MY SKINCARE & ACNE

These are before & after photos of my acne. I haven’t got photos of my skin at its worst, but this comparison shows the difference skincare made to me.

I believe good skincare is essential if you’re passionate about make-up. Think of you the canvas, and skincare as the preparation of that canvas. It’s true that foundation will look much better on a smooth, moisturised face, and after a few weeks of improving your skincare routine, the results should be promising.

Personally, I suffer from spot-prone skin, with bouts of acne. I’ve managed to control the breakouts and I now feel comfortable without foundation and concealer. When I started breaking out with acne I didn’t have any clue what caused it, how to treat it, or even how to cover it effectively.

What might surprise you about acne is:

• It hurts. Worrying about acne isn’t vain and pointless. Spots hurt. They bleed and weep, and lurk under the skin for days.
• It scars. It’s pretty easy to be left with very visible scars from an acne breakout.
• It’s not just teenagers. Many adults suffer from acne too. Your skin doesn’t magically transform as you hit twenty years old.

I’m going to outline just how I keep my skin under control. Of course this is not a fix-all guide: everybody’s different, and your treatment has to suit your skin.

1. STOP. Stop buying lotions and potions that promise you the world. If there was a cream that stopped acne, you’d know about it. If there was real science behind it, it’d be a miracle product. Stop wasting money and hope on these products.
2. STICK. Switching between products is not going to solve your problems. If you do this, you have no idea what is causing your flare-ups, solving them, or soothing them. Similarly, using many products with the same aim (ie. three different acne-treating moisturisers) is going to do much the same.
3. SIMPLE. Forget exfoliating, tough, strong gels, and creams that sting when you apply them. I wasted months on Clearasil and Clean & Clear. I just found that all these managed to do was strip my skin of whatever was left, aggravate the acne, and leave it sore.
4. SENSITIVE. The trick is to treat your skin like VERY sensitive skin- this is essentially what it is. Think of the acne as a response to the products with alcohol as their first ingredient, scrubby gels and harsh moisturisers.
   
   Always take your make-up off. I like to take mine off as soon as I get home, so that I know I won’t be lazy or forget. I use No7′s cream cleanser, but any simple cream cleanser works. Supermarkets often sell Vitamin E cleanser, or moisturising cleanser. It’s essential that it’s creamy and not foamy. Remember, you need to tread on eggshells with your skin. I use a face cloth, and warm (NOT hot) water, and cleanse until my face is clear. I then let it dry. Before bed, I apply Boots’ Botanic oil. This is the only thing I’ve been able to use that doesn’t cause spots. I have oily skin, and applying oil does seem counter-intuitive, but it definitely works. When I wake, I don’t cleanse again- that would be too harsh- but if my skin is dry, I’ll apply some more oil.
   
   This routine has to be stuck to. Don’t expect immediate results, but stick with it, persevere, and if it doesn’t work then try another technique. I can’t stress how much being gentle with my skin has helped it.