Notifications
Clear all

My acne regimen - how I stopped breakouts!

MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 01/24/2016 1:56 pm

Hi guys! Since my last posts my skin has improved dramatically and I wanted to share with everybody what I'm doing. It's been quite a while since my post in March 2015 (see that here for before photos) Though I did give up for a few months after posting this and just accepted my fate of having acne forever and simply gave up (I know, boo-hoo). However, after this, I got back into it to help improve my skin. 

I currently don't do that much any more to my skin in comparison to what I used to do... I gave up using such harsh products such as exfoliation, cleansing, etc. and threw all these products out (used exfoliation product for my legs because I try not to be wasteful!) I found using these products just made my skin worse but I thought because I was keeping it extremely clean it would eventually cure it. So I went natural as possible and got rid of harsh products and chemicals.

My simple yet effective regimen:

> Once a day (night) I wash my face with softened oatmeal, I find this is a great natural alternative for an exfoliator and cleanser. Here's a video on that.
> In the morning all I do is rinse my face with cold water 1. to wake me up and 2. to remove any excess oils but not strip all oils, as having some oils on your skin is good! Otherwise your skin will try to overproduce oil because it's dried out and cause more breakouts.
>  In the morning before I apply my make up, (yes, I use foundation and everything!) I put on Simple Light Moisturiser SPF 15. I prefer this over a primer as I worry about primers breaking me out, and it absorbs quickly and make up goes very nicely over it. Plus, it has SPF - important!!! Especially if you have scarring/hyperpigmentation.
> Occasionally, if I get a spot (usually now only small or one from hormonal) I use Witch Blemish Stick  directly on the spot (helps it go quicker and reduces redness).
> Everyday I have at least one cup of green tea. I started drinking green tea (because I like it, if you don't, don't force yourself! )  a few months ago and I've seen a great improvement since starting to drink this. But I don't know if this is the reason for the clear up of my skin, as I simply started drinking it through no reason of trying to clear acne.

Through doing all these things I've seen a massive improvement in my skin and finally am feeling more confident, though I'm still left with hyperpigmentation and ice pick scarring on my cheeks. I haven't had a breakout in a long time and I rarely get pimples now, if I do they're small and don't last as long as before. But bare in mind I'm a 17 yo female so I put this down to normal hormonal acne. Any questions I'm happy to answer. 

Here's my skin now:
PhotoGrid_1453652310697.thumb.jpg.4e05bf

Good luck everyone 

Misssadsack, DeLovely, Ambrossimo and 1 people liked
Quote
MemberMember
0
(@robustimpulse)

Posted : 01/26/2016 11:42 pm

Hi! 

I would like to ask what you used to remove your makeup and to double cleanse after to make sure all the makeup removed (esp the foundation :( ) I am tryig to be more simple with my regime and throwing out harsh products. I am using fresh cucumbers + milk to take off my makeup and splashing my face with fresh (cool) green tea.. After this I just put on aloe vera for the scars. However, I am paranoid about sleeping with makeup residue... was hoping you could tel me how you wash off your full face of makeup? :))

Thanks!! you look great btw! 

Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 02/05/2016 3:52 pm

On 27/01/2016 at 4:42 AM, RobustImpulse said:

Hi! 

I would like to ask what you used to remove your makeup and to double cleanse after to make sure all the makeup removed (esp the foundation :( ) I am tryig to be more simple with my regime and throwing out harsh products. I am using fresh cucumbers + milk to take off my makeup and splashing my face with fresh (cool) green tea.. After this I just put on aloe vera for the scars. However, I am paranoid about sleeping with makeup residue... was hoping you could tel me how you wash off your full face of makeup? :))

Thanks!! you look great btw! 

hi!!

To remove my make up on my face I use Johnson's baby wipes extra sensitive. This originally started because I'm allergic to ordinary make up wipes, but upon reflection this has been more beneficial, I believe, in the long run because the ingredients they use in the baby wipes will be safe and not harsh (since they're for babies!!) Also I find it takes my face make up off well. For my eyes I just put a bit of Garnier's Simply Essentials make up remover liquid on my wipe, because obviously eye make up is a bit more stubborn. After this I use cold water and the oatmeal as stated above (this is why I do it at night). And I believe I'm not left with any make up residue. Simple 🙂

Good luck!

