Beauty Tips For Body Care
This is going to be a lengthy post, sorry in advance!I [24F] started doing skincare PURELY because of my horrible adult acne. About 4 years ago, I was unfortunate and reckless enough to test a foundation in my local Boots (UK), which caused me the worst cystic acne. I started doing skincare in an attempt to deal with it -- it didn't work on its own, of course, and only went away after using Roaccutane + tretinoin 2.5%. My skin started looking really good. I was happy... sort of.I guess you can say that the acne has left me scarred in more ways than one (no pun intended). After all the struggles I had to face because of my acne (which was, quite frankly, horrendous), I was afraid it would come back. So I started my first actual skincare routine, mostly with products from The Body Shop. I was concerned about my skin becoming dry after using Roaccutane, which is why I was using their Vitamin E face cream (I no longer use TBS products because I don't like them that much, but I still think their vit E cream was very good nonetheless). I was still doing research and trying to identify products / ingredients that would help prevent acne. I discovered AHAs and BHAs and promptly introduced them to my routine despite having no knowledge or prior experience with them. As you can imagine, it was a big mistake.After trying The Ordinary AHA + BHA peeling solution, my skin went crazy again. My moisture barrier was wrecked to the point where I was covered in 6234234 closed comedones + swollen cystic acne. I freaked out, tried to deal with it on my own again (this time, by using veeeery soothing products and a benzoyl peroxide face wash), and eventually went to my GP for advice. I was prescribed doxycycline + adapalene. Two months later, my skin went back to normal. All was good in the world again. Not to mention that I wasn't stuck with Roaccutane and its mammoth-long list of side effects (among other things, it made me rather depressed and irritable).This is where my obsession with skincare really started. Like, really, really started. Before I went to the GP to ask for advice, I tried addressing the acne on my own. I started doing research and spending an inordinate number of hours on r/SkincareAddiction, looking for advice. That's where I've learned that you're not supposed to jump in with a product like The Ordinary's peeling solution if you've NEVER used AHAs or BHAs before, and if you haven't worked your way up to higher % (over a period of time). Or that you're supposed to wear sunscreen EVERY DAY.You get my drift.So after my skin calmed down a second time, I started doing 'proper' skincare. Obsessively. I made sure to introduce AHAs, BHAs and tretinoin to my routine veeeeeery slowly, giving my skin time to adapt. I didn't want to wreak my moisture barrier. All I wanted was to exfoliate, get glowing skin, get rid of acne scars, maybe help with aging -- but most importantly, to prevent acne. My routine was something along the lines of:Day 1:Morning:Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser + L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Foam Wash BlackGarnier Micellar Water Sensitive Skin (2 pads -- the first one is always full of 'lint' or something similar, so I find the micellar water great at removing any dirt left after washing my face)Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ExfoliantThe Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (a few drops mixed with a small amount of Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream -- enough for a thin layer that covers all my face and neck)Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream -- a generous amount this timeLa Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Invisible Fluid Sun Cream SPF50Night:Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser + L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Foam Wash BlackGarnier Micellar Water Sensitive Skin (2 pads)Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant*wait 10 minutes*Dermatica 0.05% Tretinoin (I don't apply it near my mouth or on the sides of my nose)Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with AvocadoDay 2:Morning:Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser + L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Foam Wash BlackGarnier Micellar Water Sensitive Skin (2 pads)The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (a few drops mixed with a small amount of Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream -- enough for a thin layer that covers all my face and neck)NOTE: Every 4 days I skip the niacinamide and use the Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum instead.Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream -- a generous amountLa Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Invisible Fluid Sun Cream SPF50Night:Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser + L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Foam Wash BlackGarnier Micellar Water Sensitive Skin (2 pads)Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant*wait 10 minutes*The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (applied on damp skin)Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid -- a very generous layerKiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with AvocadoAs you can see, I spent a lot of money and time on using products that 'worked'. I was also using LOTS of actives. My skin was ok. No problem. I was SO happy because I would rarely break out, had NO blackheads and something like 3-4 SUPER TINY bumps that I didn't care about. And my scars were healing, so my skin tone was becoming more and more even.The thing is, I didn't realise how obsessed I had become by then and how ridiculously suggestible I was to advice / information I was reading on the Internet (especially on r/SkincareAddiction), no matter how extreme or ludicrous. For example:I thought I HAD to use the highest % for all actives: AHAs, BHAs and tretitnoin. So I switched from the Pixi Glow Tonic (5% glycolic acid) to Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant (8% AHA -- can't remember which one/s exactly), and from tretinoin 2.5% to 5%. I tried to make sure I wasn't using them ALL together / at the same time, that I was applying sunscreen every single day, and that I moisturised VERY WELL, using HA, ceramides and the like. I firmly believed that the higher the %, the better it would make my skin.Also, I firmly believed I had to use all 3 (AHAs, BHAs and tret) because then I could enjoy and