Growing up, I suffered from severe acne. At one point in grade 9, I had 8 cystic acne spots on my face at one time. It was then that I had enough, and I asked my doctor if I could go to a dermatologist. She told me if a teenage girl went to a dermatologist office wanting to treat her acne and she isn't on birth control yet, they would laugh and tell her to come back in a couple months after being on the pill. So, I did just that and went on the pill. I've been on it ever since.
After going on the pill, I still had fairly severe acne. Whiteheads and blackheads were a common assurance, especially with my monthly cycle. I am grateful to say, however, that once I went on the pill, I only get cystic acne once or twice a year. In my first year of university my acne became less intense because, due to health issues, I started taking the pill all month long and no longer gave myself my period. This being said, I still had one or two fairly bad pimples on my face most of the time.
Early in the month of August 2017 I had a doozey on my chin that I couldn't kill. It wasn't until I (stupidly) popped it that I came across my current amazing skincare routine. After I popped it, I ran to London Drugs and picked up two (randomly selected) products: Life Brand Clear Action Daily Cleansing Pads and a @Mosphere Tea Tree Oil Antibacterial Facial Stick. Little did I know that my skin was going to completely change after adding these products to my routine- and I haven't had any severe acne since!
I wanted to share my 2017 Skincare Routine because I know how awful, painful, and humiliating acne can be. I still have dark scars and deep divots on my face to show where I used to be. All these products are drugstore and affordable, and have worked wonderfully for me. My skin-type is acne prone and mostly oily but combination in the fall and winter. Here I list my products step-by-step in order of how I use them, both day and night. As well, I feel the need to say that acne and skincare is not just about what you put on your face- it's also what you put in your body. Like I said, birth control helped my skin a lot, but what you eat and drink is just as important. Staying hydrated by drinking lots of water (not pop or anything flavoured!), and eating your fruits and veggies is vital when helping your skin.
There is one product that I could not find anywhere when I took the group photo but I will link down below. In regards to this one specific product- I don't mean to brag, but I think it was a pretty smart moment of experimentation when I first used it as a form of acne treatment. As you will read at the end of the post, this product is an absolute must-have for all those who pop pimples or have acne that becomes an open wound! Read on and enjoy!
If I am wearing any makeup during the day, my first step in my nighttime routine is taking it all off. I used to use some harsher makeup removers but I found they burned my eyes which made me want to just use water and scrub my eye makeup off. This, however, is not good for the fragile skin around your eyes and can cause wrinkles (at least that's what all the Beauty Gurus say so I just assume that it's correct). I decided to try this Stripped Off Micellar Water by NYX because the reviews were good and it was cheaper by fluid ounce compared to other brands'. It takes off all if my makeup wonderfully and is very mild for those with sensitive eyes!
Once a day, every night, I use these Daily Cleansing Pads by Life Brand. Unfortunately I can't find this anywhere online, but I swear that this is the biggest game changer for my skin. If I ever skip a night and don't use it, I notice my acne starts to try and make appearance the next day. I bring this with me whenever I'm spending the night anywhere because I depend on it that much. The funny thing is, it says it has 90 pads in it, but I've been using it everyday since August and I still haven't ran out. Because I couldn't find this specific product online, I'll link a similar product Oxy Skin Clearing Cleansing Pads. I have never used those so I cannot say that they work the same as the Life Brand's product, but they appear to be similar with 2% Salicylic Acid. The major downside with the Oxy Pads that I notice, though, is that they have alcohol and fragrance which I always try to avoid.
Here is my moisturizer I use every morning and every night- Complex 15 Daily Face Cream. This face cream keeps me moisturized day and night from summer to winter. For all you oily folk- don't be scared of moisturizer! It is extremely important to moisturize your skin, especially when you're oily. It prevents your skin from feeling stripped of its natural oils and then overproducing them. I would recommend this one because it is non-greasy, light weight, works well under makeup, and does not break me out. At the moment, I am looking for a good drugstore oil for my skin for my winter nighttime routine to really penetrate and moisturize to a fuller extent (I've heard amazing things for skincare oils). Until then, this works wonderfully!
This here is the second product I purchased in August. This is the @tmosphere Tea Tree Oil Antibacterial Facial Stick. This product has been a skin saver. Whenever I feel a pimple coming on, I rub this all over the spot before bed and by the next morning it has subsided! I don't like the roll-on ball stick that this product is in, however. I feel that it is very unsanitary. I am on the hunt for drugstore priced Tea Tree Oil that is in a spray or open bottle that does not have any fragrance or alcohol in it. Even this one has mint in it that gives the product a smell, but for me it is non irritating.
As most Canadians will be able to tell, this product is not available for us in stores as it is a CVS brand (which is only in America). This CVS Health Vanishing Acne Treatment Cream is bomb. Completely kills acne spots in their tracks. It is 10% Benzoyl Peroxide which is unavailable to us Canadians without a prescription. At CVS, this is over the counter. You can order this product online, or you can do what I do and whenever I go South of the border I stock up on this acne lotion OR the AcneFree Terminator 10 Acne Spot Treatment which works just as well. A heads up, I would not recommend using this in the morning as a part of your morning routine if you're going to be in direct sunlight. If that's the case, skip this step because Benzoyl Peroxide in the sun can be harmful for your skin.
I use this product every morning when I'm going out and it's sunny outside. This is the Cetaphil Oil Control Moisturizer. It's perfect for oil control and combination skin like mine, and works well under makeup once it's fully absorbed (which doesn't take long). And the best part is that it is SPF 30! So you can use it as a moisturizer and sunscreen all in one step in the morning. We all know sunscreen is a vital step when it comes to preventing wrinkles and reducing aging- and no age is too young to start prevention!
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| Source: Amazon |
This right here has been an absolute lifesaver for me. The story that I shared in the beginning of this post, about tough acne that led to these discoveries, I mentioned how I popped it and then panicked. Well, when I was panicking I grabbed this NeilMed Wound Wash Piercing Aftercare from my cupboard and spontaneously sprayed it on the small wound. Miraculously, the next morning it was almost healed which is absolutely unheard of for me! I used to clean my popped or open acne with rubbing alcohol and pimple cream but take it from me- these are WAY too harsh and will only lead to further irritation. Instead, once a pimple has opened or popped, soak it with wound wash and then leave it. Not touching or picking. Not only did I find that it healed my acne faster, it also left less scarring.
And here we have it! I hope my 2017 Skincare Routine helps anyone who suffers from acne. These products, along with going on birth control, have genuinely saved my skin. Please try these products and techniques if you're struggling, and hopefully they will save your skin from further scarring and pain like they did for me. Enjoy, and good luck!✨
