I thought this post might come in handy for some people. I suffered from awful acne from the time I was 22 until I was 26. I had perfect skin all through my teenage years, and then at 22 after some extreme stress (a close friend passed away) I got walloped with terrible skin. I think I must have tried everything under the sun to get it under control. After figuring out my current regime my skin has been back to its glowing non-blemished former state. I wanted to share what worked for me, and hopefully help save someone a few years of stress.
First, the Clarisonic Mia is a life changer. I haven't used any of the less expensive options for comparison, so I can't say how they stack up. I use to Mia twice a day and I WILL break out a bit if I stop using it.
I started using the Murad acne system about a month after I got the Mia, and the combination cleared up my skin entirely in about 6-8 weeks. The Skin Perfecting Lotion contains retinol, so it helped fade the marks on my skin from old blemishes.
My current regime includes:
(Daily)
Mia
Murad Clarifying Cleanser
Murad Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel (morning)
Murad Skin Perfect Lotion (morning)
Korres Quercetin & Oak Night Cream (night)
Weekly:
Olay Microdermabrasion 1x (my FI loves this too- your skin gets a GREAT glow!)
Clinique Acne Solutions Oil Control mask 2x
That's it! I know some of my products are pretty expensive, but well worth it to me. I can't tell you how great it feels to walk around bare faced and feel confident again!