My Acne Journey: 4 Months + 1 Week Results.

Comment
The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid Powder

It’s been 4 months & 1 week on this acne journey… ๐Ÿ˜Œ This is what happened this week. ๐Ÿ˜Š

I tried some products again… ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

I tried some products again that I stopped using this week. Since my skin is more maintained now, I thought I would give a few antioxidants a try again. I picked The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% and vitamin c powder. The first night of using The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% and vitamin c powder (mixed together) went well. I only used 2 drops of the serum and a pinch of vitamin c powder, so it wasn’t a lot of product. I mixed it in with my moisturizer. Both antioxidants mixed well with my moisturizer. The next morning, I woke up with a slightly more moisturized skin. My skin looked nice but nothing amazing. It was only one night of using it. That same morning, I tried the same method. By night, my skin felt so greasy and very dry at the same time. I noticed some parts of my face was clogged too. I noticed some blackheads, and my face looked darker/orange. Hmmm, is the serum clogging my pores and vitamin c drying my skin out and oxidizing on my face?! At first the mixture made my skin feel more moisturized. All of a sudden, my skin just dried out and looked darker/orange. So, it looks like these products didn’t work out for me once again. I had a little hope that it might work out this time, but it didn’t. I think I’m going to let my skin revert back to what it was and stick to what works on my skin for now. I tried. My skin didn’t like any of them. ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

My results after 4 months & 1 Week!

I’ve been using benzoyl peroxide for about 2 weeks now, and my skin is soooooo clear!! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป This is only after 2 weeks of using benzoyl peroxide once a week! I went through a short initial breakout, but it cleared up pretty fast. I currently don’t have any new blemishes. I’m not sure if there’s going to be any in the next few weeks (still purging??), but benzoyl peroxide has done wonders for my skin. I would say my overall skin texture has improved too. It’s clearer, cleaner, and smoother. My skin looks softer and more youthful. ๐Ÿ˜ And all of this happened just by adding benzoyl peroxide?? Wow, I’m so happy with the results so far! I’m kicking myself for not trying it out again! Benzoyl peroxide has always been the to-go-to product for my acne. Once again, it is! Hopefully it continues to improve my complexion! Also, along with benzoyl peroxide, I’m still using tret but only once a week. It’s been a so-so product for my acne. I’ll just keep it in my routine and see what happens. It doesn’t hurt to keep using it. It fits in my routine perfectly well. Sometimes my skin gets a little oily. Tret helps to decrease the sebum in my skin. Hey, better than nothing.

I also switched facial cleansers once again. I was using Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Facial Cleanser. Trader Joe’s was too harsh on my skin. My skin would dry out every time I used it. It made my skin feel really tight and itchy. It’s a good facial cleanser for hot, humid weather, but it’s too drying for the fall, winter weather, especially when I’m using drying actives. The cleanser I’m using now is Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser. It’s moisturizing, soothing, and doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry. It makes my skin feel and look better afterwards. I’m liking the results from this face wash. I purchased it out of the blue but turns out that it’s pretty good and works very well on my skin. This facial cleanser made it a little easier to use actives in my routine since it’s so gentle and moisturizing on the skin. I can’t get over how gentle it is and how cleansing it is all at once. So! That brings me to my next product that I introduced this week! It’s the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid. I don’t use this product every day. Only a few times a week. I have the product, so why not just use it. It was just sitting there in the dust. ๐Ÿ˜‚

That’s my 4 months + 1 week update. See everyone next week! ๐Ÿ˜Š

The rest of my acne journey is right here!!

My Acne Journey: 1 Week Inโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Resultsโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 4 MONTHS!!

My Acne Journey: 4 MONTHS!!

Comment

I’m 4 months into my acne journey! Here are my results! ๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜€

4 Months…

I stopped using salicylic acid and started using benzoyl peroxide instead. After a single night of using benzoyl peroxide, my skin looked clearer. Benzoyl peroxide helped to treat blackheads, sebaceous filaments, cysts, and all of the other acne issues I was having very quickly. Much better and more quickly compared to salicylic acid. I’m not sure if I’m going to use salicylic acid or not. Maybe later on? But right now, I’m going to stick to benzoyl peroxide. Maybe I’ll add salicylic acid when my skin adjusts to benzoyl peroxide first. I don’t want to be using too many products all at once. I want to see if benzoyl peroxide actually is working first. This is one of the benefits when it comes to having a minimal skin care routine. I know what’s working and what’s not. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป So it was pretty exciting just seeing results the next day after using benzoyl peroxide for the first time in months (perhaps it’s been over a year?). My skin peeled so much after using benzoyl peroxide and purged. I was shedding for a few days, which was pretty awesome. My skin always looks better after a peel. After all of that shedding, my skin looked clearer, softer, and smoother. My acne is more tamed. It’s working so much better compared to tret too, which I’m still using on other days of the week when I’m not using benzoyl peroxide. It’s working… ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

A Recap on Skin Care Products I Stopped Using!

