I cured my angry post-pill acne with this super simple skincare regime and anyone suffering like me needs to read this

Except for the occasional breakout, the odd monster spot induced by a frenzy of chocolate or a dodgy foundation, I lived the best part of 24 years blissfully spot-free. At 16, I started taking the combined contraceptive pill to ward off a bout of typical teenage acne and it worked. But when I decided to give up artificial hormones for good years later, I had a feeling my luck was about to run out.

For three uncertain months post-pill, things stayed remarkably clear in the skin stakes. Then, they arrived. Spots – unlike Id ever seen them before. Deep cystic pimples that lingered for days, open pores that were gone almost as soon as they appeared, blackheads, whiteheads, everything. Nobody mentioned it but anyone whos had any kind of visible blemish will recognise the feeling of realising, mid conversation, that the person youre talking to is gazing not intently into your eyes, but directly at your breakouts.

I felt embarrassed and reliant on makeup, as youd imagine, but also an unexpected sense of failure. I worked in beauty at the time and professed to know the skincare solution to everything. It felt hypocritical, even negligent, not knowing how to solve the puzzle my own skin was presenting me with. I tried to stay philosophical – its just your face, I thought, and nobody notices as acutely and critically as you – yet I longed to peel off my skins topmost layers and restore the clear visage Id taken for granted for so long.

After a month, I sought medical help in the form of a kind GP who told me it was moderate-to-severe acne, prescribing antibiotics called oxytetracycline and a benzoyl peroxide (eek) cream called Duac. A cursory Google of the cream on the way home revealed wildly varying results, from overnight cure to pointless potion. For me, sadly, it was the latter. The antibiotics, too, did nothing but cause a little bloating.

This six month micro-needle skin patch could soon replace the contraceptive pill

So what was actually going on? Dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross (whose ingenious products I eventually discovered, more on which below) is well-placed to explain. "Skin hates hormonal fluctuations", he says, "and when you abruptly stop taking artificial hormones, the oil glands in your skin switch to making oil that is heavier, which then gets stuck in the pores and blocks them. This causes blackheads, behind which bacteria grows, leading to more severe pimples."

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Though unaware of this wisdom, I did decide to go back to something that had been waiting patiently on the bathroom shelf all along – skin care. Say what you will about skin care (the false promises, the hefty price tags, that one friend who has perfect skin yet uses just soap, sometimes) but the following products have changed my face and – not to be more dramatic than necessary – my life. I still get spots, dont get me wrong, but their frequency and severity have seriously reduced.

First Cleanse

I use Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash, or (when budget allows) Daily Microfoliant for an undeniably bougie but downright brilliant first cleanse. Initially, I used the Microfoliant – a curious powder cleanser – wrong and missed the full effects. Make sure youre pouring it into really wet hands and creating a frothy-textured cleanser before rubbing it in circular motions on your face for at least a minute, that way, you know that the ingredients (best of all salicylic acid, which exfoliates deep within pores) have been released.

Salicylic acid is the only skincare ingredient you need to know about if you have spots. Here's why…

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Second Cleanse

Double cleansing seems a bit extra but Ive found that it really makes a difference, not to mention getting all your make up off. My weapon of choice is Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Cleansing Gel. Its a satisfyingly thick gel with alpha and beta hydroxy acids to work on that heavy, pore-clogging oil that can come post-hormones.

What is double cleansing and should you be doing it?

Acid tone

I worked up to Dr. Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel by using RENs Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic daily for a month, which contains lactic acid to gently resurface skin. It helps to slow breakouts down and gives a great glow but, if you need something more heavy-hitting (as I did) move up to Gross. His Peel comes in the form of two pre-soaked pads, which essentially speed up your skins normal shedding process (sounds scary, is wonderful) exfoliating pore-block