Before 2015 ends, let me have this one last shot for this year. As everyone in my family is preparing for this New Year's Eve, I have no role, got nothing to do but blog hahaha. Well my role is just to eat. So with this post, I'll share to you my acne stories, how I dealt with it and how I survived. I am still not flawless like Marian Rivera (oh my I love her skin) but pimples do not pop as often as before and my blemishes were already lessened. If before my pimples usually pops out everyday or every other day, lately I've been seeing them only once a month I think because of my period. (PWERA USOG) haha. Some of my friends and family ask me what I did to my face and later I'll also tell you how.
Just to give you a brief background of my journey with acne, I think they started to pop in hype during college days. Since I am a traveller from Novaliches to Manila and vice-versa, definitely my face would absorb all the dirt plus the stress in studying made it worse. But what makes it worst is make-up. Sometimes I would sleep with them on causing me to break-out more. After college, my pimples lessened but they came back after a couple of years which really made me feel depressed.
Acne is more than a skin problem. It can lead to emotional stress. Sometimes when I look at the mirror, I feel sad. Thank God He answered my prayers, made them vanished and now I am feeling more confident.
And I know most of you girls suffer the same.So today I will be sharing with you my tips based on experiences, the mistakes I did and how I survived this skin problem. It's more of emotional problem I think. Believe me girl, your suffering will also end. You just need to treat your acne well.
1. Know the cause of your pimples.
There are many causes of pimples; Stress, make-up, dirt, food or hormonal imbalance. You must need to know what the culprit is in order for you to know how to treat them. For example, you think your pimple is due to the foundation you are using, then change them.
If it is due to hormonal imbalance, then you must visit your ob-gyne to have them corrected. Later, I will be discussing more of this hormonal imbalance.
I know sometimes you really do not know what is the reason why they are with you. If you really do not understand, read tip no.2.
2. If you really have enough budget, visit your dermatologist.
When I say dermatologist, what I mean is a real dermatologist. I do not suggest for you to go to facial salons where only aestheticians check your face. Well don't get me wrong, aestheticians have enough knowledge about acne, most of them are even Nursing graduates but some of them are not. Not all facial salons hire nurses as aestheticians so what would happen to your face if the people who check your face are not experts in treating acne. Most of them will just prick your face (hurts like hell) and will let let you buy the toners and creams they sell. I've been to facial salons like what I mentioned.Yes they cleaned my face because of pricking but I don't know, they just created small craters on my face. I'm so blessed they are not deep. They are just like big pores. I never came back because of the pain I had.
So when I broke out again last year, I never thought of going to facial salons. I visited a dermatologist, a physician who has expertise in skin problems. She gave me topical creams, cleansers and toners. (soap-free cleanesrs, erythromycin solution, benzoyl and clindamycin) After that, my face cleared up. But just a warning, going to a dermatologist needs a lot of budget because consultation fee and their products are expensive. Of course, they are professionals so they charge more.
If you don't have enough budget, I suggest for you to save up for it. While saving, I'll give you more tips to lessen them and to make them better.
3. If her anti-acne products are effective on her, it may or may not be effective to you.
Your mother uses Eskinol, your sister uses kojic soap and your friend uses pro-activ solution. Are you gonna try them all? Oh my God girl, there are many anti-acne products in the market and not everything that's effective on them will be effective on you. Again, if you can know the culprit of your problem, you can know the solution,
4. Stop experimenting.
This week you'll use eskinol, next week you'll use kojic and the week after next week you'll use a clindamycin solution. Sometimes when we don't see immediate results, we tend to change the products we use. It takes 2 weeks of continuous usage for you to know if that product is suited for you. Sometimes when you tend to change the products you use, your face reacts violently. It's like they want to scream "STTTTTOOOOPPPPPP" .
Of course, I had the same scenario. I used to take glutathione and other supplements, When I broke out, I didn't know if it's because of the soap I use or if I will lessen the intake of glutathione. Of course that time, I wouldn't want to lessen my glutathione intake. I washed my face more with kojic, scrubbed it onto my face and tadaaaah, "allergies" hahaha.. My face became so red and I rushed to the dermatologist. From then on, I discovered that there are many products I use to apply on my face that are really not suited for me. So girl stop super experimenting. Yes, you may try some of the products in the market. After more than 2 weeks of continuous use and you haven't seen the results then change it. I strongly suggest for you to buy the smallest size for trial.
5. Mild products work well on me.
I noticed that every time I use a soap or anything that lathers, my face reacts. Small bumps start to grow. Yes, acne is not my only problem. I also have small bumps which tend to appear if I use products that are harsh on my skin. They are like allergies. Until now, I make sure to use products that are mostly mild like soap-free cleansers and shampoos without sulfates. ( I have a blog about shampoos that causes pimples/acne)
6. Whitening products can make your acne worse.
Anything with a whitening ingredient on it is not good for acne. Your acne will react.
7. Oily skin is an acne-prone skin.
One of the reasons why acne pops out is because of severe oil production. But it is a case to case basis. Some oily individuals are not acne-prone but most are. And do you know that even you are oily, you still need to use a moisturizer? Moisture is different from oil. Whenever we wash our face, we feel squeaky clean. But actually, that means moisture was taken away from you face that is why it feels stiff. Oily or not, you need a moisturizer. If your skin lacks moisture, your face will produce more oil to compensate the lost moisture making you look oilier. Just use a water-based moisturizer that feels very light on skin.
8. Never sleep with your make-up on.
There are many make-up removers in the market that removes deep-seated dirt and stubborn make-up. Sleeping with make-up on may clog your pores and may develop into acne later on. If you don't have make-up removers, just make sure to wash your face.
9. Listen to your skin.
Your skin has its own system; skin system or integumentary system. If your skin reacts, listen to it. Do not let your nervous system (brains) lead the way all the time. What I mean is if your brain tells you to use kojic soap because it's good for your budget but your skin says no, listen to the reaction of your skin.
10. Try to visit your ob-gyne.
Sometimes, the reason of your break-out is hormonal imbalance. Your hormones do not have equilibrium. It needs to be corrected. Sometimes you may have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome that leads to hormonal imbalances and your ob-gyne can help you.
As I have said, acne is more than just a skin problem. They need to be addressed properly. Again, my experiences may not be the same as yours but I hope I was able to help you lessen your physical and emotional stress. Happy New Year. Be Pimple-Free.
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