Beauty Tips For Body Care
Well hello internet,I’ve been a lurker here for several months now, taking “progress” pics along the way because I initially thought surely, I would be able to post a glorious 90-day B&A.Today is not that post sadly, it’s a rant. Like many others, I fell victim to this sub, obsessed with treating acne, PIE, cc, introducing and replacing products, and emptying my wallet to the amazon gods! Reading so many posts and comments about holy grail products that might help solve the problems I was creating for myself only furthered my spiral into obsession and depression. There is no simple fix, and really, there may not even be a problem to fix, and compulsively obsessing over what I needed to change about myself with little success completely shattered my confidence.Here’s a run down of my skincare journey so far:Never really had clear skin since I was a teen, even on the BCP I always had a few spots, which I treated in typical ways: salicylic acid washes, BP spot treatments, drying out my skin trying to banish the oil!I never felt confident with my skin but I wasn’t obsessed, I wasn’t defining myself by my skin then. Looking back now, my skin wasn't even that bad! It shouldn't have affected my confidence at allGetting older and everyone's skin seemed to clear up, I became more self conscious of my pimples, but didn't have any knowledge about skincareSwitched to a hormonal IUD 3 years ago because taking a daily pill was annoying, and sure enough the acne flared up with full force, time to take skincare seriously… kindaI heard oil cleansing was supposed to help with a bumpy forehead; started that but didn’t realize “double cleansing” meant you followed up with a different cleanser, not to use the oil twice…Never really had a set routine until recently, mostly acne washes and moisturizer only on occasion, Why would this oily bitch need to worry about moisturizer? Or sunscreen? We love a tan with a dangerous edge of aging and cancer!This year I turned 23, and I got focused on solving my skin and dove into this sub, and youtube videos, and blogs...Cut dairy on and off for the past few years, been more strict in the past 6 monthsThought the bumpy forehead was fungal acne. A cure in a shampoo bottle excited me beyond belief!Dried my skin right out with harsh Nizoral masks daily for a month, no moisturizer because everything I had on hand had ingredients that feed Malassezia and my skin was already so greasy. Silly girl....SimpleSkincareScience is a great resource even if you don’t have fungal acne (okay me). I ordered and used products recommended because hey better to be safe and away from fungal acne triggering stuff, right? Also, he researches so much and has an incredible writing style. It’s a fun read and has taught me a lot about specific ingredients and supplementsSaw a doctor for a full checkup, it took a long time to work up the courage to go and it was a horrible experience because my new doc didn’t even ask me about my concerns. She let me know that a slight hormone imbalance, breast cysts, and other issues were due to a poor diet. No further tests or prescriptions needed. Great thanks for your help. Then the spiral really took off:Cut out dairy level 1000, no added sugar, no bread or pasta, cut all inflammatory foods, focus only on your skin! Cut ALL food and feel as awful as you think you look! You have no energy to do anything but read skincare reviews, “improve” your routine, and order probiotics and supplements. You are obsessed and deeply depressed! Congratulations!Struggle to keep a routine down…. This holy grail product helped someone on reddit! Ill try that, and this, and ooooh exfoliation will solve everything! I don't think its fungal acne so that allows me to try all sorts of products! hmmm I might be too dry, everyone loves the gentle, non-comedogenic cerave in the tub! Great hydration with cerimides, that couldn’t be what’s breaking me out, or maybe it is, time for something new....Gosh girl slow down! It's so fun the try out new products but it takes time to see any progress and switching things up constantly will not help narrow down your sensitivities. And if you think you’ve over exfoliated or damaged the moisture barrier STOP!After a couple months of this chaos I threw all my skincare products in a bin and hid it from myself so I wouldn’t be tempted to try random new stuff everyday. Instead, I returned to my routine from before I ever had a routine with a little more knowledge about what I was doing to my skinI’m eating healthily again and allowing myself to indulge in a bagel or some added sweetener in my oatmeal. I’m feeling healthier in the head too, but still find myself heading into a dark place sometimes. I may or may not have spent over an hour in front of the mirror last week trying to extract every closed comedone on my forehead and that may or may not have resulted in the smoothest forehead I have had in ages but also pissed my skin rightI saw my doctor again, ready to have my IUD removed and start the BCP again or maybe stay clear from any hormones based on her judgement. Other than the acne, I also shed a lot of hair, have some long back and cheek hairs, and a totally whack period cycle. Granted, a few of these problems may have intensified during my malnutrition period, but they are also symptomatic of PCOS. As well as the hormone imbalance the doctor noticed months earlier! Gosh wouldn’t it have been nice to start spironolactone then? It would have saved my skin, wallet, sanity, and confidence.I refused the antibiotics she wanted to prescribe…. I’ve been trying to improve my microbiome with probiotics, I don’t want to wipe out all my new little friends lolNo official diagnosis yet but I’ve started the prescription and gotten an ultrasound. My follow up is in a couple weeks where I can discuss switching BC and other steps.Other than the skincare routine, some lifestyle practices I've picked up for my skin include: hypoallergenic pillows, pillow cases changed every 2 days, fragrance free laundry detergent, no dairy, limited added sugar, eating mostly whole foods, supplements: cod liver oil and probiotics rich in lactino-bacteria or whatever. Now 50mg Spironolactone for PCOSMy routine has been consistent for a few weeks at least. Chemical exfoliation is back again after taking time to repair my moisture barrier, but I’m concerned I may be going too hard. Can a BHA cleanser really be used daily? What about a gentle AHA? Should I alternate with my active ingredients? If you’re still reading this and have some pointers or answers to my questions, please let me know:AM:Rinse face and neck with water and clean handsPat dryish with handsTO alpha arbutin and HA (mostly using for the HA)Cetaphil moisturizing lotionCerave in the tub for an eye creamSkin Aqua Super Moisture Gel Pump (SPF50 PA++++)Makeup most dayPM:Oil cleanse with rosehip oil and MCT oil, massaging for a couple minsHave a shower leaving oil on face to prevent TEWL while washing body/hairStill in shower, remove the oil and cleanse with cerave SA (leaving on face for a couple mins before rinsing)Pat dry with hands/ let air dry slightlyNot every day but when I want more hydration or am concerned, I didn’t thoroughly remove the cleanser I use Marcelle Alcohol-free Soothing TonerTO lactic acid 5% (I’ve been using this close to daily for a few weeks, taking a few days off here and there, like after I attacked my face with q-tips for extracting cc)TO Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Cetaphil moisturizing lotionApply benzol peroxide to affected areas (over lotion to prevent too much drying)Live Clean Pimple patchesI’m not sure the real purpose of this post. Perhaps it’s a cautionary tale to remind those struggling and diving in too deep to come up for air. Slow down and don’t let skincare become your life’s focus. With the Holidays upon us lets remember to be kind to others and especially be kind to ourselves. Also, if you are getting into skincare, take your time!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by bangingbuckthorn
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