How I Finally Got Rid of My Adult Acne
I was in 7th grade when my acne first made its very unwelcome and highly unsightly appearance. The same grade when kids go from being mostly sweet and innocent to being potty-mouthed bullies who love nothing more than to find the thing their peers are most insecure about and make fun of it…constantly.
I was 12.
“Daaaang, what happened to your face?”
“Did you know you could read brail? I mean, you have it all over your face.”
“You’re really pretty for someone with pimples.”
Kids are mean. But luckily, as I got older, I got less and less unwelcome commentary, but more and more breakouts. By the time I was 30, my acne had not only completely taken over my face, but it had started to leave behind scars. And rather than just singular breakouts, my pimples showed up in gangs on my cheeks, my chin, and under my neck.
This was what my skin looked like in May 2020
When I say I tried it all…I’m not exaggerating
Take a walk down the aisle of your local drugstore and you’ll see what my bathroom cabinet looked like. I tried EVERYTHING. I even went to see a couple dermatologists who gave me retinoids and other creams that just made everything worse. It was like the more I tried to get rid of it, the more my acne would take a stand and say “Girl, we dyin’ together.”
Then, in June of 2020, a friend of mine bought me a skincare kit for my birthday. It was a fancy kit, too, with a microdermabrasion machine, a cleanser brush, and some collagen face masks from PMD Beauty. That’s when things finally started improving. I did my research (ahem, Google) on cystic acne (which both dermatologists had diagnosed me with) and started following a new, simpler routine.
Weekly Microdermabrasion
Ok before we dive in, I want to let you know that, yes, this is a semi-sponsored post. I say “semi” because I have a couple affiliate links at the bottom that will pay me a little something if you click on them and make a purchase BUT that doesn’t mean I’m out here promoting lies. I’m here to share what worked for me and give as much detail as possible. If you’re dealing with cystic acne and searching desperately for answers, I got you!
The first step in my new routine was to do weekly microdermabrasion treatments with my Personal Microdermabrasion Device.
MicrodermaWHOnow?
For my friends who aren’t familiar with microdermabrasion, it’s basically the process of sanding off the top layer of your skin. It sounds painful, but it’s not. Especially if you use a brand like PMD because they help you work your way up to whatever your skin can handle. They sell different levels of discs—these tiny, nail-shaped things that are attached to the machine and do the actual microderm. They’re categorized by color so you won’t get confused.
I started off with a blue disc (for sensitive skin/beginners) and worked my way up to an orange (coarse/intermediate) which is where I’ve stayed for the last 2 years.
Keep in mind that the only other time I’d had microdermabrasion done was in a dermatologist’s office, and all I did was lay on the table. I had no idea what I was doing but my friend send me this video which I found both entertaining and super helpful. (Gotta love when those two things go together!) The whole process takes less than 2 minutes and I only did it once a week on Sundays. (Note: The day of the week isn’t important. It was just easier for me to remember to do it on what I lovingly refer to as “Self-Care Sunday”. You can totally do a Microderm Monday if that’s more your jam).
How Does it Work?
I’m going to preface this by reminding y’all that I’m not a medical professional and everything I say here is the result of hours of personal research (powered by the internet) and my personal experience. That said, here’s what I know:
Breakouts are the result of clogged pores, and if they aren’t cleared up, your skin can grow over them, pushing the dirt in even further and, eventually, turning them into painful (and very ugly) cysts. What the microdermabrasion does is slough off a layer of skin to help the trapped dirt come to the surface. When I first started using the machine, I would see more white bumps (the kind that look ready to pop…gross, but you know what I’m talking about) and it seemed like my pimples were getting worse. Really, they were just coming up for air to be cleared out.
Now, I still use my microderm every week, but I see way less breakouts than I did before. I can run my hands over my cheeks now and feel zero bumps…it’s glorious.
In between the weekly microderm treatments, I would use my cleanser brush…
2. Using a Cleanser Brush
You’ve seen the ads for cleanser brushes, right? Women standing in front of the mirror, their faces full of suds, running the brush all around their face with a huge smile. I don’t know about you, but my face is all scrunched up and wrinkled while I’m washing my face because ya girl is concentrating! Anyway, the PMD brush isn’t like those.
Typically, brushes have bristles like the ones you see on a hair brush. The PMD brush is made of silicone and has bumpy bristles like the ones you see on your favorite makeup cleanser pad (BTW, if you aren’t cleaning your makeup brushes, I’m gonna need you to get on that. You’re just putting dirt on your face and that’s not cute). Also, rather than spinning, this brush vibrates. The combination of the multi-sized bristles and the vibration is what helps break down oil and dirt and get your cleanser deeper into your pores. As a bonus, the vibration also tightens up your pores, making them less visible. Hello, smooth skin!
