MY FUNGAL ACNE SAFE ROUTINE

This is a personalized follow up to my detailed post on how to get rid of fungal acne. Check it for all the information you need on F.A. In this post, I’ll share my journey with F.A and how I am managing it now.

Why i think i have/had fungal acne :

• I went to a dermatologist a couple of years ago because of these tiny bumps on my forehead and was put on acne medication which did not help. 
• The bumps come and go.
• It’s often itchy.
• Recently since I started working out consistently , I noticed a flare up . 
• None of my former products were fungal acne safe .
• I’ve tested a potential treatment and have seen improvements

Product changes

I found that ALL my products were not FA safe. My cleanser had 2 or 3 problematic ingredients ( thankfully I had used it up so it wasn’t going to waste) . Both of my moisturizers and my sunscreen were also not either.

So I looked up FA safe products and I came across the Simpleskincarescience website. I don’t think there will ever be a more thorough resource and list of FA safe products . I went to GoodLife pharmacy with a list of brands I thought I’d find locally(Nairobi) and purchased :

• Simple Kind to Skin refreshing facial gel  (kshs 1200) It is much cheaper on BeautyClick( 888/=) and in supermarkets ( ranges from 850-1200)
• Seba Med clear face care gel  (ksh 1200)
• Eucerin Sunscreen (ksh 4350) Online shops sell it for 3000. 
• KetoPlus Shampoo ( 2% ketoconazole + Zinc pyrithione) (kshs 1600)
• Sulfur ointment ( 10% precipitated) -kshs 40 

Before using any product on my face , I patch tested it. I have a post on how to patch test here.

I’m not a fan of introducing many new products into my routine at a go. So it was a slow transition.

For the first 2 weeks , I only used the FA safe cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen I had purchased.

I’ve used both Seba med and Simple before so it was only the Eucerin that was new to my skin .

A couple of weeks later, I purchased The Ordinary Squalane Oil. I use it for oil cleansing and occasionally mix it into my moisturizer.

I will fully review these products on a separate updated skincare routine post . I have a lot to say about them as stand alone products.

After 2 weeks of just doing this, my flare up had gone down significantly.

Antifungal shampoo

• Next step was to “confirm” my diagnosis by trying out the antifungal shampoo as a face mask (I patch tested it beforehand) 

I chose the KetoPlus shampoo that has both ketoconazole (2%) and 1% zinc pyrithione instead of Nizoral which only has ketoconazole. I talked about these ingredients in the previous post.

 One night ,  I  cleansed my face ,dried it and applied the shampoo. Left it on for 10 minutes then rinsed out completely . I followed up with the Sebamed moisturizer. People find it drying so they recommend starting slow and building up to more frequent use. 

I used it 9 times between May 17th and May 31st. Here is my before and after.It clearly worked so I’m pretty sure I had FA.Ideally, I should have used it for 6 weeks but I wanted to compare it with Sulfur so I stopped.

Sulfur

I bought some sulfur ointment from the GoodLife pharmacy for 40 BOB.I’ve discussed at length in the previous video why sulfur is amazing not only for fungal acne but for acne period . 

Since it exfoliates the skin, I haven’t been using any other chemical exfoliant.I’ve used it maybe 20 times now .The first time I used it, I applied it as a mask then rinsed it off after 20 minutes .The following times , I left it on overnight and had no problems with it.

This has made the biggest difference for me . It was not as drying as the shampoo and I feel like it’s made my skin less textured overall .I will continue to use it once or twice a week for maintenance.

Warning: it stinks. It is often compared to rotten eggs but I think that’s an exaggeration. I find the smell bearable plus I’ll take that over F.A any day.

Diet 

My flare ups seem to be linked to increased intake of bread and dairy . I’ve not found research to justify this but I know my skin behaves better when I consume less wheat and dairy so I will be limiting my intake.

Personal hygiene

Getting out of my sweaty workout clothes and showering soon after has also helped a lot . If you can’t do this , make sure to wipe your face down right after your workout .When I’m in a humid environment , I make sure to pat my face down to remove sweat buildup.

So my current routine : Oil cleansing, gel cleanser, moisturizer + oil, sunscreen, sulfur 1/2x a week.I’m keeping my routine simple and it’s working well for me .

What’s your current skincare routine like? Drop a comment down below.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

‘Always remember that your hair is your crown and your body is a temple; embrace it, love it and take care of it.’