Miracles can happen to those who wait. Finally my skin has been clearing up. It’s a long slow process that has been and still is incredibly frustrating and distressing at times, but finally, at last it’s clearing up.
I have no idea why my skin broke out so badly in the first place. I have a feeling it’s got something to do with my breakup. Emotional turmoil can do crazy things to your body. In my case it made me physically sick, I lost weight, felt nauseous all the time, my digestive system was completely out of whack, I wasn’t sleeping at all and my skin broke out quite badly in two places on my jaw line on each side of my face.
I wish now that I’d taken a photo so you could see a before and after. I considered taking a photo a lot for the blog but to be honest, I was so distressed about it that I couldn’t bring myself to photograph my face. The thought of seeing all that detail on my computer screen was really quite horrifying.
Why it’s so traumatic
For those of you who suffer from adult acne, you’ll know what I mean. When you’re a grown up, adult acne is horrible. I felt really dirty and unhealthy even though I was exercising really well and following a strict healthy eating routine. At times I felt like my skin was never going to get better, I felt incredibly frustrated that I just could not find a solution. I was getting extremely obsessed and paranoid about it and started thinking that everybody was staring at my skin. I also knew that whatever treatment I took, my skin was going to take a long time to recover because there is no miracle cure for pimples that will make them go away over night. This was not a good thought for a very impatient person like me.
Then, to makes matters worse, there’s always the scarring afterwards. I’m lucky in a way that I have very thin skin that scars well, so I don’t end up with deep permanent scars. What I do end up with though, is red marks on my skin where the pimples have been which is made worse by my very pale skin. These red marks can last weeks or even months before they disappear. This is one of the most annoying parts of the healing process!
So, how did I do it?
I don’t think the one treatment works for everyone. Each individual can get acne for different reasons and we all have different skin types so a treatment that works for one person will not work for another. There are countless people on the Internet who swear their remedies are the miracle solution but it won’t work at all for someone else, or it may even make their skin worse.
I also tried a lot of different treatments that were both natural and chemical (yes, sadly I admit it, I put chemicals on my skin) before I found something that finally worked.
I’ll outline the combination of treatments that I’ve been using that has been working for me. I’m not sure if it was the combination of these treatments or really just one of them.
- Natural medications
My Chinese herbalist helped a lot. He gave me herbs to help cool my body down (apparently I have too much heat in my body) and ‘Xiao Yong Wan’ tablets which are specifically for treating carbuncles which I take twice a day.I also found a great spot treatment by Pure Botanicals. Pure Botanicals is a store in Sydney which makes all their own body products. The recipes are formulated by Naturopaths that work in the store. After cleansing (and before moisturising) my face twice a day, I put some of the spot treatment on a cotton bud and wipe it over affected areas. - Cleansing and moisturising
A good cleanser and moisturiser is really important. I only use natural products so I had to choose well for my skin type. I have very dry skin so excess oil is not my problem when it can be for many acne sufferers. I use Natural Instincts cream facial cleanser which goes onto my skin like a moisturiser. It doesn’t foam at all and leaves my skin feeling clean but still moisturised. For a moisturiser I use Banalasta which includes Eucalyptus oil which is anti-bacterial. - Exfoliating
It’s also really important to regularly exfoliate you skin. This gets rid of the dead skin cells and any impurities that can get into your pores and clog them up. I found a fantastic exfoliater in a shop in Sydney which I absolutely love. It’s made by Pure Botanicals. I’ve been using this whenever I feel like my skin needs a really good clean which is at least three times a week. - Skin detox tea
I drink a skin detox tea by tea-ology twice a day. The tea is delicious so I love drinking it. The tea is supposed to contain blood cleansing, anti-infective, and anti-inflammatory properties to soothe inflamed skin, open clogged pores, remove blood impurities and improve skin circulation. - Yoga
I’m convinced that yoga is the answer to everything. When I started practicing yoga at home in addition to once a week in my class, I noticed that I started to relax a lot more and stopped obsessing about my skin so much. My skin even starting to turn around and get better. I think the fact that yoga helps balance my emotions has a lot to do with it. - Makeup that doesn’t make your skin worse
One of the worst things about acne (for girls) is using makeup to cover it up. Often the makeup can make the problem worse. My skin really started to turn around when I discovered this great brand of makeup that hides the redness of acne really well but doesn’t make it worse. I’ll be writing a review of this makeup brand, Minerelle, on my blog sometime soon. - Healthy eating and exercise
This one’s a no brainer. The best thing you can do for your skin is to eat well and exercise. This is not just for preventing acne but wrinkles as well. Cut down the amount of sugar you eat by a lot, eat less red meat, dairy and alcohol and eat as much fresh organic fruit and vegetables as you can.Also try and exercise at least three times a week. Find some exercise that’s fun and social! I love inline skating so I skate with a group at least once a week. I also have a yoga class and walk and cycle with a friend of mine. An exercise buddy is a great way to enjoy your exercise routine. My girlfriend and I can walk for a couple of hours and not even notice we’re exercising because we’re too busy talking (sometimes this is great therapy too
). - Chemicals
This one I’m not particularly proud of. In a moment of desperation and frustration I bought the acne treatment, proactiv. I felt so bad about it because I hate putting chemicals on my skin. This stuff contains peroxide which is a hard core chemical so of course it’s one of the worse things you can put on your body. Luckily, it didn’t work at all for me. After three weeks it dried my skin out so badly that it hurt, and made me break out even worse. There is one product out of their range that I do keep using – their mask. I use the mask as a spot treatment at night. It keeps the redness down and makes new pimples go away quickly or prevents them from maturing into big pussy things. I’m still using this product but am using it less and less as my skin gets better. I’m looking forward to not having to use it at all because it’s the last chemical product that I put on my face.
