Hey everyone!  I'm a 24 year old woman and as you an tell by my title, I'm one of those lucky people who don't get acne just once but twice! yay  
I've written a detailed summary of my long and laborious Acne Odyssey.

But here's for those who don't wanna read too much (cause ain't nobody got time for that):

1. DON'T take B-12 or other B complex supplements if you have acne-prone skin! (This is what mainly gave me acne the second time)
2. See a professional (and be picky with them)
3. Research good treatments
4. Learn how to extract pimples correctly and safely
5. Don't lose hope

1. Plasma injections
2. Rhadha Beauty treatments (affordable and has no chemicals and no acid, so it doesn't kill your good bacteria.)
3. Nerd Skin care treatment (Extremely costly -$200- but if you can afford it, it arms your good bacteria to fight off bad bacteria. This is what I'm using right now but don't know if I can keep affording it lol they do offer a payment plan but it's still costly)
4. Lime, honey,yogurt mask at night: Mix half a spoon of plain Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lime, and a bit of honey and spread evenly across your face. Let it dry and wash off. Dry face with a tissue only. (Towels get dirty fast, no bueno.)
5. Drink hot water with lime about 20 minutes before breakfast every morning to help clean your digestive system and balance you body's PH levels (linked with acne and other health issues) also calms the insatiable hunger I wake up with 
6. Journal writing helps when you find yourself in an emotional wreck, like I often do

First Time: Globular acne (about two years ago)

I tried so many household items which did nothing except worsen it. I was pretty ignorant about the correct way of treating and taking care of your skin so I used scrubs, chemicals which burnt my face, and did not moisture at all. Needless to say, it only got worse. Way worse. I was just a young grasshopper, I had much to learn about treating my skin right. 

 

At this point I went to visit Colombia, for three months. I saw people that I hadn't seen in years and the worst part about my ordeal was their incessant comments of my face. I would also plaster my face with not-so-subtle makeup, because I'd rather look like a mime with bumps all over my face than show my actual face to people. This is when I hit rock bottom. Depression, avoiding mirrors, but obsessing and bothering my face every time I caught a slight glimpse of my "Phantom of the Opera face"-not the hot Gerald Butler version but the actual gruesome monster- and crying myself to sleep every single night. ::sings "This face which earns a mother's fear and loathing!"::

 

I mean, acne physically hurts, your face gets swollen and heavy full of puss and I remember those brief moments where I was able to forget my acne and smiled. And it hurt, smiling hurt, in fact just lying down still in my bed hurt, and therefore my ego and self-esteem would hurt even worse. I avoided people normally, but Colombian people are way harsher and have no filters, so me trying to buy milk would mean me listening to the cashier give me her magical acne remedy that had worked for her cousin's husband's third wife's son twice removed before she would scan my milk and I could go back to my fortress of solitude and crushed dreams. Much like Beast. 

 

In my last month there I was able to get in contact with a dermatologist. Now, I don't have spare money but my acne had gotten so bad that the pimples had three heads at least, grew purple (yes! purple pimples! Like bruised pimples), and they would burst alone just from a gentle wash, and much worse, the blood would come out dense and black at times. Sorry for the disgusting description but at this point I needed a professional. (Also, if this is happening to you, you might have globular cystic acne.)

 

My first dermatologist made me wait forever, but when I got there she was nice and a bit weird, and made me laugh when she started "working" on my face with her exclamations of how bad my face was (which actually eventually happened with every new dermatologist I saw). My face looked really bad but it was way worse than it looked. Yay. The laughter didn't last long as extraction from a heavily infected area hurts a bunch. I think I have PTSD from it. Yet the worst part was having to go home on the bus. A lot of horrified stares from strangers and my never-changing bitch face to hide my embarrassment.  Again, much like Beast. I went every week for a month but then I had to go back to the US. 

