This success story comes from our community member Tejupriya who stumbled upon acnemantra.com 2-3 months ago. Since then she has come far, not only pulling herself out of the acne trenches by devouring the information here and clearing her skin, but also helping others in her wake. * applause *
Hi guys.
This is my story of battling acne. I had moderate acne (Acne Prone Skin Type 2) like many do in their teens.
Until I stumbled upon Acne Mantra by chance I didn’t exactly know what comedogenic ingredients and products were. I definitely used some of them without prior knowledge that they were comedogenic.
Everybody started to point out that I should visit a doctor and it was becoming really embarrassing, so I consulted a dermatologist who put me on antibiotics, prescribed me Retino-A and Trio-O-Bloc along with AHAGlow face wash.
I underwent chemical peeling and microdermabrasion which made a lot of difference with my acne and scars. Chemical peeling is done using various concentrations of salicylic / glycolic / lactic acid starting with the lowest concentration. This is like a facial, only safer.
A peeling agent is applied on clean face and left for a few minutes and then wiped off using ice / water and a soothing cream is applied. It exfoliates the dead skin layer, unclogs pores, treats acne and lightens acne. The marks were fading and my skin was becoming clearer day by day. That instilled a lot of confidence in me. I just loved it. I was not using any makeup to cover up the marks.
It is important to use a sunscreen when undergoing any kind of acne treatments. I preferred chemical peeling over microdermabrasion because the latter was irritating my skin. Somehow scrubbing does not go well with my skin. Mircrodermabrasion is abrading (or exfoliation) of dead skin cells using Aluminium Oxide Crystals at some suction pressure.
My acne was under control and I was really happy for a few years.
Until recently, like a year back, I made a stupid mistake of experimenting with so-called herbal products from Fab India and then followed the disaster of acne again. I was so heartbroken. Later I discovered that they were highly comedogenic products.
My previous dermatologist had relocated so I went to different one who scared me by saying, “You will never get rid of acne in your entire life and there is no point treating acne, all the treatments are a way of making money”. And then he put me on Benzac 5% and Metrogyl. I used Benzac for a month, it caused severe skin irritation and there was no improvement. It was only getting worse, so I discontinued it.
I was later diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism which was aggravating my acne. I am taking Eltroxin 100mg currently.
Then when I had lost all hope and was depressed I found Acne Mantra, my Fairy God Mother. I read up every article, educated myself about acne and realized the mistakes I was making and disposed all the useless comedogenic products and followed Starter Regimen and CPP Process. Finally my acne started clearing and the scars started fading!
I realized the essence of regimen in treating and maintaining acne prone skin. My regimen is as follows:
Morning: Saslic facewash + Suncote Sunscreen + Clean and Clear Skin Balancing Moisturizer + Kaya Spot Reducer Gel
Evening: AHAGlow face wash + Kaya Spot Reducer Gel
Night: Saslic face wash
Night 1: Keracynl Cream
Night 2: Kaya Night Cream with Antioxidants and Fairness + Clean and Clear Skin Balancing Moisturizer + Kaya Spot Reducer Gel
Spot treatment: if I see a pimple, I dab Metrogyl (topical antibiotic) on it
My hair care routine is just shampoo and conditioner. No Hair oil whatsoever. My daily makeup is sunscreen + moisturizer + compact. I avoid foundations as much as possible.
I have been using Maybelline foundation and compact for a few years now and they do not break me out. Since the marks are fading I do not require a concealer. If needed, I use Colorbar Pot Concealer.
Moral of the story: timely diagnosis and effective treatment coupled with the right skin care regimen and hope can make all the difference!!
