I have to admit; I do not have perfect skin. Some of these things are genetic you know, and gorgeous skin is one of them. It just doesn’t run in my family! I had my first pimple in eighth grade, and my relationship with acne continued well into my late 20s. Thankfully (and by that I mean I'm doing cartwheels), a complete diet overhaul and one pregnancy later, I was acne-free! But my skin problems were far from over.

Here I was, in my 30s, thanking god for ridding me of breakouts, but painfully aware of the fine lines around my eyes and mild pigmentation on my face. It was more pronounced around my mouth area, but mildly visible on my cheeks too. I contemplated using medicated creams to fix the issues, but weeks of Internet research led me to believe I’d need one too many in order to really correct it all. So, instead of buying a bagful of self-prescribed remedies, I decided to start small—with the regular CTM + sunscreen ritual every dermat and blogger swears by. What I didn’t know was that this would change my skincare game forever. Now I can be an exaggerator, but this isn’t one of those times. 

While cleanser and moisturiser were always part of my beauty routine, and a toner was a new addition, it was sunscreen that was the magic potion for me. I started religiously applying it every morning and reapplying as often as I would remember. (You’re supposed to do it every two hours, but every four hours was all I could manage.) 

Now, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t like I did not know of the benefits of sunscreen. The reason I was never a big fan of the product was because of the sticky feeling and oily look it left me with. (If you’ve had to deal with acne-prone skin, I know you can relate.) Anyhoo, after a bit of a hunt, I found a sunscreen that really worked for my skin type. I suggest you do the same ‘cause it isn’t a one-size-fits-all kinda thing. That’s the only reason I’m not going to act like an expert and recommend one for you. 

The sunscreen I now use is an easily blendable formula that leaves my skin absolutely matte, just the way I like it. What’s more with SPF 35, it gives me enough coverage for the day-to-day. I’ll probably need a higher SPF on vacation maybe, but for now this works and I’m a happy camper! 

Now for the part about how it changed my life… After around 45 days of application, my mom made a passing comment about how my skin had become visibly brighter. That’s when I noticed my dark circles too had reduced tremendously. Of course, given that I do have slightly deep-set eyes, there’s a natural shadow on the under-eye area. But overall the pigmentation has definitely reduced, which means I don’t need a corrector like I used to. Yay! Just a hint of concealer and I’m good to go. I do have a few fine lines around my eyes, but nothing an anti-ageing cream can’t fix. So yes, I’m convinced that pigmentation and dark circles can both improve significantly with just religious use of sunscreen. 

I actually did visit my dermatologist after all of this, and she confirmed that it’s probably the reason for my vastly improved skin. She also reprimanded me for not heeding her advice sooner. But like I always say, you live, you learn! 

If I have to sum it all up, it’s safe to say that when it comes to sunscreen, I’m a believer! If you don’t use sunscreen or just dab it on when you’re roaming around in the sun or vacationing in Bali, now would be the time to change that. Find a sunscreen that works for you and use it often... strike that... use it every day!