I will warn you, this is a long one. If you’d like to skip some parts, that’s totally okay. I’m not at all offended. However, if you are currently struggling with Adult Acne Rosacea, I definitely encourage you to read this post in its entirety. Not everyone’s skin is the same, but you may be able to learn from some of my failures.
This is not an easy post for me to write. As I sit here trying to figure out how to share this with you, my heart rate begins to speed up with anxiety (and probably a little bit of anger) at just the thought of this struggle being a part of my story. Today, I’m sharing with you the best skincare hack that I’ve recently come across that has changed the way I view my skin. But before we get to that, I should first share with you a little more about how this all started.
The Early Years of Acne
My struggle with acne began in college. You probably thought I was going to say high school, right? Nope. That wasn’t the case for me. In high school, my skin was nearly perfect. With only the occasional pimple here and there, I felt guilty as I watched my older brother struggle horribly in his teen years. Instead, my struggles came much later in life, and have lasted more than just the proverbial adolescent timeframe of just a couple years.
Soon after my first year of college, I began to notice a significant change in my skin. I had taken 2 years off between high school and college, so I was probably in my early 20’s at this point. I always assumed it was stress from the normal workload that college entails. It was frustrating, but I always assumed the acne would clear up after graduation.
Seeking Help for My Acne
Much to my disappointment, it did not. My acne issues continued. In fact, they became worse. At this point, I was fed up. I was married. I wanted to feel beautiful for my husband. I wanted to quit hiding behind makeup. I wanted to be able to just wake up and go without first having to look in a mirror. I finally scheduled myself an appointment with a dermatologist, who diagnosed me with Acne Rosacea and prescribed me a high-dose antibiotic (Bactrim), which I continuously took daily for the next two years.
Two years had gone by since being prescribed Bactrim. Jon and I were now living in South Carolina, and I had literally been living acne-free for two years. Literally, not a single pimple had graced my face in that time no matter how sloppy I would get with my skincare routine. My first visit to a new dermatologist in our new South Carolina home ended with the doctor refusing to refill my Bactrim prescription, and insisted on a new regimen. A combination of birth control and a powerful drug called Spironolactone. This was somewhere around early 2015.
A New Prescription
During the transition phase, my acne returned slightly as my body adjusted to the new meds. I thought, “Well, clearly I haven’t grown out of it yet.” Little did I know, that it wasn’t about growing out of it, but more on that later. This new regimen worked just as well as Bactrim did, so I was pleased. Now let’s fast forward two more years.
My Ah-Ha Moment
It’s 2017. Jon and I had hit the road as full-time RVers. And while on the road, we had quickly begun making significant changes in our lifestyle. In mid-2015, we were introduced to Young Living Essential Oils. At first, it was a simple change for us; nothing that we took too seriously. We very slowly switched out products in our home, but we didn’t go crazy. During our travels, we ended up volunteering on a few organic farms in Florida. The more we learned about organic living, the more we were convinced that things needed to change.
We immediately set to swapping out everything in our RV to plant-based products. From dish and bath soap, shampoo, supplements, deodorant, perfumes, and more. We basically went crazy, but in a good and productive way. And even though we did all we could to support our bodies from the products we were using, I continued to feel guilty that I was still allowing myself to remain on such powerful drugs for my skin issues.
When the new year turned over, I promised to devote myself to finding a more natural solution for my acne rosacea; no matter the cost. Little did I know just how difficult it was going to be.
My acne rosacea came back with a vengeance. There was no relief. A constant influx of painful breakouts, dry spots, scabbing, and scarring that never seemed to go away. My self-esteem was at an all-time low. It hurt to smile. Literally. The scabbing and dry patches made it painful for me to smile or open my mouth to eat. Yeah, it was a crummy time.
In hindsight, I was probably trying way too many natural remedies at once. My skin was overloaded, and I was just making the problem worse. I had switched to using all Young Living products. Face wash, moisturizer, toner, even essential oils mixed in that I had read helped others with issues similar to my own. Some changes would help for a week or two, and then my face would breakout all over again. I felt so defeated.
