Beauty Tips For Body Care
Sort of cross-posted with a few modifications on the r/AsianBeauty subreddit, thought it could potentially contain some helpful info for the folks on here as well!First off, I want to give a HUGE thank you to the posters on the r/AsianBeauty subreddit, because without some of their posts I don’t think I would have figured out that I had fungal acne, or had any of the tools to treat it, so for that I am so, so grateful. The threads by justherefortheAb, granola_poopswirl, flowers3459, JigglypuffFucker, and sweatpantsnwine were incredibly informative and helpful, and were an amazing resource through my case of Fungus Face. Because I found the other posts on fungal acne so helpful I thought I would share my experience with fungal acne in the hopes that perhaps it may be helpful for anyone experiencing it as well! This is gonna be a long one, so for that I apologize in advance!Also if you want a seriously in-depth read into fungal acne and what ingredients you should look to avoid if you have it, this post will be your holy grail!Some background:I live in the UK most of the year, which is typically very, very humid but also generally pretty cool and temperate. In the spring, I went home to Arizona for about 5 weeks or so, which at that time was a little warm (nothing too bad though) but, as you would expect, very dry. I came back to the UK for the summer in late May, and within even a couple days of being back I started to notice small, subdermal bumps appearing all around my chin and kind of around my mouth.I first thought that it must be because I was going too heavy with the occlusives: the skincare routine that was working wonders for me back in Arizona was too heavy for being back in a humid environment. I changed up my routine accordingly but I found the bumps were continuing to steadily become worse. I then though that it must be due to over-exfoliation (at that point I was chemical exfoliating twice daily), which can also cause subdermal bumps to appear under the skin, so I cut acids completely out of my routine. This was when my skin went from bad to worse.Within about 3 weeks of being back in the UK my chin, jawline, and quite a bit of my cheeks were covered in these small, little whiteheads/closed comodones that when popped seemed to be filled more with clear fluid than pus. I also noticed that, when picked at, a weird film that I’m not quite sure how to describe would form over the area, which I had never experienced previously. How I began to think this was different than any acne I had in the past was that the affected areas itched. Not just a little tingle kind of itchy, but pretty significant burning itching sensations that were incredibly uncomfortable, and basically became all I could focus on all day.My sister, who is an avid reader of the r/AsianBeauty subreddit said my symptoms sounded vaguely familiar to her, and suggested that I read up on fungal acne and see if it sounded like what I had (I think I owe her for life for that, I don't even know if I would have figured it out otherwise). After reading the amazingly helpful post by justherefortheAB and the other couple threads on fungal acne in the subreddit it felt like everything I had been experiencing made so much sense.Here is my hypothesis for how my fungal acne was triggered:First off, the switch from an extremely dry environment to a very humid and warm one made the perfect breeding ground for fungal acne, and this change (coupled with being extremely sweaty and hot for nearly the entire first week and a half I was back thanks to a heat wave and no A/C in my poorly ventilated 5th floor flat) was what initially triggered its growth on my skin. I was also continually switching through products in my routine to try and figure out if any of them were exacerbating my skin woes but one item I never switched out because it had worked so well for me for so long, the CosRx Galactomyces Whitening Essence, ended up being the one to betray me. Galactomyces is basically the worst thing you could put on your skin if you have fungal acne, as it is a yeast ferment that is essentially the yummiest meal fungal acne could ask for. I also believe that although it wasn’t necessarily making my fungal acne better, the acidity was a more hostile environment and was keeping the acne from progressing as rapidly, hence why my skin rapidly became so much worse after cutting out acids.Also something to note: it is common to experience fungal acne on the body as well. Typically on the shoulders, back and chest. Dandruff and a flaky, itchy scalp are also associated with people who experience fungal acne. If you experience similar acne on these areas of your body or dandruff, either on their own or with facial acne, you might be dealing with a fungi problem as well!The products I used to treat my fungal acne:Anyway, after reading all of the threads on the subreddit, convinced I know knew the culprit of my horrible skin developments: I went all in on a new skincare routine. I cut out any products that contained any ferments or yeast ingredients as well as any products that contained oil in any significant quantities. Those are the main ingredients to avoid, though unfortunately there’s A LOT of ingredients you should avoid if you have fungal acne: like most oils polysorbates, and esthers. A deep dive of what to avoid can be found here. I ordered many of the products recommended by others in their threads and my skincare routine (for both AM/PM) became as follows, with the products I felt had the most significant effect marked with a *:Cerave Hydrating CleanserNizoral Anti Dandruff Shampoo (left on affected areas for 5 min and washed off)*Sulfur Soap*Himalaya Purifying Neem Mask*Apple Cider Vinegar (diluted 3 parts water to 1 part ACV)Hada Labo Gokujyon Lotion*CosRx Snail 96 Mucin Power EssenceCanesten Clotrimazole Cream 1%*After starting on this routine, I noticed that the itching and burning sensations went away nearly immediately, which was at that point my main concern. I then felt like that was evidence enough that it was indeed fungal acne and continued on. About 1 week into my routine, my skin looked worlds better, with most of the active acne pushed back to only my chin. At this point, about 3 weeks into using this routine, all of the acne I had accumulated is nearly all gone. I don’t think I am completely out of the woods yet, but I have hope that my skincare nightmare may be, for the most part, resolved. Knock on wood!I also have within the past week incorporated my The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% and Cerave PM Lotion back into my routine both of which have gone over well. I have heard that Salicylic Acid is best for fungal acne but my skin reacts strangely to Salicylic so I can’t speak to that.Some other tips I have if trying to treat fungal acne:Use caution using sheet masks or masks in general while treating fungal acne, I felt like the wet environment only created a breeding ground for the fungus on my skin.I have heard that Aloe does wonders for fungal acne, but my skin has always had horrible reactions to it (I suspect I might be allergic) so I unfortunately had to steer clear of it!Try to wear as little make-up as possible, I personally has quite a bit of trouble with this one since I am a make-up fanatic but I do think it’s best to let your skin breatheTry to avoid being in situations where you will get sweaty, I know it’s hard to avoid it when you live in a very hot and humid environment but getting a heavy duty fan for while you’re inside (if you don’t have A/C) really helps!Wash your towels and pillows frequently!A lot of people recommend using Head and Shoulders Anti-Dandruff Shampoo as a cleanser if you have fungal acne but it is INCREDIBLY drying, like so much so that my skin was peeling off in literal sheets after I used it one night, so I would definitely proceed with caution for that one.Please check out all the other fungal acne threads I mentioned at the top, if my experience sounds similar to yours they all go much more into depth on what fungal acne is, its symptoms, and product recommendations! Would love to hear any other people's experiences with fungal acne or what products have helped them in recovering from it!(I will update if I have any significant developments in how my skin is coming along, but for now I am on to trying to treat all of the horrible PIH I now have all over my face!)
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by melssaboh
No comments:
Post a Comment