The older I get, the more my skin seems to defy me no matter how healthy I try to be in terms of eating, exercising, and sleeping. Though I admit it’s quite annoying, I’ve come to accept it so instead of fighting my skin, I’ve learned to contain my blemishes with three products. I basically use them all at the same time on top of one another before a serum and/or moisturizer. Now I’m no skincare expert or dermatologist by any means, but when I get desperate, I’m willing to try anything – this experiment has worked well for me although I’m certain dermatologists and estheticians would suggest otherwise. So anyway, let’s talk about it.
DDF Benzoyl Peroxide Gel Acne Treatment– This was my ultimate skincare discovery of 2014 and I think I randomly read about it on Allure or Elle or something, but I’m for sure grateful I came across this little miracle cream. I really like that it’s not drying or irritating and wears really well under a moisturizer – completely undetectable. Not only that, but I’ll see blemishes drastically decrease within 2-3 days. I’ve never been a fan of benzoyl peroxide either, but this product made me a convert. I use this daily both in the AM and PM. I just need to say that this acne treatment is too underrated…anyone with concerning skin needs to give it a go and at $36 for 2 oz you pretty much have a winner in the skincare dept.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Acne Treatment– A no-brainer in the beauty world, but I had to mention it. I’ve been on this stuff for about a year, but I think my skin got used to it or something thus the above product was added to my routine. Anyway, the big thing here I think is the “dual action” stuff – always a fan of micro-exfoliating LHAs.
Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel– Despite being the weakest treatment of the three, I always like to make sure I’m using both a combination of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide (and sometimes glycolic acid or azelaic acid) to get the maximum benefit. This acne gel has been the best salicylic acid treatment for me so I keep it in my routine. It does help with reducing pimple size and redness. What it doesn’t excel at is prevention and the preparation for extraction. I like to use this typically after I have already extracted a blemish (caveat: it stings like hell).
So if you’re in the same skin situation as me, give this a whirl if you haven’t already tried a similar format and let me know if it works for you.