For the last week or so, I’ve been removing a lot of skin care products from my life. It was actually more than I thought. Here’s the list with some of my thoughts on each one after I stopped using them.

9 products down. ๐Ÿ‘€ Woohoo! And I’m back on my boring, simple, plain, whatever you want to call it skin care routine. Wow, my skin sure does look better. ๐Ÿ˜Š I’m glad I removed these products. It feels like a sense of relief! ๐Ÿ˜Œ

Here goes my Acne Journey if you missed out on them!!

My Acne Journey: 1 Week Inโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Resultsโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 3 Weeks Results

Comment
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2 BHA Liquid Exfoliant

It’s a new week! ๐Ÿ™‚ My results!!

1 Week Update on Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid

It’s been 1 week using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid. I started off using it in the morning only. Since I noticed a difference in my skin after a day of use, I started using it twice a day. Fortunately, without any issues. My skin didn’t dry out or become irritated. So after a single day of using the BHA, clogged pores were unclogging. Blemishes I didn’t know existed moved up to the surface. I had clogged pores this whole time? Who knew! Also, sebaceous filaments decreased, especially on my nose. That was my main problematic area for sebaceous filaments. By the end of the week, my skin looked clearer and smoother. I was incredibly shocked because I’ve been battling closed comedones, blackheads, and acne in general for so long. Adding the BHA Liquid was a good move. And it worked! But too bad Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid is pretty costly. It used to be affordable and just plain amazing (price and size), so I’m not sure if I’m going to stick to it if the price is this high. I might have to find another BHA product to use. But we’ll see what happens. My skin is looking pretty clear after adding BHA to my routine. I’m happy with the results so far!

Note: I’m only using this product a few times a week now. ๐Ÿ™‚

Trying AHA & Niacinamide…

I tried using an AHA product this week. It’s the Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum. It’s been a while since I’ve used this serum or an AHA skin care product. With this serum, I only used it at night. Only once this week. This is a glycolic acid serum (14%). It contains Glycerin, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Green Tea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, and a few other ingredients. My experience using this serum didn’t go well the first time I tried it again. It didn’t really do anything for my skin. It’s a 14% glycolic acid product, but my skin doesn’t seem to care for it at all. I didn’t see any changes in my skin. Even though I used it only once this week, I remembered why I stopped using it in the first place. It feels like I’m applying water to my skin, and I never noticed any results using this serum in the past. It could just be this AHA product that doesn’t work on my skin. I’m not going to bother finding another one any time soon. I’ll stick to the BHA for now. It seems to be working so much better.

I also tried a product that contains niacinamide. It’s the SOME BY MI Niacin 30 Days Miracle Brightening Sleeping Mask. This product contains 5% niacinamide. I’m not big on niacinamide, but my skin has been very oily lately. It’s been a while since I’ve revisited this product, lol. The last time I used this sleeping mask it helped to control oil on my face (a little too drying from what I remember) and helped to brighten my complexion. The sleeping mask contains Niacinamide (as mentioned), Citrus Junos Fruit Extract (70.5%), Panthenol, Arbutin, and it even has Ascorbic Acid, ha! After a single day of using the sleeping mask, I noticed a brighter, more glowy complexion. But, after the third day, my skin started to get really dry. I mean so dry that my whole faced looked chapped. My face was cracking. I immediately stopped using it since I didn’t have a good moisturizer to use. I stopped using Vanicream around this time too thinking that SOME BY MI would be moisturizing. ๐Ÿ˜‚ I was so wrong. It’s extremely drying!!! Like it was before, haha. I wouldn’t recommend this sleeping mask if you have naturally dry skin. For me to continue to use this product, I would have to pair it with a good moisturizer to make it work.

What happened this week?

I’m still trying to figure out what works for my skin. I’ve removed a bunch of products too. I’m glad I did. I didn’t need that many products. I started to look back at the times when my skin was at its best. It was when I had a minimal skin care routine. Removing these skin care products was just a test to see how my skin would react. So far, it’s been going well. I really think it’s just a skin care addiction. LOL. For a few days I felt like I was missing something in my routine. Now, I know that I don’t actually need it, hahaha. So if you missed out on the skin care products I removed from my routine recently, check them out below!

