My Acne Was Clear for Years. Then It Came Back.

For years, acne took up way too much space in my life.

I thought about it when I got ready in the morning. I thought about it when I put on makeup. I thought about it when someone pulled out a camera.

Then Mandy helped me get my skin clear.

And eventually, something happened that I never expected:

I stopped thinking about my skin all the time.

I wore less makeup. I didn't avoid pictures. I wasn't constantly checking the mirror for new breakouts.

My skin wasn't necessarily perfect every single day, but acne wasn't running the show anymore.

It was such a freeing feeling.

Not long after, I started working for Lavender Glow Co., and in 2023 I moved to Arizona. New state, new environment, new chapter of life—and for the most part, my skin stayed clear.

I'd still get an occasional breakout, especially during stressful periods, but my acne never returned to what it had once been.

I honestly thought I'd figured my skin out.

Then I moved to North Carolina.

And suddenly, my skin started changing again.

Wait...I thought we already did this?

Going from Arizona to North Carolina meant a completely different climate and environment.

Dry desert air became humidity. My routines changed. My stress changed. My life changed.

Around the same time, I was also experiencing hormonal changes.

And then the breakouts started becoming more noticeable.

I'd love to tell you I calmly thought, Interesting. My skin has changed. Let's figure out why.

Absolutely not. 

I was frustrated.

I'd already done the acne thing.

I'd already gotten clear.

Why was I doing this again?

But talking with Mandy reminded me of something that's easy to forget once you've had clear skin for a long time:

Your skin can change because your life changes.

Getting your acne under control once doesn't mean your skin will behave exactly the same way forever.

Hormonal changes, stress, medications, environment, climate, products, lifestyle factors and other changes can all influence acne.

And sometimes the routine that worked beautifully during one season of your life may need to be reassessed during another.

That doesn't mean it failed.

And it definitely doesn't mean you're back at square one.

My first instinct was to find the problem.

When my acne started coming back, I wanted an explanation.

Was it the humidity?

My hormones?

Stress?

Something I was using?

Something I was eating?

Did I need a new product?

Was my skincare not working anymore?

When you've struggled with acne before, it is very easy to fall right back into detective mode.

You start analyzing everything.

And that's also when it's tempting to start changing everything.

New cleanser.

New serum.

Stronger active.

Different moisturizer.

Maybe that product everyone on TikTok is talking about...

But constantly changing your routine can make it even harder to understand what's actually happening with your skin.

That's one of the biggest differences between how I approached acne years ago and how I'm approaching it now.

I don't immediately assume I need to start over.

I have a skincare routine I trust.

I know my products are designed with acne-prone skin in mind.

I know we're paying attention to pore-clogging ingredients.

I know we're treating the acne while also supporting hydration and my skin barrier.

And most importantly, I have someone who understands acne helping me look at the bigger picture.

Instead of asking, “What new product should I buy?”

I'm asking:

“What changed?”

Acne isn't always just about your skincare.

This is something Mandy taught me years ago, but I'm understanding it differently now.

Skincare matters.

Having the right products matters.

Consistency matters.

But acne can be influenced by more than what you put on your face.

That's why understanding acne sometimes means looking beyond your bathroom counter.

Have there been hormonal changes?

New medications or supplements?

Changes in stress?

New haircare, makeup or body products?

Changes in your environment or routine?

Are you using your acne products consistently?

Has something changed with your skin itself?

The answer isn't always obvious, and there isn't always one single cause.

That's also why throwing another random product into your routine isn't necessarily the answer.

Sometimes the right next step is simply to stop, look at the bigger picture and make thoughtful adjustments instead of changing everything at once.

Having acne again doesn't erase the years I was clear.

I think this has been one of the hardest things for me to remember.

When you've experienced clear skin and then acne starts coming back, it can feel like you've lost all your progress.

But I haven't.

My skin stayed clear for years.

What worked for me wasn't a failure because my skin eventually changed.

My circumstances changed. My body changed. My skin changed.

Now we're figuring out what my skin needs today instead of trying to force it to behave exactly the way it did several years ago.

And yes, the return of my acne has affected my confidence.

I'm not going to pretend it hasn't.

There are mornings when I look at a breakout way too closely in the mirror. There are days when I wish my skin looked the way it used to.

I still want clear skin.

I think it's okay to say that.

But I also know something now that I didn't know the first time I struggled with acne:

I don't have to panic.

I don't have to buy five new products.

I don't have to throw away my entire routine.

I don't have to assume I'm doing everything wrong.

And I don't have to figure it out by myself.

Sometimes your acne plan needs to change because your skin has changed.

That's actually one of the things I've come to appreciate most about the way Mandy approaches acne.

There isn't one routine that gets handed to you with the expectation that your skin will need exactly the same thing forever.

Your skin is individual.

And when something changes, the goal isn't to panic or chase the next miracle product.

It's to figure out what's happening, make adjustments when they're actually needed, and stay consistent long enough to see how your skin responds.

That's a very different experience from the way I used to approach acne.

I used to feel like every breakout meant I needed to find another answer.

Now I know I already have a foundation.

Sometimes the plan just needs to evolve with me.

I'm still working toward getting my skin back to where I want it.

I'm still frustrated sometimes.

And yes, I would very much like my clear skin back. 

But I don't feel like I'm starting from zero.

I know more about my skin now.

I understand acne better.

I have products I trust.

I have a plan.

And I have someone in my corner who knows when it's time to stay the course—and when it's actually time to make a change.

Maybe that's one of the biggest things acne has taught me this time around:

Clear skin isn't about finding one perfect routine and hoping your skin never changes.

It's about understanding your skin well enough to know that when life changes, your approach may need to change with it.

And that's exactly what we're doing.

xo,
Megan