Skin Care
I Spent Thousands Battling Hormonal Acne, and a $20 Regimen Cured ItThrough a four-year trial-and-error method, I finally found what keeps my acne under control |
The Aftermath: Red Marks and Scars - $37 Even though I wanted to cheer because I finally did something my skin seems okay with, it was hard to be excited when I still had so many clogged pores, blackheads and red marks. I was afraid of using too many products, so I decided to just use a beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) to treat the clogged pores — no other harsh products. I tried Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ($18) and Paula's Choice 8% AHA Gel ($19.20).
The BHA refined my skin and helped to smooth it. It doesn't work (for me) on bigger, hormone-related acne, but it did a lot for my topical, bacteria-based spots.
The red marks were (and still are) trickier to deal with. Time really is the best healer for these, but I've found that using BHAs, gentle exfoliation, a vitamin C serum and always wearing sunscreen help (red marks will get darker in the sun if unprotected).
SEE NEXT PAGE: My Routine
The BHA refined my skin and helped to smooth it. It doesn't work (for me) on bigger, hormone-related acne, but it did a lot for my topical, bacteria-based spots.
The red marks were (and still are) trickier to deal with. Time really is the best healer for these, but I've found that using BHAs, gentle exfoliation, a vitamin C serum and always wearing sunscreen help (red marks will get darker in the sun if unprotected).
SEE NEXT PAGE: My Routine