My postpartum acne routine

Hi! I developed pretty awful postpartum hormonal cystic acne (all along the jawline, cheeks, etc.) and I’ve had decent success with my routine so I wanted to share in case anyone found it helpful! Sorry no before and after pics - I’m sure for people who’ve had bad cystic acne before you get not wanting to have it documented 😅 Note: I am breastfeeding so my options were limited but I cleared this routine with my derm, which I would recommend to anyone else breastfeeding! Also, I have pretty hearty skin but if you’re sensitive I would definitely ease into this and rotate the actives.

AM: PCA skin nutrient toner, Azelaic acid, timeless vitamin c serum (dupe for skinceuticals ce ferulic), TO niacinamide, cosrx moisturizer. If needed for spot treatment: 2.5% benzoyl peroxide

PM: ClearStem Vitamin Scrub, ClearStem Clearity followed by ClearStem CellRenew. Azelaic Acid, ClearStem Hydraglow and spot treat with either BP (if not in AM) or Mario Badescu buffering lotion + drying lotion. I also used a super moisturizing facial oil but it’s from a local aesthetician so not widely available.

Other: A few months in I got cortisone injections in the big cysts which seemed to help calm things down. I also used the NuDerma skin wand a handful of times. Lastly, I cut out dairy (not specifically for my skin but I’m sure it helped).

Anyways it’s hard to say whether it was the routine or just my hormones finally normalizing (I’m 4 months PP) but it’s a LOT better and I’m just now working on the scarring. I hope this is helpful to someone who is going through it. I went to the derm early on and they were super unhelpful and basically told me my skin wouldn’t get better until I stopped breastfeeding which was super disheartening.