How do you use it?
The website says to put the cleanser on the brush and then run it over your face for about a minute. I started by rubbing the cleanser over my face with my finger tips and then following up with the brush. I just couldn’t get used to exclusively using the brush—you wash your face with your hands. Period.
I’d spend extra time with the brush over my cystic breakouts to really help them break down. I used to have these mini bumps under the skin on my temples. They weren’t breakouts, just…scaly-looking patches. After a couple months of using the brush nightly, they finally went away!
3. Switching to Natural Products
The first thing you think of when you want to “cure” something is to use medicine, right? Well, it turns out that overloading sensitive skin with chemicals and exfoliants actually makes it worse. The skin feels like it’s under attack so it flares up to try and defend itself. Now, for some people, medicated treatments are absolutely the way to go and I’m not telling you to ignore sound medical advice if you’re seeing a dermatologist or other skincare professional. I’m just saying it didn’t work for me.
In addition to the acne on my face, I also developed eczema in my mid-20s. (I’m a delicate flower from head to toe and it’s extremely inconvenient). It took me a year or so, but I learned what to do to keep it from flaring up into full-fledged alligator skin.
-Stay hydrated
-Take showers with cool water, not hot
-Avoid scratchy fabrics
-Use fragrance-free, natural moisturizers like aloe vera
I have to really baby my skin, but I’ve been mostly flare-up free ever since. The only time it happens now is if I fall off my routine for several weeks. But anyway, I’m getting off track. The point is that I realized I could try a similar approach with the skin on my face—keep things simple and as natural as possible.
Historically, I had an extensive skincare routine that included a cleanser, toner, medicated treatment and serums for everything from the skin under my eyes to the lines around my lips. (If they make a neck cream, you use it, right??)
Now, I only use a cleanser, serum and moisturizer from Uvina Skin, and they are about as natural as a product can get. It took some time to get used to using a soap bar and not a liquid, but it was worth the learning curve.
I’ve been acne free for 3 years!
My results literally speak for themselves. In fact, when I was looking for my “before” pictures, I was shocked to see just how bad my skin used to be. I would see Before & After pics from skincare commercials and be like “Pssshhh that ain’t real,” but we always dismiss what we can’t envision for ourselves.
I never thought I’d have skin like this. Yes, I had to wait until I was in my 30s to finally be acne-free, and I’m not about to say it was worth the wait because it was NOT, but I couldn’t be happier.
If you’re struggling with acne and thinking there’s no end in sight, I promise there is. You just have to invest the time in sticking with a routine that’s giving you results, and trust the process. My PMD microderm machine and brush were gifted to me, which was a big help because I’m not sure I would’ve bought them for myself. But if you’re considering it, here are the prices of everything I use:
-PMD Clean Brush $99 (They also have a mini version for $69). I’ll be honest, not sure which one I had since it was a gift.
-Uvina Power Bundle $90 (On top of the fact that this stuff is amazing, buying it also supports a Latina-owned small business. Shout out to the founder, Jelitsa!) You can also use the code LAURALORTA and get 15% off - you’re welcome!
What’s the total investment?
For the devices, you’re looking at about $300 plus the cost of replacing the Microderm discs. One disc will last you 3 weeks and they come in packs of 4, so you’ll need to replace them every 3 months ($20).
The Uvina bundle lasts me about 3 months as well (especially the cleanser bar. That thing lasts forever).
So let’s call it a $300 starter fee and $330 a year after that. I know that sounds like a lot, y’all, but if you were to get microdermabrasion professionally done, you’d be looking at that price per treatment, plus the inconvenience of having to physically go into a spa or dermatology office to get it done. I do all of this at home, and I feel good knowing I’m using natural products and supporting a fellow mompreneur.
But will it work for me?
Fair warning, this is going to be a very frustrating answer that won’t help you make a decision on whether or not you should try this stuff: It depends.
Everyone’s skin is different, so it would be impossible for me to say that you’ll get the same results as me BUT if any part of my story resonated with you—if your skin today looks like my skin 3 years ago, if you’ve been battling acne since your tweens and have only had it get worse—it’s possible that this could be the answer you’ve been looking for.
No matter what routine you decide to follow and products you decide to use, do yourself a favor and BE PATIENT. Nothing is going to work overnight. It took about 6 months for my skin to really start to clear up, and another 6 months after that for the red spots/scars to (mostly) fade. It will take time, but if you stick to whatever you choose and follow it with fidelity (I’m talking the same level of fidelity you reserve for your nightly wine and me-time) you will see results.
