This stuff is a bitch. But it's also the whole reason this blog exists.
BY JENNY SMITH MATTFELDT Published August 3, 2024
This is just my personal experience and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. Please consult your doctor to see if these steps are right for you.
If you're interested in my full journey to healing my skin please keep reading, if you just want the main points you can skip to my parting advice
2018 versus 2024
2018
This sounds like a joke now but I had perfect skin in high shool. I could probably count the number of breakouts I had before the age of 20 on both hands. Which made it all the more confusing when out of the blue I started getting large, painful cystic breakouts in my early 20's. I was spending every night in tears researching and watching Youtube videos explaining how other people healed their skin. When I say I have tried everything... I mean everything. Who else made it through the Proactive era? Somehow even though it was literally bleaching my towels I convinced myself it was the right stuff to be putting on my face. I've tried Indian Clay, Rodan and Fields, essential oils, cutting out dairy, cutting out gluten, silk pillow cases, red light masks, and about every product that has been marketed towards hormonal acne. This probably isn't the advice you want to hear but it's the truth; there is no one product or pill or mask that is going to cure your hormonal acne. What's more likely is that you will have a long, but rewarding journey where you find a combination of healthy living, doctors, vitamins, and products that work together to give you the skin you've always wanted.
That is so not the sexy answer you're probably looking for, but it's the truth. And it was a hard truth for me to accept which is why I want to be upfront about it. I always told myself if I ever got my skin figured out I was going to tell people exactly how I did it so I could potentially help just one other person heal their skin too.
These photos were taken around 2019 I believe. Now, this isn't the worst my skin got but this was the point that I could convince myself to take a photo. I just want to give the girl in these photos a hug because I can still feel what she was going through. Never let anyone try and convince you that acne is just a cosmetic issue. Becasue it's not just the fact that you know everyone can see it, makeup or not, it's painful and sore and it gets to the point that you want to cancel plans to avoid leaving the house. If you are currently struggling with your acne I hope you will have a little grace with yourself becaue its very hard on your mental health, but it really does get better.
2022
I cannot state enough that every one has their own journey with acne and what works for me might not be the exact thing that works for you. But what I hope this does is gives you somewhere to start or a new avenue you haven't explored yet.
Around this time I started seeing a Naturopath. I went the holistic route first because I knew from previous experience that hormonal birth control was not for me, and at the time that was the main thing prescribed for these issues. We discovered that my hormones were a little out of whack and I had terrible gut health which is one of the main contributors to producing healthy hormones, so in turn healthy skin. If you are a 90's baby and grew up getting a lot of antibiotics you might want to take a peek at your gut health as well.
Supplements, Medications, & Lifestyle Changes
Holy Basil Tea: for anxiety and stress management
Limit Skipping Meals, Drinking Alcohol, and Excessive Sugar
Increase Protein and Dark Leafy Greens
Food Allergy Test: I don't tolerate potatoes well so I cut them out
HMF Replenish: one round to support GI health and replenish healthy bacteria
Vitamin D: increase immune system
Fish Oil: anti-inflammatory
ACES + Zinc: supports skin health and repair
Collagen: support skin healing
Topical Spironolactone: slows down androgen/testosterone reception
I also stayed extremely consistent with my skin care routine which you can find here.
Honestly my Naturopath, Dr. Kaylie Rozen, changed my life. Not only did my skin start to heal but my lifestyle took a major change of direction as well. I found that as my skin started getting better if I had a night out of drinking or a ton of sugar one day my skin immediately felt like I was back to square one. That's one of the most frustrating parts of this journey, hormones fluctuate, nights out happen, and you will see it as a set back with your skin. Again, you have to try and have some grace for yourself. And take pictures early on! Even if you feel like you will never want to look at them it's nice when you aren't feeling great about your skin to look back and see how far you've come.
2023
In 2023 I started seeing a dermatologist as well. My skin had gotten to a good place but I would still go through flares where it would act up, I know I sound like a broken record by this point but healing of any kind is not linear. You will have ups and downs you just have to stay consistent and keep moving forward. My skin responded so well to the topical Spironolactone that we decided to change that out for taking it orally. I have also continued to take the Fish Oil, Vitamin D, Collagen, and avoid potatoes since then. Once my skin was in a stable place we also incorporated a mild Tretinoin cream. Working with Dr. Buckland at SkinCareMT changed the game again for me because it took me from viewing myself as someone who had acne to someone who had healed their skin and moved on to the next phase. How you view yourself and speak to yourself about these things matters. No matter how cheesy it feels when you're looking at your skin in the mirror try saying that you're grateful for healthy skin instead of focusing on whats wrong with it.
2024
So that brings us to present day. My hope is that with all of the information out there you are able to heal your skin a lot faster than I was.
My parting advice is this;
pick a simple skin care routine that your skin likes and that you can afford
drink your water every day and take your vitamins
don't skip meals and make sure you are getting quality protien
find a doctor you like and explore what the deeper root issues might be
get enough sleep, especially if you're having a bad skin day because skin always looks better in the morning
and lastly please just be gentle with yourself I wish I could have been better about that
If you'd like to read more about the skin care products I used you can find that here or the treatments I'm doing to work on my acne scars here. And if you want to chat or have any questions please reach out to me I could talk about this stuff all day.
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