put your best FACE forward

[baigette]

Hello ladies, gents

So we all may may not have had problems with our skin, particularly our face. Whether its acne, hair, acne scars, scars in general, glow, dark areas, loss of pigmentation, signs of aging etc etc…

But where do u begin to take care of your skin for healthy looking skin??!

Theres SOOOO many skin care products out there, so many herbal techniques, so many at home techniques, so many sun block protection products, myths, and ideas about how you shouldn’t touch your skin etc…
So whats the best thing to do?!

Im honestly up to the point where im fed up with problems with my skin…people telling me whats right and whats wrong…enough is enough!
Anything i use works…for abit…and then its back to volcanoes erupting on my face, and my mom telling me that i have no youthful glow to my face :(. So here it is…I need something simple…
here’s what i hear…get recommended…let me break it down.

1st
There are several things i hear esp from aunties.. to do/not to do, that you can incorporate on a daily basis for healthy looking skin. (feel free to add)

• dont touch your skin too much
• dont wear too much makeup
• watch your face twice a day
• don’t wash your face too much/ more than once
• drink lots and lots of water
• don’t drink soda’s
• don’t eat sugary foods
• don’t have chocolate/peanuts/mangoes…and other delicious foods that are said to cause acne
• take off all your makeup before you go to bed
• eat lots of fruit
• drink milk
• excersice (sweat is good for your skin)
• don’t stress
• wash your face after you come from outside
• cover your face when you go outside
• eat a lot of vegetables/foods that are good for your skin
• eat dark chocolate (antioxidant)
• don’t rub your skin
• dont dry your face, let the water dry
• don’t use a towel to dry your face
• don’t use kleenex/tissue/paper towels to clean your face
• don’t let your hair down on your face
• blah blah blah…goes on and on and on… u get my drift?

2nd then there are at home remedies that you can do…kinda like herbal remedies that can improve skin (feel free to add more)

• salt water
• oatmeal and honey
• egg mixture (contains oatmeal, milk and honey)
• apply/drink safi pani
• rose water
• cucumber slices/ or mashed up as a paste
• orange peels
• almond oil
• basin ( i dont know how to spell it:S)
• milk
• tomatoes (seriously…tomatoes)
• artichoke
• mud
• sand
• blah blah…lots a things…
  — …theres a lot of pastes and mixtures that you can make with at home uses/foods etc ( i cant tihnk of any at the top of my head)

3rd then theres your oh so reliable chemical products and such that as consumers we can’t help but to be impressed by, because jessica alba uses it.

• neutrogena/ clearasil/ clean and clear - and other drugmart holding brands
• shiseido
• clinique
• chanel 3 step
• sk-ii
• topical acne products…
  blah blah im too tired lol

4th theres your, let me just go under the knife oh so pricey methods that come and go in our heads…that is when we see the price lol

• chemical peels
• microdermabrasion
• laser rejuvination
• and other techniques that i can’t spell nor pronounce
  but you know what i mean..

LASTLY - SUNBLOCK!!! (so many diff types of sun protection products)

SO what works?~!..what doesn’t work. I have been suffering from acne from about hmmm grade 10, and im now 22. I have used shopper drug mart products like clearasil, clean and clear, clinique, My doctor prescribed me several topical acne medications like differin and others that i can not remember cause the name was so hard lol, ive tried OMG soooooo many at home remedies..which work and feel good and are good anyways for the skin…but as for results..nada. after sooo many years, my doctor finally decided to see if i had a hormonal problem - and referred me to a dermatologist. I was put on birth control (diane 35 specifically) i havent broken out since and finally ive seen change. yes! ive been on it for about a year…and i haven’t broken out - just redness once in a while if i rub my skin too hard…do but nothing major.

However, i have acne scars…my dermatoligst told me a pricey 3500 for some laser thing that will clear my skin completelyyyy

I though b.c. was great…until i weight changed…lol…and i also broke out…by this point im just fed up..b.c. works but its a pain in the butt, someting i have to stay on for the rest of my life!, then theres the part where i have no glow to my face - i have darkness in some areas, redness, discoloration..

I know SUNBLOCK is most imporatnt…but hten that falls under brands and kinds, and something that doesn’t clog my pores. I just bought VICHY for 27 dollars, the girl wouldnt stop raving about it and i heard it works well - 3 days into using it - i broke out.
So what kind of sun protection prodcut now?!

