Skin update (Hormonal Acne)

My last post on my hormonal acne was in mid-November (http://fitrina-inamorata.blogspot.sg/2013/11/battling-acne.html) and at that time, my skin condition was at its worst. I had new pimples forming daily and it was not the best time of my life. In fact, I was depressed and over-anxious.

2 months+ have passed and I'm glad that my skin has gotten miles better. I have stopped taking Doxycycline pills because those pills are not recommended for long-term intake (many many many problems associated with constant intake of those green pills), and so far everything's great. I'm still consuming the EPO and Vitamin E pills and I think they are keeping my hormones in balance.

I still have the occasional breakout (now I have 2 due to PMS) but nothing major and I'm okay with it.

Some tips on keeping those monsters out of your life:

• If things get out of hand (no products are working etc.), visit a doctor. Sometimes you need antibiotics to treat the problem internally. I was given two months' worth of Doxycycline pills and they worked. 
• Revise and edit your skincare products. Sometimes nothing is working because you are using way too many different products. Initially, I just used a cleanser, toner, moisturiser and tea-tree oil. I stopped using all the different pimple treatment creams and suddenly the situation got better. 
• Try to invest in a good cleansing brush. Clarisonic is good but really expensive. A good alternative will be the Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System. I'm using it nightly with my Michael Todd True Organics Charcoal Detox Cleanser and my face feels super clean and soft after cleansing. A good cleansing brush really helps in removing makeup and other impurities. 
• Drink water and green tea. This sounds like a "duh" advice but seriously, IT WORKS. 
• Don't touch your face. Just stop touching! If you feel like you need to pop a really huge and painful pimple, go ahead. But do it with clean hands and tissue. Don't just use your fingers (more germs and bacteria!!), use a tissue and squeeze that horrible pimple. After that make sure you stop the bleeding by pressing another clean tissue on the wound for a few minutes, then apply tea-tree oil on it. It will sting at first, but the tea-tree oil will help keep bacteria away from the open wound. 
• Try to not sleep with your face touching the pillow/bolster/blanket. And change your bed sheet regularly!
• You can continue using your concealers/liquid foundations if you have to. Of course it's best to not use any of these but well if you need to be presentable then just use them. Just make sure the products are fragrance-free, oil-free, non-comedogenic and mineral-free. It's not that difficult to find products with such criteria nowadays, so don't worry about that. 
• Just stop fretting about the acne. I stopped being obsessed over my acne and it actually made me feel so much better. 
• Invest on evening primrose oil and vitamin E pills. Please consult your doctor on these first. I asked the doctor and she gave me the green light to consume these pills. They keep your hormones in check and they are very effective for hormonal acne. If you have many small spots around your jaw and upper lip area, then it's most likely to be hormonal acne. I take two EPO pills and 1 vitamin E pill a day and my jaw and upper lip area is clear of spots now. :') 

I'll be posting a skincare routine update soon (complete with photos of my acne-scarred skin LOL), but here's a summary of the routine:

Morning

• Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser
• Michael Todd True Organics ORGANIC LEMON AHA + DMAE Toner
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion

Night

• Michael Todd True Organics CHARCOAL DETOX Cleanser with Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System Brush
• Michael Todd True Organics JOJOBA CHARCOAL SCRUB (5 days a week, will not use on days I exfoliate)
• Exfoliate with Olay Thermal Crystal Polisher and Olay Pro-X Microdermabrasion Plus Advanced Cleansing System Brush (Wednesdays + Sundays)
• A good clay mask (Wednesdays + Sundays) - I'm alternating 3 different ones that work for me. 
• Michael Todd True Organics ORGANIC LEMON AHA + DMAE Toner
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion with a few drops of The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

Compared to last time, my skincare routine has been significantly downsized. I don't buy new skincare products to experiment anymore. I know what works and I continue using them. 

So far so good! :) 

I have received a couple of emails regarding my last skincare post. For those of you battling acne, press on and don't overload the products. Consult a doctor and revise your skincare routine! PERSEVERE!