[0:00]Struggling with acne is not something that people talk about often. It's like it just never goes away no matter what routine you try, no matter how many times you wash your pillowcase and bedsheets. No matter how many times you wash your face, your acne just doesn't go away. Not only that, it affects you mentally. You feel less confident in yourself, you hate looking at yourself in the mirror, and whenever you're around a group of people, you just feel like people are staring at your face. It feels like they're just judging your skin all the time. And you just don't feel like you. If you feel this way at all, I completely understand because this was me three years ago. I struggled pretty bad with acne, as you guys can tell. Like, to this day, I still don't know how I was getting acne all the way down to my neck. But three years later, my skin has completely cleared up. And this skin care journey that I went on, there was a lot of rough bumps. I made every single skincare mistake that you could think of, but that also means I learned a lot from this experience. Now, obviously, I'm not a dermatologist. I'm just telling you guys what actually helped me clear up my skin. So if you do want to clear up your skin just like how I did, just listen up. First off, just stop hyperfixating. Anyone that has struggled with acne knows that sometimes it feels like the world revolves around your skin. Trust me, people aren't constantly thinking about what you look like. People aren't constantly thinking, wow, this guy has a lot of acne. You are not as important as you might think. Try to just quit stressing because you aren't that important, bro. Because half the battle when it comes to dealing with acne is a mental game. When you're hyperfixating and thinking that people are constantly looking at your skin and people are constantly judging you, you feel way worse about yourself, and this is the negative feedback loop. It's going to cause you to feel more stressed, and as a result, you're going to break out because of that. And there are more ways that people hyperfixate on their skin and their acne, and it actually makes their acne worse. For example, for me, I was over cleansing. I was cleansing my face two to three times every single day when I just didn't need to. I would never recommend using a cleanser more than twice a day. I don't even use a cleanser at all in my current routine. You need to realize that most acne isn't because of your hygiene. Matter of fact, a lot of people that do have acne, they have the cleanest skin actually, because they're always cleansing. But this can actually backfire because it'll cause your skin to dry out. And then when it comes to washing your bedsheets, like every single day or getting a new towel every single day, you don't need to do all that. In the grand scheme of things, they aren't that important. 'Cause three years ago when I was struggling with acne, I was doing the same as you, hyperfixating on a bunch of small little things, thinking that it was going to help clear up my skin. But now, I don't hyperfixate at all on any of those things, and I'm able to keep my skin clear. So having a new set of bedsheets every single day, it's not the reason you'll clear up your skin. Now that you've gotten into the right mental state, you need to realize that odds are, you're going to need to get a prescription. This was the game changer for me. I was trying all the over-counter products you could think of, the CeraVe salicylic acid cleanser, the CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleanser, the vitamin C serums, the rose water, the niacinamide. Dude, trust me, I've tried all of these things that were over the counter, but in the end, what made a difference for me was actually getting prescription. I was initially prescribed Tretinoin and Clindamycin. The reason I always say to get a prescription is that you're already spending so much money on a bunch of these over-the-counter skin products. You might as well just cut your losses and actually see a dermatologist and get a prescription. Odds are, the products are going to work way better for you because they're actually tailored to your skin's needs. Now, once you get that prescribed product, whatever it may be, you want to simplify your skincare routine. I realized that having a six or seven, six, seven, six, seven. six, seven step skincare routine was not the move. It actually just overcomplicated things. I didn't know what products were causing my acne to get worse. I didn't know which products were actually helpful to me. And so I literally stuck to like a three or four step skincare routine at most. I was using a cleanser, some type of moisturizer, my Tretinoin, and sunscreen. Those were the only products in my skincare routine. I find that the more products that you add to your routine, the more likely it is that you're just going to screw up your skin. So it's always better to have as minimal amount of products in your routine as possible. So even if you already dropped a bag on that Korean serum that was like 100. Dude, I'm going to be honest, you might have to cut that out of your routine for a little bit. When I found that I simplified my routine, my skin got way better, and that's also because I was prioritizing moisture. You need to prioritize the health of your skin barrier, especially if you're on a prescribed product, because those can be very stripping to the skin, which we're not trying to do. We're trying to have that smooth, clear skin. We're not trying to look like the Krusty Krab. The way that I prioritized moisture and having a healthy skin barrier was by completely cutting out any active ingredients other than the prescribed product. So that means those salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide cleansers, they were out of here. Instead, I was using just water, or if you want, you can use a hydrating cleanser. Either one of these works. I'm currently just using water as my cleanser. The reason for this is that if you're using active ingredients on top of those prescribed products, which are probably going to be very stripping to your skin, it's just a recipe for disaster. It's going to cook your skin, your skin is going to get super irritated and red. You're just going to be looking like a complete goofball, and it's also probably going to make your acne way worse because that's what happened to me. My skin got way worse when I was using multiple acne-fighting ingredients on top of my Tretinoin. So just completely drop all of those products. And then you just want to find yourself a high-quality moisturizer. Whenever I moisturize my skin, I'll use the La Roche-Posay Double Repair Moisturizer. By the way, all the products I use are going to be down in the description, in the Amazon storefront link. That moisturizer I find really suits my combination skin. I'll even throw in some aloe vera gel underneath that cream moisturizer. And I find that that works very well at hydrating my skin. I mean, look at my skin right now. It's glowing. Like, bro, I'm shining like a Pokémon. But if you have oily skin or dry skin, you need to find a moisturizer that suits you. Once you settle and find that perfect and ideal routine, you need to realize that you must be patient. When I got onto this new skincare routine using Tretinoin and Clindamycin, it took me three months for my skin to actually start seeing results. In fact, when I first got on this routine, my skin got a lot worse. This is because your skin might go through a purging phase. This is basically when all those impurities under your skin just come to the surface of your skin at once. And so that's why your skin will get a lot worse. But ideally, after this purging phase, your skin will get better, the acne will finally start going away. This happened slowly over time. I remember around the two to three-month mark, my forehead started clearing up, and then my cheek started clearing up, and then finally my jawline started clearing up. So yeah, you need to realize that this skincare journey is going to take a long time. It took me an entire year for my skin to just completely clear up everywhere. So if you think that your skin is just going to magically clear up overnight because you switched to this new routine, I'm going to be honest with you, bro. That's not going to happen, unless you have like a time machine or something, which you obviously don't, freaking loser. Something that you should also realize is that the longer that you're on a skincare routine, the more benefits you'll get from each product. For example, for me, I have been on Tretinoin for three years. And the longer that you're on Tretinoin, the more you'll reap the benefits. First, you might notice that your acne clears up. Then you'll notice that your hyperpigmentation and the post-inflammatory erythema starts to clear up. Then you'll start to realize that your acne scars are actually starting to fade away. And then you'll start to realize that those fine lines and wrinkles that are developing because you are old, those are also starting to go away as well. But you're only going to be able to reap the maximum potential from each of these products if you stick to your skincare routine for a long enough time. That's why for me, I'm essentially on the same skincare routine as I was three years ago. Now my final piece of advice is just locking in on your diet.
[7:58]In my personal experience, diet isn't super important. However, one thing that you should definitely be aware of are trigger foods. Humans are very complex. We all have different bodies and so there are certain foods that might cause you to break out, even though someone else can eat that same food and they won't break out at all. For some reason, when it comes to me, any type of red chip just causes me to break out. It's got to be something with that red food. But yeah, I always have to avoid things like Doritos, Cheetos, Takis. All those break me out like crazy. It's always the same exact spot like I'll break out right here. But for you, it might be something else. Like, maybe if you're lactose intolerant, which is very unfortunate, then you have to stay away from dairy products. For some people, eggs cause them to break out. And then for many people, sugary foods will cause you to break out. I am so blessed that sugary foods do not break me out because recently I've been eating a bunch of ice cream, crumbled cookies, cinnamon rolls, insomnia cookies. I've been eating all of those, and I have not broken out one bit. Geez, I'm so lucky. And then also when it comes to your diet, I have noticed that when I'm in a caloric deficit, my skin is just way clearer. I've been dieting for the last two months because your boy's trying to get shredded for the summer, and my skin is literally the most clear it's ever been. So if you're trying to look good for the summer, you might as well get on that caloric deficit and see how your skin reacts. And even if it doesn't react too well, you're getting leaner, so you'll have that six-pack, you'll be shredded by the summer. Anyways, I hope these tips were helpful for you guys. Comment down below and then reply a few months later, I want to see if you guys are actually seeing progress. If you want, you can DM me on Instagram at choice.yt, or you can follow my TikTok at choiceplug, or even better, join my Discord link in the description. I love y'all. I appreciate y'all, and peace.
