I dealt with severe acne for about 4 to 5 years and it wasn't easy at all. As of today, I am so happy to say that I no longer deal with severe acne. I may have occasional breakouts here and there but that's it. My face has mostly cleared up and even the acne spots are slowly fading away. If you want to know more about my acne story, click the link to my article below:

• My Acne Story (5 years of severe acne!)

If you read my article above, you know that I had very persistent acne and I tried a lot of different things but all of the methods failed. No face wash, no cleanser, no acne beauty products were improving the condition of my face at all. However, there was one face wash that did the trick just a little bit. It helped me control acne but it wouldn't always prevent new acne forming. Though, my skin would look cleaner (compared to using other products) and the face wash had a cooling effect that helped minimize my pores. I believe, to some extent, it did help reduce my acne by almost an unnoticeable amount, which was good, but not enough.

The product I'm talking about is the Neem Face Wash by Organic Harvest.
Now if you haven't heard of the company, it makes sense. It isn't very popular yet. The company is based in India but I'm pretty sure they also ship to other countries. But you are definitely in luck if you are in India or someone from India can get this product for you (less shipping fees or no shipping if you buy it from a store)
This product made the most difference to my skin than any other non-medicated/non-prescribed product I have tried.

I also attempted to make changes in my diet, like reducing my intake of dairy products, consuming less of oily foods, etc. I cannot be certain if these changes helped my acne or till what extent they did but I definitely noticed a slight reduction in my facial acne during this "dietary change" period.

However, let me tell you what really cleared up all of my acne in just a matter of few months.
Medications. Yes, that is right. I did a whole course of medications to eliminate my acne. I am honestly surprised of how less this is recommended on other blogs. Prescribed medicines can sound a bit scary and I don't blame you, because sometimes they do have side effects. Some side-effects I experienced were frequent hunger pangs (totally random, right?) and a minor skin allergy. However, the side effects subsided in a few days and weren't bad at all, to be honest. If you have been dealing with acne for as long as I have, you know that a few days of hunger pangs and a little itchiness on your face is completely worth for getting rid of your acne. Other than those minor side effects, I didn't really have another trouble.

When you visit a dermatologist, he/she can tell you exactly the reason why you have acne. Acne isn't only caused due to "not keeping your skin clean". There could be several factors that cause and aggravate it. In my case, most of my acne was hormonal. My dermatologist also diagnosed that the acne on my left cheek was due to UV radiation. Note that I applied sunscreen (SPF 40 and PA++ or above) almost every time I stepped out of my house. Turns out you can get acne due to UV radiation even if you take such precautions. You can't diagnose your own acne unless you are a dermatologist, and I'm assuming you are not since you wouldn't be reading this if you were. It really helps to know exactly why you have acne and to be prescribed medications to get rid of it quickly. The time for the treatment obviously depends on what kind of acne you have, how long you have had it, and how severe it is. The process requires patience and some efforts from your side too but I, personally, thought it was the best decision I had made.

I was prescribed 2-3 different tablets/capsules every time I visited my dermatologist (which was about once a month) for around 5 months or so. As of now, I am only on external (cream) medication.

I noticed that I had absolutely no new acne forming on my face for a good few months after my oral medications stopped. My acne is still very in control but I have very small bumps (very, very small) appear on my face once in a while. The cream I am currently prescribed is to help with that. Overall, I have had very clear skin even after my oral medications stopped and my skin's quality is definitely way better than it used to be (absolutely no doubt!).

One thing I'd like to share is that, before I decided on getting an appointment with the dermatologist, I decided I wanted to make at least some of my acne disappear before I went. I was determined and found a few face packs to make at home and other remedies and they actually did some good. One thing that I did twice every single day was spritzing my face with diluted rose water using a spray bottle.
I will probably put up a post on this method, and other face packs that helped me, soon.

If you think that going to a dermatologist is not an option for you (though I highly, highly recommend it), you should also visit the link below. The article is a complete skin care routine that helped me manage my acne and still helps me maintain my skin:

• Complete skin care routine for acne-prone skin

Here's my skincare routine that I live by for keeping my skin oil-free, and most importantly, acne-free. I had acne for around 4 to 5 years and finally got rid of it. I will have at least two more posts related to this topic; one about my acne story and the other of how exactly I got rid of my acne (the routine below helped a lot but there were other factors that played a major role). So stay tuned to read the other posts. Follow my blog (you can click on the follow button to the right. It is under my Pinterest board "My Aesthetic") so that you know when I post.

So without further ado, I will tell you what I do to maintain my face and acne-prone areas on my body.



