Daniece

I've had a few jaw breakouts last week  2 Mondays ago, I started drinking acv again since I had a bottle in the fridge. I actually used to drink this religiously 2 years ago & it did help for months, but I stopped last year since I felt it wasn't doing much for my skin anymore. This time around I think it helped a little. I don't put anything on my bacne (except baby powder to keep it dry) but since drinking acv the bacne went down a bit. 

On the Monday that just passed, I decided to visit a naturopath. I was kind of hoping she'd just give me a plethora of herbs to control my hormones / fight acne, but instead she suggested I change my diet for the next 4-6 weeks, then reintroduce the foods to see if they break me out.
 

Soooo the Garnier BB Cream was a bust. The shade was too light so I gave it to my mum. I will say, it seemed to have decent coverage when I put it on, but since it was the wrong colour, I immediately washed it off.

Last night I did a mask using Aztec Healing Clay & diluted acv. I've been wondering lately if it's too harsh on my face though... Anyway, after washing off I moisturised with hemp oil. Then I made the mistake of going to bed with it for more than 12 hours  12 hours without washing my face is bad enough, but covered with oil, no matter how non-comedogenic that oil is, is a bad idea. I woke up with my right jaw pretty bumpy  To top it off, I had cheesy breadsticks (but at least the pizza was cheeseless) tonight so I can expect a breakout over the next few days... No matter how many supplements I take or how good my topical treatments are, dairy will always be a nightmare.

Ok so thank God my skin has been clearing up!!  I have a few pimples (about 4-5) but a little BP followed by Dan's AHA were able to bring them to a head. I still have a decent amount of hyperpigmentation though. The BP, while it has helped clear my skin tremendously seems to leave darker marks  The marks used to heal a lot more quickly when I used hemp oil, but I haven't used that in about a week. I've come to the conclusion that it wasn't a main cause for my breakout last week, so I might reconsider using it as my moisturiser during the day... maybe.

Anyway, my bad breakout last week I believe was due to:

1. My pizza diet - too much dairy is no bueno for me. My skin can tolerate small amounts in cake, cookies & other snacks, but things like ice cream or cheese break me out on my jaw & cheeks.
2. The new BP I was using - I've since returned to my old Clearasil which dries out my skin but keeps me relatively clear.
3. Washing my face only twice a day - I'd read on this site that twice should be the maximum, but when it came time to wash my face at night, my face would be sooo oily & (upcoming tmi) I'd have oozing whiteheads  Also, I could feel new bumps forming my the end of the day. I've since returned to washing 3 times a day.

Because of my hyperpigmentation, I've been looking into ways to cover it during the day. I do use Clinique Even Better foundation but that's more for special occasions since it's kind of heavy & I live in a hot climate. I'm really looking for something lighter. For that reason, I bought Garnier's bb cream for oily skin since I saw mixed-positive reviews & it's supposed to give medium-ish coverage. I'm really hoping it doesn't break me out *fingers crossed* 

I feel so frustrated. A week ago & I had pretty clear skin after more than a decade of acne. In addition to my supplements, peanut free & (mainly) dairy free diet, I was using Clearasil's 10% bp which surprisingly cleared me up but made my skin so dry & very itchy  I would moisturise with hemp oil after which helped the dryness but i just didn't like the feeling of oil on my face.

I ordered a 2.5% bp off amazon (Dr Song brand) since I read that 2.5 & 10% bp have the same effects on acne, but the lower concentration is less irritating. About 9 days ago I got a lactic acid peel & facial at the aesthetician & I also started using the new bp followed by my hemp oil. Days later i started noticing lots of little white heads. I didn't think much of it since that usually happens a few days after I get a peel or facial but then they go away. The 'little whiteheads' pretty soon turned into big whiteheads.

I don't understand what's happening. Why all of a sudden is my skin doing this? I don't know whether to attribute it to
1. the new bp
2. the hemp oil (I've been using this off & on for months but still can't figure out if it breaks me out)
3. my diet (remember early on when I said 'mainly dairy free'? I've been eating some snacks that contain milk but they're usually lower down in the ingredient list)
4. my stress level (does stress really even cause acne? I'm still dealing with uni exams right now)

I recently cut both the hemp oil & new bp & went back to my Clearasil 10% bp just to see if it clears me back up. Also, 2 days ago I started incorporating dan's AHA into my skincare routine. I'm really anxious to see some sort of results. I'm fed up with the acne.

PS: most of my acne is on my jaw (4-6 pimples) and cheeks (1-3 pimples). I never ever break out on my nose, my forehead might get a pimple once in a blue moon but it's not like the ones on my jaw or cheek. I've always been convinced my acne is hormonal but i just don't know anymore