The acne struggle… if you know it, I feel you!! Personally, I have had an ongoing battle with acne since around 17 years old. Back then, the breakouts were minor and really not a big deal (I was dramatic. What I wouldn’t do to get that baby face back!). Fast forward to adulthood- you have been told your whole life up to that point your skin will get better once you are done with puberty… BIGGEST LIE EVER. My skin only kept getting worse after I turned 20. There have been times where my skin calmed down, and there have been times where my face has become a red, inflamed mess! Six years later, we are still sloshing through the trenches figuring out how to treat it from the inside and from the outside.
After all that I know about nutrition and wellness, I would be very reluctant to go on any oral medication/antobiotic, and therefore my MO has been to treat it naturally with clean skincare, no harsh chemicals, and with intentional supplementation. Hormonal/PCOS-driven acne (which is what I deal with) is one tough cookie. Every time your skin settles down, that monthly hormone cycle causes breakouts right around PMS week. WHYYYY?!
Those who have dealt with acne understand how annoying it is to have others think you don’t know how to “take care” of yourself. Of course I wash my face, yes I eat vegetables, and NO, I didn’t ask for unsolicited advice about what crazy thing has worked for your face. I’ve tried it all, thank you very much. Have you had that experienced before?? Let me know in the comments! Solicited advice is amazing, unsolicited comes off as condescending, ya know? Just a PSA.
I could write a million posts about the tips and tricks I have learned along the way, but today I wanted to share some current standouts that have helped regulate my skin, keep it calm, and fade the scars from the cystic pimples and unfortunate skin-picking episodes. What’s worked for me may not work for you, and that’s ok! But maybe just one thing will stick and make an improvement for you. And that is why I’m sharing- by no means do I have perfect skin, but I’m in a better place with my skin than I have been in a while. The following are some standouts that I believe have helped me calm my face the heck down.
Pimple Patches
These are great for two reasons: One, they help “suck out” and shrink a blemish, and two, they help me keep my hands off my face. I’ve caused way more problems by picking my skin, and it’s a habit I am trying to shake. If I have a painful pimple or a whitehead, I pop one of these on, sleep with it on, and take it off in the morning. MAGIC- that zit doesn’t stand a chance! Some require a few days of “stickering”, but it works way better than a lot of pimple spot treatments and helps to prevent a scar by keeping the skin hydrated.
They are clear little stickers, and I have been known to wear them out during a last-minute poké run for dinner. They are super popular in Asia, and people wear them around normally, and no one bats an eyelash. Sigh, I wish they were a bit more normal here in the US cuz I would rock them all day haha.
My tip for maximizing their powers- pop one on a pimple you picked because it will pull out any extra pus (gross and satisfying at the same time), or take a sterile needle or lancet and poke a little hole in your pimple, then pop the sticker on. Having an opening in the pimple makes the stickers work more effectively in my opinion.
A few brands I like can be found here, here, and here.
Exfoliate and Moisturize
Everyone can benefit from exfoliation. Especially if you are acne-prone, getting the dead skin off a couple times a week prevents clogged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, and all those tiny under-the-skin bumps that you can really only see up close or at certain angles. Lately I’ve been using the Pixi Peel and Polish. It only takes 2 minutes, so it’s great if you are short on time. It contains lactic acid and fruit acids to help brighten the skin, which is a bonus for speeding up the healing of any post-acne hyperpigmentation. What I love is that it’s not an extreme peel. Your skin isn’t red and inflamed after you wash it off. Your skin looks glowy and calm, and I actually have less redness after I use it than before. Quick, effective, affordable-yes,yes,yes! This was a gift from my momma, and I’m so glad to have received it!
Ok now for the HOLY GRAIL cream: Berlin Skin Sandalwood Cream. I have my friend Brit to thank for recommending this one. I have always been super hesitant to moisturize, as most of us acne-sufferers are. Somewhere along the way, we had it engraved in our mind that moisturizers, creams, and oils would make us oilier and break out more, but the opposite is true. Now, I am a moisturizing fiend! I can’t go without it, morning or night. It is a bit more expensive, but a little goes a long way! This hydrates perfectly without feeling heavy and it brings down any inflammation. My skin is instantly soothed after smoothing it on, and I’m a girl who is prone to redness, so that says something. It contains hyaluronic acid, sandalwood, turmeric, lavender, thyme, and sage. Berlin Skin is one of my favorite clean beauty lines and this cream is, well, the creme de la creme! The fact that it hydrates, calms redness, and heals acne? I couldn’t ask for more!
Beauty Tea
All those skincare products are great, but good skin starts on the inside. There are so many dietary factors that dictate skin health, but I’m putting a spotlight on this tea from Republic of Tea. I add it to my spearmint tea (another acne-busting tea) to make a dynamic duo. It contains the up-and-coming trendy blue butterfly pea flower, which is high in antioxidants like anthocyanins which help support collagen production. Hibiscus hydrates, while rosehips contain vitamin C, (also VIP for collagen production and wound healing, ahem, picked pimples). Lastly, schizandra berry makes an appearance, which is pretty revolutionary in the tea world. I haven’t seen many brands adding that to their proprietary blend. Schizandra has been an adaptogen shown to improve skin health and clarity for centuries. Talk about a beautifying cocktail, right? It also tastes delicious. By itself, it’s a deep blue/purple color, but if you add a squeeze of lemon, it turns pink! That’s all thanks to that blue butterfly pea flower, which I predict will become very popular in the wellness circuit. Sip some for good health, and good skin!
Have you tried any of these products before? I would love to know if you have any products that have changed the game for you, whether internal or external skin helpers. Let me know! Share, share!
Have a great weekend!
XO, Alexandra
Very interesting article even though I have been fortunate not to have this problem however was excited to read about the teas that are out there to help your skin from the inside
Love that you are very honest about your hormonal driven skin problems, so many women have these issues with hormonal triggers, whether it’s puberty, pregnancy or menopause, it certainly doesn’t help that stress, pollution and chemicals that leach into everything we eat, touch and breathe add to that….it’s great that you research and read labels before eating, drinking, and applying topically, and share, thank you!……wish doctors would stop pushing birth control to be the “fix”, they need to be educated….
There are so many factors in our environment that affect our skin and hormones! The least we can do is control and manage what we put in our bodies and on our skin. SO over the “birth control bandaid”. It needs to go!