June of this year - 2019 - I reached a breaking point with my skin. My acne was bad and embarrassing! I was going to the dermatologist and he wanted to put me on acutane after months of other failed treatments. I wanted to avoid acetone at all costs just because I want to have babies soon...I'm getting old (34). Also, I struggle with depression, so I was worried about my mental health. I researched acne specialist on the Internet and found San Diego Acne Clinic.
June 2019
These are the pictures I took in my car before going in to my first visit. I wanted to make sure and track my progress because this wasn't covered by insurance and I knew it would cost me $$$. Ali is who I met and continue to see, she's amazing! Ask for her if you go. She's honest and has tons of knowledge. After my first 1-2 visits I felt like I was getting such an education about acne and my skin.
My first visit was such a SHOCK to my system. I was doing everything WRONG and I mean EVERYTHING. From products, to what I was eating and drinking, I was using so many pore clogging products that claim to help acne - natural, supposedly amazing, products that were recommended to me by Doctors and Professionals. Here is a list of Pore Clogging Ingredients to avoid if you have acne. Start reading all your labels...ALL of them. Shampoo, conditioner, make-up, laundry detergent, face wash, SPF, etc.
Your diet and what you eat is also super important. I am completely off dairy! I miss brie cheese. The creamier the cheese the more dairy. I also avoid soy and eggs. All this was not that hard...there are a ton of great dairy alternatives out there. The hardest part was caffeine...YES, caffeine can contribute to acne. So hard for me to cut back on that. I now drink half calf or mushroom coffee. This has been the hardest part, but it works!
So needless to say this was an expensive process...but TOTALLY worth it! I had to basically purge all of my current make up and skin products. I mean $100's of dollars in products. I gave a lot of it away, because I couldn't just toss it in the trash. For skin care, wash/toner/moisturizer/SPF/eye cream I am using Face Reality, which was recommended and provided to me by San Diego Acne Clinic. Makeup was a little more of a challenge, but I've priced it together:
-Foundation: Giorgio Armani
-Powder: Chanel
-Concealer: PRIIA
-Highlighter: PRIIA Starlight
June vs. July 2019 (After one treatment and swapping skincare)
I'm also getting monthly treatments/facials with Ali at San Diego Acne Clinic. Since I am now clear, we're just working on my scarring. Basically, by September I was seeing MAJOR improvement. I now maybe get a zit or two and it's easy for me to pinpoint why. For example, Ali was able to figure out that I traveled and slept on someone else's sheets with different detergent by my cheek breakout. She was also able to figure out that my husband's beard butter was causing me to breakout too. Ali is a detective and she's amazing...go see her if you're in SD and have acne. If you're NOT in San Diego try finding an acne specialist that carriers Face Reality.
September 2019
Hope this helps you and please reach out if you have any questions! I love helping and I'm obsessed with fighting acne. I want everyone to have beautiful skin.
XO,
Lauren