I’m back to recap my second month of my journey to clear skin, following a personalized acne skin care regimen with Soak Spa. If you need to get caught up, my introductory post can be found here, and my second post covering the first month of the regimen is here.

In-spa Treatments

My customized treatments at Soak Spa for month two were chemical peels. The Face Reality Acne Peels are formulated to build off one another. They’re made of a combination of five types of acids – Trichloroacetic Acid, mandelic acid, lactic acid, azelaic acid, and kojic acid. Together, they work to exfoliate skin without irritating or dehydrating it. Each peel is slightly stronger than the previous peel, thanks to small increases in the percentages of each acid.

Acne expert Melissa Stewart selected Face Reality’s Acne Peels #2 and #3 for my treatments. Each time, she tested the peel on a small section of my face to make sure my skin would tolerate the chemicals. My skin made drastic improvements after each one – not only could I tell the acne was improving, but the scars from old acne were also beginning to fade.

Helpful Tips from My Second Month

Now that I’m about 60 days into the regimen, there are some things I’ve learned about this process that I think might be helpful.

The Supplements are Key

In general, I struggle with taking supplements. My system has weird reactions to different vitamins or minerals; it’s hard to predict, because the reactions aren’t consistent among all supplements.

Fish Oil

When I first started taking the supplements recommended as part of the acne regimen, I decided to try the liquid form of fish oil. In the past, I’ve taken fish oil in capsule form and found myself with some unpleasant side effects (namely, fishy belches – ew). Trying to avoid this, I found a liquid fish oil that – bonus! – is flavored with key lime.

Y’all, this fish oil product is delicious. Seriously, it tastes like key lime pie yogurt – plus, no fishy after effects. Win-win!

My advice is to make sure to take this immediately before or immediately after eating – you don’t want this supplement hanging out in an empty tummy. Another pro tip: the little medicine dosage cups that come with kids’ liquid medicines is perfect for taking the liquid fish oil in the right amount.

Zinc

I’d never taken zinc as a supplement before this regimen, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

I tried a liquid form but it was…well, gross. So I switched to the pill form of zinc (so much easier to take!), which I take before bed.

My recommendation: get the pill form and save yourself the hassle.

Probiotics

This was the only supplement I didn’t need to rush out to buy once I began the regimen. I’d been taking a probiotic for several weeks, and Melissa gave me the thumbs-up to continue taking the brand in my medicine cabinet.

There are a ton of probiotics on the market. Check with your Face Reality acne specialist to make sure the one you buy meets the Face Reality recommendations.

Clean your Stuff

About halfway through month two, my face was clearing nicely but a couple stubborn problem areas kept erupting: my right cheek and my chin. I couldn’t figure out why those areas kept popping up – I was following the regimen and the rest of my face was doing just fine.

Then I cleaned my cell phone…and figured out the problem.

Have you cleaned your cell phone lately? According to this Time.com article, “cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats”. A TOILET SEAT is cleaner than your phone that you put to your face multiple times every day.

What?! Gross!

Needless to say, I now clean my cell phone daily. I bought a box of alcohol prep pads from Target – the kind you’d use in first aid or for at-home injections. These pads are about one-inch by one-inch and wrapped individually, so I just grab a handful every week or every other week and throw them in my purse. When I’m waiting to pick up the kids or stopped at a stoplight, I grab one and give my phone a quick wipe-down. Easy-peasy.

Taking this concept further, I also give the alcohol-prep-pad-treatment (usually once per week) to:

• My work phone
• My work computer keyboard
• My laptop keyboard
• My iPad and Apple Pen
• My steering wheel
• Our television remotes
• Pretty much anything that I touch on a routine basis that is also handled by others or spends a lot of time in the wider world

This has made a difference – my cheek acne is completely cleared.

Month Two Results

I know this is what you really want to see: my skin’s progress during the second month of the acne regimen. Wait no longer…

Honestly, I still can’t believe this is my skin, especially when I compare it to my progress photos from the first two blog posts. The combination of following my at-home regimen and the customized treatments at Soak Spa, plus using the Face Reality products across the board has changed my skin in just two short months.

And if you think this looks good, wait until you see the progress after 90 days. Stay tuned – my 90-day check-in is coming soon.

Reach out to the experts at Soak Spa to schedule your one-to-one consultation today.