In my July beauty product post, I mentioned that I had an acne flare-up a couple of months ago. I hadn’t had an acne flare-up like this in years; I was feeling so self-conscious about the blemishes on my skin.
I was trying everything, exfoliating, hydrating products, trying different cleansers and sunscreens—testing which products would work and the products that were making it worse. I was attempting the ten-step routines and the latest trends and brands. But nothing was working, and I felt so embarrassed and insecure about my skin.
Acne has become so stigmatized and stereotyped. That if you have acne, you do not take care of yourself, or you lack proper hygiene. But that’s not true at all. A lot of the time, we fail to consider other factors of acne, like hormones, what we eat, where we live, what we have access to. Not everyone can afford a dermatologist or constantly purchasing new skincare.
And while it’s easy to forget, social media is fake. When we see people with unblemished skin, we forget filters and editing to help achieve a flawless look. Celebrities and influencers have access to high-end luxuries that most of us don’t.
While I don’t think the negative connotations and stigmatizations of acne will go away anytime soon. I would like to see more in advertising and social media in general. I would love to see beauty brands show what everyday users look like. I want them to prove that their skincare does work. And I want makeup brands to show what their makeup looks like on textured skin.
So, I am going to be super vulnerable here and show my before and current pictures. I don’t call it an after photo because my skin isn’t perfect, and it’s never going to be perfect. Instead, I am proud of where my skin is today and the patience I had to get rid of my acne and heal my scarring.
April 2021
July 2021
To some, it sounds that I am overdramatic. But I also believe this is a necessary conversation to have. And while I am happy with the way my skin looks today, I also should have been happy with it in April.
Thanks for reading!
Megan
Megan’s Corner 
It’s totally okay to have acne.. it’s Normal..even i have been through the phase where i used to hate my skin because of acne and tried many products on others recommendation and that just made my skin worst.
And i totally agree not everyone could afford dermatologist and high-end products.
The only thing we can do for our skin is to maintain a healthy lifestyle,stay hydrated and love ourselves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with everything you said. I am so quick to jump on the trend train without taking account how my skin will react. And yes to that last statement!! The best thing we can do is love ourselves the way we are.
LikeLike
Thanks for writing about this, I have struggled with acne quite badly and feel like I’ve tried every product out there and I’m sure that has done more damage than good. What did you find to work for you in the end?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course! There were a couple of products that I found that have worked really well. First was the PanOxyl Benzoyl Peroxide. It really helps dry up the acne. I would say if you have dry skin to avoid it. Another cleanser I would recommend is the Salicylic Acid from the Inkey List. I noticed a big change with this product, and I recommend starting off slow with it. A couple other brands I recommend are First Aid Beauty and CeraVe.
I also went back to the basics with everything and just used a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. And I avoided harsh exfoliants like the one from Paulas Choice and everything from The Ordinary.
It also took a while for my face to get to where it is and it still has some scarring that I am trying to heal.
I get how you feel it is so hard to figure out the right routine and it doesn’t help when social media is constantly shoving products in our face. One last thing I would recommend looking up is the “skin care diet” it’s an interesting topic about skin care minimalism and it helped me a lot. I hope these products helped and I think I have other posts about products under Beauty for more recommendations.
I hope this helps!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is really helpful thank you, I definitely think less is more when it comes to dealing with acne but when you want to get rid of it so badly it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to use many different products thinking that it has a better chance of healing faster. I think it’s time for me to strip back my routine a little and check out some of your recommendations, thanks again!
LikeLiked by 1 person