Skincare

I've struggled with hormonal acne for over 10 years. It's gotten better as I've gotten older, but it left me with lots of scarring. Anyone know any good products or natural remedies for scarring? I used to do weekly chemical peel type facials but my facialist left the company and was never replaced, and they also became very expensive to do every week.

In the morning I cleanse with my Clarisonic Mia 2 cleanser, I use the brush head for acne prone skin, and use Simple foaming cleanser with it. I follow up with Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturizer. If I have a pimple, I try to use some type of spot treatment. Lately I have been using tea tree oil drops from the Body Shop and they seem to work best when used as soon as a spot appears.

I have oily skin and it will get oily throughout the day. If I have makeup on, I will blot off excess oil with NYX blotting papers, then spray with something like the Mac Fix + spray or Mario Badescu rosewater spray to refresh. When I get home I take my makeup off using Simple micellar wipes, micellar water, and Estee Lauder makeup remover as a final cleanse. If I don't have makeup on, I will use an acne cleansing pad from the drugstore or micellar water to get rid of oil.

I generally won't do anything before bed because I shower at night, so I feel my skin is pretty clean after that. If my skin feels dry I will apply moisturizer again. A few times a week I have been trying to use the Mario Badescu glycolic acid cleanser which is supposed to help remove dead skin cells and increase cell turnover. My mom recently found out that zinc helps with acne and scarring, apparently applying diaper rash cream to the face will help because it contains zinc. So yeah I literally sometimes apply diaper rash cream to my face and leave it on for about an hour as a mask. I've only tried it a couple times but I feel it has kind of helped with the inflammation.

I own the Michael Todd bi-light system which uses laser technology. Laser treatment can also help with acne and scarring. The blue light kills bacteria beneath the skin and the red light increases new cell turnover. I stopped using it because the light bothers my eyes and the battery doesn't last long, it's also kind of a pain to use it because you have to hold it and it takes about 20 minutes to go through both lights on all areas of the face.

For masks I have the Shea Moisture African Black Soap mask which I try to use once a week but have been slacking lately. I find it rejuvenates my skin, especially if I have been wearing makeup.

I've also been drinking a lot more water, with lemon in it, which always helps with clear skin.

I tried it all - I went to a dermatologist for awhile in high school. They put me on an antibiotic which helped with the acne but you can't be on antibiotics forever. And eventually you build up an immunity to them so you have to change the antibiotic. A few years later I went on a birth control pill that was specifically targeted for acne. It worked for a couple of years. I never had any bad side effects until the third year I was taking it and all of a sudden it made me think I was suicidal and I spent a year every day feeling like I wanted to kill myself for no reason. It was scary and horrible. I decided to go off of it and the thoughts went away. Birth control is another thing that you shouldn't be on for too long of a period of time. Anything artificial like hormones or antibiotics just isn't good for long periods of time, even if they work. The only thing I have never tried is Accutane and my acne is not severe enough for that. As I've gotten older I definitely believe natural and inexpensive products or remedies are best.

I tried some Kate Somerville products earlier this year and none of them worked for me. Kate Somerville is a brand in Beverly Hills that is supposed to be great and their products are very expensive. None of them worked for me so I returned them and got my money back. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it is good or that it will work. meanwhile I love my Simple skincare that is completely affordable and I generally use drugstore products that work just fine.

How is your experience with Clinique? 

Is there anything by Clinique you guys would recommend for acne, oil control, or scarring/new cell turnover?

Really like Clinique. I mainly use their moisturisers and they've all worked for me, but it's taken a while to find the perfect one, which for me is their Turnaround Overnight and Turnaround Daytime ones. A little pricey but skincare is one thing I don't really mind spending more money on! Really like their toners and face scrubs too.

Since there are a few people here who love Clinique... do they have tinted moisturizers? I mean, the fact whether they're available in Europe is another thing, but generally?

I use Clinique face wash every morning and night. After I cleanse my face at night I use Clinique clarifying lotion followed by a moisturiser. In the morning after I cleanse my face I use Olay moisturiser before I put on my make up.

I also use Glamglow but only once a week because it's super expensive and doubt I'll be purchasing it again.