Hello everyone! I've been on acne.org for quite some time as a non-user and I have to say I love the honesty of this community. I don't know what I would have done without it. Acne has been a severely lonely endurance.. In real life I do not know anyone else that has suffered like I suffered. So here is a little bit of a backstory (photos included), my skin was everything to me. I loved doing makeup artistry so I felt like my skin really complimented that. Just like some people like their eyes, their hair, lips whatever.. My thing was my skin. Fast forward to when I was 21, I started to get cysts. I had a lot of trauma emotionally and I want to attribute the original outburst to that. I think though, being Italian and oily, I was predisposed. I tried everything for the past four years. I'm going to make a list of things that not only didn't work, but somehow also made me worse-
        RETIN-A!!!! Damaged and ruined my skin with prolonged use.
        Benzoyl Peroxide. I'm sorry, it's too harsh. It might work for a while but it's not worth it. Gave me wrinkles around my mouth at 21. Then everything came back with a vengeance.
        Antibiotics over and over again. Bye, bye stomach!
        Regular facial peels. Lactic.. Salycidic.. Jesner.. All of them. (I had them professionally done)
        Regular facials
        Basically anything you buy at the store.
        A comprehensive allergy test.. I just got anxiety about stupid things.
        Complete diet change, definitely messed me up
        blue light BS
        Hormone tests, didn™t make me worse but I tried it a few times and my hormones were okay- just to throw that in there (so I never did birth control or Spiro)
        using the sun to "dry up" acne.. Yeah ok.
        Korean ten step, steal my wallet system.
        Going too natural with the wrong things. Tea tree oil. Lemons. Aztec Indian healing clay BS.. Apple cider vinegar¦ Baking soda.. All so harsh.
        And finally *drum roll* the worst of the worst.. Cherry on top one month of Accutane! It made me so ill they pulled me off.. I am still on and off sick with my stomach. It has been six months. Not only that but the purge gave me the worst acne scars I have ever gotten in my life. I only got scars and sickness both physically and mentally from only ONE MONTH of Accutane. Maybe it is a godsend for some, but it is certainly a gamble and never let people tell you otherwise.
So what finally cured my acne?

Treating my acne as if it were a math equation. I had to sit down and objectively really look at what was going on with my skin. After four years my skin finally got so dehydrated that I no longer had full lips. I no longer had any oil. I no longer had MY skin. It was so tired, so aggravated. I looked at how sick my stomach was. My world had finally hit rock bottom.

-What ended up working for me was-
-Non comedogenic makeup. All of it. Even the powder.
-Hemp seed oil to remove makeup and use at night before bed, I made sure the oil was non-comedogenic and anti-inflammitory. People have different reactions to different oils from what I™ve gathered..
-ground up organic quick cooking oatmeal on my skin twice a day. A mess and annoying but 100% worth it. Will take down any inflammation on your face and soak up oil. Leave it on for a minute or five or an hour. It helps BUILD up your protective barrier. I noticed that most of the things I listed earlier that messed me up absolutely destroy the barrier.
-Cutting out dairy most of the time. I™m not crazy about it either, I don™t believe in stressing myself out over my skin anymore, but being mindful is nice.  
-Working on my emotional issues, they destroyed my immune system and a part of me believes that my skin suffered too. Guided meditation and therapy are amazing. Please don™t be afraid to go to a therapist if acne is ruining your life too. Don™t let it take years off of your life like it did for me<3 I wish I had someone tell me this.

And the thing is too.. I made sure my winning regimen was simple. Each just one ingredient. Lush/Whole Foods skin stuff broke me out. Too many mixtures it™s impossible to keep up. I just needed healing, and anti-inflammatory. Not drying but also not clogging. Those requirements are what I believe most people with acne could benefit from. What started as just a bad breakout at the wrong time in my life, spiraled into four years of insanity. Try things little by little¦ Never introduce more than one thing into your regimen.. Also don™t believe in œpurging¦ It™s not real. I™d have so many less scars if I didn™t believe that. When I found my winning regimen it worked right away, no purging, just healing. I™m sorry this is so long but I™m hoping MAYBE, just maybe someone might benefit. Please be kind in your responses<3 I™m very open minded.

photos described:
Me (a few months before I ever had cystic acne), *my first* flare up of severe cystic acne out of nowhere. I™ve had many flare ups like this since for the past four years¦ And me now, yes I am wearing makeup but it fills in my scars so ironically if I were wearing this makeup over acne it™d just make it worse and you™d see the bumps in this lighting.

/novel