This went on for about 5 months. By June, we had moved to our new home in Sandpoint, Idaho. And at this point, I wanted a new solution. I reached a point where I just wanted to enjoy life again. I decided it was time to find a dermatologist that was going to work with my desires to live a more natural lifestyle. After my first appointment, I went home with a prescription for an extremely low-dose antibiotic. 40mg a day vs 150mg that I was taking previously. She said that it should help with the inflammation caused by the rosacea. I felt good about this, and was hopeful.
The Struggle Continues
Fast forward another ten months to early 2019. The medication seemed to work okay, but it still wasn’t preventing the deep, painful, cystic breakouts. Still, there was no relief. There was always something on my face to cover up and feel ashamed of. That’s when I began to wonder if perhaps it was more diet-related.
Trial and Error
At this point, I had drastically simplified my skincare routine. No more special serums with essential oils. No more clay masks. No more toner. I literally went back to the basics: Young Living face wash and my not-so-all-natural moisturizer. Did I feel guilty about this? Not at all. For me, when it comes to switching to plant-based products, I also have to listen to what my body is telling me. Is my skin accepting or rejecting it? I’m doing the best I can with what I have…and without breaking the bank on super expensive products. So if you’re on an all-natural journey like I am, don’t beat yourself up over not being perfect at it.
After cutting back on the number of treatments I was using, I slowly started adding one product back in at a time. One of my favorites that I came across was this Rose Ointment from Young Living. I had previously been using Neosporin to help my breakouts heal. Because let’s be real, I picked at my face WAY too much and definitely made the problem worse. Not to mention, more noticeable. I am a terrible healer. It takes my skin FORVER to recover anywhere on my body, not just my face.
One night, I decided to try out the Rose Ointment on a part of my skin that I had picked raw. (That’s so embarrassing to say, but it’s real life) The next morning, I had noticed a considerable difference in my skin’s ability to recover from the trauma. I was hooked! It’s also been really great for nourishing those dry patches as well. Ask me how you can get your hands on it! I can definitely hook you up!
Joining the Supplement Train
Early on in 2019, I began researching supplements. A friend of mine led me to an amazing supplement line that has been developed by a doctor who is all about plant-based wellness. Throughout my research on skincare and acne, I knew that poor diet and internal issues with your gut will often present themselves on your skin. Whether it’s acne, rosacea, eczema, or something else, these external issues are often caused by internal conflict of some sort.
The details will have to be saved for another post. But after doing some research, I learned that many of the ingredients in the supplements I was choosing to take are great for skin health, inflammation, etc. For those wanting to know, I am currently on a supplement regimen of a Multivitamin, Probiotic, and an Adrenal supplement. This was the beginning of my forward progress. This regimen was the start of what looked to be like a light at the end of a very dark tunnel for me and my struggle with acne rosacea. I started feeling a difference in the health of my skin. I started noticing a lot less bumps. I didn’t realize how bumpy my face had gotten until I noticed it getting smoother. It was kind of crazy. So moving on…
A Change in Diet
Somewhere around March of 2019, I decided to make a big change in my diet. At least, to me it was a big change. I decided to cut out both dairy and coffee from my diet. {gasps} I know, right?! Dairy, I could do without. But coffee? Coffee was my crutch; my morning time routine security blanket. It was rough at first, not gonna lie. Now, let me just share a little fact with you. It takes about 2 months to actually notice real improvement if you make a change to your skincare routine. Why? Because the lifetime of a pimple is approximately 7-9 weeks. So by the time they actually surface on your skin, they’ve only got about 2 weeks left in their life cycle. The things you learn when you have issues like this, right? {rolls eyes}
It’s two months after I’ve officially cut dairy and coffee out of my diet, and I’m noticing significant changes in my skin! Seriously. My skin still wasn’t perfect like I wanted it to be, but it was definitely showing improvement from what it was.
Best Skincare Hack
Now, for the game-changer. If you’re still with me, congratulations. If you just skipped to this part, welcome. But I would definitely encourage you to backtrack and read about the things I’ve tried before I got to this point.
