Zits Suck: 15 ways to fight acne

A grown adult who has definitely cried in front of a dermatologist, a memoir

Acne is the worst. I've dealt with a couple different kinds of acne and have tried everything from prescription topical treatments to antibiotics to chemicals peels (which hurt SO bad btw). And I've definitely burst into tears in front of the dermatologist because I was 20 years old and was O V E R I T.

WebMD classifies mild acne as: "fewer than 20 whiteheads or blackheads, fewer than 15 inflamed bumps, or fewer than 30 total lesions." Okay so 20 whiteheads doesn't really sound MILD to me. One whitehead is more than enough, thank you very much. But if you suspect that you fall in the moderate acne category WebMD recommends visiting a dermatologist, which I would agree with. 

a few things you can do if you feel like you're getting a big zit: 

• Take an aspirin tablet and dissolve it a little bit in water. You don't need to dissolve the whole thing, just enough to get a grainy consistency, put this on the affected area before bed. When you wake up it will be significantly less inflamed. 
• Benzoyl Peroxide is a great medication to SPOT treat with (do not put this all over your face, it's extremely drying). There's a couple different brands you can choose from, I like Clearasil's Ultra Rapid Action Treatment Cream ($7.99), but benzoyl peroxide is what it is, so I think most brands are going to be the same in this department. 
• DON'T PICK IT, IF YOU CAN'T POP WHITE STUFF OUT OF IT LEAVE IT ALONE AND COVER IT UP. 

how to fight the SMALL zits:

• Use a face wash with salicylic acid in, this won't be over-drying (like benzoyl peroxide) and it's a great way to keep down the little bumps, small whiteheads and blackheads. Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash is a great option ($6.49) they have other options as well, and you can't go wrong with Neutrogena) 
• I used to have a ton of little bumps, especially on my forehead (as you can see in the cover photo) so my dermatologist recommended Neutrogena's Microdermabrasion System ($17.97). I'll write a review on this product, but it's a 10/10 recommend from me- I enjoyed it and think it definitely helps in giving you a deep clean and fighting the little stuff.

Tips from professionals (aka my old dermatologist):

• Don't over-wash your face, if you wash your face too much it'll be striped of all it's natural oils and then your skin will make more oil, which in turn can leave you with more zits 
• Exfoliating is good, it gets rid of dead skin to prevent build up and clogged pores, but don't exfoliate more than 3 times a week 
• It can take 8 weeks to see a change in your skin, ugh I know, but patience is good 
• Do not pick your zits. Do not pick your zits. Do not pick your zits. DON'T DO IT. (You may think you're making it better but you're not and it puts you at risk for acne scars) 
• If you absolutely need to pop a zit, wait until it's ready and make sure you squeeze it all the way out. (WebMD can be super dramatic sometimes but this article does a great job explaining why picking/popping zits is bad, and it echoes exactly what dermatologists have told me over the years.) 
• Take off your makeup, and using non-comedogenic, oil-free makeup is key

Tips from me: 

• Moisturize!! I used to never moisturize my face because I was like uhh my skin is so greasy and full of zits I don't want to make it worse! Wrong. When I started moisturizing regularly I noticed significant improvement, my skin became less red and blotchy (here's my favorite) 
• There was a time when I used a TON of "acne-fighting" products on my face, but I saw the biggest improvements when I kept it consistent and simple (aka not using 6 different kinds of face wash) 
• If you have hormonal acne (comes and goes with your period and/or is centralized around your mouth, chin and jawline) birth control might be able to help. The BC pill I take is used to treat hormonal acne and it's the reason my skin is clear today. It took about a year on the pill for me to feel like my skin stayed consistently clear.
• Understanding what kind of acne you have can go a long way in fixing it. Maybe you have bangs or always wear a hat and so you have acne on your forehead, or you have hormonal acne, or stress or food caused acne etc. 

Here are some embarrassing pictures of the acne I dealt with as an ADULT.

I know the flash wasn't doing me any favors but this really is a good capture of the acne I had for YEARS. Red blotchy skin and just a billion little red bumps all over my face. This picture was taken the summer I cried at the dermatologist :) 

YUP ZITS SUCK 

BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST WIN, ACNE YOU ARE THE. WORST. 

I was prescribed birth control back in high school to help with my acne, it helped a little bit back then but my acne changed as I got older, as you can tell in top left picture I have a lot more than just hormonal acne going on (and that was taken after high school). So moral of the story, if something didn't work before, and it's a good thing, it might be worth trying again. 

I talk about my favorite face wash and moisturizer here

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