Beauty Tips For Body Care
I recently started using a mandelic acid peel. I don't usually use AHAs because I am allergic to glycolic acid and the majority of AHA products are glycolic acid-based, but I do use fairly high concentrations of BHA (4% salicylic acid every other night or so, sometimes a peel) with no problem. I was aware I was taking a bit of a risk but I had some free time so I figured I'd give it a shot as I'd really like the benefits of an AHA in my routine.I built up slowly and my skin tolerated the peel fine, no irritation or redness beyond what's associated with the peel itself and none of the symptoms I have had when I've used glycolic acid on my face.After a couple of weeks of use I found I was breaking out all through my T-Zone. For lack of a better way of describing it, it seemed like all my blackheads were turning into whiteheads. I freaked out because didn't immediately make the connection since I never purged with BHA, but then I came over here, did some research, and realised what I was describing fit the description of purging pretty well. That is:I have small whiteheads surfacing where I have a lot of blackheads and CCsThese whiteheads are confined only to the area of my T-Zone and my cheeks where I consistently experience most of my breakoutsI have no problems anywhere else on my face, in fact that rest of my face looks and feels goodI have no symptoms that could better be explained by irritation, allergy or dehydration (I have very sensitive skin so I'm familiar with all these) or by a regular breakout (it's not hormonal, and there are no other variations in my routine that I think would be breaking me out right now)So now I have three questions:Does my guess that this is purging sound about right? While I've never purged from an acid before, I have had multiple courses of Accutane and being familiar with how that drug works I more or less believe that purging is a real thing. The new whiteheads don't line up with anything else that I would expect to trigger a breakout and they look different from a breakout situation anyway. Am I correct in assuming this is what's going on?Am I supposed to keep using the product during the purge period? This might sound dumb, but I have been hesitant in case I wasn't correct that I was purging and also because even if I knew it was a normal part of the process, I felt kind of shitty about my skin and didn't want to make it worse. Should I modify how I use it (timing, frequency, areas of application) until my skin clears to minimise the problems or should I continue with what I'm doing?How should I care for my skin during this period? Is there anything I can or should do during the purge phase to protect my skin, or minimise the impact of these little breakouts or any marks they might leave behind, or minimise possibly making them worse? I haven't been using my BHA while I have been waiting this out, should I? Will it help at all?My current routine is simple: Cetaphil cleanser, PC 4% BHA foam 3ish times a week (but I haven't used this since I started the peel cos I didn't wanna overdo it), this MUAC peel now 2x a week, Cerave PM and Vaseline as an occlusive. My skin is sensitive, very combination (either very oily or very dry), historically acne-prone (I did three courses of Accutane before my cystic acne cleared) and I guess now headed towards ageing (I'm 28).If anyone has any observations, tips or pointers it would be much appreciated!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by jmgree
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