Persistent acne for 8+ years. Healed with science-based approach (and this subreddit)

I suffered from acne for over 8 years. After being sick of trying a million things, I scaled back my routine, healed my skin barrier, and then focused on 1-2 active ingredients at a time. It took around 4 months of sticking to this new approach!

Here is my routine:

AM

  1. OXY Benzoyl Peroxide Cleanser
  2. APLB Glutathione + Niacinamide Serum
  3. Naturium Hyaluronic Acid Serum
  4. Differin Restorative Moisturizer
  5. Sunscreen (I rotate between a few. I currently use the Eucerin Advanced Hydration SPF 50)

PM

  1. The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm
  2. Cetaphil Foaming Cleanser
  3. APLB Glutathione + Niacinamide Serum
  4. Naturium Hyaluronic Acid Serum
  5. Differin Restorative Moisturizer
  6. Adapalene
  7. OXY 5% Deep Vanishing Treatment (for spot treating mainly)
  8. Uriage Barrier Repair Moisturizer

Amazing results. How does your skin tolerate a BP cleanser and a foaming cleanser later on, all on the same day though?

Even a gentle, second cleaner messes my skin up after my daily foaming one

Thank you! It took a while to work up to this. When my skin barrier was damaged, I used a gentler cleanser in the morning and night (Avene Cleansing Foam).

For a good 6-8 weeks initially, I used 0 actives. My routine at the beginning of my journey was a lot different to my routine now.

At the beginning, I used the most gentle products. And my skin broke out MORE. But that was expected. My goal was to heal my barrier, that’s it.

Then I added my benzoyl peroxide spot treatment, but only twice a week. Then I slowly increased the frequency. Eventually I added in other actives.

It was a slow process. Your skin might just need some TLC first to work up to “harsher” products.

Your progress is amazing! So happy for you!

So so glad you’ve found what works for you!! I’d love to know which products helped with healing your barrier when you scaled it all down <3

wow! your skin looks great! your post gives me hope - currently at my 2 month mark and waiting for my skin to clear up.

Could you explain why you expected your skin to break out more when you switched to more gentle products?

Can I ask whether tretinoin worked for you?

Tretinoin was too harsh for my skin. I used it on 3 separate occasions, each for 12 weeks. It continuously made my skin worse, and it didn’t look like purging. Each time I stopped it. I always go back to Adapalene. It keeps my skin clear the best!

Where do you get Adapalene?

Your skin looks fantastic. I just recently started my journey, and you are inspiring

Thank you so much :white_heart:

I used to browse this subreddit every single day, hoping that one day I could post a B&A photo. Your skin will get better!

do you by any chance have Papulopustular rosacea? only asking because i do and a lot of the products your using have worked for me and i had a similar looking “acne” on my cheeks. i dont use any active but almost everything else you’ve listed or something similar!

I definitely had papulopustular acne! I may have had mild rosacea as well; my skin was inflamed and flushed at times. I focused on anti-inflammatory ingredients! I’m glad some of these have worked for you :slight_smile:

Really awesome results! My skin is at times very similar to your before photo.

Quick question - do you use the Differing Restorative Moisturizer AM and PM? To my knowledge Differin only has one called “Restorative Night Moisturizer.” Just curious if that’s accurate or a typo! I know Differin also has a “Soothing Moisturizer” that could be used AM.

Thank you so much!

Yes, I use the Differin Restorative Night Moisturizer in both the AM and PM. For the most part, “night” moisturizers are a marketing term and don’t mean much :slight_smile: They just don’t have SPF, so I always make sure to apply a separate SPF in the AM! I find that if I don’t moisturize in the morning before sunscreen, my skin gets dry.

Thanks for the response!

Can you expand a little more on how you healed your skin barrier? I’m trying to fix mine as my skin is red and blotchy.

Amazing results btw!!

Thank you so much!

Absolutely. So, there are two non-negotiable things you’ll have to do in order to heal your skin barrier:

  1. Stop all active ingredients.
  2. Scale back your routine to include only gentle, moisturizing products.

For a period of ~8 weeks, I cleansed my skin with a gentle cleanser. I used Avene Cleansing Foam. In the morning I used a bare bones moisturizer (I don’t remember which one I used at the time, but one by LRP should be good!) and I finished off with sunscreen.

My nighttime routine was oil cleansing, my gentle cleanser, and I LOADED up on the moisturizer.

I think it’s so important to know (and something that a lot of people don’t tell you) is that you will likely break out more during this period. I had SO many whiteheads and acne. But you need to look past that and look at the quality and health of your skin. Does it feel dry? Look flaky? Or does it feel comfortable after cleansing?

If you still feel dry, tight, and/or irritated after cleansing or throughout the day, your skin is telling you that you need more moisture & hydration. For example, you could add a hyaluronic acid serum or a heavier moisturizer.

When I started feeling like my skin felt better, I started incorporating ONE active ingredient AFTER my moisturizer, twice a week. For me, that was benzoyl peroxide. You could use salicylic acid, sulfur, azelaic acid, or whatever active you’re comfortable trying.

Once I saw some improvement after 4 weeks, I increased the frequency of the active. No improvement at all? I would go back to my base routine for 2 weeks and try something else.

It’s so important to go slow, patch test new products, and add in 1 thing at a time. That’s why a science-based approach works. It takes a long time, but you’ll understand exactly what your skin needs!

Let me know if you have any questions! And you can always message me in the chat if you want to talk more.

Thank you so much :pray:t3: