Beauty Tips For Body Care
https://i.redd.it/26jex8q2w2t11.jpghttps://i.redd.it/gj50h5q2w2t11.jpghttps://i.redd.it/aj7tcoq2w2t11.jpgCurrent routine:AM-Avene Cleansing Foam-Stridex Max Strength Pads-CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence-A mixture of CeraVe PM Moisturizing Lotion and Biossance Squalane Oil-Sebamed Multi Protect Sun SPF 50 (or LRP Anthelios Ultra-Light Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50)PM-Same as above minus SPF-Come winter, I'll be adding CeraVe Healing Ointment as an occlusiveOnce a week:-DE Framboos on Wednesday night-DE Babyfacial on Sunday night-Occasionally, I'll use Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask 2X, or Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel on an inbetween night-I also have a buttload of random sheet masks I am working--but will probably never completely get--throughSkin type: dehydrated, oily, acne-proneI have eczema on other parts of my body (usually I get itchy and bumpy patches on my hands and arms), but I wonder if I have it on my skin, too, but that it manifests somewhat differently, if that makes sense. I turned 30 in July, so I have both acne and eventually wrinkles to worry about. Hurrah.Medication: birth control pillHabits: I touch my face a lot. I also pick pimples. Have gotten better over time. Helps that I usually don’t have whiteheads as often as I used to.Diet: Probably nothing has changed. I like junk food. In moderation. Maybe I drink more water?Backstory:In high school, I thought I had extra oily, sensitive skin. I had my fair share of acne then, but nothing compared to my worst breakout of freshman year of college. It got so bad that when I came home for Thanksgiving, my dad held my face and exclaimed, "This is why you don't have a boyfriend!" He meant well (in his way), but it hurt my pretty badly. Anyway, that breakout was awful, but it pales in comparison to the breakout I had about 5 months ago.Since about 2016, I had pretty decent control over my skin. It wasn't perfect, but at least it was nothing more than the occasional honking blemish I got on my chin during my period. Thanks to SCA, I cultivated a skincare routine of Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleanser/Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil (I alternated between the two), Stridex Max Strength Pads, CeraVe PM Moisturizing Lotion, and SPF during the daytime (usually Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50+).However, right around Christmas time, I came down with a bad case of the flu while my grandmother had also rather unexpectedly passed away. Illness, stress, and sadness wreaked havoc on my chin in particular, and I was at a loss of what to do. I struggled through to around February with my same routine, where it kind of got better (but not really). Eventually, I added CeraVe Healing Ointment, as I discovered that my skin was actually dehydrated. Additionally, I had concluded that I had fungal acne, so was washing my chin and cheeks with Head and Shoulders Shampoo.I had been contemplating AHAs for quite some time to rid myself of many of my residual PIHs, and finally took the plunge in April, buying DE's Acid Trip during that Sephora Semi-Annual Sale. I had already started *slowly* using Pixi Glow Tonic beginning in March, building up a tolerance--every 2 nights, then every other night, to finally every night. From there, I moved on to using the DE Framboos. I started slow, patch tested it, used it once a week, and worked up from there. I tried the marula oil, but it seemed to close my comedones, so I switched to Acure Rosehip Oil, after using the framboos, realizing I was getting lots of grits/hard sebum plus. This was super satisfying (and oddly addicting), so I upped the frequency on DE Framboos use to every night. Boy, was that a mistake. The first week was fine, but after that, my skin appeared inflamed and it soon after erupted into a series of rashes/spots allll over my cheeks and chin by mid-May. I was a total mess after this. I stopped everything for about a week, finding comfort in a post detailing a similar situation of "Too much too soon," opting to wash only with water and moisturizing with CeraVe PM, occluding with CeraVe Healing Ointment. There were a lot of nights of sadness and days of internal embarrassment at work, where I had to appear as a professional in a health care setting.At the end of May, I had a mini vacation to NYC, which healed my soul a bit--seeing old classmates really cheered me up. I stayed in the city where I did grad school, and everyone else has left, so it's been a bit lonely here. I also used the opportunity to really stock up on some products in a desperate effort to soothe my skin. I purchased Avene Cleansing Foam (ILU, Duane Reade), CosRx Advance Snail 96 (ILU oo35mmoo), and many packets of CosRx patches. I slowly re-built my routine, adding in Stridex Pads, which surprisingly didn't irritate my skin when most other things did. Eventually I got to the routine you see above.It's been a long journey, and I still have a long way to go. I have so many PIHs left over, and a fair amount of scarring, but I am so grateful that my skin looks smoother, more even. Also, thanks to the Biossance Squalane Oil--my skin glows, and I've gotten compliments on it (*cue internal happy dance*).I think a lot of this probably could have been avoided by not overdoing it (but, really, what are the limits?). The upside is, I've learned from my mistakes and I'm hoping that I can give someone hope if they feel like they're going through the worst with their skin. It will get better with patience and lots of kindness to your skin and to your soul.I tried to use the same light and settings in my B+As. I'm sorry that they still seem kind of off when compared side-by-side. Also, apologies for the potato quality of my selfies.Side note: I'm definitely not wearing foundation in either photo. I wish I could, but I only do for special occasions because most things break me out or make me feel itchy.Additionally, if it would be helpful, I'm happy to add a list of whole list of things that improved, worsened, and did nothing (good or bad) to my skin.Also wanted to add: the times that I went to my PCP when I was in college, I was prescribed all sorts of antibiotics that worked, but once completed would make me break out badly again. Wasn't a fan of the side effects TBH. I also wasn't keen on my PCP, as her bedside manner was poor. She also didn't want me to try Accutane, thinking I didn't need it in spite of my breakouts and scarring. I honestly don't think she wanted to take on the liability. She did, however, put me on birth control, which I have taken on and off throughout the past 10 years. I still use it now, but not without some difficulty. 6 years ago, I had another PCP, this time, an old Korean dude who shamed me for using birth control. He basically said that I shouldn't be using birth control because I'm 1) not supposed to have premarital sex, and 2) it's not really going to help with my acne. He eventually lost his license for malpractice. Anyway, those 2 PCPs and intermittent insurance coverage have kept me away from establishing a proper doc (IknowIknow, it's going to happen soon).If you made it this far, thanks for reading. And thanks SCA for being a haven for me to lurk, find advice, commiserate with others, and to find hope from other B&A stories.TL;DR: Too much too soon in a panic, thinking you're immune to the mistakes of others is a BAD idea. Either way, be patient and kind to yourself, your skin, and to others.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by drowningduckie
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