My Skincare Regimen

So my skin has improved tremendously over the past year. I’ve been receiving a lot of compliments from people (people that actually see me face to face) so that’s why I decided to blog it. I know that I hardly post FOTD’s and pictures of myself so improvement in my skin wouldn’t be noticeable to you folks. As of right now my skin is at its peak and I haven’t seen it this way…EVER.

So here’s some background on my skin. I’ve struggled with acne since the 4th grade and I’m still dealing with it but it has decreased especially over maybe the past 6 months. I also have sensitive and oily skin. Some acne scars on my cheeks.

I've seen a total of three dermatalogists and tried countless antibiotics on top of topical gels and creams. Sometimes I would also have the dreaded cystic acne where I would need steroid injections in order for it to go down. The other alternative is to have it under your skin for around month and to be in awful pain. There was a point when my dermatalogist wanted me to go on Accutane, which I refused to do.

So the medications that worked well for me is Differin Cream, it contains Adapalene which is a cousin of Retin-A. It regenerates the skin faster hence the constant exfoliation. I recently switched to Retin-A which is stronger than Differin Cream because of the beneficial anti-aging properties that it has. Currently I'm Retin-A three times a week just so my skin gets use to it but since my skin has been pretty good I think I'll keep it at this dosage.

***My routine varies depending on how my skin is doing.***

Skin is Behaving
Morning/ AM
Cleanser: Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
Toner: Mac’s Charged Water in Renewal Defense
Moisturizer: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel & Eucerin Extra Protection Lotion Sensitive Skin Moisturizer SPF 30

Evening/PM
Cleanser: Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
Toner: Mac’s Charged Water in Renewal Defense
Acne Treatment: Retin-A (3x week)
Exfoliator: Mac’s Volcanic Ash Exfoliator (2x week)

Skin is Misbehaving
Morning/ AM
Cleanser: Benefit’s Acne Medication Foaming Face Wash
Toner: Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion (Type II)
Moisturizer: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel & Eucerin Extra Protection Lotion Sensitive Skin Moisturizer SPF 30

Evening/PM
Cleanser: Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
Toner: Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion (Type II)
Acne Treatment: Retin-A (increase in dosage)
Exfoliator: Mac’s Volcanic Ash Exfoliator (3x week)

Helpful tips
1) Pat dry your face with a clean gentle towel
2) Disinfect face brushes after every use (deep cleaning every week)
3) Avoiding touching your face
4) Tie oily hair back away from face
5) Touch face with only clean fingers and hands