I wish I knew to wear sunscreen every single day when I was a teenager.
The Freckles That Weren’t Just Freckles
As a teenager, I loved being tan. I’d spend summers at the pool, never once thinking about sunscreen. I thought I was invincible. The little freckles that appeared on my nose and shoulders were cute. Now, in my late twenties, I’m spending my money on laser treatments and creams to fade what I now know aren’t just freckles, but sun spots—the first signs of sun damage. A simple, daily sunscreen habit back then would have been the most powerful and cheapest anti-aging product I could have ever used.
I wish I knew about Tretinoin and its benefits when I was in my early 20s.
The “Magic” Cream My Friend Was Using
In my early twenties, I started noticing fine lines and spending a fortune on fancy anti-aging serums. My friend, however, had the most incredible, glass-like skin. I begged her for her secret, expecting some expensive luxury brand. She told me it was a prescription Tretinoin cream she got from her dermatologist for acne, which also happened to be the gold standard for anti-aging. I wish I had known then that the most effective, scientifically-proven ingredient was available for a fraction of the cost of the department store stuff.
I wish I knew that my diet (dairy/sugar) was causing my acne when I was 16.
The Inflamed Skin and the Milkshake Habit
I had painful, cystic acne all through high school. I tried every harsh scrub and spot treatment, but nothing worked. I felt so hopeless. At the same time, I was drinking a huge glass of milk every day and eating sugary snacks without a second thought. I never made the connection. It was years later when I cut out dairy for a month as an experiment that my skin cleared up almost completely. I realized I had been fueling the fire from the inside out, and no amount of face wash could fix that.
I wish I knew not to use harsh scrubs on my face when I was first getting into skincare.
The Sandpaper I Thought Was Helping
When I first started getting pimples, my gut reaction was to scrub them away. I bought the harshest, grittiest apricot scrub I could find and went to town, rubbing my face raw. I thought the friction and redness meant it was working. In reality, I was creating tiny micro-tears in my skin, damaging my moisture barrier, and making my acne even angrier and more inflamed. I was trying to solve a problem by creating an even bigger one. A gentle approach would have healed my skin so much faster.
I wish I knew the importance of a simple routine when I was buying dozens of products.
The Cluttered Shelf and the Confused Skin
My first foray into “serious” skincare involved buying everything a popular influencer recommended. My bathroom shelf was overflowing with ten different bottles—toners, essences, multiple serums. I didn’t even know what half of them did. My skin was a mess—constantly irritated, red, and unpredictable. I finally got fed up and went back to basics: a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Within a week, my skin calmed down. I learned that a good routine isn’t about how many products you use, but about using the right few products consistently.
I wish I knew that my pillowcase was a breeding ground for bacteria when I was breaking out.
The Mystery of the One-Sided Acne
For an entire year, I was getting breakouts almost exclusively on my right cheek. I changed my diet, my skincare, everything. I couldn’t figure it out. It was driving me insane. Then, a simple thought hit me: I sleep on my right side. Every single night. I was pressing my face into a week’s worth of accumulated oil, sweat, and hair product. It was disgusting. I started changing my pillowcase every two days, and like magic, the breakouts on my right cheek completely stopped.
I wish I knew not to touch my face when I was dealing with constant pimples.
The Self-Sabotage I Was Unaware Of
When I had acne, my hands were my face’s worst enemy. I would unconsciously rest my chin in my hand during class, touch a pimple to see if it was still there, and try to pop things that weren’t ready. I was constantly transferring bacteria from my hands and my phone directly onto my irritated skin, making everything worse. I thought the breakouts were just happening to me, but in reality, I was an active participant in my own skin’s misery. A simple “hands-off” policy would have cleared things up so much faster.
I wish I knew that a gentle cleanser was better than a strong, stripping one when I was starting out.
The “Squeaky Clean” Feeling That Lied to Me
I thought the goal of washing my face was to get it “squeaky clean.” I used a foaming cleanser that left my skin feeling tight and stripped of all oil. I thought this was a good thing. But within an hour, my face would be an oil slick as my skin frantically tried to rehydrate itself. I was trapped in a vicious cycle. It took me years to learn that a gentle, non-stripping cleanser that leaves your skin feeling soft and balanced is the key to a healthy, happy face.
I wish I knew to moisturize my oily skin when I was 17.
Adding Water to an Oil Fire
At 17, my T-zone was so oily you could have fried an egg on it. The last thing I thought I needed was more moisture. My strategy was to dry it out with harsh, alcohol-based toners and oil-free everything. But it just made the problem worse. I never understood that by dehydrating my skin, I was triggering it to produce even more oil to compensate. A lightweight, oil-free moisturizer would have given my skin the hydration it was craving, signaling it to calm down on the oil production.
I wish I knew about chemical exfoliants (AHA/BHA) when I was trying to get rid of blackheads.
The Strips That Only Pulled Out the Top
I was obsessed with getting rid of the blackheads on my nose. My weapon of choice was the classic pore strip. It was so satisfying to pull it off and see the little spikes of gunk, but the blackheads were always back a few days later. The strips were only pulling out the surface level of the problem. It wasn’t until my twenties that I discovered BHAs (salicylic acid), which are oil-soluble and can actually get down inside the pore to dissolve the hardened oil and debris from within.