I got so many DMs from my followers regarding my review about halo beauty, most of them told me that it would be very helpful to share my experience how to deal with hormonal acne, so here I am I want to share my experience and some useful tips to handle hormonal acne. I know hormonal acne is a serious problem. Despite all the pain, the worse thing about hormonal acne for me is that makes me feel insecure about my look.
When I was in the 2nd semester of my college year my skin started to freak out. I don’t know what was the trigger but there is so many acne that came out in my face the red bumps, white head, and black bumps are all over my face, I feel so stressed about my skin condition and it even got worse when I start to cover them with makeup. I watched so many skincare reviews and drawn in so many products that I tried but the result was a big zero.
Then finally I came to my last option, to see a dermatologist. For about 6 months I keep using all kind of treatments from my dermatologist, but it still not that easy. I cannot keep my patience cause I keep seeing my self so ugly, I just can’t accept how I look. I keep complaining and angry with all the people around me because of my look , I was so ungrateful and selfish until I keep winning to my dermatologist and then at one of my control meeting she just lash out on me haha fyi my dermatologist is in Bandung and she’s very known with a disciplined attitude to all of her patients.
By all means is if you don’t obey her suggestion she won’t be afraid to warn you in a hard way Lol and she said to me “ You came to me to heal and fix your acne problem and I did that, I fix your face when you have so many active bumps all over your face but take a look at your face rn we made this far and we just need more time to clear the dark spots, and everything takes time. If you don’t give your skin time to heal then your skin won’t give you the result that you want. Skin needs time to process all of the medication and treatments that we use for at least 2 weeks. If you don’t be grateful for what you have right now the universe will not give you what you want, cause what for you will keep asking for more and not learn from it? If you keep winning it means you don’t trust the process and you don’t trust me. So I don’t have time for that shit, please go find another dermatologist and I will make sure to you the result will be the same, so it's your choice.”
Since that day I always hold on to her advice. If I can't accept and love my skin, so does it. I won’t find the solution from my problem if I don’t accept the problem first. So the first step that is accepting my self that I have a severe acne problem in my face accept that okay its there, o matter how I try to deny it, it’s there. No one wants to feel bad about their self, shitty things that happen don’t seem so fair and sometimes you have to do the things that don’t feel good. The more you resist the more is going to hurt, so I want to take you guys to stop being sad and disappointed to your self cause you are not alone. Not only me but so many people have the same struggle as you.
Clear your mind about how do I look, why am I like this cause that kind of thoughts will never be enough if you don’t have self-acceptance. When you have yourself acceptance we can focus on what solution can I do to handle this. Have your patience, everything will be beautiful when its time to be. So enjoy the process, know your skin better than anyone else, cause I do now thanks for my acne. My acne problems make me know my skin better, I can easily know what my skin react to several ingredients, food, activity or anything. I can pick what skincare is my holy grail and what makeup products I should avoid even I found the perfect makeup look for my face after all of that! from the Instagram heavy makeup look to the real healthy natural skin look cause I want to show my real skin not to cover them it's my hard work lol!, so just be fun with it! Trust me knowing about your skin better makes you even smarter lol.
And now I’m gonna give you some tips for you to try to handle hormonal acne, these tips work for me every time when I have to deal with hormonal acne.
1. Avoid sugar & dairy products
Hear this much? LOL sugar and dairy products are the number one enemy for the skin. Blood sugar spikes and dairy products are causing inflammation & hormonal fluctuations which can exacerbate acne.
2. Use topical treatments as Retinoids, Antibiotics, Anti-inflammatories, Salicylic Acids or Benzoyl Peroxide.
These ingredients are for clear your skin from bacteria that cause infection and also prevent future acne, but before you try them to make sure to consult it with a dermatologist. There is one of my favourite skincare products that i've been using as a moisturizer but at the same time it helps my skin to heal and calming my active acne. Its the Charis M+ cream my skin been loving it ever since i use them as my moisturizer , the M+ cream contains Centella Asiatica plants or commonly known as Cica plants, which is really good for an acne prone skin to calm the inflammation from active zits and prevent future acne.
I've been using this for like a year and i can see a promising results on my skin. The other thing that i like about this cream it is very suitable for sensitive skin like mine , it didn't cause any bad side effects on my skin even though i combine it with other skincare. The texture itself is really lightweight and bleandable with makeup, i always use them as the base before i put on any makeup and as i can see from the results it did not give me new zits and its very wearable to be use on daily basis. You can check them out on my Charis Store and get a special discount just click on the link down below!
3. Exfoliate!
Either you are using a physical or chemical exfoliator, you gotta make him as your new routine. Exfoliate helps to remove dead skin cells that make your pores clogged. You should dot his 2-3 times per week with one day interlude.
4. Don’t use too much makeup that will block your skin.
When I have my active acne I always use minimal makeup even if I don’t need it too much I won’t use it. Use foundation, primer or anything that related to your face is in sheer or medium coverage, use base that won’t block your pores. Cause it can make your skin condition worse and always cleanse your face! Don’t go to bed with your makeup on! It will make your skin worse. Makeup leftovers contain bacteria that will clog your pores and make more inflammation.
5. Drink vitamins
To balance out your hormones & improving the spin cycle
6. NEVER TOUCH YOUR FACE WITH YOUR DIRTY FINGER
dirty finger contains so much bacteria that will make your acne worse or even make more new acne, so don’t ever let your finger touch your face before its clean!
7. Exercises more
Stress can have a major effect on our bodies, especially our skin. Regular exercise such as gym, pilates, yoga can reduce stress & anxiety. Exercises also help you to release therapy endorphins & accelerate blood circulation.
8. Set your bedtime.
This is the key, our skin needs enough bedtime, called it beauty sleep. While you are asleep your body’s hydration rebalances and recovers extra moisture. This makes sleep a natural moisturizer that can help to smooth out wrinkles on the skin. If you miss out on sleep it can also affect the moisture levels in your skin and lower your complexion’s PH level. A skin imbalance is created when your PH levels drop. This imbalance causes your skin to not produce the moisture it so desperately needs, leading to drier skin. Also when you miss out on sleep this directly applies stress to the body. Chronic stress harms the integrity of the collagen in the skin. Collagen is an important ingredient in the elasticity and structure of the skin. When collagen is broken down, the skin shows more noticeable signs of aging by becoming thinner and less firm. When skin is thin its appearance is less smooth and subtle and showcases wrinkling more prominently.
9. FACE MASK
Is the real definition of small steps but helps a lot. Using face mask make your skin less stress and it also gives the extra hydration that your skin needs, so hear your skin what they need then buy the right mask for you! For sheet mask, you can use it every day and clay mask for 2-3 times a week.
10. See a Dermatologist
If you have tried so many products, treatment or anything to handle your acne and you don’t see any improvements. If you want to splurge your money to something certain I suggest you go to see a dermatologist. They will help you to check your skin and develop an effective treatment plan.
11. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Control your diet, avoid oily food, fast food, anything unhealthy cause it will ruin your hormones and slow down your skin to heal.
The key to treating hormonal acne is patience. Just trust the process and God to the rest! Hope your skin gets better. Stay healthy and drinks a lot of water! YOU’RE PRETTY!
XOXO.