I also use a clay mask about once a week. I’m currently using a white clay mask which I picked up from my health food store. The mask removes impurities on my skin and gives me a really good moisturise and a really good cleanse.
Now that I’ve written it all down it seems like a lot, but it really feels like I haven’t adjusted my routine much at all. The important thing to remember is patience and persistence which unfortunately doesn’t mean a lot if you’re currently suffering with this problem because it can feel like it’s never going to get better.
My advice to you is to visit your Chinese herbalist and/or Naturopath first. Then try and remove the stress from your life. Work at making yourself as healthy as possible through good eating, exercise and natural body products. And make sure to remind yourself every day just how beautiful you are You’ll have gorgeous skin in no time.
Frances Kerr
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
7 responses ↓
I defintely agree that stress makes your skin heaps and heaps worse. I also find that worrying = procrastinating = picking. As in, my skin might look fine but have a tiny little something, and if I am worrying about something I will obsessively attack it and in the end look like I’ve got a really bad spot. Most of the time I think leaving things alone is the best option.
Oh, and being pregnant/breastfeeding gave me completely clear skin. I don’t want to stop now!!!!
Yeah I totally agree, I should have added that one too, don’t pick! It’s so hard not too though, because as you said, you obsessively attack them.
I’ve always wondered about the being pregnant/breastfeeding thing. I’ve seen some girls break out REALLY badly when they’re pregnant. I hope when my time comes I’m one of the lucky ones like you!
Update on this one. Unforunately a month or so later the acne came back! I’ve decided to stop all of these treatments and supplements and stick to food only for a while. Hopefully this will be the answer.
In regards to Adult acne I am now 35 & have had Acne since 12y.o so i think I can talk about this subject with depth, experience & empthy with what you go through as i also still go through this however now in my 30’s people still think I am 25..haha for some small things.
Pregancy was a blessing for my skin it went clear, glowing & like the skin & remembered having as a 11y.o. 9 months of beautiful smooth skin…oh my Goddessness how happy was I.
Then lala came out & so did the pimples!!!
So Darlings which Hormone was it??!! St Lucia Uni does studies on pregnant womens hormones so maybe they have the answer. I unfortunatly don’t but would LOVE to know so then I too can use food fix the imbalance that goes on!
P.S I just Love getting those blackheads suckers Out!!
Yeah right, I’ve never seen a spot on your face!
I’m writing a book about acne at the moment so I know EVERYTHING about it. The hormone that causes acne is the male hormone androgen which increases in both girls and boys during puberty, but also in women during PMT, in pregnancy and after stopping the pill. Some people grow more of these hormones then others, who knows why. I guess some of us are just unlucky and over produce androgens. Mine I think is from a lot of stress I’d had in my life this year mucking up my hormones.
When it comes to hormones and diet, it means no refined sugar, refined carbs, caffeine, and one of the reasons why I don’t drink alcohol anymore. You need to eat a lot of good fats (whole grains, seeds, nuts, soy beans, dark leafy green vegetables, cold-pressed oils and oily fish).
There are ‘hormone regulating foods’ but I think you’d have to eat a ton of them before they did anything. They are alfalfa, linseed, oats, celery, parsley, rhubarb and fennel.
You can also take supplements - maca is supposed to be great, I have some in my pantry but I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve had good results with evening primrose oil and fish oil in the past, but you need to take a lot of it.
I had divine skin when I was a teenager, and now I feel like Im going through puberty at 35!! A major consolation is that people do think Im 25.
So i think the zits will eventually go, although as you can see Im doin my research on how to minimise the zit action. Generally it seems that people who tend to have problem skin do look younger. Nature’s trade off ?
Also in the last two years that my skin has got worse, ive probably consumed the most amount of coffee and alcohol ever, Im stopping that right now!
I’m hearing more and more stories like this where women, especially in their 30’s are getting acne all of a sudden.
Stopping or reducing alcohol and coffee consumption is a good thing, because the alcohol is very drying to the skin, and the coffee increases stress and the stress hormones (which aggravate acne).
Do you have cystic acne or ‘normal’ pimples? If it’s cystic acne, you may want to consider getting tested for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I’ll be writing a post about that soon.
If there’s some dramatic increase in the stress in your life, it could just be that too. This is what happened to me. The best way then to help you acne is to use a good skin care routine, eat well, exercise, practice daily relaxation and visit a naturopath who can help you find the best supplements for you and your skin
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