A skin story. Everybody has one.

Mine is the one that goes, “I had great skin all through puberty and high school, and then when I was twenty-one, all the problems came on at once.” I had the kind of spots and problems that kept me from doing things I wanted to do, and made me feel ugly no matter what I was wearing or how I did my make-up.

A lot of those stories end with, “But then I found ‘x product,’ and I went back to beautiful skin!” Not for me. Improving my skin and finding solutions to old or new problems is a constant and continuing process for me, and I didn’t know that was normal until I visited Skin Rejuvenation Clinic, just twenty minutes from my downtown apartment in Minneapolis.

After I got my active breakouts under control with prescriptions from my general physician, I knew I wanted to do something about the scarring and discoloration my years of issues had left behind. I didn’t really know what my options were, so once I started Googling treatments and products and procedures, I reached out to several skin clinics around the Twin Cities about working together to find a solution for my face. Treatments like chemical peels or microdermabrasion can be expensive, and since I had just quit my job to try and blog full-time, any discount I could find would help.

Skin Rejuvenation Clinic was the first place to send me an email back, and it happened to be sent from an industry friend of mine in the Twin Cities. Emily told me that they had already been planning to reach out to me in hopes of working together, so the timing and circumstances couldn’t have been better. I popped in for an appointment and came away with some products to try and a SkinPen appointment—more on that later.

Besides assuring me that the skin problems I was having were totally normal and common, Emily convinced me of one important thing: I mattered to the clinic. My feelings mattered. They truly wanted to help me, and were as honest and plainspoken as they could be—improving my skin might not be an easy road, and I might not see results as quickly as I wanted. I’m used to people on the Internet telling me this when I read reviews about products I want to try, but I’m not used to hearing it from skincare professionals. Honesty is refreshing from a business that’s hoping to keep you as a customer.

After my first round of test products, I stuck with IS CLINICAL's Pro-Heal serum, which I still use every day, and my new favorite daily moisturizer from Revision Skincare. I had started with a dark-spot lightening product and an AHA from Obagi, but after a few months, I still wasn't satisfied with the texture of my face. Emily switched me to IS CLINICAL's White Lightening complex and a .5% retinol. I'm still using these products daily, and I've found that retinol and the White Lightening are my dream combination. They work so quickly at fading the scars and dark spots on my skin. Progress!

After my skin got used to the new products, I went in for my SkinPen treatment. Based on my personal research, and Emily and the Skin Rejuvenation Clinic’s recommendations for my needs, it sounded like the most effective avenue. I was quite nervous about getting it, because I’ve never done anything to my face besides topical treatments. It works like this: when your body has a wound, it repairs itself by building a new skin layer. The SkinPen, or DermaPen, is basically a tiny little needle that is drawn all over your face, creating microscopic wounds that your skin then repairs with a new layer. Weird, right? I blinked a few times after it was explained to me, but when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

Kate, my treatment gal, numbed my face before the procedure, so I didn’t feel a thing besides a little pressure. I listened to my iPod while it was happening to keep myself calm, but after the twenty minutes or so were over, I realized I hadn’t really needed it. The whole process was very low stress, which I appreciated coming into it as a newbie to the skin treatment world. The first thing I noticed, besides noticeable redness, was how smooth my skin was. It didn’t seem to do a lot in terms of helping discoloration, but SkinPen is also a procedure that they recommend doing in a series of 3. For my first time, it seemed to be very effective in helping to heal the deep scars along my cheeks.

So here I am, showing you my not-so-perfect bare skin, but compared to what it was, I'm proud to show it off. I couldn't have done it without Emily, Kate, and the generously kind team at Skin Rejuvenation Clinic! Of course, I was more than disappointed to find them right before my move to Seattle, but since I still have so many ties to Minneapolis, I’ll definitely be trying to squeeze in appointments when I’m back in the Twin Cities to visit. When you find a match this perfect, you don’t want to let go.

Thanks a million to Skin Rejuvenation Clinic for the product and treatment—all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

And please, feel free to ask me any questions about any products or treatments I mentioned here! I'd love to share more.

I've spent the last week traveling and gearing up for a week of posts celebrating natural beauty. First up, a fun collaboration with my favorite natural body lotion brand!

As a scent-sensitive person, my mother always keeps a bottle of Aveeno lotion on her bathroom counter, so for that reason the brand has found its way into my life over the past several years. Aveeno carries a variety of products to suit specific skin types, but I’ve always been pretty close to average when it comes to dryness, so I’ve always veered towards their Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Now, I’m excited to make my loyalty official as I've been participating in the brand’s three-week #AveenoDailyChallenge: using the Daily Moisturizing Body Wash + Lotion every day for three weeks!

Aveeno is one of those body lotions that you don’t have to think about—I can feel it sink into my skin after using. It’s hydrating without leaving an annoying film or grease behind, it won’t break your bank account, and the results are definitely worth the value. There are usually regular coupons and sales for their products as well, so keep an eye out.

I’d never tried Aveeno's Daily Moisturizing Body Wash before the challenge, and my skin felt instantly smoother after showering the very first day. Following with the lotion right after my shower made my skin look and feel even more hydrated. I tend to use a variety of different products and switch up my body wash when I empty a bottle, but this is the simplest and most effective routine in my memory to date.

Aveeno sent over this round of products so I could give you the low-down before you guys try it, but I’ve personally picked up Aveeno products at Target, Walgreens, CVS, and more. If you’re new to the brand and try out the products, let me know what you think! I know from Instagram a lot of you are lifelong Aveeno fans, and if that’s you, commit to the #AveenoDailyChallenge for 3 weeks! Because we all want skin like Jennifer Aniston.

Thank you to Aveeno® for partnering with me on this post! All opinions are 100% my own—I’m participating in the #AveenoDailyChallenge for three weeks.