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2 yrs skinmaxxing.
you don't need accutane to make some real changes, especially if you don't have severe cystic acne. people recommend it too much, i think. it's more of a last resort thing since it's the strongest drug for acne and the purging can be inconvenient.
if you have mild-moderate acne or simply can't get an accutane prescription for whatever reason, here's an entry level guide(?) and some resources. catered for oily/combination skin type since that's what i have, but other skin types can still get some useful info.
note: i live in asia so i use products that might be hard to find outside east/southeast asia or are too expensive due to shipping fee. you can probably find alternatives though, as long as it's from a reputable brand. i only mention the ones i use and recommend. they may not work for you. a huge part of skincare is figuring out the products/ingredients that suit you, since nothing is one-size-fits-all.
everything that has worked for me:
1. Double cleansing/oil massaging - basically means using two types of cleansers; an oil cleanser, and a regular water-soluble cleanser afterwards. The oil cleanser reaches and dissolves the gunk in your pores that a regular cleanser can't. This has entirely cleared up all my blackheads, whiteheads, and sebaceous filaments. New ones rarely come up now. It also removes dead skins cells/exfoliates skin, so it can appear smoother. Find an cleansing oil that suits you(don't use some random oil in your kitchen...). I personally have used Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original and Heimish All Clean Balm, which both works well. Massage the oil gently on your face for a maximum of five minutes, then rinse it with a gentle, regular cleanser as the second step to ensure there's no residue of anything.
more info:
2. Hydration - hydration helps dull and rough skin, as well as heal irritation that can lead to acne. Regardless if you have dry or oily skin, it needs hydration. Usually oily/combination skin doesn't need heavy hydration and one product can suffice, but there is also such a thing as "dehydrated oily skin", which is skin that's very oily but also very dehydrated(the dehydration is what causes the excessive oil). You might have dehydrated oily skin if it looks dry and flaky underneath the oil and feels tight and irritated. That calls for heavier hydration than what regular oily skin would need. You can use toners, serums, and moisturizers. Personally, since I only have regular oily skin, I can do just fine with one moisturizer(Cosrx Snail Mucin Cream). I recently started using a toner(Hatomugi Skin Conditioner) before applying my moisturizer and it does improve hydration significantly. But when you're starting out, you can just focus on what's necessary. Again, one product for hydration can be enough already.
more info:

How to Choose a Moisturizer: The Science | Lab Muffin Beauty Science
Choosing your moisturizer can be a difficult process. The beauty section is full of moisturizers for different skin types, and you'd think you'd be fine picking one that matches your skin type.

3. Salicylic acid - i use this for treating pustules and papules. the red zits. this is an exfoliating ingredient, so it can be irritating. it's not something you're supposed to use daily or on your entire face at first. gauge how much your can skin can tolerate and slowly increase your usage. there's also percentages to this. 2% is usually the most popular and effective. you can start out with 0.5% though. I use Oxecure Powder Mud which contains 2% salicylic. Salicylic is very accessible and it's easy to find products that has it.
4. Sunscreen - everyone needs this. use it daily and reapply if you're diligent enough. prevents cancer and ageing. also helps in fading hyperpigmentation/PIH/PIE. keep in mind you not only need a sunscreen with high SPF(UVB protection), but also high PA(UVB protection). the PA is what prevents skin damage. most western sunscreens don't really have the PA indicated for some reason so i prefer asian sunscreens with a clear PA rating. SkinAqua and Biore are good brands. Also, you can still get some vitamin d under the sun even if you have sunscreen on, not to mention you can just get the enough amount from food too. you don't have to concern yourself with that part.
5. Azelaic Acid and Niacinamide - i used A-Control 10% Azelaic Acid Serum which also included niacinamide. this has been the fastest and most effective way i've tried to fade PIH. only took 2 months to fade most of my hyperpigmentation completely, but even a month was enough for it to be mostly gone. works better on newer spots but older spots still do fade eventually. make sure to use sunscreen while using, since sun exposure just neutralizes the effect. Azelaic Acid also used for rosacea, and apparently reduces acne in general, especially the inflammatory types. Both azelaic acid and niacinamide are also supposed to reduce the appearance of pores. Sometime in the day my pores used to get kind of visible, but that does not happen anymore when I started using the serum.
6. Fish oil supplements - i don't even take this mainly for acne, but somehow it greatly reduced my PIE and the frequency of new spots. Probably because fish oil is anti-inflammatory? Idk what's going on, but it works. It's also very low-risk and is good for general nutrition, so there's quite literally no harm in trying it unless you have complications it can worsen. I take two 1000mg capsules per day.
7. Hydrocolloid pimple patches - instead of popping your pimples, use this instead. It'll do the popping for you in a safer and much more effective way. Also prevents you from directly touching the pimple and is a good cover-up during the day. Most effective for pustules(zits with visible pus). I use Cosrx/Isntree pimple patches but the brand doesn't matter when it comes to this, as long as it has hydrocolloid. Apparently you can also just get regular hydrocolloid bandages and cut them up into tiny pieces but I haven't tried that.
incorporating all of these together has been enough to "fix" my skin. only problem i have right now are hormonal breakouts i sometimes get right before my periods. that pretty much cannot be prevented by surface level skincare. im currently looking into a solution. (i mentioned periods but everything else here i assume works for males too. all surface level stuff are supposed to work regardless of gender.)
other ingredients:
the ones i mentioned aren't the only ones available, of course. there's quite a lot of non-prescription skincare ingredients you can try. there's glycolic acid, retinoids, and vitamin c to name a few. here are useful links:
incidecoder.com
Ingredients decoded
Browse through all the ingredients in our database and read our easy-to-follow, cool explanations about what they do in your skincare or cosmetic product.


