Blog 7 in Series: PCOS

If you don’t know what PCOS is, then please take the time to read the first post in this series, which can be found here.

Walk in to any drug store, Sephora, Ulta, etc. and you will be bombarded with thousands of products to “cure acne.” If you are beginning, it can be such a difficult task to choose the right face wash or creams and treatments to use. I want to help walk you step by step to choosing the best products to help with your acne. (This is short of going to the Dermatologist, which I ALWAYS recommend. Reminder, I am not a doctor. I am just stating my experience and recommendations.)

1. Establish your skin type. Products basically tell you on the packaging which type of skin they are for and what they do. It’s important to know what type of skin you have.

Flaky skin or dry patches = DRY
Slick, oily skin = OILY
Some spots that are oily and some dry = COMBINATION
Mild for the most part = NORMAL
Acne issues (or teen skin) = ACNE (Found in some brands)

2. Start out small. There is no need to purchase every single thing at the counter. I recommend starting out with a nice cleanser and a light moisturizer with SPF. The cleanser should be used day and night to remove makeup, dirt, and day to day pollution. The moisturizer is essential for putting the moisture back into your face that makeup and your cleanser can remove. Adding the SPF can be your best skin product, since sun damage is the number one factor in skin damage.

3. Starter Kits are your friend. If you feel you have problem skin, your best bet is probably to go into a Sephora or Ulta and buy a starter kit. You can get store brand kits or kits from brands you may have heard about before. They always tell you what kind of skin they are for, so it will be easy to find the best match for your skin type.

4. Use your intuition. If you feel that something you are using is making your skin break out, stop using it. Definitely stop using it if it makes your skin feel uncomfortable! You are the judge of your feelings and results, so don’t keep using something that doesn’t work for you, makes it worse for you, or makes your skin uncomfortable!

5. Branch out! Once you’re comfortable, the sky’s the limit. You know what works for you and what doesn’t…so go ahead and add in one new product at a time! This way, you will know that the new product is the bad egg and you can discontinue that product’s use.

I know this seems simple, but I hope it helps! Especially for those with acne related to PCOS. I have seen and heard so many ladies commenting on how awful their cystic acne is, but then when I ask what treatments they have tried, they say none. Try it! My routine has saved my skin. I can always tell when I go off it in the slightest- the acne around my chin re-appears! Better to just stick with it is what I always say!