My Skin Journey Part 1: Essential Ingredients

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September 26, 2019

skincare tips, how to get rid of adult acne, how to get rid of cystic acne, how to get rid of hormonal acne, hyaluronic acid, doxycycline, retin A, retin-A, hydroquinone, skincare routine for your 30s

Growing up and throughout my teenage years, I was lucky enough to have pretty clear skin. Of course it wasn’t perfect, but acne was never a problem. Fast forward 10 years and a huge life trauma and boom: hormonal cystic acne everywhere. I was too embarrassed to leave my house many days and I didn’t let even my family see me without a ton of makeup on. I was clueless about what to do and after battling adult acne for almost 5 years, I have finally found what works for me.

The first thing that made a difference was a prescription from a dermatologist on my first visit ever. He prescribed me doxycycline. It’s a 3-month supply of capsules and you take 2 per day with meals. I began seeing results in just 1-2 weeks. The best part is, once you’re done with the 3 months, you never have to take it again. I put off going to the dermatologist for so long because since I’m self-employed, I don’t have insurance. The visit cost me $95 and the prescription was around $65. A lot less than I spent over the years on skincare that did absolutely nothing.

The next ingredient I found helpful is retin A. I was prescribed resurfacing pads from WIFH with hydroquinone in them as well. I used them only at night as too much retin A can have a reverse effect. Retin A is not only great for combating existing acne, but it also helps prevent new acne, evens skintone, and renews skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as enlarged pores. Be careful though, it can dry the skin. I never had a problem, but when using retinA, you should always make sure to moisturize and hydrate even more than normal.

My favorite ingredient I discovered through my journey is probably . Since most of my acne was due to hormones and internal causes, I was able to clear it up almost completely with the doxycycline. The retin A pads kept it in check, and did help with the uneven skintone and scarring, but the hyaluronic acid really gave me a glow. Hyaluronic acid is a miracle ingredient that totally plumps the skin up to appear more youthful, vibrant, and healthy. If you’ve ever felt like your skin was dull, hyaluronic acid will completely reverse that in seconds. I LOVE it!

What are the most essential ingredients in your skincare routine?