If you read part 1 of my skin journey, you understand that it hasn't been an easy road for me. With a combination of oily, temperamental skin and crazy hormonal breakouts, the battle with my skin was a devastating season in my mid-20's. When you've tried every solution under the sun to heal your skin (and nothing works), you either give up or dig deeper. Luckily, I'm the type of person who doesn't give up easily (aka stubborn), and I'll fight until I find an answer.

I had a huge paradigm shift when I began to ask questions and research beyond the advice I was receiving from traditional Western medicine. I started to truly listen to my body, observe what was happening, and researched for countless hours. 

The biggest breakthrough to curing my acne was completely ridding my system of birth control. I hadn't ever given a second thought to the fact that it was messing with my hormones and thus my entire body-especially my skin. The cystic acne cleared up almost immediately. I began to introduce more herbs and supplements like Vitex Berry, strong probiotics, and magnesium to normalize my internal system. I still use these same supplements and have had consistently great results.

I also began to play around with organic, cold-pressed essential oils in my skin care routine (which began the passion for making organic skin care) and was consistently amazed at how incredible plants are for our skin. To this day, I'm still fascinated with essential oils are and I'm always trying new formulas at home.

Additionally, finding natural practitioners like my acupuncturist and esthetician were also huge in my victory against acne. They were on board with my vision for a natural approach to healing, and I'm a big fan of seeing natural specialists! My esthetician introduced me to sulphur which is an awesome ingredient to add to your routine if you are struggling with breakouts. If you're local to Portland, I'm happy to recommend my favorite specialists to you.  

The last thing I'll add is that my opinion to healing the skin is fairly "down-the-middle" between using natural and mainstream/prescribed products. I know what worked for me, but we all have unique skin types and health histories. I totally think that dermatologists rock and are often necessary. Especially with hormonal acne, they can offer some more gentle solutions like a topical antibiotic to prevent future breakouts. Even though I sort of had to find my own way in healing my skin, every person's skin and situation is so different, so the best advice I can give to you is to truly listen to and recognize what's happening in your body as a whole, and seek care to figure out where the imbalances are....don't give up! 

Thank you for reading about my journey; it's a huge part of why Berlin Skin exists, and my previous struggle is why I'm so passionate about what I do!

From my heart,

Monica

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*The above statements are based on pure opinion and personal experience and should not be considered medical advice. Consult a doctor if you feel you need serious medical attention.