How to treat Acne?

Repeat after me twice, acne is normal and there is nothing wrong with my skin (seriously, say it out loud for two times or until you feel good every single day).

I myself used to get acne often and I'd always compare myself with the people who are blessed with the flawless skin. Seeing all the clear skin models online , in beauty adds made me hate myself like nobody does. I kid you not, it took me 10 freaking years to love my skin as it is.

During my teenage I used to get a lot of acne and I was new to that phase like everybody and started freaking out, tried all the home remedies you could possibly think of from tooth paste to lemon(My younger self makes me cringe now 😑) but you don't have to do that because, the skincare industry has evolved like anything and has a lot of scientifically proven skincare to treat acne right way.

Believe me when I say this , home remedies will not work on your acne as much as clinically proven skincare does. In this blog, I'll tell you how I controlled my acne to 95%(5 per is common because of periods , stress and bad skincare product).

Trigger warning - The information I'm gonna share here has helped me for sure but I always kept my dermatologist(Dermat) in loop when using any product during my bad skin days. If you are suffering from severe acne due pocs or hormal imbalance , I request you to consult your doctor before trying anything on your own. Remember, spending 2-5k for dermat and medical prescription is better than experiment with your skin and end up spending thousands and thousands to fix that mess. Take this from me because I've been there and done that(Guilty).

Now, without any further ado let's get into the topic.

What is Acne and types?

Acne is nothing but tiny to big bumps on our skin especially seen on your face. It could be whiteheads , blackheads which are really small and can not be seen from the far and could be huge ones with the pus and without the pus

There are many types of acnes which are listed below.

All of these forms of acne can affect your self-esteem. It’s best to seek help from your healthcare provider early if your acne is severe so they can help determine the best treatment option(s) for you.

• Blackheads: Open bumps on the skin that fill with excess oil and dead skin. They look as if dirt has deposited in the bump, but the dark spots are actually caused by an irregular light reflection off the clogged follicle.

• Whiteheads: Bumps that remain closed by oil and dead skin.

• Papules: Small red or pink bumps that become inflamed.

• Pustules: Pimples containing pus. They look like whiteheads surrounded by red rings. They can cause scarring if picked or scratched.

• Fungal acne (pityrosporum folliculitis): This type occurs when an excess of yeast develops in the hair follicles. They can become itchy and inflamed.

• Nodules: Solid pimples that are deep in your skin. They are large and painful.

• Cysts: Pus-filled pimples. These can cause scars.

What causes Acne ?

A lot factors are responsible for developing acne. I'm gonna put the science hat here to explain better.

Acne is caused when tiny holes in the skin, known as hair follicles, become blocked. Sebaceous glands are tiny glands found near the surface of your skin. The glands are attached to hair follicles, which are small holes in your skin that an individual hair grows out of.\

Sebaceous glands lubricate the hair and the skin to stop it drying out. They do this by producing an oily substance called sebum.

In acne, the glands begin to produce too much sebum. The excess sebum mixes with dead skin cells and both substances form a plug in the follicle.

If the plugged follicle is close to the surface of the skin, it bulges outwards, creating a whitehead. Alternatively, the plugged follicle can be open to the skin, creating a blackhead.

Normally harmless bacteria that live on the skin can then contaminate and infect the plugged follicles, causing papules, pustules, nodules or cysts.

Below are some other popular reasons causing acne.

1.Stress

2.Imbalance diet

3.Using the product which doesn't suit your skin

4.Not removing makeup and skincare properly when used by the double cleansing method(check out my post on double cleansing here).

5.Dairy, oily food, junk food(subjected from person to person).

And many more...

How to treat Acne?

Now, this is subjective from person to person if you are having severe acne, my suggestion is to seek medical help from the professionals and I can not stress enough on this point.

Below are the steps that took apart from seeking medical help and really helped me get through the bad skin and I hope these will help you as well. Remember to do a patch test before using any product that I've mentioned. Just because they worked for me doesn't mean they will work for everyone.

Remember skincare is subjective. Don't follow all the influencer blindly and try everything and anything we suggest. Do your own research about ingredients and one website which I really like to know about ingredients is Paula's choice.

Now, let's dive right into the topic!!!