Im just really confused, and it doesnt seem to help that i used several different types of products - which cause more problems..but don’t work effectively - and $$$$$$$
so what to do?

then theres MAkeup types - that you should use and shouldn’t use — MAC doesn’t seem to help…and im not sure what type of MINERAL makeup is best lets just say makeup is the devil. but i love it! lol and i know i shud stop wearing it, but you gotta look pink and prettyy

if anyone can help a girl out…im just tired…no no…SICK and tired.

THANKS

[stylobabe]

Re: put your best FACE forward

phew that was quite long post......

nyways just dont use ANYTHING on ur ACNE it worsens it i know u girls r desperate to remove them but dun use medicines and yeah anties r rite to some extent like do not touch ur skin ...keep ur hair back drink a lot of water etc.....

just use some mild facewash so that ur skin isnt always oily do remove makeup at nite or it will worsen ur skin condition......dont have a lot of treatments like facials just let ur skin breathhhhhhhhhhh

and trust me drinking water works!!! and use rose water to wash ur face..if ur skin is oily u can use multani mitti......there r a lot of treatments just stick to few of simple ones.......

Remeber the Rose waterrrrr always!

[Gina]

Consult u're dermatologist and find out the cause of u're acne first. He may prescribe a dose of anti-biotics and over-the-counter acne medication, Cure u're acne first and then worry about the scars!

Keep u're hair off u're face
Keep u're hands off u're face
Wash u're face with an anti-bacterial facewash
Change u're pillowcase often
Cure dandruff if you have any
Dont squeeze any part of u're face.

Once u've treated u're acne and stop breaking-out then try sessions of micr-dermabraision and home-remedies for the scarring.

[noshi11]

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[noshi11]

baigette I honestly know how you must be feeling. I started to get acne when I was in grade 9 and trust me, I wouldn't even want to show my picture to anyone, it was that bad! Now i'm 24 and finally my acne has cleared up. But It was many years of frustration and many visits to the dermatologist. I started off by using acne medication for a couple of years, but i hated the fact that the moment i would stop using them my acne would be back to square one. So I stopped going to the dermatologist.

After that I tried many products and what worked for me was Alpha Hydrox's AHA souffle. However, let me warn you that this does not suit everyones skin. Before I used it, I was told that I would get a break out which would eventually clear up after a couple of weeks and I would start getting less acne. Yes, I thank this product for getting rid of my acne. However, you should never go out in the sun without a sun screen when using this product. Once my acne had cleared up, I didn't want to use something so strong so I stopped using it. I found a lighter option that I use currently, which keeps my acne at bay and also has helped clear the scars is neutrogena's Healthy Skin Anti-wrinkle cream a ritonol treatment with multi-vitamins and spf 15.

Over time I realized that what worked for me is just a proper daily and weekly skin care regime.

1. Wash face atleast twice a day. Morning and Evening. Some products that worked for me are:
2. Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser for acne prone skin

3. Alpha Hydrox nourishing cleanser with microbeads... I usually use this during a shower... it makes the skin really soft and it has helped evened out my complexion...

4. You need a good moisurizer for your skin... for acne prone skin I recommend using Nivea's light moisturizing day care... it is sooo light that i can't even feel I have any moisturizer on my skin... it obsorbes really well....

5. I've stopped using foundation everyday! I use to use it because I had acne and acne scars obviously, but I've realized that the more I tried to hide my acne with foundations, the more acne I got. Try to keep ur skin clear and away from too much daily makeup.

6. If you do decide to use makeup I would recommend that you wash your face properly before going to bed. Use a toner, and you'll notice how much makeup is still left on your skin even after you wash it. My favourit is Garnier's Fresh Invigorating Toner for normal and combination skin. It comes in a green plastic bottle.

7. Make sure you use a sunblock. It's a must! For acne prone skin, the best one is L'oreal's Ombrelle Extreme spf 30 or 45. The best sunblock i've ever used. I can put this on my face and not worry about a breakout at all!

For the weekly facial care routine: I do this while in the bath.

1. Wash your face with whatever cleanswer suits your face. I like using the Alpha Hydrox cleanser I mentioned above.

2. Exfoliate your skin. My favourit is a home made exfoliator made with fine sugar, honey and extra virgin olive oil. I love it, and i find it way better than buying all those expensive scrubs. It leaves my skin sooooo soft and supple.

3. After I come out of the shower, I use a facial mask. use a clay based mask for oily skin or a moisurizing mask for normal to dry skin. I'm sorry, i don't have any recommendations at the moment for this. I'm still on a hunt for a good facial mask. Currently i'm using Shiseido's skin care purifying mask. I also use a home made Yogurt and honey mask. I got it from Gina's glowing bride tips...

