Acne.org Products
Hello everyone
I'm intrigued to what everyone's skincare routine is as I'm having a bit of a dilemma and trying to figure out one for myself.
So... I never had a real skincare routine, and last year was put on accutane. My derm told me to just use cetaphil face wash and NEVER EVER moisturise as it WILL cause acne (her words). So... I did. I went my whole accutane course using cetaphil x 2 a day. I cleared! But...it all came back.
I'm not back to how I was pre-accutane.
I've just stuck to the cetaphil face wash, and had moments of clear skin, but ultimately it has kept going downhill. I read online and on skincareaddicton reddit that a moisturiser is VERY important... and I thought, hey, maybe my breakouts are due to being dry! My skin is pretty much always dry, red and very irritated. So I introduced cetaphil moisturising cream...
Unfortunately it was SO heavy and just sat on my skin. It made me feel so slimy and greasy, and after noticing a few new closed comedones I stopped.
Also on skincareaddiction I learnt that cetaphil has SLS which can trigger acne in a lot of people.
SO
This week I decided to change my skincare routine. As of right now it is:
AM: Splash with water in the shower, CeraVe moisturising cream
PM: CeraVe Foaming Face Wash, Epiduo
Does anyone here have any experience with CeraVe products? I have just introduced the foaming wash and cream. The cream is MUCH less greasy than the cetaphil and dries more matte, but it seems like any moisturiser I use either gives me these tiny clogged pores OR makes them more noticeable (not sure which one yet) so I'm very scared....the words of my derm telling me to never moisturise haunt my mind.
What is YOUR skincare routine? What products have you used and loved/hated? How important is a moisturiser in clearing acne?
Here's my routine:
Drink green tea at least 3x a day(Matcha green tea is the best)
Avoid artificial sugar, and dairy as much as possible,
Weekly face mask, I recommend fig and yarrow's clay mask
Wash with a gentle cleanser, I recommend the ju ju bar by Drunk Elephant or a Konjac sponge(they are around $7-$8)
Tone with alcohol-free witch hazel, I recommend Thayer's. You can also make a toner out of green tea and water, and put it in a spritzer bottle.
Moisturize with date oil(excellent for acne, infections, and inflammation), or The Wonder Seed's Facial cream
I'm not a fan of "anti-acne" topicals. I find they irritate your skin and cause more breakouts. I'm 95% clear with this routine. I personally think moisturizers are important for acne prevention because they prevent dry skin, thus preventing irritation.
I dont wash my face unless i have a shower or have make-up. I use the cetaphil cleanser and neutrogena moisturiser (This moisturiser is awesome and isnt thick like the cetaphil one. You should defs look into it). I usually exfoliate once every 1-2 weeks with green tea. I've heard GREAT things about ceraVe products. In australia we have dont have ceraVe, but the same line goes by the name 'QV' and when i tried their products it was AMAZING. However, cerave is aimed at dry and sensitive skin, so i found their products too mild to the point where it did nothing. Good luck, hope that helped!
AM: Wash face with the face shop chia seed liquid cleanser.
Apply Acne.org BP.
Apply the face shop white seed serum.
Moisturize with maritime naturals moisturizer.
PM is the same except I moisturize with jojoba oil instead.
I use clay masks every Sunday, use sheet masks every other day & I exfoliate every other day.
And I'm clear
I use a cottonpad with Garnier Miccellair water to get the dirt of my face. I'll wash it off just with water. I pat my face dry with tissues and put 5 times a week every morning and evening 2% bha lotion from paula's choice on my whole face. The other 2 days (mostly tuesday and friday) I use 1% retinol treatment from Paula's choice. I always use my cetaphil moisturizer, can't live without it. Pretty simple, but it kinda keeps my face okay. Hopefully it works for hyperpigmentation in the long term use.
You can pretty much see my routine on my signature but the one thing that I felt really clear me was the whole concept of "More Irritation = More Acne". When your skin is dry it will result in irritation and for me that means more acne.
Obviously I am no derm, but so far even though I have the oiliest skin I know, I still use moisturizer day and night. Cerave Lotion in the AM and Cetaphil lotion in the PM.
Cerave products broke me out with clogged pores bc of all the fatty acids and ceramides . So if you're prone to breakouts I would avoid this .
cetaphil is high on the ph scale you want to find a wash that's low on ph or do oil cleanse( I do hemp seed since it's 0 on the comedonegenic scale). Tone with witch hazel and rose water , use an exfoliating acid either BHA OR AHA, then treat with topical . And you have to moisturizer especially if your skin is dry. I find oils to be the best such a rose hip seed , or use aloe+glycerin together