My current skin care regimen

I'm 29 years old and female. I have combination skin ever since puberty. However, I didn't get a lot of acne during my teenage years. It was like a few at a time and they would always heal somewhat quickly. After I went to college, that's when the bad acne first started. I had three separate episodes of bad breakouts from 20 to now. So, my bad skin has been with me for about nine years. During these years, I have changed my routine a few times. Now, my skin care regimen is perfect for my mature acne prone skin type.

I wash my face twice a day with the Neutrogena deep clean cream cleanser. Long time ago, I heard that for oily or combination skin, you should wash your face two times a day to remove all the dirt and oil build up. At one point, I was washing my face three or four times a day. That actually made me even more oily because the skin would compensate for lack of moisture by producing even more oil. I have been using Neutrogena deep cream cleanser for three years now and I really like it.

I use St. Ives apricot scrub about twice a week. This product seems to work better when I use it in the morning. Not only it deeply cleans my pores and exfoliates my skin, it also gives me a boost of energy to start the day. One of the main reasons that I use the St. Ives apricot scrub is that it clears up my blackheads temporarily.

In the morning, I use makeup to prep my skin for the entire day. It really helps me with my acne condition in addition to giving me confidence. I have been using the Bare Minerals brand skin care and makeup for three years. So, I have lots of confidence in this line and its compatibility with my skin. Here are the steps of my morning makeup routine if anyone is interested. I use the Bare Minerals eye cream around my eye area to keep this sensitive patch of skin hydrated and free of wrinkles. Follow up with combination / oily skin moisturizer all over my skin. This light moisturizer is ideal for my skin because it keeps me moist without leaving me feeling heavy. I now firmly believe that a moisturizer is essential for acne prone skin. I let the moisturizer soak into my skin before putting on the oily skin primer. This product helps absorb excess oil production and acts as a shield between my skin and the makeup that goes on top of it. I give it a minute or so for the primer to completely dry. My foundation color is called golden fair and the formula is matte. It is so important to get the matte foundation vs the original for oily skin. I have first hand bad experience with the original formula. After that I contour my face with my bronzer. I finish the look with mineral veil for its added SPF protection.

After I clean my face at night, I just want to let my skin rest for the night. However, I do use prescription medicine on active pimples that I might have at that moment. I use an antibiotic cream called Clindamycin to speed up the healing process. On top of that, I use Tretinoin gel to peal that part of the skin and help it heal faster. Whenever you use Tretinoin, you should always protect your skin against the sun because this medicine makes your skin more sensitive to UV damage. My morning makeup routine already has sufficient SPF protection.

I hope this routine gives you a good foundation to develop your own skin care regimen. Next blog entry, I will post pictures of what my skin looks like with and without makeup.