I have been struggling with acne since i was 12. i believe that it was a combination of my hormones and my diet. not everyone who hits puberty has horrible breakouts, but for me, i because VERY sensitive to foods and products that i used on my skin. here's a little history: before i ever started getting acne, i have very normal skin. i might have disturbed my skin's natural barriers by using harsh exfoliants and salicylic acid on my skin. by breaking down my protective layers of my skin, i believe that i left my skin vulnerable to acne- causing bacteria. the acne because worse as i tried using harsher, more abrasive products on my skin. i never thought of the root- cause, but always was searching for a short- term solution. this put me in a never ending cycle of dry, irritated skin that was inflamed and had deep, painful cystic acne. during this period of time, i was also eating TONS of processed, high carb, fast food. this has been PROVEN by studies to cause acne. high- carb diets that aren't balanced by working out causes a rise in insulin and thus breaking you out. the insulin causes you to produce more sebum that gets clogged in your pores and traps bad bacteria in your skin. i was a teenage girl and was trying every foundation that i could get a hold of to try and hide my blemishes. this often times worsened my acne because my skin wasn't able to breath. some makeup is worse than others, but at that time, i had no idea what to look for in a cosmetic product. during this time in my life, i wasn't drinking enough water either. not only is that bad for your skin, it also caused a lot of fatigue, poor digestion, and other issues. there are many different things that were probably making my problem a lot worse to put it simply. i have done a lot of research over the years and have changed my lifestyle and have seen major improvements in the health of my skin. these days, i watch my carb load. i try hard to keep my carbs at 30 grams or less per meal so that my body can break down those sugars with minimal inflammation. this has helped tremendously. i drink a lot more water than i use to. i buy the 3 liter ozarka bottles because i know that's the amount of water that i need to consume in a day and it makes it easy for me. i stopped using harsh products on my skin because i ultimately found them to be irritating and over-drying. i started using neutrogena hydro boost gel cleanser twice a day. for a moisturizer, i have been using cerave daily moisturizer and have seen great results. this moisturizer has ceramides in it. people that have acne have been found to have lower levels of ceramides in their skin. this is a component of the healthy skin barrier. i found this article to be very informative on the skin barrier function: https://www.acneeinstein.com/dry-skin-acne-cause-and-treatment/ . Putting on the moisturizer while your skin is damp or wet is important because you want to prevent water loss in the skin (water loss happens when you wash your skin with soap because you strip your skin of it's natural oils). these days, when i wear foundation, i wear non- comedogenic foundation. the neutrogena hydro boost foundation is pretty good, but i don't use the applicator, bc it isn't sanitary. i hope this knowledge helps people out there because it CHANGED my life. i got the skin care routine advice from an amazing dermatologist that vlogs on youtube. this is the link to her account: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxmUrGMtpQT844Yd_l7Zyg . good luck to everyone on their journey to healthy skin!