Hey all, it’s Daisey! Today I share with you my ultimate favorite beauty products, steps to clear skin and what you can do to get the skin of your dreams!

Ok, so I suffered from acne for as long as I could remember. I was 16 years-old when my aunt who is an MD took me and her daughter to another MD friend of her who is a dermatologist. My cousin about 12 years-old at the time was also suffering from mild acne. He spent a few minutes with us and gave us two prescription slips. Olivia(my cousin) got a topical liquid product she’d have to apply morning. I got a prescription for doxycycline. One tablet daily. OK. That’s it?

It took me going to medical school to understand his logic. Acne Vulgaris aka Cutibacterium acne is a gram-positive bacteria and antibiotics kill bacteria.

Doxycycline is an antibiotic prescribed for the treatment of UTI’s, respiratory and eye infections, as well as syphilis and yes, acne. The side effects are tremendous. I suffered from sun sensitivity. A common side effect of the medication. Doxy started working and my skin started to clear up. But when the prescription was out, so was my acne. Just like with Proactiv, which worked for a hot second, gave me dry skin and stopped working when I stopped using it. Another treatment bites the dust, I thought. So what works?

“It took me going to medical school to understand how to fix my acne”.

Feed yourself right

Here’s the deal. Before medschool started, students were gifted a book by a Naturopathic doctor called The Adrenal Reset Diet. Though I did not agree with everything the book said, one concept remained: cortisol which is a stress hormone needs to be better balanced to allow blood sugar to be better controlled. More control on blood sugar means more control on sebum production, thus less acne.

I made sure to eat 3 balanced meals and snacks in between classes. I ditched my sugary “health bars” and ate chia seed puddings, or veggies and hummus as snacks. My brain was sharper and my blood sugar regulated.

Make trips to the bathroom

Except for when I travel, I never truly had an issue with constipation. However, many people do. Healthy skin means healthy hormone balance and less toxins in the body. Constipation prevents toxins from being excreted and thus they are recirculating in the body and causing issues. So make sure to make daily trips to the bathroom. If you start to eat more whole-fiber rich food, it will be easier.

Sweat it out

This is the ultimate secret to having a healthy skin. A no makeup sweat session is what the doctor ordered. I make sure to vary my workouts from pilates to boxing to dancing. Just make sure you sweat. Sweat through your make up if you have to. Make sure to wash your face and body in lukewarm water right after a workout to remove all the oils.

Try new products but don’t settle

I joined Birchbox my first year of medschool and boy it has been fun to try new products. I tried everything from the St. Ives, to the Olay to the Almay to the witch hazel to Neutrogena’s of the world. My aesthetician educated me that Neutrogena and witch hazel were too drying and that a super dry skin wants to produce more oils and now you’re fighting a losing battle. I changed everything to La Roche-Posay and Clarins which are staples in French women’s beauty routine. As a good French woman my mother’s beauty routine was always something I admired. Growing up my mother used Biotherm, Clarins and Lancôme. Her skin is flawless to this day.

Sleep it off

When we talk about beauty sleep it’s not a joke. I’m the queen of power naps. In school, I’d get home from a long day and took a power nap before I’d study. I however struggled with sleep in medical school. The strive for better grades had me sleep 5-hours a night. My skin and health suffered. Rest assured that those weekend “catchups” made a huge differenc in my skin…momentarily at least. I knew that no matter how expensive the creams, the sleep hygiene had to be up to par to not only make it through medical school but for my long term health as well.

What I use!

This is what you’ve been waiting for gang!!

1. I cut my little aloe plant and apply the gooy interior to my face. I let it sit while I prepare myself for the day (feed the dog, make the bed etc…)

2. I wash my face with La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane morning and night with my muslin face cloth from Eve Lom.

3. Before moisturizing, I spritz with Mario Badescu Aloe-herbs-rose water face spray.

4. I moisturize either with Clarins must have dry skin savior or La Roche Posay’s Double Repair Face Moisturizer. I only apply The Sunday Riley’s Vitamin C serum on the days I need an extra boost of confidence or when I feel like it too. I alternate that one with the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm.

5. I make sure to wear sunscreen from Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry Touch

6. I go between Tata Harper’s resurfacing face mask and Boscia’s Matcha Magic Super Antioxidant face mask and Glow recipe Watermelon face mask, which just like the Tata Harper one, I just sleep in and wash in the morning. I also used my own homemade facemask to brighten (it’s a secret formula)!

7. I exfoliate, A WHOLE LOT LESS than I used to. Now I use this micro-polish brightening exfoliant from Ren Clean Skincare not more than once to twice a month.

And Voila…Mostly. I also make sure to jade roll and use face oils like Herbivore’s Lapis and Lancôme’s Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Night Cream. Ok so I use a whole lot more than that. But these are the staples.

If you are doing everything and your skin is not improving, it’s time to look at getting your hormone levels checked, food allergy panel to check for food sensitivity and assess for environmental toxins. Talk to your doctor about it!