How To Treat Your Adult Acne: Stop Washing Your Face.

At some point, we all struggle with unwanted craters on our faces, especially during those crucial times. They are almost like that ex who telepathically knows when you are moving on to someone else since you are finally happy, so they call or send that I miss you text. (I’ve never experienced that tho; I’ve just heard from my gal pals) Anyway, it can be a painful experience that seems to bother you for weeks, months, or perhaps almost your whole life. Again, I am speaking about acne, not an ex. 

My acne struggles:

Adult acne, cystic, zits, white/blackheads, perioral dermatitis and pimples.

I recently had a eureka, aha moment with a male friend during our conversation that has changed my face. I want to say for the better and am stupidly surprised since my initial thought was… you don’t know, you’re a guy, our biology is different. But then I thought, what if it wasn’t, on some level. 

Hear me out. Most men you know have clear, radiant, glowing skin. Little to no acne, right? And their beauty routine consists of water while they are showering and maybe shampoo dribbling down from their soapy head. 

Challenging thoughts and thinking are in my DNA, so I’m surprised I never challenged this? Almost because maybe I thought the answer was more serums, more cleansers, more organic ways, diet, or even birth control. 

Think about it with me. Maybe the solution is in the problem. – TOO MANY PRODUCTS.

I jokingly agreed with my male friend that I should stop washing my face because it probably strips the necessary natural oils, thus producing acne?? Since he is one of the males categorized in the shampoo dripping, shower water, face washing kind of person, I thought why not give it a go. I have nothing else to lose at this point.

Fast forward three weeks later and still going, I stopped washing my face. 

And by that, I mean I stopped washing my face as much as I did. I only cleanse it once a day, at night, three-four times a week. That’s it. 

Back to me challenging thoughts and ways of the world: what if the beauty world is a gimmick in some fashion. What if we really don’t need a 20-step beauty routine and that it’s all just been a facade this whole time. Again, hear me out. I believe genetics can and does play a big part as well as diet. Or maybe it doesn’t? I have been eating normal (without restrictions as I went to a homeopathic to figure out my cystic issues, but I couldn’t live life like that anymore), stopped with the extensive face washing 2x a day, and with time my face cleared up. It hasn’t been this clear in months. 

I’ve always been a person who thought less is more. And indeed from my hypothesis, well my friends’ suggestion and thought process, less could be more. Don’t get me wrong though, I still do have a zit that comes to say hello once in a while but it is nothing compared to what I have been recently struggling with or have struggled with before. It’s quite shocking if you ask me and I am completely enthralled with the minimal maintenance of my face, nowadays.

Here is my beauty routine that cleared up my face:

Morning Routine

Step 1. Three droplets of The Ordinary: Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (this magical bottle helped my perioral dermatitis IMMENSELY)

I put three droplets of Niacinamide on my fingers and pat on all acne prone areas (T-zone, eyebrows and nose) and then the rest all over my face and neck. Once that is dry, I then moisturizer.

Step 2. Moisturizer: Genes Vitamin E Creme

Step 3. (optional at times) If I really want that dewy, glazed donut look that everyone seems to want to achieve, Birch Juice does that. I add two pumps onto my palms, rub it all around my hands and gently press my whole hand all over my face.

Night Routine:

Step 1. Cleanse with La Roche-posay Effaclar Acne Face Cleanser in circular motions for no more than 20 seconds, 3-4x a week.

Step 2. Three droplets of the The Ordinary: Niacinmaide 10% + Zinc 1%

Step 3. Moistureizer: Genes Vitamin E Creme

That’s it. Easy peasy.