About two years ago, my skin completely freaked out. After years of mostly clear skin and a consistent skincare routine, I started getting frequent cystic acne. It felt like nothing I did would clear it up and I was doing so much research on how to fix the issue, with no success.
It’s been a year now since I’ve been consistently seeing an esthetician and dermatologist and following their guidance, and my skin is 1000x better. Finally, I feel comfortable leaving the house with no face makeup and its completely freeing being able to let my skin breathe. I’ve had a few friends ask me what my skincare routine is and, after copying and pasting the same text to a number of people, I figured it would make sense to have a more detailed explanation of my routine here.
To be clear, I’m certainly no pro. I couldn’t figure out how to fix my skin by myself and have leaned heavily on professionals to guide me in the right direction. Therefore, please don’t take this as a guidebook to how to clear your skin if you’re having skin issues. This is just what worked for me.
Morning
In this order, because order matters:
- Cleanse – iS Clinical Cleansing Complex ($42): I always make sure to lather for 60 seconds to make sure my skin is super clean!
- Treat – SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($166): I only use 4-5 drops for my face.
- Treat – Clindamycin Phosphate 1 % Gel (Prescription): This is a prescription topical antibiotic from the dermatologist.
- Protect – EltaMD UV Clear Facial Sunscreen ($36) or iS Clinical Extreme Protect ($78): Sunscreen is so important and I honestly consider this the most important step. I use a full pump to make sure my skin is fully protected from the sun. Additionally, I reapply once in the afternoon. I typically use the EltaMD sunscreen in the warmer months as it’s more lightweight. The iS Clinical sunscreen is thicker and I use that when my skin starts to get drier in the cooler months. [UPDATE: 1/23/2023 – I’ve actually started mixing the two sunscreens listed and get the perfect balance of moisture and a glow-y finish. The iS Clinical on it’s on is a bit greasy most months and the EltaMD isn’t moisturizing enough but somehow gives my skin more of a sheen/reflective quality. Mixed together they’re the perfect match.]
Evening
In this order:
- Cleanse – CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser ($15): This cleanser foams up and I love that, even though I have heard that foaming cleansers can be drying. I personally haven’t had an issue.
- Cleanse again – iS Clinical Cleansing Complex ($42): Yes, two cleanses. I consider the first cleanse to get off the sunscreen and makeup and this second one actually cleanses my skin.
- Treat – Epiduo Forte (Prescription): This is an adapalene (retinoid) + benzoyl peroxide prescription. I’ve heard that a great non-prescription alternative for adapalene is Differin Gel, and you can ‘dupe’ Epiduo by using the Differin and putting a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide on top. However, I tried this myself.
- Hydrate – The Ordinary “Buffet” + Copper Peptides 1% ($29): I put this one on when my skin is still slightly damp because it’s supposedly a humectant that helps your skin retain moisture by holding/attracting water molecules. [UPDATE: 1/23/2023 – I still like this stuff but I ran out of it about a year ago and never repurchased. I have noticed my skin feels more dry so I might go back to it.]
- Moisturize – The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane ($8) AND SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 ($128): I mix rice-sized amount of the Triple Lipid Restore with a few drops of the squalane so that it spreads more easily. My understanding is that the squalane doesn’t have much of a purpose otherwise. The Triple Lipid Restore is an expensive product and I’ve recently learned that the CereVe Moisturizing Cream is basically that same stuff without the fragrance. SkinCeuticals and CereVe are both owned by L’Oreal so, who knows, it they might be made with a lot of the same exact ingredients. I haven’t tried the CereVe moisturizer myself but I’ll be giving it a try once I run out of the Triple Lipid Restore. [UPDATE: 1/23/2023 – I switched away from the SkinCeuticals moisturizer and over to the CereVe a few months back and haven’t noticed a real difference in my skin. I still mix the CereVe with the Squalane from The Ordinary.]
Other tips
- See a professional: Seeing a dermatologist and esthetician for regular facials has completely turned my skin around. Even with all the research I was doing, my skin was still a mess before I started seeing professionals, who laid out this skincare routine for me. If you’re in the Seattle area I highly recommend Stephanie Powers at Sapien Skin and Modern Dermatology.
- Spironolactone: Turns out that my deep cystic acne was hormonal and needed to be addressed from the inside. This is a prescription from my dermatologist. However, taking this didn’t fix the whole problem for me, as not all of my acne was hormonal, but it certainly helped a ton.
- Don’t touch your face – your hands carry a ton of bacteria. Along with this, don’t pop or pick at blemishes. I used to think that popping them made them go away faster, but it really just created open wounds on my face that ended up leaving post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation for months.
- Change your pillow case, face towel, and wash cloth frequently. Again, bacteria.
- Sleep with a humidifier in your room at night, which will help prevent your skin from drying out while you sleep.
- Never sleep with makeup or sunscreen on. Your skin needs to breathe and your sleep time is when your skin repairs itself.
Hope this helps!