Hello and Welcome!

I’m Dana - the creator of The Skin Journal, a brand and personal journey born from my own struggles with hormonal acne and a deep desire to truly understand my skin.

My journey with acne began like it does for many, during my early teens. Breakouts covered my entire face, and like so many others, I tried everything I could to fix it. But nothing made a real, lasting difference. That is, until I tried the contraceptive pill. Finally, I had the clear skin I’d been longing for. But when I came off the pill in my mid-teens, my acne returned, this time differently. It focused on the hormonal areas of my face, my jawline, lower cheeks, and neck. Eventually, I went back to what I knew would give me results: the pill. And it did.

Throughout my twenties, I enjoyed clear, glowing skin. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t rely on the pill forever, nor did I want to. I often wondered: could my body support clear skin naturally now that I was older? I had become so reliant on the pill to manage my acne that I didn’t know if my body could find balance on its own. I may have had clear skin, but I didn’t truly know my skin, naturally. Still, I resisted. I was scared. I’d been here before. I knew how it could go. What if my acne came back again? Would I be able to handle it? At times, it felt like too great a compromise. Reason enough not to take the risk. My skin had come so far, and so had I.

But I knew deep down that the longer I delayed this decision, the longer it would take me to truly understand my body. And so, I did what I feared most. I came off the contraceptive pill. I stepped away from something my skin had quietly come to rely on, choosing instead to reconnect with myself and gently rediscover my skin. I chose to trust that my body held the ability to find balance on its own, that harmony wasn’t something I had to control, but something my body could return to if given the space, the care, and the chance.

It wasnt just about clear skin anymore. It was about learning to trust my skin, my body and myself.

I knew that if, at any point, there were signs my hormonal acne was returning, I had the patience and the inner steadiness to move through whatever came next, even if it looked messier, slower, or different from what I had hoped.

Spoiler alert: it’s been messy.

Did my hormonal acne return? Yes, it did.
Am I still trying to understand my skin four years after coming off the pill? Yes, I am.

My skin healing journey since coming off the pill has been just that, a journey. At times, it has created more questions than answers. And while my skin has come a long way and my hormonal acne has seen a lot of progress, I am still on the journey to fully understanding my skin so that I, too, can achieve the clear skin I desire. Fortunately, I have more tools now. I have awareness. I have patience. And I have The Skin Journal, a space I created to track, reflect, and truly listen to my skin.

If you’re in that place, navigating breakouts, uncertainty, or the fear that acne might never leave, please know you’re not alone. I see you. I’ve been there. I’m still here. The Skin Journal was made for us.