Part of living with PCOS is dealing with hormonal acne.
This has not been easy- at all! Because of the fact that the hormonal acne I get is the “under-the-skin type”, you can’t really do much about it. All that is left to do is let them be, and as a result, I’ve had to give up wearing makeup, eating cheese, and have even started annoying everyday habits like changing towels & pillowcases EVERY single night.
It all started in my early teens before I even knew I had PCOS (more about that in this post!) After a few doctor visits, I was recommended to start birth control and magically, everything improved. Fast forward about 9 years later, I’ve stopped taking the birth control in order to get my hormonal system back in order and what a surprise…… the acne is back!
Since I have an extremely oily face, I started using a very recommended brand called Obagi Clenziderm. It was my savior for years! It comes in a 3 step pack with the cleanser, toner, and moisturizing cream. The first 2 steps have 2% salicylic acid and the cream is 5% benzoyl peroxide. It was all going great for a couple of months…. very few breakouts, oil was under control until all of a sudden, I woke up one day with my face swollen and red.
Out of the blue, it seems like my skin had a reaction and I could NOT put the benzoyl peroxide cream on. Sadly, this was a crucial step for the acne destroying so I just went back to getting occasional breakouts. I have a pretty healthy diet but since the Obagi kept my pimples in order, I would have regular cheese and wine nights, which I could not afford without the benzoyl peroxide. Out of nowhere, I started breaking out like crazy, and there was no solution since my face kept burning every time I tried the benzoyl peroxide cream (yes, I tried several times!)
This took me to try another brand called Paula’s Choice. I saw that they were pretty recommended among social media, but couldn’t decide whether they were paid advertisements or real stories… I purchased the products WITH MY OWN MONEY the clear system, the retinol, and the anti-blemish cream which although it shows to have 5% benzoyl peroxide in USA, there is a law in EU that does not allow it, so instead the formula contains azelaic acid. I decided to give it a try and have been using it for over a week….
I am aware that although it’s still not enough time to give a complete opinion about the brand, until now, this is my first impression on what I have tried until now:
–CLEAR extra strength kit:
Cleanser and toner are “OK”… They seem to be doing the job but feel a lot less strong than Obagi. These first 2 seem to leave my face a lot more oily, but I still can’t tell if that’s a good thing since the Obagi was maybe way to aggressive on my face. The moisturizers are awesome, both the nighttime and daytimes are extra light and don’t leave your face clogged up.
–CLEAR skin healing treatment:
This ITCHES. As I said before, this is not the same formula as the USA and contains Azelaic Acid instead of Benzoyl Peroxide. I have noticed it’s a bit greasy (maybe because it also contains glycerin which is good for your skin) but although it’s not a 1-night miracle solution (like Benzoyl peroxide used to be for me) it just keeps the acne controlled. They are still there, not shrinking, but controlled. Summary: not my favorite product and I think I’ll be looking for a Benzoyl peroxide with lower % instead.
-Defense Antioxidant Pore Purifier:
I love this one. Love the texture, love how it does not leave me greasy, doesn’t itch, doesn’t burn, and leaves my face looking clear. I will be purchasing it again.
-Retinol:
I haven’t tried yet. Sorry! I will be posting about it in a few weeks but I’ve heard great things and looking forward to it
UPDATE: got pregnant and still can’t use retinol :/ I will just have it in my drawer for after pregnancy, ill keep you updated.