Somewhere along the line, I came across an article about the best all-natural toner that we all probable have hanging out in our pantry at this very moment. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). What?! Yes. Now, not just any ACV, mind you. You’re going to want the good stuff. Make sure you’re looking for ACV labeled “Raw,” “Unfiltered,” and that still has, what they call, the “Mother” in it. My Apple Cider Vinegar of choice? Bragg.
Why is it good for skin? I’m so glad you asked. ACV actually contains properties that help your skin to achieve a level PH balance naturally. It doesn’t matter if your skin is oily or dry. And as you know, having skin that is too out of wack in either direction causes stress on your skin and, inevitably, acne. Apple Cider Vinegar will help normalize you the PH level of your skin, so there is less stress on your skin trying to overcompensate for too oily or too dry of skin. Cool, huh?
Not only does ACV help balance the PH of your skin, but it has also been known to help diminish scarring! Yay! It sounded too good to be true. So after doing a bunch of research, I decided to give it a go for myself. Because I have pretty sensitive skin when it comes to changes in my skincare routine, I decided to start out slow. Most recipes I found were suggesting a 1:2 ratio of ACV and distilled/filtered water respectively. Others even suggest a 1:1 ratio. I actually started out using a 1:3 ratio just to be on the safe side.
Once you have your solution made, you’ll want to use a fresh cotton pad to apply it. I apply the ACV mix to my face twice a day after I wash my face and before I apply my moisturizer. Be sure to allow the solution to dry before applying moisturizer or other serums.
The Results
For anyone who has struggled with adult acne rosacea, you know that you definitely have to give yourself a little grace. There will never be just one quick fix for this, which can be extremely frustrating. But you should absolutely celebrate your minor victories, right? Right!
It’s currently August of 2019, and I’ve been using the Apple Cider Vinegar recipe for about a month, now. It took about a week for me to start noticing a change, but I definitely saw change! I feel like my breakouts would heal faster, my scarring was fading, and my face felt smoother. I did recently struggle with about a week of breakouts due to my hormones fluctuating from my menstrual cycle. BUT, I noticed a big difference in how quickly my skin bounced back afterwards. Better than it ever had before (in the last two years). This is a huge win for me. HUGE! I can definitely say that I’m officially hooked.
In addition to this new skincare routine, I’ve also been using plant-based makeup products. Since 2017, I’ve been able to switch all my makeup products over to Young Living’s makeup line called Savvy Minerals. A mineral makeup that’s infused with Young Living Essential Oils.
I can’t say that it won’t clog your pores, because anything you put on your face can do that. I do believe that it’s much better for me to be using their mineral makeup vs the Bare Minerals that I was using before. I trust Young Living 100%. I trust the ingredients. Period.
Feeling Hopeful
At this point, I’m feeling very hopeful. Today was a HUGE victory for me. Why? Because today, I actually woke up, threw my hair in a braid, did my morning skincare routine, barely looked in the mirror, and headed out the door to go into town my husband without a single ounce of makeup on. {Hallelujah chorus sings} I haven’t done that for almost 2 years! For 2 years, I’ve been hiding behind makeup. It was incredibly liberating. Again, this is a small victory for me, because I know the struggle isn’t over. The battle hasn’t been completely won just yet, but I know I’m finally heading in the right direction.
Yes, I’m still taking my low-dose antibiotic. And for now, I’m okay with that. Like I said, it’s a balance. I’m at a point now where I truly believe that the dietary and skincare routine changes I’ve been making are making a bigger difference than the medicine did on its own. So, I feel like the end is near for them anyway. Yay! Yes, I value all-natural products. But everyone’s journey will look differently, and I’m okay with not being completely perfect at it. There are many other areas in my life where I’ve successfully cut out all the bad stuff. So, here’s to progress!
My hope is that someone else finds inspiration and hope from my story. Adult acne is real, and it can really take a huge toll on one’s self-esteem, self-confidence, self-image. All of it.
Photo is unedited, and with zero makeup.
If you’re reading this, and are struggling, I would love to hear from you. Please don’t be shy. Drop a comment or feel free to email me. I wanna hear from you. I want to encourage you. You are not alone in this, my friend. This is, by far, the best skincare hack I’ve found. So if you try it out, I’d love to know how it’s working for you.