My Struggle with Acne from my Teens to my Mid-Twenties

My earliest memory of my first breakouts was when I was about ten years old. I didn't notice it myself as I never paid attention to my face at that age. I was too preoccupied with schoolwork and cartoons on Saturdays. Ah the good ole days!
It was in fact my mother who started noticing them, but we did nothing about them.

Eventually, when I did notice them myself, I , like many other teens, got in the habit of popping them.

Yeah that's right, when we get that moment of privacy in our secluded area, we get rid of that juicy pimple that's been on our minds all day.

This tendency to constantly pop my zits eventually turned into an obsessive-compulsive routine. When I am stressed out or nervous, I try to pop zits that aren't even there.

Eventually I realized that popping each zit made it more inflamed and eventually left a dark spot that took forever to disappear. Even that didn't stop me from popping them.

I tried many non-prescription face cleansers designed for acne and blackheads. Nothing worked for me.

When I hit 20, I started getting some inside my nose. I know, it's very gross and disgusting! I immediately went to a doctor. He suggested that I might have adult acne. To scare me even more, he showed a picture like this one below of what adult acne (Rosacea) might turn into in a few years:



I was shocked beyond belief, until the doctor said. Don't worry, there are some treatments to prevent it from getting that bad.

I still do get those painful pimples in my nose, but only once every few months now; they eventually heal on their own.

A few months later, I went to another doctor and he had me tested for hormonal imbalance. He said if I did have this specific hormonal imbalance, then I will only be cured from the acne after I have my first baby. Fortunately, the test results were fine and I had no hormonal imbalances.

Last december, I decided to try Clinique 3 Step Solution. It was a such a bad idea.


It worked for a few days then my face started burning from the artificial and chemical ingredients. I returned it and got all my money back.

Finally I decided to use Proactiv, since it's been getting so much publicity.



It worked for a bit, but then I started getting breakouts again. I have just recently given up on it.


I decided to try and go all natural on the ingredients I use on my face. Recently I got something so cheap in the Arab world. It is called "tfal". I guess it is the equivalent of Mud Masks in the US. I bought it from the market so it looks like a rock, but when it is mixed with water or rose water, it dissolves into a light green colored paste.

I paint my face with it and let it dry. It basically absorbs what's in the pores and dries as it tightens the skin.



After about 10 minutes, I rinse it out and rub my face with a washcloth to wipe all the dirt out. I use it about three times a week now and I am definitely seeing a difference.

In addition, I bought two more products Clarins Paris "Stop Imperfections Locales:Blemish Control" and Clarins Paris "Hydra-Matte Lotion" .

This one is to hydrate my skin and minimize my pores

... and this is to lighten dark spots and heal new breakouts

I am still struggling with the compulsion to pop my zits, but it has decreased immensely, since I am concentrating on trying to keep this new routine up.