Since my acne seemed to be mainly hormonal (and is especially bad around my chin, where most dermatologists say hormonal acne pops up), I kept going back to it being related to an internal imbalance.

I read that fish oil (around $9 at the drugstore) and spearmint tea ($3.50 for a box) can help balance your hormones. As demonstrated by my track record, I was game for anything. About three weeks into fish oil supplements and daily spearmint tea, I noticed that my inflamed pimples were slowly decreasing.

I cut out spearmint tea, just to see if that was behind the sudden control over my acne I was experiencing. Three months later, I still hadn't gotten one of those deep cysts, so I knew the spearmint tea wasn't a magic brew keeping my acne at bay.

Then, because I was trying to approach this scientifically, I decided to cut out the fish oil, too. Bad idea. I started to get a lot of pimples right around my menstrual cycle. Back to popping fish oil!

The combination of the no-pick policy and fish oil supplements seemed to be a recipe my skin likes. Finally, I had made some headway.

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).

Slowly, my acne scars and marks have faded. It's amazing to look back at the pictures I have of my acne (which aren't even from when it was at its worst, since I had a tendency to go on picture-deleting sprees when I was feeling really ugly). I still break out every now and then, but I've learned that treating my skin very gently is much better than attacking it with aggressive treatments. Fish oil and a basic routine isn't a cure-all for me -- acne will always be an ongoing battle -- but it does seem to keep my skin from getting really angry and irritated. To prevent acne, here's what I do:

-A gentle cleanser (I use Aqua Glycolic Facial Cleanser, $14.39, every two days, and Albolene, $7.29, on the other days, which I also use as a makeup remover)
-A simple moisturizer (Elta MD Intense Moisturizer, $10.50, only at night)
-Gentle treatment products (a vitamin C serum I make myself)
-Makeup (I only wear Shiseido Liquid Foundation, $36, and only if I'm going out)
-Sunscreen Shiseido Anessa SPF 46+++ Mild Face Sunscreen (around $16, imported from Japan)

Those are the only things I ever put on my face.

I also changed a few habits that I think cut down on my blemishes:

-Every day: Clean glasses
-Once every two days: Change pillow case cover
-Once a week: Wipe down everything that touches my hands or my face with alcohol pads (cell phone, keyboard, mouse, steering wheel, etc.); Clean makeup brushes and other beauty tools; Clean bedroom
-Once every two weeks: Wash sheets
-Once a month: Deep clean bedroom and house

I take a cinnamon extract supplement, Omega 3 vitamin, and a multi-vitamin daily.

A word of warning: I'm telling you about my trial and error process so you can relate to my experience. The above is not a guideline in any way for you to go about treating your own acne. Everyone's skin is different and what worked for me may not work for you. For all I know, your dermatologist's office might have been your last stop before clear skin. Maybe, like my sister, changing your diet is necessary. I don't recommend any one way to treat your skin. I do, however, recommend documenting your process (but you don't have to share it with the entire Internet like me) so you can figure out what your skin likes. Once I figured out my skin's "ecosystem," I was able to maintain the environment it flourishes in.

To help others battling the ol' acne beast, I created a website, skinacea.com. I documented my acne experience in detail, along with my experiences with common remedies and other skin issues.

My battle with acne, from my first breakout to finally clearing my skin, took about four to five years. There were times that I felt really low during that period. I was a young, social adult, but my acne made me want to hide forever. I felt like there was something wrong with me — that I was unclean or unhygienic or a bad person and that's why I was plagued with awful zits. Looking back, I wish I had gone out and socialized anyway. I can never get those years back, and staying inside moping over my skin wasn't fun. You can't choose whether you have acne, but you can choose whether you will let it control your life.

All images used with permission from skinacea.com