This is not one of those cute little videos of
OMG get rid of your pimples in one week
uh no ✋
it's going to take patience and persistence
for the past year, I have been struggling with inflammatory cystic acne
which is considered one of the more severe forms of acne
it is very painful very intense and I also have dry skin
which made the process even more difficult to treat
however, I am happy to say I have finally reached a point where I no longer have any active acne
I just have scarring and hyperpigmentation
obviously, my skin is not 100 perfect, but I am so proud of myself and the progress that I've made
and I just really wanted to share with you all what I've learned
you can go ahead and skip to whatever it is that you're interested in
and that you want to learn
and all of the products that I talk about in this video will be linked down below in the description box for your convenience
so first let's talk about the external changes
the two main ingredients that helped me to clear my inflammatory cystic acne is
benzoyl peroxide and mandelic acid
benzoyl peroxide is most effective on inflammatory acne
such as cysts nodules papules and pustules
it helps to kill acne-causing bacteria
and to decrease inflammation
it takes four to eight weeks for you to start seeing results
I have been using benzoyl peroxide every single night for the past five months
it is very strong so you need to build your tolerance to it
the one that i use is actually created by the acne clinic that I go to
if you are unable to see an esthetician there are tons of benzoyl peroxide products on the market
the brand Paula's Choice has normal strength benzoyl peroxide as well as extra strength
go for the normal strength first
so the second ingredient that I use to clear my skin is mandelic acid
mandelic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid, it exfoliates dead skin cells to treat and prevent acne
the brand the ordinary has mandelic acid serum for under 10 dollars
which is a really really good deal so that is a good starting point
so in the morning, I cleanse my skin, I tone
I use a hydrating serum, my moisturizer and then my sunscreen
I cleanse my skin and then I tone
and then I put on my mandelic acid
then I put on a hydrating serum afterward because i have dry skin
if you don't have dry skin you can completely skip this step
but after the serum, I put on a benzoyl peroxide
I let it dry and then I go to bed
and that is the routine that I've been following every single night for five months
as instructed by my esthetician
so in the morning and the night after I cleanse my skin I grab an ice cube and I work it all over
my skin for one minute which helps to decrease inflammation
since I have cystic inflammatory acne
most of the products that I use are from my acne clinic
but I did make a list of skincare products for you guys
I linked it down below in the description box
if you want to check it out, it's products that are available on the correct market
avoid comedogenic ingredients
comedogenic literally means to create comedones or to create clogging
my esthetician gave me this huge list of comedogenic ingredients and she told me to check everything
my skincare, my haircare, my laundry detergent, makeup
so if you want to check out that list i will link it down below in the description box
so you can print it out and then just compare the ingredients on your skincare products and all that jazz
now let's talk about professional help
for the past six months, I've been seeing a team of estheticians twice a month
and they have completely transformed my skin
I get extractions along with a mini peel twice a month
it is also where I get my skincare products
I will not be going in-depth about estheticians in this video because I have so much to say
I will be making a separate video where I talk about how to choose between a dermatologist or an aesthetician
how to find an aesthetician that is right for you
and how to avoid wasting your time and your money
so stay tuned for that video in the future
there are a few more things that really helped me on my journey
hydrocolloid patches
yall like it's basically a healing patch that helps to suck up any exudate from a wound
and you can actually like see it when you take off the sticker
low-key is disgusting, but high key very satisfying
my personal favorite brand is Rael
I think I've bought seven boxes and in my opinion it's the best highest quality patch that i have used
a really good cheap hack is to just buy hydrocolloid bandages at your local drugstore
they're really good for like the chin, the forehead, the cheek area and they're really really cheap and just as effective
also, change your pillowcase
I personally use this pillowcase called the deja pillowcase
and basically, it comes with a fresh sheet every single night of the week
so one pillowcase is actually eight pillowcases and I actually bought two of them
and I'm really glad I got them, really good investment
so now let's talk about how to treat acne internally
all of this information has been given to me by my own personal team of estheticians
in total, I take three supplements
first, I take omega-3 it is important to know that omega-6 can actually increase inflammation in the body
the omega that is going to help to reduce inflammation is omega-3
so every single day with my meals I make sure to take two a day
the second supplement that I take is zinc
zinc helps to support gut health as well as to reduce inflammation
and it should only be used as treatment for someone who is dealing with chronic inflammatory acne
and the third supplement that I take is probiotics
probiotics help to promote and maintain a healthy microbiome in your intestines
to help reduce inflammation which in turn is going to help acne
it's actually best to eat probiotic foods which is usually fermented foods
such as kimchi
so now let's talk about food
the good rule of thumb is to minimize dairy, gluten, and sugar
notice how I said minimize and not avoid because I just don't think it's realistic
personally, I don't believe food is the main culprit
I think it's more about overall health and depending on the person because each person's body is so different
I did a food intolerance test through my doctor and she was able to give me a very specific list of how my body responded to certain foods
that's how I learned that I had to try my best to minimize dairy, wheat, cane sugar
and surprisingly chestnuts um I've never even seen a chestnut in my life
but I guess I'll never be able to do it like in those Christmas songs
♫ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♫ you know
also, WATER!
now I'm not gonna be like those Twitter threads that are like
just drink water and like your pimples will disappear
no ✋
but there was a study that showed that 75% of people in the United States are chronically dehydrated 🥵
make sure you are drinking water for optimal health
and the very last thing we will be talking about in acne management is birth control and medication
there are certain medications that can trigger or worsen acne in the person that is acne-prone
so that's something to definitely discuss with a doctor or an esthetician or a dermatologist
birth control can also trigger or worsen acne in the person that is acne-prone
specifically, the birth control methods that are high in androgen activity
and low in estrogen activity
it's best to speak to a doctor and talk about hey what are some ones that are not high in androgens
alrighty y'all, even the sun went down from when I started this video
so thank you for watching
I hope that video was helpful
trust me I know that it feels so unfair that some people can just go their entire life without ever having to worry about acne
but if there is one lesson that I have learned from suffering from chronic cystic acne
is that you have to practice patience, persistence
you have to find the good in things
and you really have to learn how to love yourself when you really hate what you see in the mirror
and you just gotta be able to hug yourself and say it's okay
we're trying our best and I am more than my skin
thank you for watching and I hope you have a great day
byeeeee