For years my cheeks and jawline looked like a war zone.
Acne would come and go, but they would always leave spots behind that stayed forever.
I'd wake up, see the uneven tone in the mirror, and feel instantly defeated. Like, what now! The acne is not suffering enough????
I'd pile makeup on them. The spots and the acne, which can't have been good for my skin. And I tried everything TikTok pushed – scrubs, vitamin C, random brightening creams – and the marks just got patchier and darker. Or if the got brighter, it was only the perimeter or the surrounding of the actual spot.
The insecurity was real.
The Breaking Point
Bleaching Cream. What else? A cream a friend suggested that just said anti-inflammatory on it. It DID NOT say bleaching or whitening or I definitely would not have gone there. After the damage from that, I kinda caved in a bit.
I'd see clear-skin posts and think "that's never going to be me."
What Finally Changed It
Another friend. Isn't it funny how we can be the best and worst for each other?
She told me to cut everything back and gave me a half used bottle of cleanser. She sent me a link and told me to buy the SPF. Use it everyday even if I stayed inside. After one week, i sent her a message saying it not working. She came back and said "why would it? You've spent ten years damaging your skin, what are you expecting?' 😂
She asked "After you wash, does your face feel dry?'
I said, 'No!"
She asked, "Is that normal for you?"
I said, 'No!"
She said, "Its working."
Three weeks later, I had run out of the cleanser and it was only then i realised my normal hormonal acne flare up hadn't come. I checked my dates and sure enough, no flare up. Then I sat there and looked at my face. Like really looked.
No way. Thats whatI thought. It felt too simple at first, like I wasn't doing enough.
But I am 4 months in and my acne is severely reduced. My tone started to even out. The darkest spots have softened around the edges. My texture got smoother.
I can put on light foundation now.
I use the face cleanser, the Brightening serum religiously. the SPF as well but maybe less religiously. I am trying.
I tell everyone about VOUEE because its just so simple. Most people just don't know how real this is, until they use it.
A Final Word to My Sisters
Our skin needs time, gentleness, and consistency to heal from the inside out. The marks that feel permanent today won't be tomorrow if we just give ourselves time to heal. Wherever you are on your journey, keep going.
GUEST POST: Keisha, 32, Houston, Deep brown skin tone, post-acne hyperpigmentation and uneven tone