How to Get Perfect, Younger, and Healthy Skin: Active vs. Inactive Ingredients
Ever read an ingredient list on a skincare product label and wondered why some are listed as active percentages? I'm explaining why in my latest blog post!

https://www.youtube.com/@LabMuffinBeautyScience/videos (chemist that specializes in cosmetic products. her channel is a very useful resource for skincare and haircare in general)
before trying a ingredient/product ensure to research it first thoroughly. not only its effects and risks but also its percentages and usage frequency.
another thing to keep in mind is product formulation. products can have different formulations even with the exact same ingredients and that’s a huge thing to consider. a product can be better simply because it has better formulation. we can't really know the formulation but again, look for well-received products from reputable brand for (hopefully) good formulations.
Choosing the right products - tip
before you buy a product, make sure it's safe for your skin. you can never be 100% safe but there's always ways to narrow it down.
Mainly your skin reacts badly to a product because -
before you buy a product, make sure it's safe for your skin. you can never be 100% safe but there's always ways to narrow it down.
Mainly your skin reacts badly to a product because -
- It clogged your pores - most asian skincare are noncomedogenic(non-clogging), so it’s usually not a problem. western products on the other hand often aren't. research the product’s ingredients before buying. there are sites for this: InciDecoder and Skinsort, to name a few. they have comedogenicity ratings(how comedogenic the ingredient is). every ingredient’s rating should be added up. must aim for 0 comedogenicity if you want to be absolutely safe. personally i find that some ingredients with at most 2-4 comedogenicity are still safe enough for me. you'll have to learn which are and aren't tolerable for you. some are worse than others even with the same comedogenicity rating.
- it irritated your skin - we all have different sensitivity so this is something you have to figure out too. there’s irritancy ratings as well for this. aim for 0 irritancy if you want to be absolutely safe. usage frequency also contributes to irritation.
- you’re allergic to the ingredients - if you’re aware enough of your allergies and research the ingredients well, you can probably avoid this. patch testing also helps. apply a generous amount of product on skin area that's not your face and wait 24hrs for a reaction.
Building a routine
it takes time to build a good enough routine, a lot of it trial and error. Narrow it down to three basic parts at the start: 1. Cleansing 2. Hydration 3. Sun protection. You can add exfoliation and whatnot later. These three are kind of what everyone needs. I recommend double cleansing but a regular water-soluble cleanser can work on its own. Take it slow and observe how your chosen products work for you within a month atleast, then you can decide to keep or replace them.
Cetaphil is a pretty safe, basic brand to start with if you need something that's accessible anywhere. It has everything you need in a basic routine. baby wash products can work too, if you really have no other option. for hydration, Aquaphor can work. sun protection... hmm idk gng. other than Cetaphil, Vaseline probably has the most accessible sunscreen option but check for comedogenicity.
good, safe recos if they are an option for you:
cleanser:
Soon Jung Whip Cleanser
COSRX Advanced Snail Mucin Gel Cleanser
Pyunkang Yul Low Ph Pore Deep Cleansing Foam
hydration:
Pyunkang Yul moisture cream
Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Cream
sun protection:
Canmake UV
Isntree Hyaluronic sun gel
anything from biore and skinaqua
will edit this later cant think rn
it takes time to build a good enough routine, a lot of it trial and error. Narrow it down to three basic parts at the start: 1. Cleansing 2. Hydration 3. Sun protection. You can add exfoliation and whatnot later. These three are kind of what everyone needs. I recommend double cleansing but a regular water-soluble cleanser can work on its own. Take it slow and observe how your chosen products work for you within a month atleast, then you can decide to keep or replace them.
Cetaphil is a pretty safe, basic brand to start with if you need something that's accessible anywhere. It has everything you need in a basic routine. baby wash products can work too, if you really have no other option. for hydration, Aquaphor can work. sun protection... hmm idk gng. other than Cetaphil, Vaseline probably has the most accessible sunscreen option but check for comedogenicity.
good, safe recos if they are an option for you:
cleanser:
Soon Jung Whip Cleanser
COSRX Advanced Snail Mucin Gel Cleanser
Pyunkang Yul Low Ph Pore Deep Cleansing Foam
hydration:
Pyunkang Yul moisture cream
Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Cream
sun protection:
Canmake UV
Isntree Hyaluronic sun gel
anything from biore and skinaqua
will edit this later cant think rn
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