Beauty Tips For Body Care
Album of progress (Sept 2015 - Sept 2016)Where to begin... I've always had acne, I have pictures of when I was 2 days old with blemishes. I got my first 'real' pimple when I was 10. Puberty was fucking awful. And then, adulthood. Where you aren't suppose to get acne anymore, I was told I would grow out of acne. NOT! About 1 month before I left Canada to go to graduate school in the UK my face broke out like it was going out of style. This may have been '2nd puberty', the massive stress of leaving my country, my family, my SO, this may have been that first 'I'm going to try all the products; after finding SCA. Either way that breakout destroyed my self-esteem I had built up.For 3 months after arriving in the UK I didn't socialize much, I didn't go to the gym, I kept to myself in my dorm room because I was so embarrassed to go outside. Basically, it was the lowest I've been since I was a teen. I went to the doctor and I was precribed antibiotics and differin (adapalene 0.1%), however after 7 months the differin stopped working so I continued on with the antibiotics and another doctor recommended BP.I should say that my first doctor in the UK did not provide the best advice, BP should have been recommended from the beginning. He also told me a medication I was previously taking was not available in the UK when it was and told me to 'go find it on the internet'. To say I didn't go back to him is an understatement.From there I basically set out to find what was best for my skin through research. First, cleanser. EVERY cleanser I tried was super drying, from La Roche Posay to Simple Kind to Skin. I finally settled on an emulsifying cleanser that didn't leave my skin like paper mache mask. I tried to keep it 'simple' with a cleanser, 1 active and moisturizers.Through my research I found out London water is HARD AS FUUUCCCCCK! It will/can destroy your skin, your hair, your clothing, your appliances. Unfortunately, living in a dorm situation I could not install any type of water softener and buying separate filtered water to rinse with is not economical. I'm my long list of experiments I've recently started cleansing with micellar water. After I wash my face, while it's still damp, I take some micellar water on cotton pads and just 'rinse' my face. We'll see how that goes.RoutineAM:B. Clean Melting CleanserSuperdrug Hydrating Serum (This is fucking gold)Suncreen:Biore Watery Essence (This may change to the milky one after I finish)PM:B. Clean Melting CleanserSr-Skincare Rosewater Toner (only added to attempt to counteract that hard London water)Superdrug Hydrating SerumSeba Med Care GelFreederm Perfecting MoisturizerVaselineActives:Sr-Skincare Salicylic Acid Toner 5% (Alcohol Base) Every other dayAcnecide Benzoyl Peroxide 5% (Spot treatment or very bad days)Benton High Content Essence (when my skin looks like it needs an extra moisture burst but rarely as I don't know if it causes CC's yet)What I've changed to improve my skinDiet:I was suggested a low-glycemic diet (low sugar) diet and I'm rolling with it. I try to avoid potatoes, rice and carby foods for healthier meat or veggie options. I don't completely avoid those foods I just try not to eat them as often.Reducing sugar where I can. I realized I was eating/drinking more sugar than necessary. My morning coffees/teas are now without sugar or 1 packet.I know dairy exclusion is talked about so I started with avoiding dairy milk by subbing soy which turned into another food which can cause problems. So it's almond milk now. But PSL season is here so maybe I'll test my dairy tolerance.Addition of spearmint tea. I do have hormonal so usually I have a cold cup of mint tea (hot mint is not a flavor I generally enjoy for tea).Ingredients I now avoidFatty alcohols (Cetyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, Ceryl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol, Mystrial alcohol). I know there are other and various derivatives but those are the primary ones I avoid. I've also found those moisturizers will feel more greasy and don't settle into my skin but that may be a confirmation bias. I use cosDNA.com when I can.Water based SA I've used the PC BHA and the Sr-Skincare water based SA and both coincided with cysts and breakouts. I might try the cosrx BHA when I run out of my current BHA but that's not for a number of months. I'll be patch testing but I'll remain wary.Glycolic acid I know people rave about the PC 8/10% AHA or the Nip/Fab Glycolic acid pads. They did fuck all for me and I feel, made my skin more irritated. So I won't be going back to glycolic acid. I have a 15% Mandelic Acid peel which I might try so to deal with my PIH/PIE/texture but that's for the furture.Snail Mucin I really want to love the snail. But I don't know if it's the cause of CC's or the hardwater where I currently live. I move back to a soft water area so I might start PATCH TESTING again.PICKING I pick my skin when I'm stressed or when I'm bored. It's a difficult compulsion to break. The things which have helped is to know when I'm prone to picking (like now, after a shower where I feel dry and my skin feels super textured) and doing my best to keep myself occupied. During the day I wear make up because I know if I start to pick I'll fuck up my make up. Or I go out because it's not kosher to pick in public. When I know I'm prone I try not to touch my face or go near mirrors because I know I'll start to obsess. Once I stopped picking for a couple days I would notice how less red my face was. I downloaded Time Since as a way to track how long it's been since I picked my face. It won't be perfect in the beginning and there may be periods were you go to town on your face just know that it's a learning experience.It's a long journey which is still not finished. I know those with acne that the words 'be patient' kinda mean fuck all when you're dealing with something which affects how you interact with the world. The words of advice I offer are 'FUCK IT!'. Start small, feeling insecure and embarrassed to go to the grocery store because of the state of your skin? FUCK IT! I'm getting food biatch! People who would make fun of a person with acne or other skin conditions would find a flaw with the world's most adorable puppy/kitten. Those people aren't worth the time of day. Personally, I'm a bitch on the inside and have a list of British insults to hurl at the poor soul who decides to make fun of me. Typically, a bitch stare at those looking at you funny is enough to remind them not to look like an ass. YMMVAs I'm still dealing with acne but I want any suggestions about what helped you with your PIH/PIE/texture. I will be getting a referral for a derm when I get back to Canada but it may be a number of months before I actually get the damn appointment.As with anything SCA, YMMV.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by ViralKira
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