If you told me a few months ago that I would be writing a blog post about my skin finally healing, I wouldn’t have believed you. I was stuck in a cycle of breakouts, sensitivity, and a lot of frustration.
I want to chronicle my skincare journey from the beginning: the issues I was dealing with, how I planned to treat my skin, and how I used online research and a lot of trial and error to get to where I am now.
The Starting Point: A Triple Threat
When I first started trying to figure out what was wrong with my skin, I was dealing with a nightmare combination:
- A weak, compromised skin barrier: my skin felt tight, reactive, and everything stung.
- Fungal acne (Malassezia): those tiny, itchy bumps that never seemed to go away, especially between my eyebrows and on my forehead.
- Regular bacterial breakouts: because why not have both? 🙂
I didn’t know what was happening at first. I just knew my skin was angry, nothing was working, and I was tired of guessing.
The hardest part? Everything I tried for one problem seemed to make the other worse. Heavy moisturizers for my dry, exhausted barrier? Fed the fungal acne. Harsh acne treatments? Destroyed my barrier even more.
I was stuck.
The Pivot: Finding the Right Information
I started researching obsessively about fungal acne online. I needed to understand what was actually happening to my skin. Reddit and Folliculitus Scout saved me.
Key resources I used:
Folliculitis Scout: This became my bible. I ran every single product ingredient list through this site to check for fungal acne triggers. I still do! I never want to have a fungal acne outbreak again.
Online skincare communities: Reading about other people’s experiences with fungal acne helped me feel less alone and gave me product ideas.
DeepSeek LLM AI: I used it as a sounding board to test my thinking, organize my thoughts, get feedback on routines, and slowly build a plan I could trust.
After working so hard to just get my skin to stop breaking out, I wanted to jump straight into treating my PIH, but my skin still needed time to heal and calm down. The first major realization? I had to stop attacking my skin and start supporting it. I resisted this but realized that it was the only way forward. Slowly. My core philosophy became: fortify first, treat gently.
What My Skin Actually Needed
Through research and a lot of back-and-forth, I figured out that my skin needed three things:
- Barrier repair: Ceramides, niacinamide, panthenol, and gentle hydration. No exceptions.
- Fungal acne management: Zinc pyrithione, FA-safe squalane, and avoiding trigger oils like shea butter and coconut oil.
- Gentle breakout control: Azelaic acid, mandelic acid (only once a week), and eventually tranexamic acid for the hyperpigmentation left behind.
I learned that less is more, something I definitely didn’t believe at first.
The Products That Actually Worked
I tried a lot of things. Some worked, some didn’t. Here’s what made the cut.
Cleansers
Happy Cappy – This is technically a shampoo for babies with seborrheic psoriasis. Not joking. It contains zinc pyrithione. A lot of people online will tell you that using any product with ZP, including Head & Shoulders, will clear fungal acne, and that may be true. But I knew I needed something a bit milder than dandruff shampoo, which is designed for hair and tends to have harsher surfactants. This is the zinc pyrithione “cleanser” that finally cleared my fungal acne after weeks of consistent use.
Peach Slices Acne Clarifying Cleanser – Once the fungal acne was gone I was still having normal acne pop up. Salicylic acid, but only 2-3 times a week as needed. I learned the hard way that daily is too much. I barely use it anymore now.
SkinCeuticals Soothing Cleanser – My gentle, FA-safe daily cleanser now.
Toners
PM – Bring Green Tea Tree Cica Toner – My skin loves this. It calms everything down, and I always come back to it when my skin feels sensitive.
AM – Good Molecules Niacinamide Toner – Brightening and barrier support for my morning routine. Trusted and true.
Serums & Treatments
iUNIK Beta-Glucan Power Moisture Serum – Intense hydration and soothing, I feel that it helped re-build my barrier and provided moisture in the winter months. A cult favorite for a reason.
Cos De BAHA Tranexamic Acid + Niacinamide Serum – Apparently a hyperpigmentation powerhouse according to Reddit.
Anua Azelaic Acid 10% – Next in my queue for acne and redness.
Medik8 Oxy-R Peptides – An antioxidant I use daily that doesn’t irritate me.
Cetaphil Gentle Clear Repairing Post-Acne Serum – Bakuchiol, zinc, and prebiotics. Gentle enough for my sensitive skin.
Moisturizers & Oils
Purito Oat-In Calming Gel Cream – My daily hydrator. FA-safe and soothing.
Indie Lee Squalane Oil – My nighttime seal. FA-safe and non-comedogenic.
Sunscreen
(My skin got so bad and reactive at one point that I was honestly scared to use sunscreen. I didn’t realize at the time that many of them contain ingredients that can trigger fungal acne, so I stopped using them for a while to let my skin calm down. This is coming from someone who has worn sunscreen daily for the last 7–8 years. I’m a believer, okay? Now you understand what this skin has been through.)
Shingmulnara Light Watery Sun Gel – FA-safe, lightweight, and I can actually use it without breaking out. This was a huge win for me because I had stopped using sunscreen for a couple of months out of fear.
Tools
HIME SAMA LED Face Mask – I use red light at night for barrier repair , and purple, white, or green light for hyperpigmentation in the mornings. I learned I have to go slow because I’m Fitzpatrick 5, and heat can trigger more dark spots.
The Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)
I definitely overdid it at first.
Mistake #1: Using too many actives. At one point, I was using salicylic acid, azelaic acid, tranexamic acid, peptides, and retinol all in the same week. My skin was overwhelmed and I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t seeing progress.
Mistake #2: Not listening to my skin. When my skin felt warm or tight, I kept pushing instead of backing off. This slowed my progress and contributed to the issue. Even with the red light mask, I finally learned that warmth during LED therapy is a sign to stop, not keep going.
Mistake #3: Buying more products instead of being consistent. I have a whole graveyard of half-finished bottles. I’m finally learning to use what I have before chasing the next shiny thing.
Where I Am Now
My fungal acne is gone. My barrier is stronger. I’m still working on hyperpigmentation, but I’m seeing real progress.
What I Learned
Progress isn’t linear. Some days my skin looks great. Some days it looks like a mess. That’s normal.
Research matters. Folliculitis Scout saved my skin. I don’t buy anything without checking the ingredients first.
Slow down. I wanted to fix everything at once, but skin doesn’t work that way. Introducing one product at a time and waiting to see how my skin reacts was the only way to actually know what was helping.
Sunscreen is non-negotiable. Especially for hyperpigmentation. Now I know there are FA-safe options.
My skin was strong before, and it can be strong again. I just have to stop getting in its way.
If you’re reading this and you’re in the middle of your own skin struggle, I see you. It’s exhausting. But you can figure it out. Be patient with yourself. Do the research. And for the love of everything, run your ingredients through Folliculitis Scout.
You’ve got this.
