My Aesthetician Said My Acne-Prone Skincare Routine Was All Wrong—Here’s What She Recommended Instead

Like most who have struggled with acne at any point in their life, I had a really hard time finding the right products that worked for me and didn’t make things worse. The thing about inflammatory acne (that I’ve learned through years of trial and error) is that most of the time, it becomes even more irritated by strong retinoids and exfoliants—the things we’re often told will clear it. After years of using the wrong treatments, I finally realized that my barrier-damaged skin just wasn’t going to get better if I kept going the typical “clearing” route.

Luckily, I recently had the privilege of getting a facial with holistic aesthetician Sonia Vargas who didn’t sugarcoat it for me. She finally told me my super active routine was not going to get the job done for my skin. In fact, it was probably making my irritation and inflammation worse. “My typical treatment [for acne] is to use gentle, calming products throughout the session with any sensitized skin or active acne present,” she told me. “I work on the nervous system and focus on the lymphatic system as well through different modalities. Most acne sufferers need lots of stimulation of the lymph in order to gently move waste in the tissues. Also, addressing the nervous system is one thing most acne treatments never focus on. This is such an over looked aspect when working with stressed skin.”

Honestly, I left Vargas’s L.A. studio glowing and it was one of the best facials I’ve ever had. Vargas uses the best holistic modalities including tuning forks to help reset the energy of your skin. She also recommends a network of alternative doctors, naturopaths, cranial sacral therapists, body workers, and kinesiologists to her clients to treat the source of the issue and not just the skin topically. “It takes a network of practitioners to uncover the root cause of acne and inflammation,” she says. “[You] needed calming for your skin not more stimulation. Your skin was a bit reactive, irritated, and a little inflamed.”