I started struggling with acne at 17-18. There is a long history of severe acne on my dad’s side. My mom’s side has the most clear skin. Genetics didn’t play in my favor when it came to skin.

It wasn’t until I demanded to be prescribed Accutane (isotretinoin) from a dermatologist that I finally saw clear skin at 27.

They had always prescribed me topical creams or oral, but they avoided isotretinoin. I didn’t have the money at the time to stick to many dermatologist visits until they said ok, we’ve tried it all. We’re going for the last resort—-isotretinoin. In their defense, it was always the random first two visits I’d pay to see, and it’s not the first thing they prescribe due to the severity of the risks.

The side effects are scary, but to me, they were 100% worth it. The initial first six months gave me the worst breakouts of my life. I wanted to hide at home and not see anyone. It was an emotional roller coaster. I met my husband during the start of the isotretinoin journey, and he still proposed to me, LOL.

I’m in my 30s now—-you may google my age. I have to leave a little mystery. I started breaking out during pregnancy, similar to my isotretinoin breakouts.

I didn’t want to leave my house. We were house shopping and I’d show up to open houses, trying my best to cover up the cystic acne with hats. The hormonal acne subsided after around six months postpartum. The hyperpigmentation was already fading; then, BAM, it crept back recently.

This recent acne was more controllable because it was from my diet changes. I was starting to have a lot more daily dairy. I have since quit dairy except for the occasional ice cream.

Tretinoin

I kept seeing tretinoin on TikTok and finally gave in. I quit dairy about a month into tretinoin because of how bad I was breaking out. I’m not sure which caused the breakouts—-dairy or a tretinoin purge period. Around three months in, I started seeing the hype was REAL. I used to use Retin A, but tretinoin is 100 times better. They say it’s like isotretinoin in topical form.

I used it daily, and then the algorithm brought me to skin cycling Tok. I learned to give my skin breaks from it. I use it nightly, Mon-Saturday. I love how smooth my skin feels and how clear my skin is. It’s not a viral product for likes. This one works—it’s my night time skin holy grail. It’s prescription only, but I only had to visit the dermatologist one day for the prescription. 🙂

Fibroblast

What is Fibroblast

La Jolla’s Beauty Room, “Plasma Fibroblast is a revolutionary, non-invasive, anti-aging alternative treatment to traditional surgery. It is one of the only cosmetic procedures in the beauty industry that stimulates the fibroblast cells to instantly shrink, tighten and eliminate loose and excess skin. It is renowned for its remarkable Non-Invasive and Non-Surgical skin tightening treatments such as effective smoothening of lines and wrinkles, scars, pigmentation and skin tags, eye lifts, full face, body, jowl lifts, repair to excessive tissue that causes sagging skin, stretch marks, and much more.”

My lips and acne scar treatment with fibroblast

I started fibroblast to achieve poutier, more natural lips. After seeing how my skin healed and how much I loved the results, I gave it a try for my acne scars.

I was overfilling my lips because I wanted them to be more prominent, not outward. I had learned about Botox lip flips, but the results will only last a few months. I learned through my friend who started her Fibroblast business that fibroblast can last 2+ years, depending on your lifestyle.

I’ve known the fibroblast tech Vanessa, a true self-care queen, for over ten years. Fibroblast is somewhat new, and I never saw it online, so I was hesitant. Because Vanessa is someone I’d 110% take beauty advice from, I said, why not?

This is my first time with fibroblast. This was my second time.

Pain

I first gave it a try in a small area because even though I trust Vanessa, it’s still my face! I have 0 pain tolerance—-I asked for the epidural at 1 cm—-and it wasn’t bad. It’s a warm zapping sensation. It’s still not painless, and some areas are more sensitive. If I had to compare the pain, I’d say it’s close to laser hair removal.

Healing

Healing time is three-seven days. By day three, my dots had browned and were drying. Healing will vary by individual. See this link for details on the healing process. I looked like a strawberry for three days; after that, the dots fell off, and I could wear makeup. I usually only use tinted sunscreen.

My upper lip skin tightened even more through the next eight weeks.

I went in for my second and last lip flip for maximum results and did my cheeks. Even though I use tretinoin, I wanted to have the skin tighten and further treat my hyperpigmentation.

Fibroblast Aftercare

Aftercare is so important to prevent scarring! You have to especially avoid the sun for the initial three-seven when your skin is still open. I continue to protect my skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen every day. Which I already did because of my tretinoin use.

I 10/10 recommend fibroblast and tretinoin in your skin care. Between tretinoin and fibroblast, my skin is looking its best! I used to avoid recording on my iPhone camera, and now I can’t believe how smooth my skin is without the TikTok Beauty skin smoothing filter.

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This is my makeup skin prep holy grail. Tap through here to read about it.

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