It's been a long battle and finally I think I'm winning!
If you wanna skip the story, just scroll down
I got acne at the age of 17. It started on my forehead; I would scrub it everyday in the shower trying to get rid of it and I learnt my first lesson: don't touch it or you will worse it. It scarred and got better. Then it appeared on my chin. It wouldn't go away no matter what I did, touch or not. It extended to the sides of my face and I started to use foundation trying to cover it. My mom got some drugstore products someone recommended her like Asepxia to cover blemishes and battle them at the same time since it contained salicylic acid. Dindn't work but it covered a little. At least my cheeks were still soft and acne free.... until 2 years ago.
I was a pimple with face. I took photos but ended up deleting them coz I felt so disgusting and ugly. Relatives asked what happened with my face, why did I have acne? Gezz I had no idea!
I move to Montreal in 2011 and my face wasnt that bad... tolerable. September of 2012, I was 20 years old and it hit me. I tried special cleansers, soaps, creams... tons of things and nothing worked and then, looking for remedies in the internet, I came across a webpage: acne.org.
It promised to make my face as it was before, pimple and blemishes free. The treatment was suppose to take from weeks to months or a year! It depended on every skin type. I bought it! The reviews and videos and everything seemed promising so, I got the cleanser, the treatment (benzoyl peroxide 2.5%) and the moisturizer that contained jojoba oil. you were suppose to start with small amounts of peroxide in the affected areas and build up the amounts throughout time till you cover your entire face. Since this shit dries your face, the moisturizer was a must. I hated oil in my face coz it caused me more acne (or that is what I thought) but ended up using it. September, october, november, december and I gave up when my sister made me realize I was destroying my face and she was right. IT WAS THE WORST MISTAKE I EVER EVER MADE! the only thing i loved from this pack was the smell of the moisturizer.
I realized my face was not only full of pimples but there was no life in it. My skin type is sensitive so big mistake to dry it... it was like fish scales in my face, foundation looked tacky and I could barely smile coz I could feel my skin crackling if I tried. Wrinkles appeared and I still have them... The treatment was suppose to remove the outer skin and let a new one, a better one, to come out! I had the hope one day my skin will accepted the peroxide and the dryness disappear but it never happened and I knew it was time to stop for my face sake.
Then I decided it was time to explore the natural side, free of drugstore products or chemicals. I did research on natural handmade stuff and oils and I found out 3 important things:
-when using scrubs or cleansing products you remove natural oil of your skin and create an imbalance. Your skin produces more oil than normal to re gain balance and you end up with clogged pores.
-Most products claiming to cure acne are a scam: proactive, asepxia, acne.org (maybe it worked for "SOME" not for me)
-DONT TOUCH YOUR FACE! picking your skin made it worse. Our hands are full of bacteria that worsen acne.
so I found a routine that made sense and I still use it today. I stopped washing my face. AS YOU HEARD: I STOPPED WASHING MY FACE. I would wake up every morning , pass a damp towel all over my face and apply jojoba oil and some foundation and was ready to go.
but if I was using foundation... you cannot clean it completely with just water.
And then I found the most magical cosmetic store: LUSH
http://www.lush.com/
Everything is handmade and natural! It was heaven for me! I found the most natural cleanser made of beeswax, rose, honey, and other flower extracts. It's vegetarian (like me) and fights animal testing. PERFECT!
I put it on my face, massage, swipe off with a damp face cloth (warm water) and done!! makeup is gone and it leaves your face super moisturized. (for eye makeup, I put some jojoba oil on my fingers, and softly massage my lids and the eyelashes and that's it. I use waterproof mascara by the way)
You have no idea how it soothe my acne! but I still had some pimples (specially around my period) and the damn blemishes. But I never felt better.
SO HERE IS WHAT IS CLEARING MY ACNE...
