In June of 2019, I decided to take a leap of faith and join Curology. My acne journey began when I was only 9 years old. I had tried prescription medications for my acne including Isotetroin, Benzoyl Proxide, Retinoids, Salicylic acid, Azelaic acid, and Antibiotic medications. I saw some results from these treatments but nothing to rave about. My acne was still taking over my life and I was running out of time before the damage was irreversible. By my junior year of high school, I had huge purple cysts on my chin and cheeks, deeply scared tissue from years of squeezing and scooping, and pores that were large and in charge. So, I was hopeful after seeing ad after ad about all the people, just like me, who were being bullied by their acne. I had friends who had skin even worse than mine who swore by Curology.
Before I started using Curology, I used Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day while cleansing and moisturizing with Drunk Elephant products. To be completely honest, it worked SUPER well for my skin. For the first time in forever, my skin was glowing, my pores were smaller, my forehead wasn’t a greasy mess, and I could wear a little makeup once and a while without breaking out for 3 weeks after. I regret quitting this regimen for Curology. I still have acne, obviously. I still had pimples and pretty crappy skin compared to 90% of the population. So, I decided to keep the good cards rolling and make my skin even BETTER with Curology. So, with this mindset, I took the short quiz about my skin and I took a few photos. About a day or two later, I was set up with a provider and had personally curated medication on its way to my front door. I was SO excited.
When my Curology package finally came, I was eager to start. I began by using the cleanser and moisturizer 3 times a day and the actual medication every other night. I was told by my provider, who was absolutely lovely and very kind and I do not blame her at ALL for my poor experience, that my skin was in pretty rough shape. She pointed out my damaged pores and hyperpigmentation. She also noted that I could see major benefits with Curology, but I may want to look into starting Accutane (the strongest acne treatment, like, ever...basically it’s the only "cure" for acne and it’s really hard to get your paws on...it’s expensive and extremely hard on the immune system, but it’s the only thing that will re-set your skin). This was something that I was already thinking about and trying to avoid having to do. I don’t have $600+ laying around to pay for Accutane. So, I knew that realistically, there was a chance that this may not work and that Curology may not be for me.
After a week of using my cream every other night, my skin got to a point that was so alarming and horrifying...I had never seen my skin that bad. I was reassured that this was completely normal and that my skin was "purging." Basically, that’s when skin pushes out all the dead stuff that’s stuffed in its pores so that it can fully absorb the good stuff that’s being introduced. I was told that it was to last 3-8 weeks. So, week after week, I was desperately hoping that my skin would finally stop trying to kill itself. After 7 weeks of this same heartbreak, I was starting to wonder if this was the purging or if the medication just wasn’t working. By week 10, I had 5 deeply rooted pimples that were so painful and tender I couldn’t sleep on my side or stomach because it was so painful for my face to even rest on a pillow. They would be deep red and purple as they just sat and stewed under my skin, full of rage and pressure. I was completely screwed. My skin was PISSED.
So, after 3 mental breakdowns and countless 2-hour-shower-crying sessions, I decided to stop using Curology. I threw away the medication cream and started using my original Drunk Elephant and Apple Cider Vinegar routine and within - I’m not exaggerating - 5 days, my skin was totally calmed down and giving me some hope. Overall, I think Curology is a wonderful brand and has some really talented and skilled employees, but it’s not for people like me, who have stubborn, deep, and aged acne. I would recommend it to an 8th grader who’s battling their first hormonal breakout, which is totally okay and still just as sucky as my acne. I think that it’s meant for people who have pretty surface level acne- maybe a lot of black and white heads and just some pesky pimples after wearing makeup for a few hours. I wouldn’t recommend it for people who have borderline cystic-acne or premature adult acne. My acne is probably a 7 or an 8. I would recommend Curology to someone who is at a 4 or a 5. It’s a great brand with a lot of really inspiring and touching success stories, but I just wanted to make a point that it’s not really meant for serious acne.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
