How I Recovered From Adult Acne

Throughout my teen years, I never really had problems with acne. I had a few occasional pimples, but in general, I didn't have to deal with this problem too much.

Then in my late twenties, I was suddenly afflicted with adult acne. I spent about a year struggling to get it under control. In the meantime I developed a phobia of looking in the mirror, because I hated what I saw. It affected my self esteem and confidence. Sometimes I didn't even want to leave the house.

Since I realize this is something many people struggle with, I thought I'd share what finally worked for me.

The age old wisdom about drinking lots of water, avoiding too much sugar, and eating your fruits and vegetables really does carry some element of truth. Those definitely helped me a lot. However, I was still dealing with breakouts and I had scars that took months to heal. Sometimes a single zit (the deep cystic kind) would leave an ugly red mark that lasted six months. Aside from finding a cure for the breakouts, I also had to find a product to help me heal those marks.

Finally, after much experimentation and research, I found a skin care regimen that works for me.

There is a lot of debate about salicylic acid versus benzoyl peroxide. What I discovered is that neither helped me very much on its own. I had to use a combination of the products, because they penetrate the skin and deal with bacteria and sebum differently.

First, you need a face cleanser with benzoyl peroxide that you use every single day. I wash with this product in the morning:

Exfoliation is also very important. If you exfoliate regularly, you can prevent buildup of dead skin cells, which clogs your pores. Also, exfoliating helps to speed healing of the skin and therefore helps those red marks fade faster. I use this microdermabrasion product several times per week, and on the other days just use a clean washcloth with my cleanser.

Next, you need something with salicylic acid, as it works differently from benzoyl peroxide. It helps speed up skin cell turnover as well as preventing new pimples. I clean my face with this toner at least once per day (your use will depend upon how sensitive your skin is; I recommend once a day but some people may have to build up to that). I use the kind for sensitive skin, so that it doesn't overly dry out my skin. It gets rid of the oil without making my face flaky and itchy.

Finally, I use a product with a high percentage of salicylic acid to spot-treat any developing pimples. It is best to put a generous amount of this on any problem areas right before you go to bed (speaking of going to bed, make sure you wash your pillowcase frequently as they can harbor bacteria!). It also works wonders for helping those old red spots to fade.

Finally, I have to mention that the only thing that saved my sanity before the marks faded and healed, was this wonderful foundation from Maybelline. It covered those ugly red marks much better than any other cover-ups I tried. If you click the link, you'll see that it comes in all shades.

Now, you might be thinking I'm just trying to sell products. It's true that I will get a small commission off this stuff, and I certainly need to eat just like everyone else. However, these honestly are the exact products I used to help get my skin under control. I hate knowing any other woman (or man!) out there is suffering embarrassment and pain like I felt for an entire year. I wanted to share this with you so that hopefully someone else can benefit from my experience. Remember that if you order these through Amazon, you'll get free shipping if you spend over 25 dollars, and several of these products are cheaper on Amazon than I found them in the store. Good luck and I hope it works for you!