4. Use a toner if you like, or you can skip the toner and directly go to applying the moisturizer.

Other Random tips that I agree with from your list and that I do follow:

• drink lots of water
• don't touch your face too often
• don't wear too much makeup
• wash ur face after coming from outside... plenty of dirt and for us acne is just waiting to show up
• try products one at a time, so that you can tell which product reacted what way on your skin... if you use too many at once, you won't know which is giving you the breakout
• i'm sure excercise would be good, but i'm too lazy for that lol
• don't rub your skin
• hmm try to avoid using a towel to dry your face, but if you feel really annoyed with a wet face than you can buy a realllly soft towel and pat dry your skin with it... The body shop has a really soft towel...
• make sure ur pillow case is clean...

Some tips I feel unsure about. However, they might work for you:
- don't drink soda's
- don't eat sugary foods
- don't have chocolate/peanuts/mangoes...and other delicious foods
- don't open your hair... i have bangs on my face all the time... didn't give me any breakout

honestly, I can go on and on lol... I know this seems like a lot, but it pays of at the end... and I'll "try" to post before and after pictures of myself...

[noshi11]

^^ I just realized i wrote way more than you

[Gina]

A skin-care routine that works for one may not work for another you have to find a regime suited for your skin-type and stick to it. Neem is great for acne prone skin and so is basil, make a paste out of them and leave it on for half and hour. But you need to see a derm and find-out the cause for your acne and have that treated.

[baigette]

Re: put your best FACE forward

thanks for the tips guys!!

The thing with me is i was put on b.c. by my dermatologist. And my skin quickly cleared up. he gave me differin for my skin and some other topical acne skin care product. But its sooooo harsh to the skin that it irritated my skin even more, and it made my skin super dry, which is already really dry (flaky) So after usnig it a few times i stopped. But i was on b.c. for 2mths, and then i was off, and then on again for 3 mths. I just finished my last cycle...and i dunno if its that b.c. isn't working anymore or what not....or with the change in the weather (its superrr hot in canada,) and with the constant cahnge with the weather with rain, hot cold and what not...my skin has become more dry and itchy. And i broke out massively while im on b.c. (i got more acne now then i did in winter). HOWEVER My doctor told me that my skin should clear up in the summer tho...so i dont understand but its reallyyy annoying.

Im gonna look into other sun screen options, considering VICHY sucked and could be the reason why i broke out...i dunno what to blame and what not to blame. -- orr it could be because i just got bangss.... hmmmm

Also i heard you shouldnt exfloiate when you have acne prone skin - cause it irritates your skin more. I guess ill wait till my 3 pimples clear up and then ill look into that.

Thanks for the tips
and best luck to all those looking for clear skinn

[Gina]

All the medicines wud aggravate u're acne, but eventually it will all subside =) just don't pick on u're active acne and use a cleanser meant for acne-prone skin. Differin will stop other pimples from forming, try using it every alternate day. And use a water-based moisturizer to keep u're skin in optimum condition. NEVER leave home without sunscreen, try Sun Sense spf 50.

[Afsoon]

I have an appointment with the "BEST" dermatologist in town on September 9 (there is a 3-4 month waiting period!!! That is how GOOD this doctor is supposed to be. Gasp)... Anyway, once I have seen him, I'll let you guys know what he's prescribed me... and whether or not it works.

Wish me luck. :P

[eastern11]

Re: put your best FACE forward

If you are using acne creams etc they probbaly have salicyclic acid in them which react with other products, so don't use any products with eg retinaol or gyclolic acid in them. Just use gentle products to cleanse your face . Anything that syas for sensitive skin should be good for you and ditto for the face wash. Basin is good for oiliy skin but some people have a reaction to it so be careful For sunscreen try one for sensitive skin or non loily ones. Neutrogena makes those.

[muspus]

Re: put your best FACE forward

My sister SWEARS by MD formulations skincare- pricey, but worth it apparently. Try their Vit A tester kit first.

[jalebi121]

Re: put your best FACE forward

holy crap that was long...anyway what you listed all work for different skin problems. the diet advice is good for anyone to follow. but otherwise i am sure you do not have every skin problem. i think your problem is more hormonal rather than due to excess bacteria because birth control resolved the issue. so your main objective should be to keep your insulin levels low through diet, which will lower inflammation in your body and also keep your estrogen: testosterone ratio in balance. as for topical remedies, i would get a salicylic acid peel to get a fresh start on your skin. they are about $70.

[NaziJoon]

Re: put your best FACE forward

OMG Always use a sunblock, MD Formulations does the best one!