haha, all right, i.m a great storyteller, so here we go.
i.m 20, i.ve been having acne since.. hmm... forever? it started when i was 15. i had taken accutane, it did wonders. unfortunately only for a limited period of time, 3 months after i had stopped taking it, the acne reappeared.
now, what worked for me. Retin-A together with Brevoxyl cream, both are amazing, best things i.ve ever tried, and i tried like 10 creams or so, almost everything.
my routine: i go to sleep at 11 pm, i wake up at 7. i noticed good sleep is very important, if not mandatory. in the morning i wash my face with warm water, as gently as possible, and then i switch to cold. after my skin dries, i put Brevoxyl cream only on my pimples (if i have any, lately i didn.t have to use it because my skin cleared up). 30 minutes after, i apply a sun-screen protection fluid (Anthelios AC, La Roche Posay), it.s the best i.ve tried, it is specially designed for oily to acne-prone skin and it doesn.t leave my skin oily at all, my skin absorbs it really well. in the evening, i wash my face with a cleanser (Effaclar Gel, La Roche Posay), which i find really good. 30-40 minutes after, i apply Retin-A and i go to bed. I had horrible acne, as in I skipped classes and failed exams because I was way too embarrassed and couldn.t handle it.
All i can say is that routine, together with a healthy diet and lifestyle has changed my life. I.m not taking any pills and besides Retin-A and the sun-screen fluid, i don.t put anything on my skin. I already find it too much. One thing, I.m on an almost raw diet, except for low-fat yogurt, tuna and eggs. I don.t know about others, my dermatologist told me that diet isn.t related to acne, yet I noticed such a big improvement after changing my diet, I would.ve never imagined.
Now I get a pimple once in a while, but it fades away in a day or so. I only have the scars left, though Retin-A is doing a great job on those as well.
If you have any questions, or any advice, I.d love to hear you out. Oh, and something more, love yourself.