JLaughlin

I try to avoid touching my face at all costs, so no I don't rub my face to remove dirt. I just let the water run on my face in the shower for about 30 seconds, and that's it. I also don't exfoliate. I only clean my face with water when I get in the shower, which is once a day, sometimes every other day.

I have had relatively clear skin my entire life. I would get the odd pimple during my period, but that was it. When I was 19, my skin went down hill. I was breaking out very badly on my chin, which then moved to my cheeks. No matter what I did, my skin would not clear up. I tried all the quick fixes, and when none of those worked, I knew this was more serious than I thought. I have tried almost everything to clear up my skin. I've spent a disgusting amount of money on topical treatments, been on many different rounds of antibiotics, been to a dermatologist, spent at least $1000 on acne treatments at spas, changed my entire diet and lifestyle, started taking vitamins, changing my pillow case every night, only drinking water, HONESTLY EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF. So, one day I ran out of my face wash, and I went to my local spa to pick up some new stuff. The total was $200, and I just could not fathom spending this much money on products that weren't even clearing my skin. So I made up some excuse about how my credit card wasn't working and left. I decided to just leave my face alone. No cleansers, toners, moisturizers, spot treatments, NOTHING. Just water, or also known as the "caveman regimen". I did a lot of research on this before I started, and I felt that it was worth a shot. For the first few days, I noticed my skin wasn't as red and "raw" looking as usual. I wasn't breaking out more than usual - if anything, it was less than what I usually would break out. After about a week, I started noticing little whiteheads around my cheeks and chin, and even my forehead. I'm assuming that my skin was "purging", meaning it was pushing out all of the toxins. These whiteheads didn't hurt, and they weren't red at all. They would usually clear up in about a day or two. I also noticed that my hyperpigmentation was lightening up, and it wasn't as noticeable. The hardest part for me was to give up wearing makeup. Not that I wore a lot, but when I would get a pimple here and there, it was hard not covering it up. But I stayed strong. Now, three weeks later, I can't believe how good my skin looks. The hyperpigmentation marks are almost gone, I have not broken out in a few days (I can't remember the last time that has happened), the colour of my skin matches the rest of my body (my face is usually white, while the rest of my body is tanned), my skin is nowhere near as oily as it used to be, and overall, the condition of my face is amazing. So, here's what I do - I only let water hit my face when I'm in the shower. Other than that, I don't let water touch my face. I stopped wearing makeup, and I stopped touching/picking at my face. I would highly recommend trying this if you feel like you've tried everything.