPF
It’s no secret how necessary sun protection is. But in terms of clearing up acne, it helps by protecting the barrier of the skin from damaging UV rays. It also prevents the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots. Since I started using SPF daily, I noticed an improvement in my complexion. It just looks more even, without the discolouration everywhere.
Related post: The importance of SPF and which one to choose
Mineral powder
The mineral powder was one of the biggest changes I made in my routine. As someone who used to wear layers on layers of foundations and concealers to hide my face, this was a massive change for me. And it made the most significant difference. And now I wouldn’t go back for anything. The feeling mineral powder leaves on the skin is incomparable to liquid foundations. It is so light and breathable.
I already wrote a post all about mineral makeup. Essentially, it is non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t clog the pores, has built-in SPF (only around SPF 15), is healing, and can protect our skin as we wear it. Also, it provides fantastic coverage.
If you haven’t tried mineral makeup yet, I highly recommend you do it. The brands I’ve tried and love are Bare Minerals and Gosh.
Related post: What Is Mineral Makeup (Benefits And How To Apply)
Exfoliator
As I said above, I used to use all kinds of harsh scrubs and brushes on my face thinking it would help get rid of acne. I was on the right track but the wrong execution. Our skin does need exfoliation, but a gentle and appropriate for skin type one. So I introduced an enzyme exfoliator that gently removes dead skin cells and makes our skin very soft and glowing. Exfoliator combined with the azelaic acid ensures my skin never has a build-up of dead skin cells that could clog my pores and break me out.
Related post: Best Exfoliator On The Market? Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Review
Conclusion
I want to blur all this to anyone suffering from acne when they come into the store I work in and ask for advice. But I know how I used to feel when someone was telling me about all the things I had to change to get rid of my acne. Then, I want to say to them what cleared my acne. But, what is important is to listen and see what kind of skin they have and decide what would be the best first step. I was told that if I drank more water, I wouldn’t have acne too many times. Wrong! That’s just wrong. And annoying.
If there is one takeaway you will take from this, let it be this: know your skin type. I will have to write a post about this. The easiest method would be to wash your face and leave it without any product for two hours. After two hours, see if it got oily or felt itchy and tight. Or maybe it’s a combination. If you are unsure, go to a reputable salon and ask a beauty therapist to determine your skin type. And just then, start introducing changes in your skincare routine.
And if there is one change you will make after this post, let it be using tissue instead of towels. I can’t even explain how much better my face got in the only couple of days since doing that change.
I hope this post about what cleared my acne brought you value and that you will introduce some of these changes or products.
