I'm a 23 year-old male, struggled with acne for ages. For the past couple years the main issue was blackheads or "sebacious filaments" on my nose/cheeks (plus mild acne). I was seriously about to start using Retin-A to get rid of them...

But instead, 4-5 months ago I just stopped using BHA and stopped exfoliating. Suprisingly, the pores and blackheads on my nose/cheeks became much less noticeable. (I also have been keeping a little scruff which looks way better.)

The main thing is I have been using finasteride for hairloss for about a year. It decreases the amount of DHT in the bloodstream. This made me realize acne is truly an internal hormonal problem. My face is basically clear and if I do get pimples they're so small I don't even have to pop them. If I do they barely leave a mark. It also has pretty much halted hairloss but there are sexual side effects, nothing too serious I hope. Supposedly it's because of increased estrogen production. Zinc is supposed to inhibit estrogen, so I've been taking zinc gluconate. But I recently found out that it's not real zinc and doesn't do anything, so I will soon be buying zinc glycinate or zinc picolinate to see if that makes a difference.

2011 and early 2012 I tried tons of other products... BP, BHA, AHA, ACV, pore strips, masks, and my skin was much worse than it is now.

My current regimen is:

Wash face with Purpose Gentle Liquid Cleanser at night

Moisturize with Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Treatment Cream at night (and I will soon be getting a cheaper moisturizer)

EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 during the day

Pretty simple. Hope this helps some people. Use less products and fix your hormones...