(I'm sorry for the silly, slightly absurd doodle on my pictures cause those pictures are taken just right after when i woke up so i dont want all of you to know how crappy i look lol. Click the photo for a better view.. only of you want to.... haha)

Anyway hi! Im almost 16 years old living somewhere in Asia.. a lot of people are often mistaken that (all asians) have perfect skin.. idk. That's a hasty generalization, don't you think? I've been struggling (kind of) with mild to moderate acne for about 8-9 months now.

You guys might think (oh this girl is a drama queen look at the other people who have been struggling for like asdfhjkl) but just like everyone else in this situation, i know how it sucks to just wake up and stare at your face in the mirror... i just wanted to cry.

They all say "acne is normal" but i did not believe it at first. It felt like I was the only one who had it from my friends, acquiantances, relatives and people around me. I was so jealous at my sister that time cause even if she tends to forget to wash her face with makeup on, she still doesn't get any breakouts.

But then, I stumbled upon this website and i have both feelings of relief, comfort and intrepidity to just end this challenging, effortful "struggles".

I have oily and slightly sensitive skin. So I wont probably wonder why I am prone to acne. The other causes might be hormonal and i gues.ls.. genetics. My mom has large pores and oily skin and my dad used to have acne way back when he was in college... no pressure... right?!?!?!

Since I'm a teenager and on a budget, I can't really try every treatment available. But I did try several cleansers and treatments/patches/creams/blah blah and none of them worked. I thought hey, how about i'll search on youtube for DIY treatments?!?!?!

I have tried lemons, oranges, tomatoes, oatmeal, cucumber, yogurt. .

I mean im sure they have benefits but of course too much acidity being putted on my face caused me a lot of skin irritation (i did not try them all at once!! Just saying)

And so i was like "I give up...", ended up using Cetaphil just so i could play it safe.

But i got frustrated, i opened up to my mom and told her how i feel so insecure about ny skin, how i just want to wake up and not giving a damn and stressing about it. She understood and we finally went to the dermatologist 5 days ago.

I learned a lot about her, what to do and what not to do, the myths and all other stuff. The first thing we need to do is control my acne, and she gave me some prescriptions and cleanser that may help me. This is now basically my skin care regimen at the moment.

DCL AHA revitalizing cleanser (glycolic formula) - this one is really helpful and i think is most suitable to those who have oily skin like me. I use this twice a day.

Benzoyl Peroxide 5% (morning) - of course you should only use this to those big red nasty pimples.. since it can be very drying. (I think everyone knows it already but nah js)

Adapalene (night) - same thing with BP.

Abutin cream - for pimple marks and hyperpigmentation

Of course, when used everyday, these products can be very drying. So i make sure to put toner and moisturizer every after application.

What i am using (toner and moisturizer) is Celeteque Dermoscience and I have been using this for a year now or almost. This brand has a lot of lines, depending each of what your skin needs. I'm using the Celeteque 'HYDRATION' toner and moisturizer (it's usually for those peeps who has a bit dry skin, but i think it works for me too at some point, cause i never had problems with it)

and what's the greaaaaat thing about it is that it is water-based, oil-free, alcohol-free, good for normal to sensitive skin, non-comrdogenic, hypo-allergenic, fragrance free.

Im sorry but i just feel like praising it so much cause it has been really helpful throughout.

I just started using my doctor's prescription 5 days ago and idk if it already made a difference.. (the two pictures were taken 4 days ago and the other one earlier today) probably just a bit. But to my surprise all of my pimples were gone (i still need to control it and have some maintenance) but the pimple marks are really stubborn... oh well.

Im proud to say that im feeling happier than i have ever been, its too bad i did not take a picture several months ago when my acne wassl waaaay worse

And i think i will see you all... in a couple weeks! i'm so ready to beat you down, A-C-N-E!!! Guys, dont ever lose hope. I know i wont