How I Cleared My Adult Acne

For someone who never felt comfortable opening up about her struggles with acne and breakouts, I am dedicating a lot of space on my blog to cover this topic. Honestly, it feels cathartic to release years of research information, personal stories, experiences, and products relevant to my acne journey on my blog.

Living with acne-prone skin feels like a trap. I felt trapped and excluded from the world because of what I looked like. My skin never felt like my skin. It’s a weird thing to talk about and make other people understand if you never dealt with acne growing up as a teen or as an adult.

For example, my boyfriend has perfect skin. Absolutely flawless. I often give him such a hard time about washing his face (he never does) because I can think back to living as a teenager through some of the toughest years of my life withing for baby smooth skin like his. What I would have DONE to never think about or worry about washing my face! I remember us talking about acne and I straight up told him about my struggles with acne and he didn’t believe me at first because of how good my skin looks today. I almost feel like a fraud because my skin finally looks good, too.

My Acne Journey Through the Years

Like I mentioned above, it’s a weird thing to talk about, especially with someone who doesn’t understand how acne can affect many aspects of your life, both physical and emotional. Living with acne caused me to stress out about going to high school parties, hanging out in large crowds, and of course, dating.

Whenever we had assignments to talk in front of the class, I immediately felt uneasy because of my low self-esteem. How could I stand in front of a classroom of kids when they would be staring at the red bumps on my face? My painful, stubborn acne affected so many integral aspects of my life and it controlled what I did all the time.

I have the power as a content creator to share my life stories and experiences on this platform otherwise known as my blog. One of the best ways I can openly share my acne struggles includes writing out how I cleared my adult acne. I may not have felt confident enough a couple of years back to ever type this up, but now at age 26, I am in a much better place.

Dealing with Acne as an Adult

My acne no longer controls ANY aspect of my life whatsoever. Heck, there are even more days in the calendar year when I am not wearing a stitch of makeup at all! My younger self would be rolling her eyes if she only knew about the days ahead when she’d roll out of bed and leave the house without any foundation on.

If you are someone who struggles with acne, please take a moment to read this and accept a virtual hug from me. I’ve been there and I feel the exact same pain that you do. There were days when I would sit on my bedroom floor and pray for my skin to clear up. I’d bargain with God over clear skin, I got that desperate.

How I Cleared My Adult Acne

1. Invest in Regular Facials

I truly underestimated the power of a facial. If you find a highly regarded licensed esthetician in your area, book appointments each month to treat your acne, acne scarring, and active pimples.

Instead of treating myself to mani/pedi each month (or even twice a month) I save up my money and see my esthetician for a facial. Most facials can run as little as $45 and up depending on the facial treatment you request. Do some online research until you find an esthetician in your area who can provide you with the right facial treatment especially for acne-prone skin.

Regular facials are game-changing for acne-prone skin. Estheticians will examine your skin under a bright light to see how to help your skin up close. My esthetician looks over my skin closely and she will treat my active breakouts, acne scarring, and fine lines with the correct tools. I didn’t understand why facials mattered so much until I began regular treatments each month and leaving the appointment with renewed skin! Facials are just one of the ways I cleared my adult acne over the past few years.

Of course, if you cannot afford regular facials, I also recommend investing in an at-home facial product to help remove dead skin cells and create a new canvas to replenish the skin. One of the best products out there from the brand Drunk Elephant is the T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ 25% AHA + 2% BHA Mask ($80) which can last you months. The powerful AHA + BHA ingredients resurface and deeply cleanse the skin after 1 use at home.

2. Wash Face with a Gentle and Effective Cleanser

As much as I love buying new foundations I also absolutely love finding new facial cleansers to try out. Since ending my Accutane treatment a couple of years back, I’ve been switching up my cleansers to find out which ones I like the best.

A few of my favorite cleansers to date are:

• Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash

• Drunk Elephant Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser

• Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser

• Pixi by Petra Hydrating Milky Cleanser

• CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 12 oz for Daily Face Wash

• La Roche Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Face Wash for Oily Skin

3. Don’t Forget to Moisturize

Even with oily skin, moisturizing MUST be part of a solid skincare routine. The two phrases to look for on any moisturizer are “oil-free” and “non-comedogenic” which means the ingredients inside the bottle won’t break you out. The great part about finding a good moisturizer? You can easily find a really effective one at the drugstore.

A few of my favorite moisturizers from the drugstore and high-end stores:

• Drunk Elephant Protini™ Polypeptide Moisturizer

• Youth to the People Superfood Air Whip Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer

• Pixi by Petra Vitamin-C Lotion

• Kiehl’s Calendula Serum-Infused Water Cream

4. At-Home Acne Fighting Remedies: Serums and Treatments

In addition to adhering to a skincare routine, washing the face with a gentle cleanser, and using a facial moisturizer, a serum needs to follow suit. Serums and treatments improve the look and feel of skin while treating acne on the surface. I’ll share some of the best serums and treatments I’ve tried over the years that ultimately cleared up my adult acne.

One of my secrets to achieving clear skin? The Jan Marini Age Intervention Duality treatment. I’m continuously in awe of this anti-aging and anti-acne skincare product from Jan Marini. I’ll accidentally forget to restock on another bottle of it and my acne breakouts will slowly start to resurface if I don’t apply some of this treatment onto my skin within a couple of days.

Two of My Favorite Acne-Fighting Treatments

Jan Marini Age Intervention Duality

The acne-fighting ingredients inside this treatment are 10% micronized benzoyl peroxide (a well-known acne-fighter) as well as retinol that kills acne-causing bacteria. This medically-validated product has acne-fighting capabilities because of these two strong yet effective ingredients.

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni(TM) Retinol Cream

Another ingredient to add to your skincare line up: retinol. Retinol can dramatically change the texture and tone of skin while simultaneously warding off the damage done by UV rays and other pollutants. The one-percent vegan retinol found in Drunk Elephant A-Passioni(TM) Retinol Cream brings balance to any skin concern.

Thank you for reading through my list of products and recommendations for adult acne. I hope my tips and skincare advice provide you with some guidance as you tackle living with adult acne.