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%

Benton Fermentation Essence

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum – I started using this serum again but stopped using it again this week. It’s a nice serum that soothes the skin, but it provides absolutely no long-lasting moisture. The product that was moisturizing my skin the whole time was Vanicream. I tried using the Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum as a lightweight hydrator/moisturizing product, but it just didn’t work. My skin became so dry after I applied it to my skin. I think this serum is only effective when paired with a moisturizer that actually moisturizes.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence – I stopped using Cosrx Snail Essence for the same reason as Purito. It didn’t provide my skin that much hydration as I thought it did. It didn’t help protect or strengthen my skin either. My skin still felt dry while using it. Maybe I’ll add it back in the future. But I think I’m done with it for now. Hopefully this time, lol.

What I’m doing now. ๐Ÿงด

My face skin care routine has been simplified. I’m only using a cleanser (looking for a more moisturizing one for the winter), acne products (tret, bha), moisturizer, and sunscreen. That’s basically it. I’m thinking about adding benzoyl peroxide too since I had good results with it before. I’ve been using it as a spot treatment, but I’m thinking about an all-over treatment again. What I used to do. It worked too. My skin looks really good without an excess amount of products. Hopefully a minimal routine like this works because I am so sick and tired of getting breakouts. Let’s hope for the best and move on to another new week! Hello 4 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ

My Acne Journey is right here if you missed out!

My Acne Journey: 1 Week Inโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Resultsโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 2 Weeks Results

Comment
Trader Joe's Spa Tea Tree Face Wash

It’s been 3 months and 2 weeks! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ Here are my results for this week! ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

Switching facial cleansers

I was using Dr. Woods Tea Tree Castile Soap for a while, but that didn’t last too long. I love how Dr. Woods Tea Tree Castile Soap is gentle on the skin, contains tea tree, has minimal ingredients, and comes in a larger bottle for a lower price, but it didn’t clean my skin as well as I thought it did. I went back to my tried and true Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Face Wash. I started to notice blackheads on my nose and more acne on my facial skin every time I use Dr. Woods. It just didn’t leave my skin feeling clean. It’s gentle, but I need my skin to feel clean. When using Trader Joe’s, the blackheads and other acne that I experienced disappeared. My skin feels fresher and just plain cleaner with Trader Joe’s. So I’m back to what I was using before. I still have Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Revitalizing Facial Cleanser too, but I don’t use it too often. Only 1-2 times a week when my skin is feeling a little more sensitive. Otherwise I’m using my regular, everyday face wash Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Face Wash. It’s been working nicely so far. I like it. ๐Ÿ™‚

More Products I Stopped Using This Week!

I stopped using more products this week. You can check them out below.

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum

Benton Fermentation Essence

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

Some of these products were a staple in my routine, but I’m getting to the point that I don’t actually need them. I’ve been using them on my body instead to finish them up. Some of them feel really oily and heavier than I thought on the skin. That’s not something I want to be putting on my facial skin, so I’m glad I removed them. Let’s see what happens when at least a few weeks or a month goes by. Some may make its way back into my life.๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

My Results!

This week went differently than expected. I stopped using most of my face skin care products. I started off using a facial cleanser, tret, moisturizer, and sunscreen. After following a basic skin care routine, I thought it was too basic for me. It felt like I was missing something. I didn’t like applying moisturizer directly onto my skin either. It feels a little gross. So I decided to re-add one of the products that I removed. It’s the Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum. I really missed this serum, lol. Even though it doesn’t do much but soothe my sensitive skin. I enjoy using it and love how it calms my skin down. It helps with redness too. I like using it after a nice shower. It’s an enjoyable product for me to use. It has a watery-gel texture that sinks into the skin quickly with little effort. I think I’m going to keep it in my routine. We’ll see how the others products I removed go. If I miss them, I’ll re-add them. Just not yet.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of sebaceous filaments. I started using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid this morning. I don’t think tret alone is going to help with that type of skin condition. I’ve been trying, and it’s not working. It could be from the moisturizer I’m using (too moisturizing for my skin type) or my skin is just getting more oily. But, let’s see if BHA can do the job. So far, after using it this morning, my skin is less oily. By night, I started to notice breakouts. My skin is purging! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ So it looks like tret isn’t going to be the answer to clear my acne fully. I have to use other products like BHA or AHA (I might try this again) to unclog my pores. I’m really surprised that BHA is working, since it didn’t work in the past. It did, but it stopped working. I can’t wait to see what the results will be after a week!

