I have gotten a lot of questions as how to tell if a product is right for you, how long to allow your skin to adjust, and when to just move on.

To begin, start slow. I cannot emphasize this enough. Using medical-grade products does not necessarily mean you’ll have medical-grade results.

Secondly, it doesn’t necessarily take hundreds of dollars to clear your skin. If you have severe acne, consult a dermatologist, but during my worst phase of acne I was able to get rid of most of it with three products which I’ll get to next.

Finally, your skin is unique. What works for me may not work for you, but the milder the product, the better luck you will have with it.

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF!

So this is a section of my skin I was able to crop out from roughly a year ago. I had acne, discoloration, scarring, and blackheads.

BEFORE (NO MAKEUP)

AFTER (3 MONTHS – MASCARA ONLY)

There are definitely flaws with my skin, but switching to a more mild regimen saved it and did so fairly quickly.

As I said earlier, starting slow is the most important thing you can do for your skin. At this point, I began using Cetaphil cleanser (Cerave is great too) daily. It is a mild, drugstore cleanser that is commonly recommended after severe peels or in cases where one’s skin might be very sensitive. Every other night I would use a toner on the oily parts of my face (Stridex Maximum Strength and SkinScript’s Glycolic/Retinol Pads are great for this, cut them in half to make them last longer!). During the day I used Cetaphil moisturizer and at night I used Vanicream, which is very thick, in an attempt to lock in all the good products in my skin and keep out bacteria.

FINALLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY,

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. If your skin can tolerate a generic brand, great! If not, I used Neutrogena Clear Skin SPF 30, which worked perfectly fine.

The past two weeks I have been trying a variety of products and will talk about my best tips, favorite products for dealing with all sorts of issues, and maintaining the skin I want, along with some more embarrassing yet fun before and afters.