My Acne Journey
My skin journey has been a long one filled with various products, skin treatments, medications, and lifestyle changes. I know the dream answer to managing your acne would be one thing. Like there is this one product that will change everything or cutting one thing from your diet would fix it but it takes more than that. Acne is a more aggressive issue than that. I have had acne since I was about 12 years old. Growing up I knew that acne was genetic but now that I have gotten older I know that besides that the biggest cause of acne is your hormones. The most important thing to managing and getting rid of acne is being consistent AND never picking at them and turning them into acne scars.
Personally, I use the Obagi Clenziderm System which is for acne prone and oily skin. With oily skin, you want to use products that will dry out the excess oil like salicylic acid, retinoic acid, and benzoyl peroxide. Salicylic acid and retinoic acid work to unclog pores, retinoic acid also works to prevent breakouts and minimize acne and acne scars, and benzoyl peroxide works to eliminate the acne-causing bacteria. But remember, you will need a moisturizer to go along with these products. Even though salicylic acid, retinoic acid, and benzoyl peroxide are good to rid your skin on the excess oil and bacteria, they will dry out your skin. That’s why you absolutely MUST buy a good moisturizer. I would recommend either Skin Medica’s Ultra Sheer Moisturizer or Obagi’s Hydrate Luxe. Moisturizing will add the hydration back to your skin. Otherwise, when your skin dries out it will try to overcompensate, produce more oil, and result in you breaking out. The key is finding the balance between drying out the bacteria and acne but not too much so your body has to over compensate.
Favorite Treatments
Along with a great home regimen, consistent treatments such as peels, Microneedling, Dermaplanning, and acne-cortisone shots will be helpful. Microneedling and Fractional will also be effective for acne scars. Our Skin Medica Vitalize and Rejuvenize peels along with the Dermaplanning will help rid your face of the dead layer of skin, on your face. They will also help your skin develop new healthier cells. The Rejuvenize is a deeper peel that we recommend for people that have more acne and acne scars. It is more effective for tougher skin because it penetrates deeper in your skin. With the acne-cortisone shots, they are usually for huge individual zits. Our nurse practitioner will inject a diluted corticosteroid into the zit and it will start to deflate within a few hours. Like we’ve mentioned in our other blogs Microneedling and Fractional both work to resurface the texture of your skin. Microneedling will use microscopic needles to scratch the surface of your skin to promote more collagen production and soften the surface of your skin. With fractional, it is a laser that penetrates deeper into the skin and has a longer down-time than the Microneedling. Both treatments require a consistent home regimen to see the best results.
Don’t Forget About Proper Nutrition!
Last but certainly not least, a key aspect of minimized acne is the foods you eat and put into your body. Everybody’s body is different so if you really struggle with cystic and hormonal acne I would talk to a dermatologist or endocrinologist about the foods you should and should not consume. For me personally, I need to stay away from sugar and dairy but everyone is different. Everyone’s body and skin is different so try different treatments and products and see which combinations work for you!
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Schedule a consultation with our practice and let us help you with your acne journey. Call us at (858) 538-5665.