Picture this: It’s 2018, hyaluronic acid is making waves everywhere you look, and we still have a few good years left before the tweens take over the aisles of your favourite beauty store. I wasn’t much of a skincare girlie back in my early 20s — in fact most of my routines and self-administered ‘hacks’ would promptly incite gasps of disapproval from the average skincare enthusiast today, but you see, times were more forgiving back in 2018.
My routine typically consisted of a basic face wash, I’d pick something simple that gets the job done, and wouldn’t be too drying or harsh on my already dry skin. On more than one occasion, I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of picking out a cleanser just because the packaging looked cute or it smelled delicious, only to realise it wasn’t super effective in the long run. I’d follow this up with another impulse-buy, which would be any moisturiser that had taken my fancy that month. The new object of my affection would eventually be a hit or a miss, if I stuck with it long enough to find out. My lack of commitment to a single product or a routine stemmed from impatience — if it wasn’t making my skin glow in two weeks, I’d swiftly move on to the next shiny, of-the-moment must-have. Although, somehow, I managed to stay consistent with applying sunscreen, which is something I am extremely grateful for in my late 20s. Tinted sunscreen became an irreplaceable part of my routine during my teens. My high school strictly forbade makeup, so tinted sunscreens were the perfect loopholes if one wanted look more polished and ‘put together’, without wearing any ‘makeup’.
How my skin managed to stay resilient so far was beyond me, but much to my dermat’s chagrin, I was willing to continue this risky roulette with routines for as long as I was getting away with it. Ultimately, when the world shut down in 2020 and the first few spots of maskne hit me, my immediate course of action was to tackle it head on, and this time, thanks to the lockdown, I had so much more time on my hands. It took me only a few days of scouring through the internet to come to the conclusion that salicylic acid was just what would help my acne finally calm down. Other notable players that came to light were niacinamide, retinoids, glycolic acid — all of which could ultimately help one in dealing with acne flare-ups in one way or another. For those who preferred more natural alternatives, tea tree oil and witch hazel seemed like popular remedies.
Armed with all this newfound (and half-baked, not to mention) knowledge of skincare, I curated my very own anti-acne routine. I wanted my skin to clear up good, and fast, so naturally, I went a little overboard with salicylic acid, and created a hectic, six-step routine featuring every popular acne-combating active ever. After all, more actives in multiple steps meant I would have clearer skin sooner, right? I would typically start with a glycolic acid cleanser, followed by salicylic acid and niacinamide serums, and a salicylic acid spot treatment, ending with a hyaluronic acid-infused gel moisturiser. In the AM of course, the last step would be SPF, and in the PM I would sometimes go for a mild exfoliating mask because again, it could only help, right?
Turns out, flooding your skin with high-strength AHAs and BHAs is not the best remedy for extremely dry, acne-prone skin. My acne got much worse within weeks, and my skin was feeling drier than ever. The real nightmare began when the acne became painful to touch and my skin started feeling extremely sensitised, especially in the sun. This pushed me to admit that this wasn’t just a one-off zit that would retreat with time — I had significantly damaged my skin by using actives incorrectly and needed to heal it, stat!
What finally caused my skin to start healing was, surprise surprise, a pared-back yet mindfully curated skincare routine. Much against my skincare-hoarding tendencies, my dermat insisted I cut down my routine to three simple steps. As the first step, she recommended a super gentle cleanser for my inflamed, sensitised skin. This was an allantoin-infused formulation that would soothe irritated skin and not dry it out further. The next step was a benzoyl peroxide spot treatment — just twice a day, only on the affected areas and strictly no more. And no, increasing the frequency would not heal my acne faster, she reiterated. The last step was a ceramide-enriched moisturiser to help rebuild my damaged skin barrier, reduce dryness and prevent future breakouts.
Coupled with multivitamins and a clean(ish) diet, even the most stubborn of my acne did clear up in the next few months. Almost three years later, I follow more or less the same routine today, with an enhanced focus on hydration and fortification. I am happy to report that my skin is quite unproblematic as of now (no pimples, barring the occasional guest), but I am always on the lookout to counter dullness and enhance radiance (cautiously now, of course!).
The lesson? Something I follow to this day — focus on barrier health first, always. A strong barrier keeps your skin healthy by keeping the good in and the bad out. Plus, it only helps to be extra gentle and patient with your skin, and no, more is not always more.
