An honest skin care advice

Living with a bad skin isn’t easy. Everytime you look in the mirror, the first thing you notice are those acne and marks that are making your life difficult. You always try to cover them up with makeup, but sometimes it doesn't work and you end up looking worse than before. You also know that the others may not notice them or they don't care at all, but you still feel uncomfortable with your own skin.

Yes, I have also been feeling like this since I was 14. I have made terrible mistakes by popping my pimples, using cheap makeup everyday or trying different treatments every week. All of this has made my skin look bad for years, but I have finally found a routine that has helped me. I am not a dermatologist, I am just a person talking from my own experience, and the reason why I am sharing this experience with you, is to be sure that no one will make the same mistakes I did, but to help in doing the best thing instead.

Where to start ?

The first thing you should do to begin treating your acne is to understand your skin. Each of us have a different kind of skin and each one should be treated differently. There are not only oily or dry skins, but also mix ones, very dry, really oily etc. You should find out what type of skin you have before searching for a cure.

The second point included in “ Understanding your skin “ is to know which products work better for your type of skin and to be careful of possible allergies.

Food and cosmetics products can be factors too, so you should not only understand your skin but also your body. Many of my friends who have experienced problems with acne have realised that certain foods may be a great factor in having bad skin. Dairy and chocolates are the most common foods that cause acne. Try to give them up for a month and if you have improvement, reduce their consumption.

If you have acne, you probably use makeup to cover them, and never leave the house without it, well I also do, but at least I use a “ cure makeup” from Korff. My skin reacts really well to it, doesn't cause new acne and covers enough to look good. You can use makeup, but use a good one that wouldn't destroy your skin.

The first step

After understanding what type of skin you have, you should focus on what kind of acne you have. There are 2 types: Bacterial and Hormonal ones. I didn’t know that until my dermatologist explained it to me and decided that I had hormonal acnes, they are most common during teenage years but not only. Difficult to be treated, caused by hormones and there is no definitive treatment for them, but there is something that can help. Bacterial acnes are easier to be treated because they are caused from bacteria stuck in our skin.

Best Routine

I have a mixed skin, with hormonal acne and more than acne now I have marks. My routine is as followed:

I wash my face twice a day, but if you have dry skin you better wash It once. Cleaning your skin is really important in balancing the oil in it. If you feel your skin too oily wash it 2-3 times, if it is dry just once, the most important thing is not letting it dry or too oily because this is the first source of pimples.

Cleaning routine for me includes: 1. Washing my face with mild soap ( such as dove or nivea ) and cold water 2. Cleansing water ( I use the garnier one in the photo) with the help of a cotton pad. In my opinion this is the optimal way to clean your skin.

After “cleaning part” I use one serum to fight the acne and one cream “to feed” my skin. I have found two really good products to replace aloe vera gel which I can not find at the moment, but I definitely recommend it more than any cream or serum in the market. The only problem with this “magical plant” is that it should be in the right age, 100% bio and well treated ( before you take the gel be careful to pull away all toxins that may be in the aloe vera leaf, otherwise your skin will be damaged and not treated ).

To go back to my routine The ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zink 1% is the serum I use after cleaning my skin. It has helped me really much to get rid of my acne and red marks. I have been using it for nearly one month and I already see some differences, however I should be patient because the best results can be seen in 3 months. I have also read some reviews and many people are satisfied with the product, but you should be careful because in some cases it may itch or burn. Anyway they have some instructions you have to follow before beginning to use it continuously.

The second product is 100% natural and it is called The egyptian magic. It is oily, but I feel my skin really hydrated after I use it so I apply it as a cream only once a day, usually at night. I don’t suggest The egyptian magic if you have oily skin but I have one piece of advice you must know : “The best creams are those who have a natural base.” Here are included creams with aloe vera or other plants and oils. Is your choice which cream is better for your skin and don’t forget, no matter if you have a really oily skin or a dry one, your face must be hydrated.

More or less this is my everyday routine that has helped me with my acne but I also do a coffee scrub and a mask once a week. The scrub is easy, I just take some coffee, mix it with a bit of lemon juice and apply it to my face as a scrub.

The mask is what I definitely want to show you. All you need is one potato and a lemon. The potato should be finely chopped and then combined with the lemon juice in a bowl. You should apply the mixture on your skin for 30 minutes and then rinse your face with cold water. Do it for 3 days in a row and then make a pause for a minimum of 1 week. This mask is good to reduce red spots and acne scars. Here is a link of a really sweet youtuber who shows how to apply the mask and her results. She is speaking in albanian but even though you don’t understand what she’s saying you can look at her actions and results.

The last piece of advice

This is all I have done to get clear skin. You can try it too but don't forget the general rules:

1. Never pop a pimple, the infection can get deeper in your skin and make it worse.
2. Don’t use cheap makeup.
3. Drink a lot of water.
4. Relieve stress
5. Don’t use different treatments or creams at the same time, and don't change them often.

Be patient ! I know that it isn’t easy, and I haven't learned it in the easy way but pimples aren’t easy, to deal with them requires time and with time I mean months or even years. Be positive, follow your routine and don’t forget that you're beautiful with or without acne. We cannot choose the type of skin we have, or the color of our eyes but we can choose our character and that's who we are. If some people don’t understand that, they maybe don’t deserve you.

If you think this was helpful please share it with your friends or cousins and help them to do the right thing. Thank you for your reading and a special thank you for Marina Isufi allowing me to use her video.