 

Back in the US I was almost finishing my acne treatment that my Colombian dermatologist made herself and trying to find a new dermatologist. During this time I went to a dermatologist whose acne treatments worked,  but also had a terrible personality. She was aggressive, dismissive, and rude and recommended treatments such as laser and antibiotics. When I told her that I had already done the antibiotics but they only irritated my digestive system and didn't do anything to my acne, and that I wouldn't do laser because I had heard that it worsened acne for a lot of people, she screamed at me and told me that my acne was going to take long to heal if I didn't do that. I told her I'd rather it take long and heal properly than do more damage to it. Although I did one treatment with her, I never went back. <Be careful of healthcare professionals that make you feel that you have no say in your own health.>

 

Anyways, during this time I also found acne.org and saw that its cleansing treatments were much like the one my Colombian dermatologist had given me. More importantly, I realized how many people were going through the same thing as me, and that I was not alone in this exhausting battle. This helped with my depression in so many ways. Much like if Beast found out there were other cursed beast princes around France. Therefore, I started my acne.org regimen and found my last dermatologist in the US. 

 

*With my new dermatologist, I would get extractions every two weeks (THE PAIN!) and get my plasma injected all over my face after the extractions.(The horror! The horror!) Now, when I first heard about plasma I thought it was freaking weird, but my dermatologist explained that it takes your blood's "mother cells", which are the ones that heal, repair, and fight infections and that since it was from my own blood, my body wouldn't reject it or anything. It still sounded weird, but I was so desperate I tried it, and thank god I did. I did this every two weeks for six months until my dermatologist told me we could do it every month. Although the first time she injected half plasma and zinc, and it stings like a bee (tying to keep it PG here people). This is the first and only time I've cried at a treatment, of any type, and it wasn't the one tear that slowly rolled down my cheek or a quiet sad sob, it was like an-infant-being-born-wailing. And yes, the pain was high but it was all the emotional pain being let out too (and a bit of the feeling of embarrassment from crying was there too.)

 

During this time, she also told me to do a lime, Greek plain yogurt, and honey mask every night, which I find really works and also to keep a journal to sort out my feelings (it's a journal to God, but I think it'd help even if you don't believe in God and just write a journal to the universe or yourself even). It also weirdly helped that I did not have a job, and that my mom graciously payed for my treatments during that time. I had a hard time finding a job and was stressed but really, I was able to heal quickly because I didn't have to go out or put make up everyday to work. This really was a blessing in disguise. 

 

I finally landed a job and also my skin got better. Mind you, it wasn't baby smooth but it didn't have acne. I was so grateful everyday and every time I saw myself in the mirror. Now I have to confess, but after a while, I started going less and less to the dermatologist, because of money and time (3 hours per sessions plus a long drive) and because I'd have to coordinate it with a weekend where I wouldn't go out at all (so I wouldn't have to put make up and rest my skin because it gets much worse before it gets better). 

 

Second time: About a year after I had healed

And about two months ago, I got acne again.............. ::long exasperated sigh::

but this time is way better. I know how to take care of my skin and how to extract pimples correctly, and feel more hope than the first time. I don't use treatments that have any acid anymore or weird chemicals that kill bacteria, because that means that it kills good bacteria as well, which is essential to the skin. I still get depressed and have my bad days but it doesn't compare to before.

 

I started to go to my dermatologist again every two weeks and I'm way better. She also asked me coincidentally if I was taking any b-complex, and I was. I had become a vegetarian and my mom freaked out so much she made me buy a bunch of supplements even when my health exams came out "perfect" <-- seriously what my doctor said. Anyways, turns out B complex, like the B-12 supplements I was taking,  make people with acne-prone skin to break out. Needless to say, I stopped taking B-12, folic acid, biotin, and Iron supplements (taking those iron supplements when I already had enough iron were causing infections in my digestive system.) I had gone to specialists for about a year but nothing came from it, but now my dermatologist is the one who asked the right questions! So glad I have her! 

 

So, right now I'm in the middle of WWII with my acne and after a month and a half of doing treatments, the difference is definitely there. However, I got more scars than before so after my acne is controlled I'm planning on doing Dermapen sessions with a professional (I've heard good things so far and I'm hoping to get rid of the tiny red scars left on my cheeks). 

 

As an ending note, I know it was long to read, as it was long to write (main reason why I've taken so long to do this) but I really hope this helps some of you as you go on your own journey to healing  

PS- sorry I don't have pictures. I tried but it was too damaging for my self-esteem when I was full of acne!