Comfortable in my own Skin

There have been times in my life where my skin looked frankly, bloody awful! It was really sensitive and extremely blemish prone.

I used to change my skin care routine pretty much every month to find a miracle cure. You would think as an adult, you'd grow out of acne right? Well, it took me years.

People who have suffered from adult acne will tell you, it's one of the most frustrating things ever.

There's a couple of things I can say that definitely worked for me.

It was nothing to do with diet. I've always eaten whatever took my fancy.

Forget your typical high street brands and high end brands that claim to clear skin up! Use them to just cleanse your skin but not to clear up acne. For that, go to your doctor! I can't stress this enough.

I've wasted so much money, time and effort on product after product. Some did clear up my skin for a little period but I went back to being spotty once my skin got used to it. Some just made it worse!

There's a contraceptive pill called Dianette which is literally a God send for flawless skin, I mean flawless! A lot of women are prescribed this for acne. I had amazing skin whilst I was on it however, you shouldn't use this long term as it has side effects hence I stopped using it.

WARNING: once I stopped using Dianette and my body went back to normal, I had the most horrendous break out! My skin was worse than ever. I was back at square one.

My doctor then prescribed something called 'Duac'. It has Benzyl Peroxide with Clindamycin and Anhydrous in it which can dry your skin so you need to use, literally, the tiniest amount on the areas that you get acne/spots. Use too much and your face will be a mess.

I've been using this for years now, I have it on repeat prescription and it's been my skin saviour.

I use Dove Beauty Cream Bar to cleanse my skin and use Duac once a day (usually before bed) then apply my moisturiser.

Another thing, you have to be consistent with it. At first, it will seem like it's not doing much, you have to wait a couple of months to see results. One of the things I like about it is that you can use this long-term and my doctor didn't have a problem with me using it whilst pregnant.

This skincare routine changed my skin and my life (as dramatic as it sounds). I always felt ashamed of my skin and would wear loads of make up to cover it up, now-no way near as much.

I'm not claiming that it's a miracle cure, my skin is no where near perfect but it's a damn sight better than it was. I hardly get breakouts, just the odd spot here and there (even that is quite rare). I still have slight discolouration from where the acne left marks but it's not very noticeable now. I now feel comfortable going out with no/minimal make up.

Different things work for different people but my biggest advice is, stop wasting your money and go to your doctor/dermatologist. Try the things they prescribe. You're more likely to find something that works that way.

Another product that is amazing for tightening pores is a product by Queen Helene (Mint Julep Masque). It's amazing. I use it once a week and I feel like it takes the crap out of my skin. I also use it before a special occasion, for example if I'm going to a wedding, I'll use it an hour or so before I apply my make up as it shrinks your pores and the make up goes on smoother.

It's cheap as hell. I get mine off amazon for £5.69 and it lasts a pretty long time.

Lastly, I really find it annoying when people that have been through bad skin don't tell you what they used when they suddenly appear blemish free! Don't be selfish!