Hello All,

I never post on forums like this, but I utilize them all the time when looking for answers for all sorts of life's questions. However, I can't in good faith, not share what I have discovered in my skin clearing attempts. I do not have any before pictures to show... I avoided cameras, deleted anything that showed my terrible skin, and got really good at hiding imperfections with makeup. I'm 24 now and have been dealing with acne since middle school. It killed my self confidence and I felt so ugly every time I looked in a mirror. There have been multiple times my mom has had to scoop me off the bathroom floor as I lay there sobbing and I've even had to go to the ER after over doing it with the treatments and burning all of the skin off my face. After almost a year of very detailed trial and error, my skin is now 90% clear and looking better every day.

So here is a brief synopsis of my treatment story:

I have been using foundation to cover up my acne since college. Being on a tight budget I utilized drug store products, primarily Maybelline mousse foundation and Maybelline FIT. My skin always broke out, and I would just have to pile on more foundation to cover it up. After college, I had more money so I thought i would upgrade to the much more expensive, elite brands. I tried pure minerals, tarte, too face, smash box, clinique and many other foundations, bb creams, and primers. Tarte 12 hour foundation was my go to and I often wore a primer underneath it. Eventually I learned about Missha BB cream, an asian product, and after reading 100s of reviews, went ahead and ordered some. Initially I did break out even more along my jaw line, but I had read reviews of that happening, so I stayed the course for a month. Also the color was not a good match, the lightest was too white, but the next step up was too dark, so I was also putting Tarte foundation on top. My skin was improving, but I was still getting so zits, and alot of big cystic acne underneath my jaw and on my neck. I decided to cut out the Tarte and find a powder foundation to help balance out the color. Enter Bare Minerals Powder Foundation (original). My skin started to clear almost immediately after swapping out Tarte for BM. I have only had success with the original formula. Both the compact and the finishing powder made me break out again. The mineral veils however have not caused any issues and they look great.

AT THE SAME TIME, I was also experimenting with cleansers. I had been using proactive since high school with terrible results. I honestly think it was one of the biggest contributors to my acne. After the face skin burning hospital incident, the doctor recommended I switch to Neutrogena Acne wash (the orange cleanser). It definitely helped my skin, I was not over drying like proactive. But it wasn't perfect. I read about a cleanser called Aqua Glycolic on another blog and decided to give it a shot. What an amazing product, it did not break me out, no purge period, when I began using it. However, it was terrible at removing my make up and my face never felt clean. At that point, I purchased the Aqua Glycolic cleanser. At night I would remove my make up with the Neutrogena Acne Wash, then use a cotton ball with a little bit of the cleanser and dab it all over my face and neck. Even after washing my face, the toner could still pick up traces of make up residual. In the morning I would wash my face with the Aqua Glycolic cleanser (no toner) before getting ready for the day.

Breaking down my routine:

Morning-

Wash face with Aqua Glycolic cleanser (apprx $15 on Amazon/drugstore.com)

Apply layer of clindamycin phosphate (doctor prescribed) <- I have been using this for about a year since I burned my face, I honestly don't know if it is necessary, but it is a free prescription so I haven't tried going with out.

Apply a layer of Missha No. 13 BB cream <- this is also has SPF 42 (apprx $15 on Amazon)

Apply a layer of Bare Minerals Fairly Light Original Powder Foundation ($27 at Ulta/Sephora)

**I'm also on birth control - but having started in college with no improvements, I don't think this has any impact on my acne treatment.

Bedtime-

Wash face with Neutrogena Acne Wash (apprx $7 Target, Walgreens, etc)

Wash face with Aqua Glycolic toner on cotton ball (apprx $15 on Amazon/drugstore.com)

Apply a layer of clindamycin phosphate

Repeat.

Its hard to describe everything I have done over the year in just one post, but hopefully you get the gist of it. If anyone has any questions about my routine, past or current products used, or anything, I would be happy to offer any advice that I can. My face is so clear, I just love it. There is only one little patch continuing to give me trouble on the left side of my face underneath my chin. Its getting better though!

Good luck to everyone in your missions to kick acne's butt!!