Use face washes that are for oily/combination skin types. It is very important to use the right kind of face wash and if your skin is sensitive then make sure to use a mild formula face wash. Two chemicals you should look for in any soap/face wash you use are Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide. Salicylic acid basically works by dissolving the skin debris that clogs pores. Salicylic acid can regulate skin cells. Products with salicylic acid are best for white heads and black heads. Benzoyl peroxide unclogs skin pores and prevents bacterial growth. Hence, this is great for cystic acne. 

I used a cleanser with salicylic acid. However, it didn't reduce my acne. If you read my post on how I got rid of my severe acne, you will know that my acne was mainly hormonal. Hence, the cleanser did keep my face clean and possibly prevented acne caused directly due to clogged pores, it didn't have much effect on most of my acne (hormonal acne still is due to clogged pores but the salicylic acid obviously doesn't work on hormones).

My dermatologist prescribed me a face wash that I still live by and it did wonders for my bacne (a.k.a back acne) and my face as well. It helped reduce my acne (with the help of my oral medications too). The most obvious effect, however, was the rapid reduction of my acne marks on my back and on my face. The face wash is called "MDELIC Face Wash" and you will probably only be able to buy it if you live in India. BUT, it contains Mandelic Acid. This chemical is known for helping with acne, wrinkles and a few other skin problems. You don't have to buy an expensive serum or anything like that which contains mandelic acid. All you should do is buy a face wash that has mandelic acid as its main ingredient (i.e it should be at the top of the list of the ingredients). Other ingredients like Vitamin E and Aloe Vera are also beneficial. 

You should wash your face 2 times a day. If you wash your face more than 2 times a day, you may end up drying up your skin. 

Now you have to be very careful when selecting a moisturizer. Any oil-based moisturizer is a big no-no. The best option is to get a gel, water-based moisturizer. There are a lot of those out there, I use one called "Sebaoff". I'm not sure if this moisturizer is available everywhere but don't sweat it if you can't find the exact one. There are a lot of 100% oil free moisturizers. You could even try the Clean & Clear Oil Free Moisturizer.


The Sun gives you Vitamin D, but it can also give you more acne. "Sun can clear skin" is a complete myth. When your skin tans due to the sun, an illusion is caused by the skin around the acne darkening so the acne doesn't stand out as much. But, if you think the sun cannot harm you, you are mistaken. The sun can cause breakouts if you have acne-prone skin. You should always apply sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection. Use a matte gel sunscreen. I use the oil-free sunscreen range from Lotus Herbals but it doesn't really matter if it protects your skin and is oil-free. I also use a sunscreen prescribed by my dermatologist that contains aloe vera extracts (as you can tell, aloe vera is pretty famous in helping your skin).



This, for those who don't know, is basically just a cream to apply to places where you have acne. However, this should be used when prescribed by your dermatologist. If it is a cream that is found in any general store, you could take your chances, however, a dermatologist can probably suggest a better one that will target your exact type of acne.



Face packs and face exfoliating scrubs are a good way to help your pores and remove excess debris from your face. Applying a face pack or using a scrub once or twice a week will help your skin and give you a natural glow. You can buy face packs or face masks or you can make your own at home! (Homemade face packs won't have unnecessary preservatives and chemicals)

Before applying your face pack, make sure to wash your face and here's a little extra beauty tip you can use a few minutes before you apply your face pack:

Make a rosewater face mist:

What you need:
⇒Rose water
⇒Water 
⇒Saffron (a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus)
(yes that's it)

How to make it:
Mix one part rose water with one part water in a spray bottle
Add only a few sticks of saffron (saffron has an intense orange color and you don't want to stain your face orange) to the bottle
Shake it up and spray it onto your face or use a cotton pad to apply it.

You can spray your face with this before the face pack (hydrating your skin helps it absorb the face pack better) or you can even use it generally, after washing your face, as a toner. The face mist will help your complexion and give you a nice glow.

Here's an effective face pack you can make at home using only 4 ingredients! This face pack is my all-time favorite and it makes my skin look and feel so much better every time I apply it:

What you need:


A few drops of lemon juice         Fuller's Earth (powder)                 Rose Water

Mix the ingredients together till the mixture is of this consistency (liquid enough to be able to smoothly apply on your skin but it shouldn't run off or move):


TIP: Try not to use normal moisturizers, especially ones with oils in them. Basically, only use water-based (gel) moisturizers.

Don't use general creams, especially if they are for dry skin!

Be consistent with the basics like washing your face, and even occasionally doing the other things can help your skin!