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I Transformed My Skin in 10 Months and Here’s How I Did It

For most of my life, I didn’t experience common skin issues like acne, or oily or dry skin. Pimples came one at a time and sparingly and would clear with a quick facial wash. The pimples never left a scar, and I never popped them so they healed without a trace. My skincare routine was minimal, I can hardly remember consistently moisturizing my skin throughout the year because it only got dry in my T-zone during winter months. Otherwise, I only used water to wash my face and the blue and white bottle of Cetaphil facial cleanser about once a month.

All this changed suddenly. I went from having clear, “glass” skin to managing uncontrollable and unpredictable breakouts. My face sometimes hurt to the touch because the pimples were so tender and red with irritation. I went through a process of elimination many times to try and trace what caused such a drastic change in my skin. I wondered if it was because of my age, or if I was going through a second puberty. My eating habits had not changed in a way that I thought would negatively impact my skin. I was extremely stressed at that time, but then again, as an honors student and certified overachiever, when wasn’t I?

I grew desperate to heal my skin. An occasional pimple? Okay. Some redness and hyperpigmentation? Okay, I’m only human. But these breakouts were extremely painful and seemed to last for several days no matter how many times I washed my face. My usual routine no longer sufficed and I found myself at a crossroads.

The elaborate skincare routine I told myself I’d never do no longer seemed so bad. I started to dig deeper into skincare products that were cruelty-free and showed real results. I used facial wash I’d been using for years but more pimples came. I remembered seeing Good Molecule videos on TikTok and visited their website. The customer reviews seemed authentic, and the before and after pictures showed a lot of promise. I placed an order through their site and got it rather quickly. I followed the directions listed on the product’s packaging and the application was easy enough.

I started using their facial toner, hyperpigmentation serum, and oil to seal it all in. After a short time, my acne scars started to fade, but the pimples would not stop coming. The most bizarre thing kept happening – whenever I washed my face with cleanser, I was on the verge of another breakout by the next morning. It seemed like me cleaning my skin caused my skin to freak out, and I did not understand why. I stopped washing my skin with cleanser as often and continued using the toner and serum. As my stress levels decreased over time, so did my breakouts.

After several months, I started to regain confidence and felt that my skin could become what it once was. Instead of using the cleanser that got me through my high school years, I decided to try Good Molecule’s facial cleanser. I was a bit skeptical of using a face wash again after being able to start clearing my skin but I was willing to take yet another risk.

This time, the wash did not cause a breakout but left my skin feeling clean. I slowly started to add more products to my routine and today, my routine is this:

Facial Cleanser
Toner (applied on a cotton pad and let dry before applying next serum)
Hyperpigmentation Serum
Skin Treatment (underage cream and retinol cream)
Rose Water Spray (mist face liberally)
Snail Mucin (pat onto skin and let absorb)
Vitamin E and Castor Oil Mix (pat onto moist skin and let absorb)

Every other day, I exfoliate my skin with a serum. That routine is as follows:

Wash face with water
Exfoliating Serum
Rose Water
Snail Mucin
Vitamin E and Castor Oil Mix

Random strangers have complimented my skin over the last few weeks, and while the journey of healing my skin has been rewarding, it’s been just that – a journey. As I reflect on what significant changes could have contributed to my skin’s improvement, the products, and these routines have certainly helped. My stress levels decreased over time, and I believe that affected my skin tremendously also. It felt so hopeless when dealing with breakouts, but I’m glad I fought through the frustration to create a routine that works for me. My skin is not perfect, but it is improving and I could not be happier.