If you know me at all, then you know that acne is something I’ve dealt with since my teens. I never had severe acne, but there were months when it would get so out of control, I could never seem to clear it up without the help of prescriptions (think: Accutane, Spironolactone, Doxycycline, prescription strength benzoyl, retinoids, etc.).
About two years ago, I had the longest stretch of clear skin, to the point where my mom even commented that she hadn’t seen my skin this “bump-free” since pre-puberty. I finally felt like I had beaten acne at its own game.
Not so fast.
Out of nowhere, in March 2023, I started breaking out all over my cheeks. I hadn’t changed anything in my skincare routine, but every day, I seemed to wake up with a new painful cystic zit. I went to the derm, got told that it was “genetics,” and left with a prescription for a retinoid (I was already on Spiro) and benzoyl peroxide.
But my skin seemed to get even worse.
I tried all of my old tricks—cutting down my routine to just the basics to heal my skin barrier (aka cutting out all actives), skin cycling (adding in actives and retinol, but cycling it into my routine), extractions, Doxy (which did help my skin but hurt my gut), and even getting my hormones checked.
After exhaustive research and a pervading malaise, I finally found Face Reality, a skincare brand that combines bi-monthly in-person facials with their acne-safe product line. They call it the Face Reality Clear Skin Method™️, where you get paired with a Certified Acne Expert and essentially go through acne boot camp.
They have a 90% success rate at significantly clearing the skin within three months. By switching to all Face Reality products, clients remove any acne-triggering ingredients from their regimens. I also appreciate that their products are fragrance-free and affordable.
What really drew me to them was that it felt like they were on my team, that they were in this fight with me. I had full access to my aesthetician, Zaida Gordon, aka my Acne Expert. Plus, she’s trained by Face Reality to identify and understand the type of acne, likely causes, and—of course—prevention.
So, for example, she didn’t throw a bunch of actives onto my face. Instead, after inspecting my skin, she explained that it was severely dehydrated. Before we could treat the acne, we had to fix my skin barrier (which I thought I had been doing but, unfortunately, had somehow made it worse). The bi-monthly facials are a vital part of the program—not just for the extractions, but so the Acne Expert can analyze and adjust the skincare routine.
Face Reality is also big on taking a 360-degree approach to tackling acne. First of all, acne is never cured. It is managed. This may be the most difficult part of the process to accept.
After that, it’s about finding the pore-clogging ingredients I am using in my makeup and haircare products (they offer a list of top offenders) and making swaps to remove any acne-triggering products. I was shocked to find out that my beloved bronzer was a likely culprit in breaking me out. I have since switched to all acne-safe cosmetics (read more on that here).
Next is lifestyle changes, like hydrating, getting enough sleep, lowering cortisol levels, adding in supplements, and maintaining a healthy gut. It’s all stuff we know, but Face Reality gives a roadmap to specific foods that could be triggering acne from the inside.
Some of my personal offenders were alcohol (duh), sugar (double duh), dairy (obvs), gluten (ofc), and then lesser-known food triggers like shrimp (high in iodine) and peanut butter (high in oleic acid). While I worked to repair my gut by adding in more protein and removing copious amounts of inflammatory ingredients like sugar, dairy, and gluten, I was also realistic. I love peanut butter. It is one of the few pleasures in my eating repertoire, and it provides a decent amount of protein. Shrimp is one of the few seafoods that I actually enjoy.
So while I cut back, I didn’t avoid it entirely. Same with gluten, sugar, and alcohol. We gotta live, right? So I looked at it as moderation, not total elimination. Cow’s milk, sugar, and gluten are all highly inflammatory, so I’m trying to eliminate 95% of them from my diet. A healthy gut helps with hormones, mood, skin, and overall health, so I felt like repairing my gut would get to the root cause of not only my skin issues, but some other health issues.
When it comes to skincare products, the Face Reality line is robust. My Acne Expert was there to monitor my skin every two to four weeks and adjust my routine and products accordingly. For example, I started on the lowest percentage of mandelic acid and was able to work my way up to eight percent without obliterating my skin barrier.
Zaida’s approach was all about keeping the skin barrier healthy, and I can say, my skin barrier has definitely transformed. The HydraBalance Gel, an aloe-based hydrator, stung when I first used it, a sign that my skin barrier was a mess. It’s now my favorite hydrating product in my routine. I also love the Face Reality Moisture Balance Toner and Antioxidant Peptide Serum, products that have vastly changed my skin barrier for the better. I plan on keeping all three of these products in my everyday skincare routine.
I was on the program for almost six months and had two Acne Experts during that time. The second one, Kirstie Reese, was closer to my house, making it easier to pop over when a cystic pimple popped up that needed a quick extraction. While I still experience breakouts, I’ve also come to terms with the fact that acne is managed, not cured. And it takes both internal and external factors to control it.
IMO, Face Reality is the most effective program out there to get you on the path to clearer skin. They value internal just as much as external, and they want to get to the root cause just as much as we do.
*This post is a paid partnership with Face Reality.*
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