How I Kind Of Figured Out Getting Clear Skin

The road to clear skin for me has been a long one. 

Phase 1: Hormonal Breakouts

I’ve been on birth control since I was 16. It all started because my family has a history of endometriosis and incredibly bad acne. While in high school, the pill I was on reduced my cramping, my acne and the rest of my intense PMS symptoms.

But, once I got to college, I had to switch pills because of the shift in my stress level. The original prescription I was on made my anxiety worse. 

While I managed to find a pill that helped my hormones and reduced some of my anxiety, it destroyed my skin. I had constant breakouts, redness and dry patches.

I just wasn’t confident. I couldn’t go out in public without putting makeup on first. 

But, in the summer of 2018, after going on and off different pills and almost going on months of antibiotics to treat my constant breakouts internally, I decided to try Nexplanon.

If you aren’t familiar, it’s an arm implant that steadily releases hormones into my system.

My PMS symptoms are reduced, I don’t have to remember to take a pill and most importantly-- my skin is CLEAR.

Like, crystal clear. Like, I maybe get one new pimple a month and my scars are healing kind of clear. 

Phase 2: Topical Breakouts

Now, in the year that my hormonal breakouts have gotten under control, I discovered the BEST 3-step skin care system from La Roche-Posay.

I simply googled “best affordable skin care systems for acne” on my way into Ulta one day and decided I was going to give this one a shot---AND IT WAS THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE. 

I used to have overall very rough texture on spots over my entire face, thinking I needed to exfoliate the roughness away. Well, after some time using this cleanser, toner and acne lotion, my bumps are gone. 

The salicylic acid gel cleanser gets a nice lather and it feels like it’s melting my breakouts away. Then I use the toner which I’m honestly convinced it’s an elixir of sorts, topped with the acne lotion and my moisturizer of choice and I am good to go.