Update Skincare Routine (STORY!)

If you've been following me for a while, you may remember last year I wrote a post about my morning and night skincare routine. 

My skin has changed quite a bit since I wrote that post. For the past 8 months or so, I've been working on keeping my fungal and cystic acne at bay. 

*STORY TIME*

Beginning around May or June last year, I noticed areas on my cheeks and forehead had tiny bumps which didn't seem to go away. They didn't hurt, were at times itchy, and almost always dry. All my efforts failed in trying to rid my skin of this strange, stubborn texture. I tried DIY face masks, store bought face masks, acne washes and exfoliators. Nothing seemed to work. As a result, I thought that my skin was becoming bumpier and more textured because I was getting older (I was 25 at the time, currently 26 writing this post). I began to accept the "fact" that my skin was bumpy and there was nothing I could do about it. If I didn't have good skin as a middle-schooler, throughout high school and college, why would I ever have good skin? Every time I looked at my face in the bathroom, my bedroom mirror, store mirrors – the list goes on, I felt quite upset and frustrated. I honestly thought there was no chance in having smooth skin. 

Obviously, I got really fed up with seeing how bumpy my skin looked. So, I did some research. With the help of the internet, specifically Simple Skincare Science and Reddit, I discovered that I had fungal acne. Great! The annoying thing about fungal acne is that it's very difficult to get rid of if you don't know what it is. Traditional acne treatments (specifically the ones you don't rinse off) can actually worsen the condition. That, and you can't really prevent it entirely. A video that I found really helpful when learning about fungal acne was this one by Dr. Dray. 

WHAT I DO NOW

The biggest thing I'm doing for my fungal acne is using Head & Shoulders Classic Anti-Dandruff Shampoo as a face mask. Anti-dandruff shampoos contain an active ingredient called Pyrithione Zinc. This is highly effective in treating yeast-invaded hair follicles, which is what causes fungal acne.

I apply the shampoo to damp skin on the affected areas, mainly my cheeks and sometimes my forehead. I leave it on my face for about 5 minutes before rinsing it off with cool water. I used this method twice a day (morning and night) for about a month or two until my fungal acne had cleared up. I recently had another fungal acne spell and have been doing this method once a day. For a while I used aloe gel on my face. 

Facial oils are out of the question for me, unfortunately. Yeast loves oil! This is a bummer because there are so many intriguing facial oils on the market. The shampoo treatment can leave my skin feeling tight and dry, so it's really important that I keep my skin moisturized. 

So, there's that little story on my fungal acne and how I take care of it. My skin texture has improved so much! It's still something I need to keep an eye on, though. Anyway, keep reading for the rest of my stupid simple skincare regime. 

MORNING

- MOISTURIZE: CERAVE MOISTURIZING CREAM 

I'm pretty oily around my nose in the morning, so I rinse my face with lukewarm water. While my face is still damp, I moisturize my face and neck with the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. It's safe for fungal acne and a little goes a long way!

- MASSAGE: HERBIVORE JADE FACIAL ROLLER

Between this step and the first one, I put on the kettle for my morning tea. While I wait for the water to boil, I work my moisturizer into my skin a couple minutes with my Jade roller. I recently wrote a review of it. 

EVENING

- CLEANSE: CERAVE FOAMING FACIAL CLEANSER 

Before bed, I use a cleanser to get rid of all my makeup. I like this one by CeraVe (no, this is not sponsored) because like the moisturizer, it's fragrance-free. I think it also does a good job of removing stubborn makeup, like mascara. I haven't tried this on waterproof mascara, so I don't know how well it would work for that. 

- MOISTURIZE: CERAVE MOISTURIZING CREAM  

Same thing as in the morning, I apply a little of this to my face and neck and work it in with my jade roller. So simple! 

1-2 TIMES A WEEK

- EXFOLIATE: NEUTROGENA ACNE PROOFING DAILY FACIAL SCRUB

I know this scrub is gentle enough to be used daily as the name suggests, but I don't recommend exfoliating your face every day. I use this twice, maybe three times a week. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin. If I'm suffering from cystic acne, I try to be extra gentle on those areas. 

As you can see, I use less products in my skincare than I had been using even a year ago! I've been reading ingredient labels a lot more since learning about how finicky fungal acne is. 

What are your favorite skincare products at the moment? I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Tiya 

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DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored post. I bought the reviewed product with my own money. As I am also not a dermatologist, this post is not meant to be used for medical advice. If you are struggling with your skin, please pay a visit to your dermatologist.