How I Cured My Acne With Clean Skincare

While I was a graduate student in London in the spring of 2017, I began to form small bumps under my skin along my jawline and around my mouth. I had experienced this before as a teenager, but only on my forehead, for which I was treated with extractions and prescription Retin-A by my dermatologist. But, now as a student with limited funds, getting a pricey facial was not an option. I decided to try to extract a few of the bumps myself (which I absolutely should not have done) by first steaming my face over hot water in the sink, then gently pressing on the little bastards with tissue wrapped around my clean fingers. They wouldn’t budge. All that did happen was inflamed skin and a worsening of the bumps; they seemed to double in just a few days time, and soon larger pimples formed from where I had picked (again, should not have done). This is what catapulted my once fairly clear skin into a cornucopia of blemishes and painful cysts. And, eventually, this lead me to discover the powerful benefits of reading the ingredients on my skincare labels.

Lesson learned: do not pick at any pimples/bumps; it will only aggravate them and cause them to swell and spread bacteria, causing more pimples/bumps.

I knew I had to change my skincare routine to help eradicate the small army on the lower half of my face. I began reading the back of my skincare products to see if there was anything in them already to combat acne, like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Alas, they were full of sulfates and synthetic fragrances—and based on the information from all the beauty and skincare tutorials I was watching on YouTube at the time, those were majorly harmful to your skin barrier. Why had I not read the labels before? In desperation to try and get these pustules off of my face, I purchased regrettably expensive chemical exfoliation pads from a well-known skincare company in North America. But...they actually helped (far more than a manuka honey and sugar mix), so the money was worth spending at the time.

Photo taken a few weeks after I started using the chemical exfoliation pads, summer 2017. The acne had already drastically improved.

Other than these pads, I had removed a strong serum from my routine once I realized (after reading the back of the damn bottle) it was meant for mature skin. Since I was only 23 at the time, I thought that whatever ingredients were in this were way too intense for my skin and possibly causing more irritation. Instead of using make-up wipes to remove my CC creme at the end of the day (because apparently they have detergents and surfactants in them, which is very drying to the skin), I picked up some fragrance-free micellar water and cotton pads from the drugstore. My skin was notably less red after removing my make-up with this method, and my eyes no longer stung, which was a huge plus.

Photo taken in September 2017. There's hyperpigmentation, but no new breakouts. The routine is working!

Lesson learned: if you are noticing any new/continuing breakouts on your skin, read your skincare labels to see if there are any skin irritants listed. I use EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to measure my product(s) toxicity level (in terms of how those products could affect different bodily systems and functions, its potential for skin irritation, and any allergens present). But if you have a website for researching skincare ingredients that you like, feel free to use what’s best for you, and share! After learning about the irritants in make-up wipes, I made the switch to a gentler method, and the results were immediate. If you don’t like micellar water, you can also use the oil cleansing method. Please only use oils marketed to take off make-up; some oils (such as coconut oil) do not break down make-up as easily as the former. With cleansing oils, you want to apply the oil and let it sit for a few minutes to really break down the make-up before rinsing, and it should come off easily with water. Coconut oil, however, needs to really be manipulated and rubbed in to get the make-up off, resulting in irritation on the skin from constant tugging and pulling. Do your research, experiment, and see how your skin reacts. Then adjust accordingly.

Then, during October of that year, there was a resurge of an acne flare-up on my chin and jaw (which I believe was a combination of stress and switching to a new face wash which had sulfates in it...again, read your skincare ingredients!). As I stood crying in front of my bathroom mirror, I thought, “F*ck it, I need to change everything. I can’t deal with this anymore.” I began googling every last tip on acne, proper make-up removing techniques, and came up with an entirely new routine that slowly got rid of the red, bumpy invaders.

First thing above all was to start using clean beauty products. Clean beauty is a broad term, but for me and what I’ve seen (especially in Sephora’s ‘clean beauty’ section in their stores), these skincare products are formulated without sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, synthetic fragrances, formaldehyde, phthalates, mineral oils, etc. I believe that any extra ingredients like these could have been causing irritation to my acne, and I wanted to make sure any products I was using were as gentle, calming, and nourishing as possible.

Second, I switched to non-toxic laundry detergent. I used the same logic as with my skincare, knowing that my pillowcase and sheets needed to be cleansed with gentle detergents. Third, the scariest step—I stopped wearing face make-up (foundation, concealer, powder, etc.) Only mascara, lipstick, and eyebrow products were allowed. My skin needed to breathe. Although I was incredibly self-conscious of the red mountains on my chin and jaw, along with the hyperpigmentation left behind from healed blemishes, I knew this would prove helpful to my skin in the long run. I reminded myself of this every time I left my apartment, because my insecurities of having someone eyeing my acne was causing me to eye my bag of make-up every morning. I would tell myself the benefit of having my skin breathe, with only sunscreen ‘covering’ it. And it worked.

Lesson learned: Do what you think is best for your skin. I strongly believe in clean beauty—which is why I’m writing this article—but everyone’s skin is different. If what you’re using now in your skincare routine is working for you, then great. If not, read your skincare labels and get to know more about the ingredients in them. Use the skincare database I’ve linked above to help, or if it’s possible to speak to a dermatologist, bring your products to them to get their professional opinion. What you put on your skin is absorbed, so pay attention to what you’re putting on it.

