Our skin can tell us so much about our bodies–if you take the time to notice. Your outermost layer of protection can give the world their first impression of your age, stress levels, diet, and how much water you consume. Essentially, I like to think of our epidermis as a crystal clear reflection of what’s really going on inside of our bodies. 

It wasn’t until about three years ago that I really had to tune into what my skin was trying to tell me as cystic acne began to ruthlessly take over my jawline, neck, and cheeks. Not only did I feel like my face was being taken over by giant craters, but I was in an immense amount of pain and really didn’t want to be seen in public. 

Over the next two years my acne only continued to get worse and it got to the point last spring where cystic acne had completely taken over my face. It didn’t help that during this time I was transitioning from coaching in person at a gym to just teaching virtually, which required me to be in front of a camera and bright studio lights daily. I had tried just about every antibiotic, topical medication, and half the medi spas in Charleston–nothing seemed to be working.

At this point, I began doing a lot of research into the effect diet, stress, gut health, and hormones have on our skin. 

Six months later, I have a few minor breakouts every now and then, but my cystic acne is completely healed. I know that routines vary from person to person, but I thought I would highlight a few major changes in my routine that I think made the biggest difference. 

Simplifying my Routine

In the past when I had a bad breakout I would go into sephora and buy whatever product ‘looked’ worthy of solving all my acne related problems (I’m such a sucker for good branding and packaging). I was adding in a new product and changing up my routine every couple of weeks, which I know now isn’t the best plan of action. I’ve been seeing Jennifer at Ella Ora every six weeks and using nothing but these products for the last 6-8 months (in this order):

Morning:

Skin Ceuticals LHA Cleansing Gel (I switch to Barbara Sturm occasionally when I need something more gentle)

Thayer’s Witch Hazel Facial Toner

Skin Ceuticals CE Ferulic Serum (Vitamin C serum)

Skin Ceuticals Blemish and Age Defense (spot treatment for pimples as needed)

Skin Ceuticals Daily Moisturizer 

Elta SPF (IMPORTANT! You guys better be wearing your SPF everyday)

Night:

Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm

Skin Ceuticals LHA Cleansing Gel 

MBR Medical Beauty Research Enzyme Cleansing Booster

Germain Dermatology Retinol

Skin Ceuticals Hyaluronic Acid (amazing for hydration and wrinkles, my god this stuff is aging me backwards like Benjamin Button)

Elta MD AM Cleanser (thicker and more hydrating than the nighttime in my opinion)

Skin Ceuticals B5 Mask (I only use this if my skin needs extra hydration, this stuff is amazing. I leave it on overnight)

MBR Eye Cream

Exfoliation & Other (I alternate between these 2-3 times per week):

Glam Glo Clay Mask

Dr. Barbara Sturm Clarifying Mask

Germain Dermatology Brightening Mask

I also switch between these two eye masks regularly: Medical Beauty Research Eye Patches and Peter Thomas Roth Eye Patches

Dietary Changes

I’ve been primarily gluten, soy, and dairy free for a few years now, but I do cheat occasionally. I’ve noticed it really doesn’t bother my skin or stomach if I cheat on these ingredients a couple of times over the weekend as long as I don’t make it a habit. However, there were definitely times last year when I was a lot more lenient.

I really buckled down by completely cutting these ingredients out of my diet and wow did I see an incredible improvement in my skin. I also added in ingredients such as sauerkraut and my skin smoothie daily to aid in gut health.

Eliminating Stress 

Stress is HUGE when it comes to your skin and hormones. My cystic breakouts were all along my neck and jaw which is a big sign that the majority of my acne was due to stress/hormonal imbalance. 

To eliminate stress I had to make some really big life changes such as distancing myself from people and things that were draining my energy, start going to therapy, and making time to meditate/breathe daily. I added an entire section to Mils Method with 5-10 minute breathing videos because taking this time for myself everyday has changed my life and health drastically.

Learning how to cope with my stress has been huge for my overall happiness and I used to think breathing/meditation was a bunch of woo woo shit until I actually gave it a try. Start with just a 5 minute video (maybe even just a morning stretch!) in the morning and watch how it changes the trajectory of your day. 

Weird Things I Tried That Worked

Some might find these neurotic and I would probably agree, but I think these weird, quirky little things contributed to clearing up my acne and I’m here to spread the knowledge. 

• Washing my pillow case every 2 days
• Eliminating wash cloths (I just rinse with cold water, washcloths carry so much bacteria!)
• Making sure I’m drying my face with a clean towel
• Cleaning my phone with sanitizing wipes daily
• Washing my hands before I even wash my face or go near my face

I hope you guys can find some of these tips useful in your daily skincare routine! Let me know if you try any of them, I’d love to hear from you.