Zit-Be-Gone!

So... this is kind of a random, somewhat personally sensitive issue to be posting about on the blogosphere, but I feel like it's important to give reviews of products that actually work! Brett and I have noticed that most of the reviews of businesses and products are negative, because if you're happy about a purchase, you usually go on your way without thinking about it enough to "review" it, but if you're unhappy then you can't seem to get it off your mind until you write all sorts of horrible things about the unclean restaurant or ebay seller who ripped you off.

And so, putting personal embarrassment aside (well not really), I wanted to give a big shout out to Acne.org for their "regimen" for getting clear.

8th grade - not too bad minus the braces (and Mikayla is still like this in my brain, not 20)

Sr. picture - again, not too bad

I actually didn't have horrible skin in Jr. High and High School - the occasional zit would pop up (usually around school picture time), and I'd do my best to cover it with makeup. But when I hit about 20 my face exploded, as did my sleep (I don't know if the 2 are hormonally related...). I never had serious acne like I know some people do, but I usually had several zits at one time, and was always self-conscious about it. Again, I wore makeup every day to try to conceal them (that's what concealer is for, right?), but it never seemed to do a very good job, or even made it look worse (less red from far away maybe, but still gross face-to-face).

I tried Proactive for a while during college and all it did was dry out my face and make it over produce oils and, bam! More "zits of despair"! (That's what we called them at my house... said with your best Albino voice...).  I think it just irritated my skin so much that I ended up with more problems than solutions.

My face... ick... The flowers were pretty though. May 2008

Bridals... supposed to look good in that dress and with those flowers - blerg. July 2008

Still a problem even with makeup... Dec 2011

February 2012 I was doing some Google-ing, and came across Acne.org. One of the things that I like most about this site is that the info is free - Daniel Kern tells his story and relates his "Regimen" for absolutely nothing. He also tells you what drugstore products to look for and what works well instead of forcing you to buy his "brand" - I thought that was very cool of him. I did decide to buy his 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment because it came in a large bottle, which it doesn't at the store, but I used the cheaper cleanser and moisturizer from Wal-mart. He suggests using up that bottle I bought within a month but I'm still using it and it's August (6 months...). Maybe the reason I'm not perfectly clear yet is because I'm not using enough (and because I touch my face more than I should, and can't seem to be gentle enough when washing), but I'm happy with where I am and without spending a good chunk of change each month. Now I only wear makeup on Sunday's and special occasions, and feel comfortable in my own skin (couldn't have said that a year ago...).

Today - no makeup (except mascara... I look weird without eyelashes). A little shiny from the moisturizer and the lighting, but not really as oily as it might look. Not perfect, but believe me... soooooo much better! And excuse the hair... air-dried and no straightener.

So there you have it. I post this because having acne as an adult is lame (I had more than the kids I taught in middle school for goodness-sake!) and just in case there's anyone reading this that needs a nudge in the right direction, I recommend "The Regimen".

Brett (who thinks I'm gorgeous all the time... right, honey?) would think this is a silly post, but I'm still gonna share it!