Over the next several weeks, I saw a dramatic difference in my skin’s texture. The pimples were decreasing in size and disappearing; my chemical exfoliation pads were helping to reduce the dark marks left behind; and barely any new pimples were showing up. Along with the aforementioned steps, I eliminated dairy from my diet after having read that it could cause inflamation of the skin. Let me tell you, no cysts appeared once I stopped eating dairy. Plus my stomach hurt way less, pointing to the fact that I was perhaps lactose-intolerant from the get-go. I also STOPPED. PICKING. MY. PIMPLES. I cannot stress this enough. Unless the pimple naturally ‘popped’ from the steam of the shower (after which I would GENTLY press on the sides with tissue wrapped around my clean fingers), I did not touch my acne. If there was a gross head to a pimple, or a little whitehead, I had to use every ounce of self-control not to touch it. It is so incredibly difficult for someone who used to be a picker, but once I stopped, my acne healed faster; the hyperpigmentation was far lighter; and bacteria from the popped pimple didn’t spread to produce more pimples. It truly is a huge savior to my skin to simply leave it alone.

Image taken in December 2017 after making the switch to entirely clean skincare. Barely any hyperpigmentation!

Lesson learned: please don’t pick your face. You will spread bacteria and worsen the present acne as well as create new pimples. If your diet could be contributing to worsening acne, go through what you typically eat and eliminate possible culprits like dairy, sugar, or gluten. For me, I noticed a day and night difference once I cut out dairy. It’s been over 2.5 years since I stopped eating it, and I haven’t experienced the cystic acne I had before doing so. But not everyone is sensitive to dairy. If you have a sweet tooth, cut back on sugar and see how your skin reacts. The same with gluten if you’re inclined. It’s all about trial and error.

As of today, I am happily acne free. I get a few breakouts here and there due to my period, but other than that, my skin is smooth, even-textured, and clear. I feel so much more confident without make-up, and continue to forego face make-up. The skincare products I use today use clean ingredients, and the most important product I use is my EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 for Acne-Prone Skin (a mineral-based sunscreen; chemical sunscreens could cause irritation to the skin). Sunscreen is my greatest hero to combat hyperpigmentation that the sun could darken, plus the obvious benefits of preventing skin cancer, which both of my parents had and survived. No matter what skin tone you have—whether you’re pale like me or dark like Viola Davis—please protect your skin. The sun affects us all.

Lesson learned: my skin feels and looks its best without face make-up like foundation, powder, concealer, etc. But that’s not the case for everyone, nor it is possibly feasible depending on work requirements or just personal preference. If you need/want to wear make-up, then do what is best for you. If you choose to wear face make-up, again, read the ingredients and use the database linked above for guidance. Mineral-based make-up is a safe bet, but again, ingredients are the key to knowing what will or will not cause irritation. And I’ll say it again: sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

Image taken in June 2019 after a brief period-related breakout. There is hyperpigmentation left from a few blemishes.

Now, I’m going to break down my daily skincare routine, including the products I’m currently using. At night, I remove the sunscreen and any make-up from my eyelashes, lips, and eyebrows with Bioderma Micellar Solution, which I wet onto a cotton pad. Afterwards, I wet my face with lukewarm water, then use my Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel to gently massage away dirt, oil, and bacteria for at least one minute to get a thorough cleanse. After rinsing that off and patting my face dry with a clean towel, I spritz my face with Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in the Rose Petal Scent (I find that the fragrance used here surprisingly does not irritate my skin. Again, trial and error). While my face is still wet from the toner, I massage in Derma-E Hydrating Serum (it contains hyaluronic acid to aid in moisture retention). Applying products while the skin is still wet insures greater absorption of the product.

I then pat on Boscia Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment around my orbital bone to make sure this thin skin is well moisturized to prevent wrinkles. Three times per week, after this step, I’ll add a pea-sized amount of Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream to a dime-sized amount of Honest Hydrogel Cream (I know I’m only 25, but I’ve been told that this is the age to start using retinol products to help turn skin cells over at a faster rate, since this rate slows down as you approach your thirties). Every other night (not the same night I use my retinol product to avoid irritation), I use Glossier Solution Exfoliating Skin Perfector all over my face and under my jaw. This product contains salicylic acid to fight acne and inflammation; whenever I have a pimple or two, this ingredient majorly helps in getting rid of the suckers in a few days time, with reduced redness and inflammation each day (plus, I always wake up looking glowy as hell).

In the morning, since I already did my thorough cleansing routine the night before, I don’t want to over-wash my skin. So I rinse my face with lukewarm water, then pat dry. I follow up with my Thayers Toner, Derma-E Vitamin C Concentrated Serum, Boscia Eye Treatment, and Honest Hydrogel Cream—all in that order. Once it’s time to head out the door, I apply my EltaMD sunscreen all over my face, neck, and ears, then apply a mineral-based body sunscreen on any other exposed skin (skin cancer is real, people. Especially in Southern California).

This was taken in late July 2019. The only make-up I'm wearing is mascara and brow color. Look at that glow!

All of these products I use—all of the clean ingredients—have truly made a remarkable difference in my skin. I receive comments almost daily on how glowing my skin looks, and my dermatologist is impressed with how little to no sun damage I have. Our skin is our largest organ. It needs just as much care and attention as our inner ones (I squirmed a little thinking about that). I truly believe cutting out all possible irritants in ‘mainstream’ skincare (that are possibly toxic as well) will make a great difference in your skin’s health and appearance. I feel so much happier each time I see my smooth, healthy skin glowing back at me in the mirror. I want everyone else who’s experienced acne and other forms of skin irritation to feel this same happiness.