DeLovely liked
Quote
MemberMember
214
(@lore91)

Posted : 02/05/2016 4:08 pm

Omg! You look amazing! You look like you've gone through a course of accutane!

I'm so glad you mentioned the witch concealer stick .. I've been using it for around three years now and it's AMAZING! Really helps clear individual pimples if they're secluded and on their own. Thankfully the one colour it comes in works well for me.

I'm so up for simple routines .. And i think your story just shows how much too many products can irritate your skin - but perhaps you were allergic to something in your previous routine?

amy27 and DeLovely liked
Quote
MemberMember
599
(@delovely)

Posted : 02/05/2016 7:04 pm

WOW, great results!!! Thanks for sharing what is keeping your skin clear and healthy with our community!!! :)

amy27 liked
Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 02/06/2016 4:29 am

12 hours ago, Lore91 said:

Omg! You look amazing! You look like you've gone through a course of accutane!

I'm so glad you mentioned the witch concealer stick .. I've been using it for around three years now and it's AMAZING! Really helps clear individual pimples if they're secluded and on their own. Thankfully the one colour it comes in works well for me.

I'm so up for simple routines .. And i think your story just shows how much too many products can irritate your skin - but perhaps you were allergic to something in your previous routine?

Thank you!

Yes, the witch stick is great I've used it for a good while now! Really does help to reduce spots.

Yes, I'm all down simple (didn't used to be though, kinda used to think "more products the better" - not the case!) Perhaps, it is possible for allergic reaction, however I don't think so in this case as I varied a lot between different products to replace each other once I'd been unsuccessful with them for about a month - I think it was just too harsh on my skin, too many products! So I would always recommend being minimalist is the way forward!

DeLovely liked
Quote
MemberMember
3
(@mastermind999)

Posted : 02/06/2016 8:40 pm

Hey guys I know most of you rely on products or other "organic" ways of treating your skin topically. But I assure you that your skin will improve and you'll be able to "prevent" ance from changing your diet. Try this since it worked for me:
no soy
no dairy
no oily food
no simple carbs
no sugar

less going out to eat and more Preparing yourself meals.

Cheers

Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 02/07/2016 8:17 am

11 hours ago, mastermind999 said:

Hey guys I know most of you rely on products or other "organic" ways of treating your skin topically. But I assure you that your skin will improve and you'll be able to "prevent" ance from changing your diet. Try this since it worked for me:
no soy
no dairy
no oily food
no simple carbs
no sugar

less going out to eat and more Preparing yourself meals.

Cheers

Diet is not the only cause for acne (though of course it can contribute), if it was then ALL people who only eat bad unhealthy foods and are overweight would have acne, but they don't. Having a well balanced nutritious diet is what works for acne (and just generally being healthier!) Completely cutting out on certain important parts of the diet such as diary isn't good, we need dairy, you just need to know what products are good for you and what's not. Avoid over eating sugary and fatty foods (and drinks!) but of course you CAN have these - in moderation of course. A treat every once in a while is always ok.

Thanks

Quote
MemberMember
3
(@mastermind999)

Posted : 02/08/2016 9:08 am

you need dairy? that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. You do not need dairy. Do you even know how we get milk and what's inside of it? do some research or you can just continue to support the billion dollar cosmetic industry..good luck wit that

btw not everyone gets acne even if they eat unhealthy foods, everyone is different. But those who are different can stop acne from clean eating. If you don't believe it, it's cuz A. you're not eating healthy B. you think you're eating healthy but you aren't C. you're eating healthy but still eating something that triggers acne.

trial and error...it'll take you a while but it will work if you are committed

I don't expect everyone to figure it out so the easy way out is to use something from the cosmetic world

but nonetheless, hope you all get clear skin. god bless

btw here's a link to two sites, would like you to read:

one is about how we get milk and how cruel the process is:

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/cows-milk-cruel-unhealthy-product/

the second one is myths about dairy:

http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/06/24/dairy-6-reasons-you-should-avoid-it-at-all-costs-2/

MonroeQT liked
Quote
MemberMember
3
(@mastermind999)

Posted : 02/08/2016 9:30 am

I agree with you that everything is good in moderation..

but there's two things the body doesn't need:

1. meat
2. anything dairy

there's more than enough different kind of foods out there that can provide us with nutrition we need to lead healthy lives.

Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 05/26/2016 1:35 pm

Hey everybody! Update time! 

So 4 months after this post, my skin is still improving and I've not had any breakouts which have been anywhere near as bad as they used to be, in fact the only sign of any acne at all, is the odd single spot here and there every so often. 

I am still using/doing everything I said on the original post and am keeping up with that routine. The only things I have changed are, that I am now also using:
> Cetaphil Gentle Daily Cleanser at night. The reason for this was mainly as I found that my other regimen was working for breakouts I wanted to kind of "heal" my skin now. Also, when I leave home for a night or more I can't exactly take oatmeal, so I needed to find something to wash my face for then too haha!! This works fine, I have had no problems with it at all, makes my skin feel smooth and feels clean and healthy. 
> I occasionally use Bio-Oil, I used to use this back when I was having breakouts, for my scarring and hyperpigmentation, but I stopped as I was unsure if it was making it worse. However now my breakouts have stopped it's clear it wasn't worsening it, however I am still careful with this as it's still an oil and only use it moderately every so often. It does make my face feel great and really moisturized, I put it on at night then wash my face in the morning to get rid of any residue. As for the scarring, I'm unsure as to how good it is as I don't use it that often but it does help to hydrate and kind of help add a glow to my skin, I notice I wake up with lovely skin. BUT I DO NOT advise this if you're still having breakouts, this is part of my "healing" process not "preventing" also use with caution as it reacts differently with different people.
> Also, about 1/2 a month? I use a aloe vera mud mask. 

Good luck everyone, I have attached photos that were taken yesterday. 

 

2016-05-26_19.19.36.jpg

Quote
MemberMember
161
(@kelbell812)

Posted : 06/04/2016 5:47 pm

Wow, incredible! You don't even look like you even had acne. Happy for you :)

amy27 liked
Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 06/07/2016 8:43 am

On 04/06/2016 at 11:47 PM, kelbell812 said:

Wow, incredible! You don't even look like you even had acne. Happy for you :)

thank you v much! :) 

Quote
MemberMember
264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 06/07/2016 11:46 am

Hey looks good. I never would have dared to use baby wipes on my face lol.
I definitely think green tea and also greens like kale are beneficial. I can drink one coffee but no more.
Just curious what kind of acne did you have before?

amy27 liked
Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 06/12/2016 5:50 pm

Here's some photos of before to give you a better idea, I would say at least moderate acne. 

 

post-422973-0-78627000-1425212753.jpg

Quote
MemberMember
264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 06/12/2016 9:30 pm

Wow you certainly have improved a lot! Glad for you :)

amy27 liked
Quote
MemberMember
264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 06/19/2016 1:59 pm

On 1/24/2016 at 1:56 PM, amy27 said:

Hi guys! Since my last posts my skin has improved dramatically and I wanted to share with everybody what I'm doing. It's been quite a while since my post in March 2015 (see that here for before photos) Though I did give up for a few months after posting this and just accepted my fate of having acne forever and simply gave up (I know, boo-hoo). However, after this, I got back into it to help improve my skin. 

I currently don't do that much any more to my skin in comparison to what I used to do... I gave up using such harsh products such as exfoliation, cleansing, etc. and threw all these products out (used exfoliation product for my legs because I try not to be wasteful!) I found using these products just made my skin worse but I thought because I was keeping it extremely clean it would eventually cure it. So I went natural as possible and got rid of harsh products and chemicals.

