I have struggled with acne for most of my adult life. Deep, cystic acne that led me to points in my life where I could not run to the corner store without makeup on. Even with makeup on, it was so bad I didn’t want to make eye contact and makeup wasn’t fun… it was damage control.

Throughout this journey of getting to clear and healthy skin, I learned a lot of things that I want to share with you!

First of all – Consult a dermatologist.
Every product in the world may not help you if you don’t know the type of acne you have and what causes it. You may also need medication to get you over the hump, or on an ongoing basis. I know we have all heard horror stories about invasive medications, but there are lots of options for prescriptions that don’t involve severe side effects.

Second – Wash your face twice a day.
I know, it seems obvious but most of us aren’t washing our face in the morning. We JUST washed it last night, right? And who has time for that? But if you are struggling with acne there is a good chance that if you aren’t washing your face in the morning you are waking up with oil and dirt from your hair and skin all over your face. Don’t even get me started on what our kids leave in our beds, which leads me to…

Third – Change your pillow case frequently.
If you have serious acne, get a bulk of pillow cases at your local big warehouse store and change your pillow case every other night flipping the pillow in between so you are sleeping on fresh fabric every night. I know that seems like a big deal, but buy at least a week or two worth of pillow cases, put them in your nightstand and change them out. Again, you want to reduce the amount of dirt and oil that comes in contact with your. This can also be controlled by…

Fourth – Use brushes on your skin instead of your fingers.
Not to mention that applying your makeup with brushes will give you better coverage and results, anything you can do to reduce the amount of dirt and oil deposited on your face will help. You can have one set of brushes for your makeup, and one set of brushes to apply your skin care with. Clean them often! We have fantastic brush cleaner that is designed specifically for our waterproof cosmetics. A little goes a long way, and you can check that out here.

Fifth – Remove your makeup THEN wash your face.
This is going to feel like washing your face twice… it’s not! If you have makeup, dirt and oil on your face and then mix it around with water and cleanser, your skin isn’t getting very clean. First remove your makeup (our FOOOPS works awesome!) and THEN wash your face. Your face will thank you! You can check out our FOOOPS makeup remover here.

Lastly – Pick an amazing skincare line and STICK TO IT.
Anyone who sells skincare will tell you that if you change your skincare routine you may have an adjustment period. This may call previously stubborn gunk to the service, maybe a little irritation and even a breakout. Our products have active ingredients in them and most skin is not used to that! Give it some time to work its magic before giving up – no less than 8 weeks unless painful irritation occurs.

SHAMELESS PLUG TIME!
I used to be on both an oral and a topical acne medication to deal with my hormonal acne. I was given the entire SeneGence Oily to Acne line (cleanser, daytime moisturizer with sun protection, evening moisturizer and Spot On acne treatment) at our Leaders Conference, just for attending, last year. I immediately switched and haven’t looked back. I went out of town several months later and forgot my acne medications and then just never got back on… and guess what?? NO BREAK OUT! If I fail to properly care for my skin for a few days a little bit of stuff will pop up here and there, but honest to goodness never in my life have I gone a year free of monthly break outs and general skin misery. We have a 100% money back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose! Don’t like the price tag? No problem! I can show you how to easily get it half off! Be sure to get the cleanser, daytime and evening moisturizers and the Spot On acne treatment.

Any great tips and tricks for dealing with acne? Drop them in the comments below!