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Acne Update

written by Parita 16 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about my acne issues. If I’m not mistaken, the last time I talked about my skin problems was around the time of the big ACV fiasco. It literally pains me to think about it.

With that being said, I want to begin this post by saying that skincare, like almost everything in life, is very personal. For example, ACV works so well for some people but not so much for others (like me). Unfortunately, there is no magic formula!

However, since October/November of last year, my skin has been doing ok acne wise. Some weeks are better than others, but overall, the blemishes are pretty much always there. I’ve been trying to keep my skincare routine pretty simple by washing my face twice a day, keeping it moisturized, and using Proactiv Repairing Treatment at night. On the dietary front, I’ve upped my water intake quite a bit and tried to reduce my sugar consumption (key word tried). Even with a fairly consistent routine, things have been so-so. Not horrible but not great either.

I’m sure you can imagine my concern when our trip to India rolled around – hot, humid, sticky weather conditions combined with lots of pollution. My ultimate nightmare! I honestly expected the worst, which in my mind equaled lots of flare ups.

Well, I am so happy to report that the worst case scenario never became a reality. Over the course of our two weeks away, the condition of my skin actually improved. I was stunned and couldn’t stop thinking about the whys. Here’s what I came up with – I used very minimal makeup about three times total during the entire trip, we consumed very little in the way of dairy products, I stayed away from chocolate for the most part, I used a new to me face wash for the entire duration of the trip, and finally, I swapped the Proactiv lotion for pure tea tree oil***.

tea tree oil

Since I didn’t want things to go back to the way they were pre-India, I made a few tweaks to my post-India routine. I’m still using the Cetaphil Dermacontrol face wash and tea tree oil twice a day (fingers crossed that I never have to use Proactiv again). I’m also consistently moisturizing my face both in the morning and right before bed (currently using Cetaphil Dermacontrol Moisturizer). Unfortunately, back to work means back to my makeup routine so that is something I couldn’t change. However, when possible, I wash my face after getting home from work. I think that’s helping.

cetaphil

Hmmm…what else? I’m still drinking lots of water and trying very hard not to consume a lot of sugar. And a new focus of my mine is to cut down (not eliminate altogether) the amount of cheese I eat. While the switch to almond milk was a painless one, this is going to be hard. I love cheese. A lot. We’ll see how this goes…

It’s been a little over a month since we left for India, and I’m cautiously optimistic. Fingers crossed but things are finally looking decent – no new flare ups, a smoother texture overall, and no midafternoon oiliness.

I think I may have found MY magic formula. I’ll keep y’all posted!

***From what I understand, tea tree oil can be applied directly to the skin or mixed with water and then applied with a cotton ball. I prefer the former, and fortunately, my skin can handle it. If you have sensitive skin that does not respond well to new products, I would start with the oil + water mixture first and go from there.

Oh and be patient.  I noticed that it took the tea tree oil a good week to do it’s thing.

Acne or not acne, what’s your skincare routine like?

Written on September 11, 2013 Related:Health, Skincare

My New Skincare Routine

written by Parita 23 Comments

Back in October, I blogged about my experience with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and its effects on my skin. To sum it up, let’s say the experience was horrible…and painful. Because of a so called purging effect, my skin broke out more… and more…and more. After three and a half weeks of trying, I gave up. I was left with more pimples than I started with and quite a few more scars. I promised y’all an update on my new routine, and after 3.5 months, here it is.

Since the whole ACV fiasco, I’ve made quite a few changes to my skin care regimen. I no longer use homegrown products. Instead, I broke down and bought a three month supply of Proactiv. I say “broke down” because I was adamant about not using chemicals to treat my acne. I really wanted to go the natural route. But we know how that turned out. So in early November, I started using Proactiv. Given a little bit of time, I knew it would work on my skin. Back in high school, this stuff was the only thing that cleared up my acne. And I do plan to wean myself completely off of it sooner than later, but for now, I feel like I need to stick with what’s working.

So for about six weeks, I stuck with the 3 step Proactiv formula. And my skin slowly started to improve. Albeit, a lot slower than I had hoped. After seeing some positive changes, I decided to alter my routine a little bit. I still use the Proactiv cleanser in the morning, but at night, I use the Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean face wash (one of the best face washes I have ever tried) because it gets rid of all my makeup and leaves my skin super clean. I follow up both cleanings with the Proactiv Repairing Lotion where necessary. I also use the Proactiv Toner at night, as it helps to remove any residual traces of makeup.

In addition to this regular routine, I use the Clarisonic brush my mom bought me over Thanksgiving 2-3 times a week (usually at night). I’ll do a full review of the brush later, but after using it for a few months, I can definitely tell that my skin is a lot softer (less flakiness, rough spots, etc.). And it may be helping with the acne, but I want to give it more time before I say that with any degree of certainty.

jan 2013 021

Before I share how my skin has benefited from these changes, I should mention a few more things.

1. We bought a set of 12 pillowcases off of Amazon. Vishnu made a great point about how using the same pillowcase every night was probably a major contributor to my acne. Now I switch it out every night before going to sleep. So far so good.

2. When I started breaking out more so than usual, I touched my face a lot. I just couldn’t help it…there was so much going on. Now I do it less (almost never) and have noticed a major difference in how long the acne I do get sticks around.

3. And finally, I bought a new moisturizer that’s formulated to work with acne prone skin and acne medications. It also has the added benefit of SPF. I’ve been using it for 1.5 months and highly recommend it.

DERMACONTROL TM Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30

I am happy to say that all of these little changes have added up to a much clearer face. While I still get a few blemishes every now and then, I’m no longer getting a new pimple or two every day (yes, it was that bad).

And to be completely honest, I just feel a lot better about myself now that the acne has subsided. As silly as it may sound, this whole experience really started to affect my self-confidence (probably a topic for another day).

What’s next you ask? Well, if I continue to see improvements over the next few months, I want to find something to help with my scars. Will keep y’all posted.

Written on February 6, 2013 Related:Health, Make-up, Skincare

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