Battling acne

It's a never-ending battle.

Let's start from my teenage years. I don't really have acne. Even when I had pimples, it's only one or two at one time and a really painful one only occurred once in a while.Long story short, I had no serious skin problems when I was young. If I had to forcefully list one skin problem that I had in my teens, then it'll perhaps be the blackheads on my nose. And that's it.

First year of university was great, my skin was still fine. Then, I started getting more invested in beauty and skincare products, which means I was constantly trying out new products and reviewing them. I did not, fortunately, suffer a bad skin reaction from a new product then.

Until I tried snail cream. It was obviously not for me. I especially hate it when people tell me that I need to endure a mild breakout first before the snail cream can work properly. Yes, I understand your point and sometimes I also think that way. However, when the breakouts were painful to the point where it hurt to smile, you know it's not a simple chemical reaction that would simply pass. I immediately stopped using the snail cream and hoped that my skin would calm down.

Just a disclaimer before I continue -  I have no intention of ruining the reputation of said snail cream. I had a terribly bad reaction, that's all. I'm sure it works its magic on many happy customers and I'm not doubting its authenticity whatsoever (I bought it online). I was unlucky and my skin didn't like snail cream.

Back to my horrific breakout... it didn't stop. I had painful lumps all over my face and they were mostly concentrated on the cheeks area. Now you know why it pained me to smile right? My skin had red patches everywhere and it looked horrible under makeup. Liquid foundation, concealer, BB Cream, everything didn't work. Instead of concealing the spots, they made them more obvious. It was certainly a nightmare. I'm obsessed with makeup and because of my skin, I grew to hate my makeup routine.

Eventually, I went to see a doctor. I didn't want to go to a dermatologist yet so I just visited Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic and hoped for the best. As expected, the doctor prescribed doxycycline pills (100mg) to me and gave me both Benzac AC gel (2.5%) and Acne Clear Pimple Treatment Cream.

Doxycycline pills can be really potent to some people. You need to consume it AFTER food. I don't really have the habit of eating breakfast so one fine morning I just ate one without food and oh my gosh the entire day I felt like puking. My tummy was not well at all and I just wanted to lie down and curl.

Also, these pills make you somewhat sensitive to sunlight and bright light. I'm not sure about the science behind it but do load up on sunscreen when you are on these pills and try to stay indoors.

Another tip will be to drink this with a full cup of water and not lie down immediately after you consume it. Some people feel a burning sensation in the throat area because they went to sleep straight after popping one pill.

Stock up on your oil-free moisturisers too because your skin is going to be really dry.

(from an eBay page that I don't want to link because you shouldn't buy these pills off eBay!)

Benzac AC 2.5% didn't really do much for me. But I like to apply it on top of an inflamed zit. It acts as a protective layer and who knows, maybe something chemical is going on!

(from http://www.discountepharmacy.com.au/benzac-ac-gel-2-5-50g/) 

Acne Clear Pimple Treatment Cream has been raved by A LOT of people. It was even featured on clicknetwork (it was one of Shu An's can't-live-without-it product).  This pimple cream is very cheap (even cheaper if get it prescribed from a polyclinic) and quite effective. I liked it so much that I used it too much. Now I have run out of it, and my doctor did not prescribe this to me during my recent polyclinic visit, so I think I'm going to get it at Watsons soon. It's definitely less than 10 bucks!

(from http://sammyymmas.blogspot.sg/2012/08/acne-clear.html)

Things were going well and my acne cleared up in 5 months time. This is the thing that I would like to highlight to my readers who are going through the same nightmare as me - clearing acne takes time. Yes, a product that promises instant results seems enticing, but it will most certainly not kill the root of the problem. After 5 months, I had fairly clear skin and all I needed to get rid were the acne scars.

That was when I got a little lazy and stopped taking my pills and consuming my health supplements. I thought the spots were never coming back again.

Obviously I was wrong. After my Japan trip this year (in which I already started to get some spots but the amazing Japanese weather somewhat suppressed their growth), I started working.Then, the breakout started. This time, my jawline and upper mouth area were infested with small little spots and they all took turns surfacing and becoming painful pimples. It was not funny at all. I tried so many things! Cutting down on caffeine, sleeping more, drinking more green tea, eating more fruits and veges, buying more anti-acne products and nothing worked!

I googled and I realised I had hormonal acne coupled with acne that came back from not consuming doxycycline pills. It's like double trouble. :(

So, I gave up and went to the polyclinic again. And yes, I got myself 2 months' worth of doxycycline pills complete with another tube of Benzac AC 2.5% and one new product - Stieva-A Tretinoin Cream 0.025% (basically vitamin A).

(from http://www.tretinoincream2u.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=53)

I went back home and started googling this new cream that I acquired and it doesn't look pleasant. Apparently it's going to get rid of acne scars (and acne of course) and give you a new skin, but you will need to go through a shedding and mild breakout before the product starts working. I read that some people shed a lot of skin in a day and that makeup can actually look extremely cakey after using this for the first couple of months.

Also, this cream should only be used at night on DRY skin. After washing your skin, wait 15-20 minutes for the skin to completely dry before applying this to affected area, and then you wait another 20-30 minutes before applying moisturiser. This cream shouldn't be used excessively (can burn your skin!) and a little goes a long long way.

I have decided to not use this cream now. Perhaps I will start next year when my acne is calmer and my skin is less infected. I'll definitely let you guys know again on how that goes.

So yes, for the past week, I have been consuming doxycycline pills twice a day and applying benzac ac 2.5% in the morning.

Here's a quick summary of my skincare routine now (From over 15 spots, I'm down to 4 now):

Morning:
Mario Badescu Acne Cleanser
Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion
The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion (my review here)
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil (my review here)
Benzac AC 2.5%

Night:
Clean & Clear Active Clear Acne Clearing Cleanser with The Body Shop Facial Buffer
Skin & Lab Glacial Clay Facial Mask (every Wednesday and Sunday) (my review here)
Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion
Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion (on spots and cystic acne)
Etude House Pink Powder Spot (on spots) (my review here)

Other than the pills and the skincare routine, I'm also eating several health supplements now. 2 evening primrose oil pills and 1 vitamin e pill every morning, and 1 BioZinc+ pill every 2 days.

Evening primrose oil is excellent for hormonal acne. I bought a new batch last Sunday and now (10 days later) the spots around my jaw area has disappeared. It's really an amazing product and it also makes period cramps less painful.

If you are pregnant, please consult your doctor before consuming this! Also, if you are pregnant, you are not supposed to consume doxycycline pills.

(from http://oceanhealth-singapore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=26_56&products_id=133)

(from https://online.guardian.com.my/index.php/default-menu/kordel-s-vitamin-e-400iu-60-capsules.html)

(from http://www.blackmores.com.sg/products/bio-zinc)

I'm definitely consuming a lot of pills. I know for sure that I cannot take doxycycline pills for long because there are side effects. My doctor told me that the consumption of doxycycline should not exceed 6 months in one go. You should consume, stop and see how your skin is, then take again if needed. It's not a medicine for life.

I'll definitely take EPO to regulate my hormones though. Of course I'll stop when I get pregnant but I'm not planning for pregnancy till I'm 28/29 so I'm good.

It is indeed a never-ending battle with acne. I'm now extremely cautious of new products and I tend to stay away from buying skincare online (unless I can 200% confirm it's legit).

My skin is clearing up now, thankfully. But I have a lot of acne scars and my skin has a lot of red marks. It will take time to clear and I will patiently wait. I just hope that there are no more relapses in the future. :(

Hopefully this post is helpful to you guys and no matter what happens, remember to HAVE FAITH.