I’ve been battling adult acne over the past few years and the pandemic did not help. All of that mask wearing did not help and my solution was to exfoliate until I could not exfoliate any longer which did WAY more harm than good. Once I calmed down and got over the fact that yes in my late 20s I had acne which I didn’t have in high school, I went to Tone Dermatology and got serious about a plan. I started using a retinol which helped and used the skincare routine I’d been prescribed which worked but I still had breakouts that were deep cystic acne not the occasional blackhead. I wasn’t sure what was causing them but I felt like I had tried everything so went on Spironolactone for a couple months to try to solve it once and for all. However, I ended up stopping shortly after I started because it was annoying to manage with my long distance running training as you need to be careful with taking potassium while on the medication and most electrolyte replenishers have potassium. So I felt like I was back at square one, I’d followed Celeste, a blogger who talks about acne causing foods, for awhile so I knew the foods I was eating could be causing acne but I was puzzled by the fact that food I’d eaten before with no issue could be at the root of it.

I took a look at my diet and made some changes, and took another look at my skincare routine and makeup routine. I removed soft dairy, and nuts (RIP Almond Milk) while limiting caffeine which helped. I then focused on simplifying my skincare routine and being patient. I worked on drinking more water and being way more diligent about my routine when traveling. I don’t wear makeup if I can avoid it and if I do it’s a little bit of concealer with a simple routine and CLEAN makeup brushes always. I started off with just the basics and now I’ve layered a little more and found the below really works.

In Chicago I go to Tone Dermatology, if you’re not in Chicago you should follow Dr. Robinson anyway, she posts amazing skincare tips and information. She’s a Black derm that really cares about women of color! She’s also a good time and she keeps it real. For chemical peels and laser hair removal that is safe for melanated skin I go to Lapiel Laser Center, they’re so kind and if you mention my name you can get $$ off your services! They’re a neighborhood staple that has been open for decades.

Here are the products I use:

• Daily Oils: Honey Oil by Yaara (All Over) + Sunday Riley UFO Oil (Spot Treatment)
• Hyaluronic Acid: Inkey List (Affordable) or Eminence Organics (Smells Insanely Good)
• Daytime Moisturizer: Elta MD AM Restore
• Sunscreen: Elta MD Tinted Mineral Sunscreen (I got this travel pack with moisturizer + sunscreen)
• Night Moisturizer: Eminence Organics Bakuchiol + Niacinamide or ETUDE House SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream (Affordable + Effective)
• Extra Moisturizer (Night and/or Flight): Eminence Organics Kombucha Treatment Mask (learned about this one at a Lapiel appointment and wow it’s so good)
• Acne Spot Treatment: Thayers 10% Sulfer + La Roche Posay Effoclear Duo (great under makeup)
• Cleansing Balm: Farmacy Beauty Clearly Clean Cleansing Balm
• Skin Barrier Support: Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum
• Hypochlorous acid: SkinSmart Antimicrobial or Tower28 SOS Spray Mini
• Face Mist: Caudalie Grape Water (perfect before hyaluronic acid since your skin needs to be damp)
• Peel Pads: SkinBetter Alpharet Exfoliating Peel Pads
• Face Wash: Neutrogena Hydroboost which doesn’t come in travel size so I use these 30ml airless pump travel vessels to fill when I travel.

If my skin is really feeling irritated or I’ve been in the sun all day, I’ll add in this calming serum to my routine. Korean Beauty for the win! I love the Clean Skin Club face towels but they’re a little expensive so I’ve been purchasing these instead which I discovered last time I visited my parents because they had them in their bathrooms. I bring them on trips so I’m not cleaning my face with the hotel towels. I also use these at home!