In this post, I’m going to tell a little about my story with acne, what got me to where I am today, products that have helped, and habits that have helped.
First of all, cystic acne is best left alone. DO NOT try to pop them. Most of the time, they will not come to a head, and squeezing will make them even more swollen and inflamed.
I am going to be honest; I did go on an antibiotic to help combat my acne, but only for 3 months, to get it to a spot where I could treat it topically.
DON’T STOP READING.
I believe that sometimes acne can get so out of control that the bacteria continues to spread no matter what we do topically. Going on medicine has always helped me get to a spot where I can treat my acne topically. I went to my Dermatologist and went on Minocycline.
I have had cystic acne since high school. I have gone to a dermatologist off and on throughout this journey, and every time, they say, “The only way this will never come back is if you go on Accutane.” I have a personal boundary that I will never go on Accutane because of the adverse side effects, and also because sometimes it doesn’t work! I know my body responds well to minocycline. I have no side effects, and it gets my acne under control. So I tell my dermatologist this, and they have always been willing to prescribe it to me. I have always been able to get it under control with this method.
My acne is very hormonal. After we lost our first baby, Noah, my acne got bad. He was stillborn, and my hormones didn’t know what to do. I didn’t take any medicine at this point because I was trying to get pregnant. It got bad again in 2020. This was a time when I went on Minocycline because it was so bad I couldn’t get it under control. My face was in so much pain, I just needed some relief. Since then, I’ve been able to keep it under control with my diet and topical products.
July 2016 – right after losing Noah. My face was in so much pain. Putting makeup on just made it look worse.
Dec. 2020 – when I started Minocycline. Painful, swollen, and not getting better with facials/topical treatments.
I think what’s important to remember is that everyone has breakouts. Some are worse than others. I know that I will break out before my period. I know if I’m eating lots of sugar and dairy, I’ll break out. If I’m stressed, hello breakout! Our skin shows a lot, so I try my best to keep it under control. I still live by and believe in a healthy balance.
Products/Brands that I’ve used and didn’t work:
Tula The Cult Classic Cleanser – I used up an entire large bottle; it made me have a lot of little tiny pimples that never popped on my forehead.
Rodan & Fields – acne system… it has pore-clogging ingredients, and it only worked for a time.
Products and Habits for Clear Skin
First and foremost, I always check the ingredients of my products at Acne Clinic NYC. I have learned that EVEN IF a product or brand says it is non-comedogenic, it still COULD BE comedogenic. This was crazy to me. But here I am, still checking every single product I put on my face.
Please, please, please check and re-check your products. Sometimes brands will change their ingredients. So every so often, I re-check my products. Sometimes they end up containing pore-clogging ingredients. It’s always a sad day when a product you have loved is now considered pore-clogging. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if any products I list are pore-clogging, as I won’t always get around to checking them.
Skincare Regimen:
In the morning, I use my trusted Cereve Moisturizing Wash or my SkinMedica Face Wash. It really depends on the day, how I’m feeling, whether my skin needs moisture or treatment, etc. I believe you can overexfoliate, so I switch up my morning cleansings.
I wash my face at night with the SkinMedica facewash. I love this face wash, and it is a holy grail product for me. It keeps all acne away!
At night, if I wore makeup during the day, I use the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water or First Aid Beauty’s Face Wash. I take off my makeup by wetting a cotton round and gently rubbing it over my face. This even takes off my eye makeup, and it’s not rough. I use about two cotton rounds, front and back.
After cleansing my face every night, I use the Skinceuticals Blemish and Age Defense. I was so nervous to try this, but it has great reviews, and I needed something specifically to keep my acne away. I tried it, and I will never go back. It has completely transformed my skin. Even when I am in the pre-menstrual phase of my cycle, I only get one cyst, and the lack of swelling and redness is crazy. It’s truly magic in a bottle. The price point is a little scary for this. I was worried it would be a waste of money, but it was not. It didn’t even make my skin purge. I saw a difference the next day. This is completely worth the price tag, and I don’t use it every single night, so it lasts a good while.
I always dry my face with a clean washcloth.
I always follow my morning wash with a moisturizer. I use the Elta MD moisturizer.
If my skin feels inflamed, I will use this ice massage all over my face about once a week. This brings down swelling and shrinks my cysts. Even if I am not breaking out, I believe it helps prevent future breakouts.
About once a week, I use this Mask or this Mask by Tula. I usually do this when I am sitting in a bath.
