I have struggled with acne pretty much my whole life. It started when I was about 14 and that’s when I started going to an esthetician because the skin on my face was breaking out, but mostly because of my severe backne.
I have tried just about everything there is. Seriously. I have read countless articles and blogs about the “only thing you need” or “$$$ products to change your life” and they always failed.
I even tried the all natural route with essential oils, serums, apple cider vinegar and “less is more” mindset. I even tried cutting out dairy and I think that made me break out more…
The only thing that worked for me was Rodan and Fields. I loved Rodan and Fields and it truly did work but it is very very expensive to keep up and I knew there had to be another, less expensive option that worked just as well.
When I stopped using Rodan and Fields I was thrown right back into my middle school/ high school acne. If you have acne, you know how frustrating and helpless it feels to look in the mirror and see pimples and scarring.
Even with makeup, you still notice the bumps and redness and it just feels uncomfortable!
This past December during my senior year of college I went to a dermatologist and I did some rounds of Clindamycin, Minocycline, and Tretacycline to see if they would help. I had tried all of them in high school and they didn’t work then and they didn’t work this time either.
The dermatologist recommended several different creams and treatments (Differin was one of them and that did not work at all) but after months of using them, still no progress.
Here is a picture of my skin in January 2020. This is after a couple visits to the dermatologist and using the prescribed treatments and medicine:
When I got back home, My dermatologist recommended that I started taking birth control and that that could help significantly. So, I went to the gynecologist and got prescribed a birth control that would help with my skin.
This picture was taken after I started the birth control and y’all. I hated it. The kind I was taking made me feel nauseous all of the time and made me lose my appetite.
This was also pre-teeth whitening trio routine (which you can read about here) and how I got rid of that yellow tooth (and overall whitened all my teeth!)
I went back to the gynecologist and got prescribed another birth control to try. (One that wouldn’t make me feel sick, and would help my skin more)
My Current Routine:
Now, for the past 6 months or so, I have been taking the new birth control and using this facial cleanser (day & night) with this moisturizer (only in the morning) and one pump of prescription grade Retin-A Micro (Tretinoin) at night.
All of that was working OK. I would still get huge cysts on my cheeks and pimples along my hairline but it was manageable for the most part.
These past 4 months though is when I started implementing the one thing that has completely cleared my skin… water.
We all know that drinking water can solve a lot of things and has a lot of health benefits. But it has truly, single handedly, cleared my skin better than any product I’ve used before.
One day during the early stages of quarantine I googled how much water we are actually suppose to be drinking and this is what I found:
“In general, you should try to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day.” For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day. (Web.MD)
I started tracking on my phone how much water I was drinking (which makes it so easy to keep up with it). After months of consistent tracking, I know when I haven’t had enough water because I will be thirsty for more!
For the past 4 months I have been drinking between 120-140 fl oz of water every day. And it has changed my life and my skin!
Unedited pictures of my skin with no makeup (Taken on 7/20/2020):
Please take before and after pictures and let me know if you try this! Even if you are breaking out, drinking more water can help your overall skin complexion.
Thanks for reading!