I went back to Peru this May and my mom insisted to take me to a dermatologist. I refused coz we had a bad experience with one (He didn't even examined my acne, just said "take this and this" and I've read a lot about hormones and how often they are prescribed for acne sufferers and the side effects... so, no, I was not going to take them so I replied "are those hormones? coz I 'd rather not take those" he ignored me and continued to write the prescription and then he said " No they are not but if i tell you to take them, then you take them, ok? come back in a month" I was like WTF! What an asshole! so I left his office like a pissed walrus, willing to kill anybody. Well, of course, I didn't even bother to buy anything. That was 2 years ago.
This year, my mom insisted again. She said her friend told her about a female doctor that was sooooo good and she helped her to get rid of a rash on her skin. So.... I said : ok mom but this is the last one!
and then there I was in Piel y Laser, a dermatological clinic that is located in cercado-Arequipa, Peru.
She examined me and ask for blood exams coz I said I had hepatitis when I was a teen. She prescribed my pills... so again I was "I won't take hormones" And she said "why?" and then I told what I did some research online about fake hormones and she said that hormones were not as bad as I thought but she was gonna prescribe me some antibiotics, not hormones, to battle the bacteria and the the rosacea. She explained me my type of acne and how it was only cured from the inside to the outside and that though butter and chocolates contributed to it, they were not the cause.
She said I should be back in a week with the blood exams and to use sunscreen which was a must to erase blemishes.
she prescribed me this:
-metronidazole or Flagyl to battle the red color in my skin caused for acne(this is called rosacea). 1 pill every breakfast.
-Doxycycline to fight the bacteria. 1 pill during lunch and avoid dairy.
-Heliocare 360° airgel . SPF 50+ every 4 hours approximately (blemishes darken with the sun and become in dark spots)
The pills and the sunscreen were expensive that I refused to take them but my mother insisted. "Just try"
... so I did. I returned with the exams and she explained they were necessary coz maybe something was wrong and may be the actual cause of my acne. Thanks God, my glucose levels and my liver and everything was just fine! so I asked "Should I use jojoba oil? coz I noticed the sunscreen is kinda greasy" and she replied "Don't use that anymore. After you shower, put the sunscreen and that's it and return in a month" What a nice woman! **I apply some jojoba oil only at night coz... I don't use sunscreen at night, it wouldn't make sense**
In a month.... my face was CLEARING! It was incredible!!! But then some rebel pimples came back so... I was sort of pissed because it was not working anymore, that I built resistance or something but she said my period was the cause and yup, that week was my period so I believed her. This time she added Flagyl twice a day: in breakfast and lunch! and she warned me "DON'T CONSUME ANY DAIRY, NOR CHOCOLATES" It broke my heart coz I'm a chocolate and ice cream girl... but I had to. She pitied me and said "maybe once in a while but that's it" That was my last visit coz I was coming back to Montreal. I brought my supply of pills with me coz I know in Montreal I need a prescription to buy pills and they are more expensive so... she gave me her contact card (which I lost, stupid me) and told me to write her to let her know how it was going...
It's been 4 months taking pills and let me show you...
this is now! August 20th 2014
and this was back in may 24th, 2014
And this is nothing to how it was in 2012. Is literally nothing!
So this is my story, and this is working for me and my skin type and condition. Don't take pills by yourself coz I said so. Visit a dermatologist and find one that you can trust and ask all you want! I will always be grateful to Dr. Vela! Go find her in Piel y Laser in Arequipa-Peru if you are around! be patient, give it a month and a half or 2. here is the web page : http://pielylaser.com.pe/home.html and no, I'm not getting paid or anything.
Natural remedies worked very well! I dont use any other cleanser but my ultra simple from lush if I wear foundation and if not, a damp face cloth and then some jojoba oil will do the job. I try to leave my skin oils there in my face, just swiping the excess with the damp towel (with warm water).
I am happy to confess that I don't need makeup any more coz I feel so confident and comfortable with my skin for the first time since I was 17 (Im 22 now) and I feel I don't need to conceal anything nor feel ashamed anymore.
And this was my story ;) I hope you find it helpful and I bought all the products listed, no sponsor sadly :(
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