As for vitamin c, I mentioned in this this post that I stopped using my vitamin c product and started using vitamin c powder instead. That lasted for 2 days. I didn’t like it at all after the first day. I’m not even sure if I’m going to stick with it. I really don’t care much for vitamin c serums/products, to be honest. They haven’t done much for my skin. They just end up making my face orange or irritating my skin. I’m going to stop using them for now and see if my skin is better off without them.

I’m nearing 4 months soon. Wow, such slow progress, but it’s progress after all. ๐Ÿ™ƒ

Here’s my full acne journey! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป

My Acne Journey: 1 Week Inโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Resultsโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

My Acne Journey: 3 Months + 1 Week Results

My Acne Journey: 3 MONTHS!! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

Comment
Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

Happy 3 months! ๐Ÿฅณ

After I accidentally burned my skin, I took 3 days off of tret. 3 days was more than enough time for my skin to recover. All I did was moisturize my skin with heavy moisturizers. I thought I was going to develop acne from the moisturizers, but I didn’t. I’m still using a combination of my 3 favorite moisturizers (at the moment, lol). They are Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream, GUERISSON 9 Complex Cream, and Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. Vanicream literally saved my skin from dryness and itchiness. I noticed a difference in my skin after the first day of using it. It hasn’t clogged my pores yet, which I’m super ecstatic about! FYI, I don’t use GUERISSON 9 Complex Cream every night. This cream is much oilier compared to the other two that I have (Eucerin, Vanicream), so I only use it when my skin needs a little bit more moisture. It’s way too heavy for AM use too. I tried it, and it didn’t work out (mornings). I also started using shea butter on dry, rough patches. It has helped seal in moisture to prevent my skin from getting itchy. I haven’t had issues with clogged pores since I’m only using it on small areas. Finally! 100% shea butter works for something without causing problems. I’ve been trying to make it work since I have huge jar of shea butter that’s nearly full.

I’m still using tret 1-2 times a week. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon unless my skin can handle it. My skin starts to peel after using it 1-2 times, and my face just hurts, lol. I mean, it’s raw skin that needs a lot of care, time off, and moisture afterwards. My skin starts to feel very sensitive too. Sometimes it starts to feel a little rough on the surface. That’s when I know it’s time to take a break from tret. So my skin is pretty clear right now. I don’t have major acne issues. Just minor acne (still purging, just a tad bit). They’re still annoying, lol. I’m working on hyperpigmentation and acne scars too. Those are taking forever to go away, but my skin has been peeling a lot which should help fade those scars and hyperpigmentation over time. Hopefully within a month or two. Soon.

I’m trying to find a new sunscreen that doesn’t have a white cast, is alcohol-free, and sweat/water-resistant. I tried La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100, and my skin became so clogged and broke out in acne. I loved how moisturizing it was, since my skin is feeling dry from tret, but it didn’t work out in the end. So I’m still searching. My current sunscreens are OK. One leaves a white cast and is a little too drying sometimes. I do have a good moisturizer now, so it’s not as drying as before, but it still accentuates every dry patch/dry skin on the face. The other isn’t sweat-resistant, and my skin actually burned while using it. The sunscreens I’m using are…

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++

I’ll continue to use these sunscreens until I find something new. They haven’t clogged my pores at all. That’s what I love about them. I guess they can work for now. I’ve already gone through 3 bottles of La Roche-Posay (just finished my third bottle!) and a bunch of bottles (I’ve lost count) of Canmake. That says a lot. I’m actually using them, so they’re not wasteful. It’s been a hot and humid summer.

My results after 3 months! โœจ

It’s official. It’s been 3 months on this acne journey. It’s been a long and difficult journey. It didn’t go as planned (like before). But I’ve finally found a routine that works for my skin along with the use of tret. Before this journey, I didn’t have a good moisturizer that actually moisturizes and heals my skin. I was using a bunch of gel moisturizers. I tried cream moisturizers too but none of them worked. That’s until I tried Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. I’m glad I gave this moisturizer another chance. This product was huge game changer! My skin is functioning properly after adding this moisturizer to my routine. I’ve been using it twice a day without any issues. My skin feels really moisturized and just pleasant. It’s working so well with tret. The moisturizer saves my skin from further irritation. That leads me to this point, my skin is moving in the right direction. I don’t have much acne. It’s only leftover acne that I didn’t even know exist living underneath surface that’s moving up. They’re clearing up on their own. Overall, my skin looks really good. I wish that I had tried a good moisturizer like Vanicream at the beginning of this journey. But, you know, let’s just move forward! What’s been done has been done. I’m looking forward to improvements in the next month! ๐Ÿ˜Š Moving on! ๐Ÿ™‚

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my acne journey!!

My Acne Journey: 1 Week Inโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Resultsโ€ฆ

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!

© xfurbeauty