Another thing I do once or twice a week (because it feels so good) is the Solawave wand. In addition to using the Solawave wand, I use their Skin Therapy Activating Serum. This keeps my face so supple and moisturized. I use the serum and the wand before bed, and when I wake in the morning, my face glows. Truly, such a great product.
For spot treatment, I use Tula’s Go Away Acne Spot Treatment. This is the ONLY Benzol Peroxide I use on my face. And I am very careful to only put it on my acne and not rub it around the acne. This is the only spot treatment I’ve found that actually calms the breakout without overly drying the blemish. I don’t use it all the time, so I’m sure it would dry out the blemish quite a bit if I used it every day.
Diet for Clear Skin:
Every night, about an hour before bed, I take a Probiotic. Gut health is HUGE and is a big trigger for acne. In line with gut health, I do not eat dairy or peanut butter. I switched out my peanut butter for almond butter. If you are eating a completely natural peanut butter with no additives, I have found that it doesn’t bug my skin.
I also drink tea. It’s an almost nightly ritual. I usually go for a chamomile tea. If I want something sweet, I’ll drink chamomile tea. Peppermint, ginger, turmeric, and chamomile are my favorites, and they are all good for your skin.
Makeup for Clear Skin:
For the longest time, I thought primers did nothing. That is, until I found IT Cosmetics Primer. This has Salicylic Acid in it, and I think it goes to work on my acne even with a full face of makeup on. It also helps my powder foundation go on smoother and more evenly.
Bare Minerals Matte Loose Powder. Whoever said that you can’t get full coverage with a powder foundation is seriously mistaken. I get full coverage, and if one of my cysts is acting out, I have the best cover-up to combat that. It’s important to use the matte version of the powder foundation, as the original has acne-causing ingredients.
For concealer, I use Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer. I use it under my eyes and on dark spots or acne that is red. Usually, I can cover almost everything with just the Bare Minerals Matte Powder Foundation.
I use a darker shade of Bare Minerals Matte Loose Powder for bronzer.
For blush, I use Bare Minerals Bounce Blush.
For Setting Powder, I use Morphe Bake and Set Setting Powder. I bake the setting powder before I do my eye makeup, fill in my brows, etc. Then I blend it all in.
I use Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. I used to use Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray, but they changed the ingredients or something. I recently checked the ingredients again, and it now contains pore-clogging ingredients. Sad day for me, as this was a product I had used for years. I’ve used the Airbrush Setting Spray a couple of times now, and I have to say, it stands up to Urban Decay’s, and I actually like it better. So we will see!
March 2021 – skin is healing, but scarring and dark spots remain (after 3 months on Minocycline)
July 2021 – The lighting was good, so I took a progress pic. Being tan always makes things look better, but as you can see from March, my scarring is better, and I have a cystic pimple healing on my chin.
Feb 2023 – I got my hair cut and colored… this is the middle of winter, no tan, you can see the dark spots from former acne blemishes. But no swelling and no painful blemishes.
July 2023 – I’m tan and just finished my monthly cycle. I have one blemish healing.
December 2024 – For authenticity…breakouts still happen – nobody’s skin is perfect! I recently had a breakout and wanted to take a picture of what I’m doing to help heal it. Because cysts last for so long, I had a couple from my last cycle that are still sticking around. Around the same time, I ran out of my probiotics, and now I know probiotics are a huge proponent in helping keep my skin clear. I am also convinced that changing weather makes me break out every year. When the weather turns freezing cold, you can tell on my skin. I have six zit stickers in this photo. One is for an active cyst; the others are to help the cyst heal more quickly. My fingers are crossed.
These zit stickers and these zit stickers were amazing! Healed my cysts and other small blemishes more quickly. The swelling was less, and the pain went away more quickly.
Tricks for Clear Skin:
Keeping your skin guessing is a huge trick I have learned. Your skin gets used to skincare the more you use it, so I’ve found that if I give my skin a break or switch my routine at night, it does better. I use the same products, but don’t have such a serious schedule with them. I just go with what I think my skin needs.
Switching up my morning and nighttime routine really does help by using different products or leaving products out. I sometimes don’t wash my face in the morning and only splash it with water.
As always, reminding myself that what’s on the inside matters more than what’s on the outside helps my confidence when I have a mountain range on my chin. I also try to remind myself that I see my acne as way worse than others will see it. Dealing with acne of any kind is a blow to your confidence, but I’ve learned to still be confident and hold my head high, even with a large cyst on my face. It’s only temporary; it will go away. All the people I will see in the time being that I have a huge zit will not think any less of me.
So go, be CONFIDENT in the skin you are in. You are beautiful… inside and out. 🤍
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