In my early twenties, I thought I was lucky and had dodged the teenage acne phase. I never got a pimple and thought acne was just going to be something I would never have to deal with.
At twenty-years-old, I moved to Utah for rehab to get clean and sober. When I was finally out of detox I looked in the mirror and my face was covered with acne. I remember thinking that it was probably just toxins seeping out of my skin and it would pass. It didn’t pass for about five years.
I was desperate. I tried everything! I don’t mean to sound like a Proactiv commercial, but I didn’t even want to leave my house. I had really bad cystic acne. The pimples were deep into my skin and painful.
Yes, I tried to pop them and knew it would only make things worse. I also touched my face a lot to see if they were settling down and my friends would bat my hands away from my face and say, “Stop!! You are just going to make things worse.”
I felt like I saw people with beautiful, clear skin everywhere. On television, social media, and out in public. I was jealous and felt bad about myself. I would cake my makeup on to try and hide my hideous bumpy face, but it made me look worse
When I first started getting breakouts, I went to a dermatologist. She gave me a prescription for expensive creams and antibiotics. The creams didn’t do anything except bleach my bathroom towels and the antibiotics gave me an ulcer. After that didn’t work, I kind of gave up for a few months.
I tried almost every over-the-counter skin care product but of course, that didn’t work. I even got monthly facials but that got to be expensive so I had to stop.
I went to a naturopath to get tested for food allergies. I thought maybe something in my diet was causing me to breakout. The doctor said I was allergic to basically everything. Gluten, dairy, eggs, fruit. I tried to be gluten and dairy-free but that was so hard and I don’t have enough discipline to eat like that.
I was then introduced to SkinSAFE. SkinSAFE is a resource that ranks products based on their ingredients. I had this “aha!” moment and realized that maybe certain ingredients are causing my skin to breakout. I always just looked at the packaging and if it said “hypoallergenic” or “for sensitive skin” I thought that meant that it was safe for me, however, there is no regulation so brands can really claim anything.
I switched all my skincare, hair, and makeup products to products that were ranked “Top Free” in the SkinSAFE database. Yes, I even got rid of the yummy smelling shampoo. It was difficult to let go of certain products but I would be happier with clearer skin.
After a few months, I noticed huge improvements! I finally had clear skin. I now feel confident and rarely wear makeup. I am so grateful to have clear skin today. People even say, “Wow! Your skin is so beautiful!” And I say, “It wasn’t always like that.” But they never believe me.
To find products safe for your own skin, visit their website http://skinsafeproducts.com