If you’re seriously at your wit’s end with your acne-prone skin, and if you take anything away from this list, let it be blue light therapy. With the exception of Isotretinoin, nothing has dramatically cleared my skin as much as blue light treatments. A newer, innovative acne treatment available on the market, it’s not something I’ve notice jolt entirely into the mainstream just yet. After hearing about it from a publicist friend, I too was dubious until giving it a go a few years ago. Now it’s seriously one of the most critical parts of my routine. Thanks to the antimicrobial powers of blue wavelengths, the emitted light effectively kills several types of pore-clogging bacteria. After one session my breakouts shrunk literally overnight, drying them out and making them much easier to treat with topicals. It’s not super convenient because it does require you to sit idly with a ton of blinking lights on your face, but it’s truly worth it. I’m a fan of Dr. Dennis Gross’s mask-like device, but there are plenty of other affordable and equally effective options out there.