maximise their benefits. If I tried not using one of them (because there were times when I wanted to give my skin a break), I'd simply freak out. So I couldn't skip it more than once every 2 months, if at all.I would completely refuse to go out without applying sunscreen. Seriously. I was SO CONVINCED it would hurt my skin (mostly because I was using so many actives) that I would never skip sunscreen. Not a single time. Not ever. Of course, it had to be SPF 50+ because I knew that SPF 30 wasn't enough, so I only used the 50. It had to be 50, or else.I remember someone was asking how to go about using tret and moisturiser at night. I was only using tret at the time, but I wanted to started using a moisturiser on top. Someone said they were waiting around 1 hour after applying the tret to apply moisturiser. It made so much sense to me. So I started doing the same thing. I would wait 1+ hour to use moisturiser on the days I was using tret. I just took the advice without a second thought.I could not go a day without doing my skincare. Never. I couldn't go one morning or one night without my routine. Otherwise, I'd just freak out. My anxiety kicked in at the MERE thought of skipping skincare for once. It didn't matter I was too tired, or that I had the WORST period cramps ever, or that I was travelling. Skipping skincare was like the purest form of torture for me, the surest path to damnation, the worst kind of psychological torture I could imagine. I can't begin to express what the thought of skipping skincare did to me. And if I actually had to do it because there was no other option... well, in that case, I wouldn't (read: couldn't) stop thinking that I'd skipped it. I used to think my skin was doomed. You can't imagine how many arguments my husband and I had on this.At present, I am still very obessed with skincare. I can't control the anxiety, the sheer fear of what would happen if I stopped. However, I've been able to tone it down somewhat. I'm back to using the Pixi Glow Tonic and alternating 2 nights of adapalene with 1 night of tret 2.5%, but no BHA. I've been breaking out for the past year and it shows no signs of slowing down. I don't get cystic acne, but I have fresh scars (one cheek is completely covered in scars), closed comedones and some small zits. Funnily enough, my routine hasn't changed, yet I started breaking out. Why is it happening all of a sudden? With all the products that I'm using and all the moisturisers I layer, surely it shouldn't happen. But it still does.Skincare is ruling my life. I still can't go a day without skincare. I was barely able to a few times, but I can't tell you how stressed I was. Here's how it impacts my life:I can't go without my routine. I MIGHT if I'm reaaaally too tired / depressed / not feeling well. But even in situations where skipping my morning or night skincare routine is the best thing to do, I still don't. I look for ways not to. Because you see, if I do, then I won't be able to stop thinking about it. If I don't cleanse, I feel dirty. Say I did my morning routine but not my nighttime routine. Then the thought of going to sleep without washing my face would be eating me alive. I'd feel like my face was too dirty, with all those layers of products from my morning routine + the dirt accumulated during the day + skin oils. I just know for a fact it will mess my pillowcase. Yuck. There's no arguing about it. Or if I don't moisturise, I can't stop thinking how my skin is going to be VERY dry. I can feel it becoming dry. Or if I don't apply sunscreen, I can't stop thinking I'm going to burn or get lots of wrinkles... even though I skipped it for one day only. ONE DAY ONLY. So yeah, I go to great lengths to make sure I do my skincare routine daily -- every step of it.I can't travel without my skincare. And do you know what happened the last time I travelled to Europe for 3 weeks? I packaged 3 kgs worth of skincare (I did weigh my storage bag). 🙃 My husband went ballistic. Because I can't live with the thought of travelling without ALL my products. ALL of them. I can't cut down on how many I use just because I'm travelling. I'll make sure I take all of them with me. If I don't, I make sure to order whatever I'm missing once I get to my destination. In my defence, the 3 kgs were because I had bought 2-3 bottles of each product to make very sure I wouldn't run out while I was away. Still.I can't use cheaper products. Nope. I've tried the Holika Holika Good Cera (£12) instead of the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin cream (£35 or around £27 if I get it from YesStyle or Stylevana) because I wanted to save money. Of course, it's not even close to the Dr. Jart+ one. It might be true, or it might be all in my head. But even if both were doing the exact same thing, I'd still feel and think the more expensive product is better. Always.I get very angry if my husband suggests I should try skipping my skincare routine. Like, very freaking angry. My whole day is RUINED because of this. I'll nag him about it all day long if it happens. I can't help it.I've tried giving my skin a break from all actives and using only cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen. The funny thing is, I do tend to break out and get more closed comedones if I don't (or if I don't cleanse). So every time I try to skip actives, I remember this and end up using them anyway. If I'm miraculously able to skip them for a few days, I won't stop thinking how this is going to affect my skin in future (in, like, 20 years from now). How I'm not helping my skin. So eventually, I go back to using actives.Honestly, all I want is to be able to skip skincare for a while. Maybe cleanse + moisturiser + sunscreen. Or just sunscreen. For a few months. WITHOUT thinking I'm compromising my skin in the long term. Because that's what's keeping me from doing it -- the belief that skipping skincare = ruining my skin forever. If I don't use actives, essentially my skin isn't getting exfoliated, skin cells aren't regenerated etc. If I don't use sunscreen, then my skin will age faster. If I don't use moisturiser, I'll get dry and oily, maybe I'll break out more.How do I help this? Does anyone else experience ANY of the above?This is a rant, sorry for the VERY lengthy poost. But it's interfering with my life to the point where I wish I'd never started using skincare. And for the record, I don't have OCD and am not taking any medication.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by SnooCats6742
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