My simple yet effective regimen:

> Once a day (night) I wash my face with softened oatmeal, I find this is a great natural alternative for an exfoliator and cleanser. Here's a video on that.
> In the morning all I do is rinse my face with cold water 1. to wake me up and 2. to remove any excess oils but not strip all oils, as having some oils on your skin is good! Otherwise your skin will try to overproduce oil because it's dried out and cause more breakouts.
>  In the morning before I apply my make up, (yes, I use foundation and everything!) I put on Simple Light Moisturiser SPF 15. I prefer this over a primer as I worry about primers breaking me out, and it absorbs quickly and make up goes very nicely over it. Plus, it has SPF - important!!! Especially if you have scarring/hyperpigmentation.
> Occasionally, if I get a spot (usually now only small or one from hormonal) I use Witch Blemish Stick  directly on the spot (helps it go quicker and reduces redness).
> Everyday I have at least one cup of green tea. I started drinking green tea (because I like it, if you don't, don't force yourself! )  a few months ago and I've seen a great improvement since starting to drink this. But I don't know if this is the reason for the clear up of my skin, as I simply started drinking it through no reason of trying to clear acne.

Through doing all these things I've seen a massive improvement in my skin and finally am feeling more confident, though I'm still left with hyperpigmentation and ice pick scarring on my cheeks. I haven't had a breakout in a long time and I rarely get pimples now, if I do they're small and don't last as long as before. But bare in mind I'm a 17 yo female so I put this down to normal hormonal acne. Any questions I'm happy to answer. 

Here's my skin now:
PhotoGrid_1453652310697.jpg

Good luck everyone 

hey I just watched the vid, looks easy!
I'm going to try it, I'm jusypt wondering did you cut out any specific foods? I think I had a bad reaction to eggplant.?

Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 07/02/2016 3:45 am

On 19/06/2016 at 7:59 PM, snarkygirl said:
hey I just watched the vid, looks easy!
I'm going to try it, I'm jusypt wondering did you cut out any specific foods? I think I had a bad reaction to eggplant.?

Yes the oatmeal is very easy to do!I personally didn't cut out anything from my diet, but if you had a bad reaction and got breakouts from eating specific foods such as eggplant, then I would say cut it out or at least to a minimum. Different things affect different people and you'll know what works and what doesn't for you as everyone's skin is so different - so get to know your skin!

Good luck!

Quote
MemberMember
13
(@amy27)

Posted : 10/05/2016 11:17 am

Moisturiser update

Hello all! So my skin is still continuing to to improve and I am still doing the same skin care regimen as before this post is going to be about moisturisers as I have struggled with moisturisers in the past but I have now I have two that I will come back to - one with SPF one without.

So, the moisturiser I have used for over a year now is the Simple Protecting Kind to Skin Light Moisturiser SPF 15however I live in the UK so summer has, well, gone... so I wanted a different daily moisturiser that hydrated a little more due to drier and colder weather ahead and to get rid of the unnecessary SPF considering it's not summer anymore - if you live in a hot sunny climate or it is summer USE a moisturiser with SPF, I do recommend the Simple Protecting one as I have never experienced breakouts with it, it was moderately hydrating without making my skin oily and worked perfectly under make up I am just changing from this because winter is coming (unintentional GoT reference).

So I tried the Simple Hydrating Kind to Skin Light Moisturiser (no SPF)since the other SPF Simple moisturiser worked perfectly I thought what could go wrong? Well clearly I got my hopes up too high for Simple products... This moisturiser for some reason broke me out, I tried this moisturiser on a few different occasions to ensure that it was the moisturiser causing the problem and it was so I was very disappointed and so my hunt continued...

After researching online for weeks and standing in the drugstore for about 30 minutes looking at all the facial moisturisers and their ingredients to find myself a hydrating daily moisturiser that wouldn't break the bank I decided to pick up Olay's Double Action - Day Cream & Primer for Normal/Dry skinit had everything I wanted: no SPF, hydrating, works under make up, doesn't break me out and not oily... too good to be true? Apparently not!I have been using this moisturiser for a few weeks now and I adore it! It leaves my skin feeling so so smooth and lovely, make up goes on well over it and most importantly - doesn't give me breakouts!

Good luck to everyone!

Quote