Step 1- I started cleaning my mobile everyday twice with a good gadget sanitizer because we talk a lot on our phone these days and our phone tend to accumulate a lot of dust when we are talking , the phone will touch our skin and transfer all the bacteria it has which can lead to acne. So , make sure your mobile is clean and avoid touching your phone to your face as much as possible.

You can use any good gadget sanitizer , the one I use is linked below.

https://www.amazon.in/UltraProlink-Screen-Cleaning-Solution-Microfibre/dp/B00PL9MIFU/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B00PL9MIFU&psc=1

Step 2 - changing my pillow covers every other night and using silk pillow cases. I don't know about you but I sleep by touching my face to my pillow and our pillows tend to collect dirt from our hair and surroundings which will lead to acne. So, make sure you are changing your pillow cover every other night. Trust me this will change your skincare game.

Silk pillow case I use is linked below.

amazon.in/Coolbeds-pillow-Scrunchies-Stylish-scrunchies/dp/B0974PM9R2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=silk+pillow+case&qid=1658753619&sr=8-5

Step 3 - Don't touch your face often with your dirty hands, it is unhygienic and not good for your skin in general. Don't pick or poke your pimples. I know this is basic but worth mentioning here because I used to do that a lot(Guilty 🙈) .

Step 4 - Remove makeup, sunscreen before going to bed without fail and Include double cleansing in your night time skincare routine especially if you wear makeup. Check out post on double cleaning here.

Step 5 - Cut down dairy and oily food if that is causing acne because for a lot of people it is the trigger factor. Include more greens and nutritious into your diet and drink loads and loads of water. What ever you do from outside doesn't matter if you don't take care from within.

Step 6 - Follow a good skincare routine that will help you treat acne( the most awaited part , confetti and clapping ) 

Below is my AM and PM routine which helped me treat my acne.

AM routine:

I cleanse my face for atleast 60 seconds with a good gentle cleanser , the one I use is cetaphil gentle cleanser.

After cleansing, I use the niacinamide serum and followed up with a good broad spectrum sunscreen. Both the products are from the brand be-minimalist. Do not skip sunscreen no matter what. Below are the links to the mentioned products.

Sunscreen- https://www.nykaa.com/minimalist-spf-60-pa-face-sunscreen-with-antioxidant-silymarin-for-complete-sun-protection/p/2812175?productId=2812175&pps=13

Niacinamide - https://www.nykaa.com/minimalist-niacinamide-10-serum/p/1067995?productId=1067995&pps=15 ( They have 5% variant as well if you are a beginner) 

I know , I've skipped  moisturizer which is very important to lock in all the goodness of your skincare but, I've ignored it because the sunscreen that use acts as a moisturizer too. Hence, skipped it to make sure my skin is not feeling too much heavy.

That's it , that's all use....minimal routine is always an effective routine.

PM Routine:

I double cleanse my face no matter what, I use Garnier micellar water as a first cleanser and again use cetaphil gentle cleanser as a second one.

After cleansing, I pat dry my face and use salicylic acid 2% followed by niacinamide serum. Both are again from be-minimalist brand. I stick to one brand products if I want my skin to adjust first.

Salicylic acid- nykaa.com/minimalist-salicylic-acid-2-serum/p/1067998?productId=1067998&pps=16

Niacinamide - https://www.nykaa.com/minimalist-niacinamide-10-serum/p/1067995?productId=1067995&pps=15 ( They have 5% variant as well if you are a beginner) 

I complete my night time routine with a thick ceramide moisturizer because I always want my skin to be well moisturized before going to sleep. I use Requil ceramide and hyaluronic acid moisturizer.

That's it guys, these are the steps I follow to treat my acne and of course with the help of my dermat if it is out of my hands. I did not mentioned the products that my dermat prescribed because I know people will buy them blindly and end up taking the toll on their skin.

The skincare routine I've mentioned is the one I follow with the products that I've mentioned because it has been working very very well for me during the bad skin days and I'll change the routine if I have to tackle something else like acne scars. The routine that follow can be used as prevention routine as well:)

Oh by the way stay tuned for my post of treating acne scars.

I hope this post is useful, stay tuned for more useful skincare content.