Beauty Tips For Body Care
Hi everyone! I’m writing this post because for the first time in ~3 years I feel like I’ve found a long-term solution to my cystic acne, and I really want to contribute to this subreddit since it has really helped me out over the past few months :). Thanks everyone!A little background about me: I started getting cystic acne on my cheeks and jawline (minus my chin) about 3 years ago when I entered my senior year of college. Before that I had minor acne, but nothing like the hormonal mess it eventually became. I have oily, fair (ghost-like) skin, and I am a germophobe, so I’m always careful to never touch my face during the day, etc. though I do have a huge picking problem. Sometimes I feel like I'm just being dramatic, but I think acne can be pretty debilitating. I have turned down numerous fun opportunities (especially overnight trips) because I don't want to have to take my makeup off and don't want my skin to be exposed to a new environment which tends to cause me to break out. That's also not counting the experiences I did do but didn't fully enjoy because I was worried about my skin. Pretty stupid and equally shitty.About a year and a half ago, my face magically healed because of birth control pills. It was amazing. I didn’t even need to wash my face--I just wouldn't ever break out. Unfortunately, I all but forgot how shitty it feels to have acne, so I stopped taking the birth control pills thinking maybe I just grew out of the acne and I could continue on in life medication-free. Wrong! In about 4 months, my cystic/hormonal acne came back worse than ever, and I decided to take a new approach since I didn't feel taking birth control pills was a very sustainable method of controlling my acne. It wasn't how I wanted to be in control of my acne, at least.Seeing my face for the first time in months and hearing me talk about how much it was affecting my personal life (I know, I’m dramatic), my mom sent me to a dermatologist in NYC. There, I was only seen by assistants, which seemed shady, and they gave me a bunch of overpriced, branded products to try. I was skeptical at first since I didn't need a prescription for those products (why was I paying them again?), but for the next two months, I religiously applied the products I bought during that visit. That was the end of October, and now two months later, I am so so so happy with the progress I've seen. I would post process pictures, but I didn't have the balls to take pictures of the before and honestly don't even want pictures taken now since I do look pretty scarred and still have a few problem spots. HOWEVER, I am not really getting any new pimples and my face is looking better every day.I'm not sure what's allowed by the mods, but here is exactly what they told me to do/use in combination with what I learned from reading this subreddit:Morning Routine:Wash face with a cleanser that you KNOW is gentle on your skin and will not cause you to break out. The other products are all the medication your face needs. I use CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. Also wash your face gently, like in this video!: https://youtu.be/HsqFXTgpTVkAfter drying your face, use a glycolic acid (5%) & salicylic acid (2%) pad. I bought the same one the dermatologist recommended off Amazon for 1/4 the price. Not sure if links are allowed, but if you're interested PM me! But the brand I got online is Glycolix.Wait a little bit (preferably 20 minutes, but I almost never do) and apply a retinol serum -- about a pea size amount. I once again found the same, non-branded product from the dermatologist online. It's available on Amazon as Topix Pharm Replenix Retinol Plus Smoothing Serum 5x, 1.0 Fluid Ounce.Wait a little bit longer (also preferably 20 minutes) for it to absorb into your face/upper neck. Then apply moisturizer generously. I use 4-5 squirts of CeraVe Moisturizing Facial Lotion PM, but you can also use CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion AM with SPF 30 and skip the next step.Apply sunblock. I use CeraVe SPF 50 Sunscreen Face Lotion.Night Routine:Repeat steps 1-4 from morning.Start out doing this 2x per week only and then increase the frequency once you can handle it without irritating your skin: Apply a pea size (or whatever you are comfortable with) amount of glycolic acid cream. This can also be found on Amazon as Topix Pharm Glycolix Elite Facial Cream, 20 Percent.VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: As with any retinol routine, it may take 6 weeks to see results. I personally did not experience this, but also prepare for your skin to initially look worse for the first 1-4 weeks. But I promise these products will be a miracle after that amount of time. There are also higher strength retinol serums available online, but wait at least 6 weeks before increasing the strength or applying more than a pea size amount. Those things can really dry out your skin which will make you break out more.Also shout out to this sub for making me a believer in moisturizers. I always thought applying moisturizer would just make me break out more since my skin is already naturally oily, but this is HUGE and my skin now looks 1000000000 times better (probably also because I started using CeraVe. Never going back!).
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by 12steph
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