Current Skin Care Routine (Acne Control): January 2015

One of the biggest problem (for me) that a beauty blogger can have is being plagued with acne on various parts of the face. As a beauty blogger, there are expectations one must meet. One of them is having (almost) perfect skin. It's like an unspoken rule for beauty bloggers to always look flawless. I know this rule isn't absolute but sometimes I feel that the struggle is real. The case is also true when I try to film beauty videos. I feel pressured to do something about my problematic skin. Most of the time, I am ashamed of my skin condition.

The thing is, we don't choose what kind of skin we have from birth. Unfortunately, I have oily, acne prone, sensitive skin. This means I get greasy easily, I get acne (sometimes cystic) and that my skin easily reacts to different skin care products. Just because it works for someone else, doesn't mean it'll work for me too. It also doesn't mean I don't take care of my skin. I am very religious with skin care. I take a shower everyday and wash my face at least twice a day. Despite all these, I still can't eradicate all my skin  problems.

Today, I will be sharing with you the products I am currently using to help with my current skin condition. These are all products prescribed to me by my dermatologist from Skin 101. If you didn't know, I regularly get facials and treatments at Skin 101 SM Muntinlupa. After trying to manage my skin on my own for such a long time (but not getting the results I want), I finally decided to consult their in-house dermatologist and was prescribed with a whole new skin care routine.

I initially used all these products along with oral antibiotics that I drank for about a month or so. After most of my acne cleared up, the oral antibiotics were stopped and I'm left with these products to care for my skin as maintenance.

Step 1. Goat's Milk Soap

This serves as my face wash. I cut the bar into small pieces (to keep it from melting easily), wet my face, lather the soap on both my hands and as soon as it bubbles up, I apply the suds on my face and  massage as it deep cleans my face. I use this both during the day and night.

Step 2. 2% Clindamycin Toner

This toner was prescribed to me as a topical antibiotic to remove any acne causing bacteria that was left on the surface of the skin despite washing. I just put an ample amount on a cotton ball and lightly run it on my face, with just a single stroke on each part of the face. This is a technique taught to me by one of Skin 101's facialists. Never run your cotton ball on the same spot twice. It'll minimize the spread of bacteria. I apply this after washing my face both during the day and night.

Step 3A (Day). NeoStrata Texture Perfecting Fluid

After applying toner, I apply this texture perfecting fluid which contains a potent bioactive AHA formulation and glycolic peel. This helps hasten skin renewal to remove dead skin cell. As people grow older, skin renewal takes longer. Because of this, dead skin cells accumulate and clog the pores, hence breakouts. This product prevents that from happening. I just apply a thin layer of this all throughout the face during the day.

Step 3B (Night). Acne Clear Gel

At night, instead of applying the texture perfecting fluid, I apply this acne clear gel, which is supposed to be a combination of topical antibiotic and tretinoin. Tretinoin is a trusted skin care product that promotes new cell growth so we can have 'baby' skin quickly. I apply a thin layer all over my face at night.

Step 4. Sunblock Cream (not pictured)

Even though I failed to take a photo of it, I also bought a sunblock cream from Skin 101 which I use during the day time, after applying the texture perfecting fluid. Never skip on sunblock, guys! I can't stress this enough.

Step 5. THEFACESHOP Clear Away Spot

For spot treatment, I still use my THEFACESHOP Clear Away Spot which I've been raving about for the past year. I have a full review of this on this blog which I will be linking here, if you're interested.

Step 6. THEFACESHOP Wrinkle Stop Eye Cream

This is a regular in my skin care routine. Everything could change from my face wash, toner to the cream I'm using but my holy grail eye cream still remains the same.

I am happy to say that even though my skin is still on the process of healing, it has improved a lot. The frequency of me getting cystic acne has dramatically been reduced and pimple formation has also lessened. My verdict is that this routine has actually helped me out. :)

What is your current skin care routine? I'd love to know! Do you also suffer from acne? If not, what is your skin type? Are you willing to try this skin care routine out or have you tried it before? If so, let me know if it has worked for you. Just know that what works for me may not work for some. I am merely sharing my experience for those who are interested.

With Love,
Anna Luisa