Assume the Perpendicular

Thank you for the compliment, but my skin is actually very oily and problematic, it’s just that the current problems don’t show up in photos. Starting at about 14 I developed very bad acne (and not just on my face, but all over my chest and back too). In the photo I posted where I was 18, I was fresh off of a round of Accutane, that scary strong acne medication. So in that picture my skin was actually nice, but only after some serious pharmacological intervention. 

The results of the Accutane only lasted a few years. By the time I was 19-20 my skin was fairly bad again, but then I started on hormonal birth control, which kept it largely in check. I still had breakouts from time to time, but my skin was ok. I held out hope that it would improve as I got older.

When I went off of the pill and got pregnant, all pimple hell broke loose. For the entire first trimester the acne I had in my teenage years came back full force (and on my chest and back too). Luckily it only lasted a few months, and for the rest of my pregnancy my skin was ok, like it was when I was on the pill.

Since I’m breastfeeding I’m not taking hormonal birth control. I know that progesterone only pills are considered compatible with breastfeeding, but I just don’t like the idea of it. Since my baby was born my skin has developed a whole new set of problems: blackheads and clogged pores. I’m not exaggerating when I say that almost every single pore on my face is clogged. It’s especially bad on my nose, chin, and around my mouth. My skin in those areas is covered with tons of tiny little bumps and blackheads which drive me crazy, but aren’t visible in photos. 

As far as my routine (not that it matters since it isn’t that effective) I use Clinique’s 3-step skin care system. I’ve used it for a long time and feel like it does a pretty good job of keeping larger breakouts in check, but it doesn’t seem to help at all with the blackheads and clogged pores. If anyone has any tips or recommendations to help with those issues I’d love to hear them.

And I promise I’m not being modest here. If you saw me up close in real life, you would see that my skin is nothing to envy. It’s a constant source of frustration. 

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