After really struggling with acne as a teen and young adult I learned a lot over the years of how best to care for my skin. My parents owned a medical spa so I had access to professionals who know a ton about skin care and products, and definitely had my fair share of treatments to try to help my skin. But one of the best ways to combat this, was to fix my regimen! Yeah, the thing I was doing every day to prevent my acne, was actually causing me acne.
Irritation is one of the top ways that we cause acne. When I was sent this video by my mom, it totally changed what I was doing in my daily regimen. I stopped rubbing my face off, stopped picking at my face, and stopped touching my face so much...my acne really cleared up. YES you are still going to have breakouts...you are a human being. You have hormones...and some of you are going to struggle with it more than others. And if you do...hopefully you can get the help that you need to really combat it. But acne is normal...but is treatable. And you can totally help your acne!
NUMBER ONE TIP FOR ALL OF THESE STEPS: TOUCH YOUR SKIN AS GENTLY AS POSSIBLE...IF AT ALL. TOUCHING = IRRITATION. IRRITATION=ACNE
1. Wet your face (splash if possible)
2. Lather your wash in your hands
3. Place bubbles or wash on your face. SOFTLY
4. Let it sit for a moment.
5. Rinse off (splash if possible)
6. Pat dry with clean towel. Do not rub.
Apply Treatment product carefully. Dab and then spread lightly. Let it soak in. (Benzoyl Peroxide is one of the only known treatments for current acne...and future acne prevention. It is very drying and can accelerate aging. So it must be paired with a moisturizer...and hopefully in the future you can wean off of it. AFTER you've cleared up your acne.)
Apply Moisturizer carefully. Dab and then spread lightly.
Finally - Use sunscreen. Nothing is sadder to me than helping acne sufferers with severe acne scarring due to sun damage on their severe acne. Many teens use tanning beds and sun exposure believing it will help clear their acne. This is NOT a treatment for acne. Yes you may decrease the appearance of acne because your skin tone becomes darker...but you are increasing damage to your skin, increasing your chances of skin cancer, and are so much more likely to cause acne scarring. If you have acne, imagine how much more frustrating it will be to have those marks on your face for the rest of your life.
If you have severe cystic acne, please go to a medical spa with an overseeing physician. They should have chemical peels, lasers, and prescription grade products to help you combat your problems. Medical aestheticians are trained to help in extractions that you should not be performing at home on your own.
Picking at your face only causes more damage, and more irritation. Doing so can force debris deeper into the dermis, spreading an infection to other tissue and worsening inflammation. This is especially true for deep, serious blemishes like nodules and cysts. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...DON'T PICK!
One final tip: Change your pillowcases once a week. Flip it over part way through the week so you have a fresh side to sleep on.
This is where I learned about my at home regimen:
https://www.acne.org/
Their video changed what I did and helped me clear my acne. I still had to use treatment products, but eventually my skin cleared up completely! Give it time...and stick to it! I have not actually tried their product line...but I believe it would be effective. They have excellent info about other products to find over the counter and what ingredients to avoid.
Personally I use Epionce skin care line for my wash and moisturizer. I like the Lytic Gel Cleanser and their moisturizer is excellent...and can be adjusted for Dry, Oily, or Combination skin types. And for my treatment product I use a retinol in my parent's spa's personal line. It's medical grade, and prescription strength. I like to keep my regimen very simple so that I stick to it. I wash, moisturize, and apply sunscreen in the morning. Wash, treatment product, and moisturize at night. If I do much more than that...I probably won't do it.
Good Luck! Be patient with your skin as you allow it to heal and start with your new regimen!