I want to share my acne journey, I hope it helps someone. My acne started when I was 15 it was small bumps initially then turned to cystic acne, I've tried expensive oils, visited facialists for clean-ups but nothing worked. People would make innocent comments here and there about acne, it used to hurt me a lot. I started using mild makeup when I was 16 and it was honestly tough on me at that time. I did not want to go out anywhere, I never visited the derm because my acne was fluctuating so much that at times I would convince myself that maybe it would go away naturally. I tried bizarre home remedies, my acne lasted close to 9 years. I eventually went to a derm and he put me on Accutane, but it was honestly playing a lot with my moods, so once my acne cleared up(Mildly), I stopped taking Accutane and started taking care of my diet and simplified my skincare routine, especially over quarantine now my skin is in a good place. I just want to say, stay strong, your acne does not define you and you can get through this.
It is tough to know what to do, I took my eldest to the derm, it wasn't horrible, but I thought that was what a good parent does. If you have the money and time, why let them suffer. So we tried Retin A and something else, it made their skin clear, but very red, tried some soaps, then it basically cleared up. I guess a hormone surge. Some are lucky like this, some have more of a struggle. I think it is a good idea to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, I like the tea tree oil products from trader joes, but there is nothing wrong with going the Dr. route. He gave us lots of samples to try out, so that is helpful financially.
@CKBlossom I agree with you, that’s the mistake I made, I should have visited derm earlier but I was apprehensive. I feel like I spent a lot more before going to derm. Retin A does that,
once purge subsides, skin clears up eventually.