5 Steps that helped clear my acne-prone skin in a year.

How I cured my acne prone skin in a year? Do you need a 10-step skincare routine? Does it burn a hole in your pockets?

When I saw TV commercials where girls would scream their guts out, seeing a tiny pimple on their face. I wondered what these girls would do(god forbid) if they had a full face of acne.

To start with, I wish this upon no one. Everyone desires a clear, glass like skin. No matter how unnatural it may seem.

Although, the current scenario promotes acceptance and flaunting your flaws. It’s not easy when the pain is both physical and mental. Like they say, easier said than done.

People may preach about being comfortable and accepting of your own skin but it ain’t that easy.

I have been suffering from adult acne for more than 5 years. With that began, my quest to learn more about skin and cure my acne.

I don’t shy away from showing my bare skin with all it’s scars, textures and acne now but it wasn’t the case a few years ago. I was willing to do anything to get my old skin back.

Before jumping into the steps to clear acne. Let’s understand few stages we go through while suffering from acne.

Stages in Acne Journey

There are 4 stages in your acne journey that you go through.

First comes the fear, fear of the unknown.

Then comes the shame. Ashamed of yourself, the way you look, feeling that every eye in the room is looking at you and your face.

The next stage is experimentation. Here, you try everything under the sun so much so that you even risk burning yourself. From home remedies to Google’s advice to finally going to a Dermat.

The last stage is the recovery. This is the care-free stage, where you finally make peace with your condition. You don’t care about the unsolicited advice and snarky remarks. You let your skin breathe and don’t go into the trouble of hiding scars and acne.

Once I stopped bothering about the external factors, it stopped bothering me inside as well.

jinty skariah

I am at the last stage now. Being an acne sufferer for so long, I have picked some tricks of the trade which have worked for me.

So, how did I cure my acne prone skin in a year?

1. Seek Expert Advice

Let me be honest here. If you have severe acne, no amount of Youtube tutorials or home remedies with turmeric, aloe vera and multani mitti(fuller’s earth) is going to clear it out.

These are temporary solutions for a very permanent problem. So the best thing you can do for your skin is to visit an expert (dermatologist) and seek their advice.

This is something we keep at the bottom of our list. As a last resort. Don’t make that mistake. Keep this at the top of your list.

An expert can help save hours of your time which you can lose trying everything under the sun.

2. Amp down the skincare

Remember, it’s always better to scale down then scale up when it comes to skin care. Especially, if you have acne prone skin.

I have made this mistake many times. I would slather five products on top of each other without knowing how they actually work in conjunction. And, without knowing if it suits my skin at all.

Never, ever, ever do this mistake. We are easily misled by all the beauty videos out there, showing 10-step skincare routines for flawless looking skin.

Your skin does not need 10 products. It only requires one good product which can help you combat your acne as well as keep it moisturised.

If you have followed Step 1. Your doctor, after diagnosing should prescribe a suitable regimen with a list of products. Follow it religiously.

For the past year, the only product I have used is a moisturiser for day and a lotion(containing salicylic acid and calamine) for night. That’s it.

I top it off with a Sunscreen during the day.

3. Hydration is key

Skincare and hydration go hand in hand. 70 percent of our body is made of water.

Making it quite obvious that water plays a vital role in keeping our skin (largest organ in the body) running smoothly.

Your skin needs hydration both from the inside and out. When left to itself, your skin loses water. The scientific term for it is transepidermal water loss or TEWL.

What Is Transepidermal Water Loss and Why Is It Important?

Prevent that by creating a barrier using a moisturiser.

A moisturiser locks in the water keeping the skin hydrated. Another ingredient that helps retain water in your skin is Hyaluronic Acid. It binds the water molecules in your skin which keeps it plump and hydrated.

So opt for a product that contains hyaluronic acid as one of the main ingredients or buy it separately. And add it in your skincare. Make sure the concentration is less than 2 percent.

Always top it off with a good moisturiser. Apart from this, HA also plays a vital role in anti-ageing, skin healing, anti-wrinkle and many others.

Learn more about this magic ingredient here

4. Listen to your gut

There is no denying that, “You are what you eat”.

The saying holds so much truth in it. Whatever you put inside your stomach, defines how your body reacts and functions. It flows through your bloodstream. Good or bad depends on what you put inside.

So, listen to your gut. Eat clean. You don’t have to burn your pockets or your head thinking about it.

Eat proper home cooked food and avoid anything that comes in packets.

5. Acceptance

Finally, it was acceptance that helped me.

The constant flare ups and breakouts worried me immensely. Apart from being painful physically, they took a mental toll as well.

Even though I have been suffering for years, it is only now that I have fully accepted my acne prone skin. I realised that there is no point in grudging over something I have no control over.

Acne can be triggered due to many factors, hormonal or otherwise, so instead of crying about it. I decided to accept it. I stopped worrying about others’ opinions.

I did not mind explaining to others why my skin is always breaking out(PCOS). I stopped wearing makeup to hide my skin & scars.

Once I stopped bothering about the external factors, it stopped bothering me inside as well.

I started manifesting a clearer skin which as it turns out, worked in my favour.

These steps have helped me cure my acne-prone skin and reduce the breakouts. It also helped me accept myself with all the flaws.

---

Hope this helps someone like me in their journey too.

Which stage of acne journey are you in? Do you have a similar experience? Let me know in the comments below.

Disclaimer : I am not an expert and don’t claim to be. Sharing experiences from my own personal journey. Please consult a professional as mentioned in Step 1.