MyStory:

Hi everyone! So my acne has been completely under control for a few years now and I wanted tell my story. Ever since I hit puberty I remember having acne. It didn't get really bad until high school. I used to get bullied for it and my self esteem wasn't good because of it. As we all know, one of the hardest things for non acne people to understand is that one tries everything to get rid of it.Tried proactive, clean and clear, and all other drug store brands.Nothing worked and would just make my face super irritated.I went to a dermatologist and got put on Tazorac and antibiotics (one of my biggest mistakes).At firstmy acne cleared up like no other. My skin was clear for the first time in a while and I was so excited. Shortly after I stopped the medication and my acne came back with a vengeance. Even worse than before. My self esteem was even lower. Honestly, being in high school and having a face full of acne isn't the easiest. Kids can be cruel without even realizing it. I remember crying multiple times because of it (yes, men cry too). My mom helped me through a lot of it.

How it started clearing up:

Once I graduated high school is when my acne slowly started going away and this is how. One of the first things I did was started getting microdermabrasions and extractions. Honestly I don't recommend starting off like this because it left me with some minor scars at the time and took a while to go away. Also, extractions are super painful, especially if you have acne everywhere like I did. One of the other things I did was cut out dairy and weigh protein from my diet. Also, I started exercising. These things combined started clearing up my skin. Also, I started eating out less and drinking more water. I realized that food and diet was a big factor for my acne. This gave me clear skin for a few years.

The second round of acne and how I got rid of it in adulthood:

So my acne had been under control until I hit 24. During summer my diet hadn't been the best and I was drinking a lot of coffee and five hour energies. Out of no where my acne started coming back again like crazy. It wasn't like in high school, but it was definitely bad. I honestly had thought that part of my life was over. So during this time I also went full blown vegan (mainly for my acne). I guess you can call me plant based since I did it for my skin. I cut out all caffeine as well. I realized that the b12 content in five hour energies was giving me major skin problems. Now I'm not saying b12 is bad, we definitely need it, but the amount I was taking was giving me major skin issues.Doing these two things gave me clearer skin, but my acne was still there. Also, I felt like complete ass (mainly because I was eating too many carbs while vegan). My knees started getting this sharp pain in them as well. I kinda gave up the plant based life style and returned to my post high school diet (not vegan) and my acne magically disappeared.

The final round of acne in adulthood:

My acne once again returned at 25. My acne had been under control, but I wanted to go plant based again. I felt like I had done it wrong the first time. So when I went plant based again my skin looked really nice for the first four months. I didn't change anything in my diet and my acne slowly but surely started coming back. It came back worst then when I was 24, but better than in high school. I didn't want to give up plant based and thought I was just detoxing. It wasn't until 8 months in of being plant based that I finally stopped. My acne started clearing up again. This time I started using AHA from acne.org and that definitely helped a lot. Also I started using benzoyl peroxide. This gave me clear skin.

How I maintain my clear skin now:

So now I just recently turned 27 and have had no skin issues. The moral to this long novel haha is that not everyone's skin and hormones are the same. You have time find your triggers. The inflammation is being caused by something going hay wire inside of you. It can be dairy, b12, not exercising, wearing makeup, diet, certain types of foods...etc. Being plant based works for some, but my hormones went out of control when I tried to do it. This is what I do know. I avoid five hour energies. I try and eat fish for my meal whenever I can. Oh yeah red meat gives me skin issues as well. My body does well with chicken and fish. Also, I try and eat whole foods and not processed foods. I also try and avoid a lot of sugar. Aka candy and even certain types of fruits. Oranges give me major heart burn and skin issues.Currently for my skin I usethe aveeno moisturizer during the day. At night I use cetaphil gentle cleansing bar to wash my face and cetaphil moisturizer (the one for dry skin). I don't have dry skin, but it doesn't leave your skin oily. If I have a pimple I'll put some benzoyl peroxide on it. Also, I used the AHA from this website every three weeks. I make sure I apply a butt ton of moisturizer before I use it so my skin doesn't dry out.I've been working out regularly as well. All these things have kept my acne at bay. I'd post pictures, but I'm pretty shy ha maybe if people ask I'll post some. I know it seems like it's never ending, but keep trying, I know it's hard at times. We're all beautiful, acne or not. Don't let others devalue your self worth from your skin. Much love to everyone and have a great night! logging off lol