Growing up, I barely had any issues with my skin. I breezed through high school virtually pimple-free. And I reasoned, perhaps foolishly, that if I didn't have acne as a teenager, I'd never have to worry about it as an adult. When I started noticing more and more pimples popping up as I entered my 30s, I was sort of in denial about it. I figured, everyone gets zits, right? So I did what any editor with near-unlimited access to grooming products would do—try a bunch of different crap and overwhelm my skin, likely making my breakouts worse. "What the hell," I remember saying into the mirror one morning before an important meeting. "I'm too old for this shit." And it might seem trivial, but nothing drains your confidence faster than trying to be a grown man with zits.

Enough was enough. This was clearly becoming a problem so I addressed it accordingly. I wised up and sought the guidance of professionals. I streamlined my morning and nightly routines and now have the clear, easygoing skin I had in my youth. And you know what? It was actually easier than I would've imagined. I wish I knew then what I know now, so I figured I'd share what I learned.

The first thing I did was see a dermatologist and one of the biggest revelations was that some of the pimples that I had popping up weren't pimples at all. It was actually a form of rosacea that causes flareups and breakouts around my eyebrows and on the sides of my nose. Especially during stressful times. The doctor prescribed a prescription ketoconazole cream that works to soothe and calm the skin and reduce redness and those pesky bumps. If you can't get a prescription, a homeopathic sulfur-based gel called Prosacea is available over the counter and works well too.

My Product Regimen

What the author uses daily to keep his skin in peak condition.

• Mia 1 sonic facial brush,
  $129 by Clarisonic

• Advantage salicylic acid spot treatment,
  $5.98 by Clean & Clear

• Retinal night serum,
  $119.95 by Ao Skincare

• Benzoyl peroxide treatment gel,
  $6.79 (for similar product) by Clean & Clear

• Ketoconazole cream,
  by prescription only

• Mattefying oil-free moisturizer,
  $31.99 by La Roche-Posay

With that segment of my skin handled, it was time to tackle my daily skincare routine. What I came to learn, talking with both my dermatologist and a well-respected facialist, is that you've got to use your products correctly to get the intended results. Take the two most popular blemish products on the market: salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. These two seem almost interchangeable because they're both typically called spot treatments but they do different jobs.

Salicylic acid removes the dead skin cells that are clogging pores. Benzoyl peroxide kills zit-causing bacteria. Since each ingredient is attacking a different acne-causing source, one option is to cover all your bases by using both ingredients in conjunction. For example, apply some salicylic acid one night and a product with benzoyl peroxide the next night. I also learned the that the faster you apply (and reapply), the less trouble you find yourself in. As soon as I started to feel a pimple come up, a dabbed on a very thin amount of benzoyl peroxide. Then six hours later, I'd reapply. This either prevented the pimple from ever surfacing or the zit that eventually came up was much smaller and only lasted a day or two.

Another product that helped my overall skin health was a retinol. Typically used as an anti-aging solution, smoothing out wrinkles and leaving skin looking young and vibrant, the facialist told me that retinoids are an effective way to clear your pores and keep breakouts at bay. The bonus is that your skin will also be smoother and fresher thanks to the regular cell turnover. I use this every other night to avoid the undesirable side effects of redness, dryness or irritation. I cleanse my skin with a mild cleanser (my dermatologist suggested CeraVe) and then apply a small amount of Ao's Rewind Retinal.

In the morning after my workout, I cleanse my face using my Clarisonic brush and the same CeraVe cleanser in the shower. The thing I love about the Clarisonic is that you don't have to do any work or even press hard. "Just let it do its thing," the facialist told me. Which means running the brush over my forehead, down my nose and around my cheeks, letting those glorious massaging bristles wake up my face and slough off any dead skin. After toweling off, my skin is smooth and ready for some moisturizer. I've found that La Roche-Posay is a worthy investment and like that the mattifying moisturizer absorbs excess oil and keeps me from looking greasy during the day.

That's it. This fairly simple routine has kept my skin in proper form for the past nine months and for me, there's no looking back. Do I get a zit now and again? Of course, but I now know how to treat it so that it shrinks and disappears as quickly as possible. And the rest of the time, I never even have to worry about my skin.

My Product Regimen

What the author uses daily to keep his skin in peak condition.

• Mia 1 sonic facial brush,
  $129 by Clarisonic

• Advantage salicylic acid spot treatment,
  $5.98 by Clean & Clear

• Retinal night serum,
  $119.95 by Ao Skincare

• Benzoyl peroxide treatment gel,
  $6.79 (for similar product) by Clean & Clear

• Ketoconazole cream,
  by prescription only

• Mattefying oil-free moisturizer,
  $31.99 by La Roche-Posay