3. HOW DO I GET CLEAR?

Our skin is fickle and vulnerable to the environment, changes in diet and lifestyle and other annoying human stressors. We’ve seen it all, tried it all, and bought the postcard. Getting clear isn’t a linear journey. With a little knowledge, the good news is you can get your skin back on track. Here are the three pillars for getting clear. 

1. Get to know acne (like you would a good friend) 
Acne is a chronic, multi-faceted skin disorder that affects 1 in 3 people between the ages of 20 and 50. Yet, to most, it remains an enigma. Get to know acne and you’ll gain agency over your skin, more determination for your skincare plan, and more patience to stick with it to break the acne cycle. Trust us. Curiosity does kill the comedone. 

2. Stick to your skincare routine
Getting clear starts with doing the right skincare routine, consistently. Don’t sleep on it, your acne doesn’t. Here’s a general guideline. Your skin may have different needs – reach out for personalized help.

  • Start with a gentle cleanser (like our Soothe Operator).
  • Follow up with a gentle exfoliant (like our Balancing Act serum). This gives your skin a good flush – removing excess dead skin to prevent future buildups. Start slow (2-3x per week) if you have sensitive skin.
  • Next, support and soothe your skin barrier – your body’s first line of defense – with an acne-friendly moisturizer.
  • Lastly, protect that beautiful skin from the sun. SPF, friends. One more time. S.P.F. 

Sometimes clearing out the closet gets messy before it looks tidy and clean. Your skin goes through a similar process. So, don’t be alarmed if you see new acne come to the surface (it’s been waiting in the wings for weeks). Within two to three months, most existing acne will have come to the surface, leaving you with clear, glowing skin. 

3. Say goodbye to acne triggers
Your parents are to thank for many things, including whether you over-produce skin cells that get stuck in the follicle, the amount of sebum your skin wants to produce and how sensitive you are to inflammation. You can’t change your genes, but you can control external factors like what you put on your skin, what you expose it to and what feeds it from the inside out. Here are some hot tips on where to find  acne-triggers. Learn more about them in the next chapters.

  • Pore-clogging ingredients. These can be in your face products and other products in your ether, like body products, shampoo, laundry products etc. (read more in part 4)
  • Diet and gut health. The lowdown on the diet-acne connection based on research and anecdotal evidence (read more in part 5)
  • Hormones. Of all the factors that contribute to acne, hormones including testosterone, estrogen and cortisol play a huge role in acne pathogenesis. (read more in part 6)
  • Lifestyle. Did you know that stress, exercise and where you put your head at night might play into your acne? (read more in part 7)

Now that you’re clear on what you can do, let’s dig into the various acne triggers.  Bring a playlist (and some non-triggering snacks).