Skin Care Update 9 months later

the date should say '11 not '10. It was a typo and I couldn't be bothered to fix it.

I write the post with a heavy heart and frankly feeling sick and tried. As you can see in the comparison shots my skin appears to be getting worse. if you look back at my 6 month post, it looked like it was getting better. Well in the past month or so things took a turn. I had a rash of break outs and then a period break out followed right after. My skin felt so painful and I was frustrated . I was frustrated with washing twice a day, using face masks, chemical peels - everything! And just started phoning it in, some mornings I only used water, other days I didn't wash at night, I just used by Paula's choice 2% BHA liquid and if I felt like it I would follow with Retin-A before I went to bed.


The result of that is what you see above. You see, I don't have that kind of skin that requires doing nothing. I've read on some sites people talking about how they just wash with water and the end. I sleep with make up on once or I don't wash with my face brush and do my face treatments/mask every weekend and I am back to square 1...literally. I'm going back to the dermatologist in the new year to regroup. I will be back blogging about that experience.


I have had no make up on for the past two weeks that I've been home on holiday from work, and that hasn't helped on bit. but, I'm still considering going make up free in terms of not wearing foundation to work (this is a huge deal for me), if it would improve my skin. My dermatologist told me to go make up free last year when I first saw him, but his words fell on deaf ears because obviously I know better. 


I did notice that my spots have a peculiar pattern and always recur in the exact some spots. This week I finally figured out why, you know when you are told to not rest your face on your hands? Well, I used to say I never rest my face on my hands so...it turns out I do! I caught myself doing it this past few days. I put my hands across my mouth. And my spots follow that exact pattern - the right side has a row from where my 4 fingers rest and the left side has a patch for my thumb - crazy! it is annoying and amusing at the same time.


I don't think I have ever written a blog post this long before. Thanks if you have taken time to read it all. I just really needed to vent! I will be back in the new year and hopefully you all can carry on in my journey with me - who knows you might see my full face and video in the future.

Dealing with acne and Hyper pigmentation: October to November Update

Sorry for the radio silence, I work freelance so my work load varies from job to job.  And because of that I have been a bit lax with my picture taking and blogging. 


My skin has been behaving lately, last winter was rough as hell, I had acne under pimples under acne under cystic acne. These days I only break out around my period. 


As for my hyper pigmentation, I feel like I'm on a diet and unable to shift the last few pounds to get to my goal weight. I'm still using Retin-a as part of my nightly skin care regimen so, I'm hoping I'll see result during my December update. 


Finally, I'm changing my moisturiser again, I HATE to do this. I love the two I've settled on - Good Things Stay Clear and La Roche-Posay Effaclar M (review up soon). But, they do not have SPF and I feel that is one thing I've been slacking off with. I'm switching to Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Skin-Brightening Moisturiser, I've used it in the past I loved it and I was sad when it ran out. But, it was quite hard to find in the UK, so I went with something I could easily pick up at the drug store. Now, I've discovered I can get it from boots online, so I'll bulk buy (2-3 bottles), the same time I order my Dark and Lovely body lotion. 



MORNING
La Roche-Posay EFFACLAR Purifying Foaming Gel
Home made toner
La Roche-Posay Effaclar M Moisturiser




NIGHT
Any face wipe I have at hand to take off make up
Dark Angels cleanser
home made face mask (I'm experimenting with this, but will share the recipe)
Retin - A




WEEKEND
Queen Helen Mint Julep face mask.
Vitamine E oil (taken off with steam/hot cloth).

Dealing with Hyper pigmentation: My Skin Now

Before picture of the right side taken in april 2011. After picture taken on September 2011 .



Before picture of the left side taken in June 2011. After picture taken on September 2011 .


6 months of trial and error. The things I believed worked for me are - Retin - A 0.1%, Duac (NOT used at the same time as retin-A), Mandelic acid toner, DHC face brush and weekly deep face scrub with Lush's lip scrub. Everything else has been a diversion, given me more spots or window dressing.


My routine for the past week. I'm trying to incorporate Lush products into my routine.


MORNING
Dark Angels cleanser
Diluted Apple Cider Vinegar Toner (I spilled my *Mandelic acid toner -aaargh)
Good things Mattifying Moisturiser (*La Roche-Posay Effaclar M Moisturiser)




NIGHT
Boots Botanics Pore Perfecting Deep Clean Mousse
Lush Brazened Honey (every 2 or 3 days)
Retin - A
Jojoba oil, Castor oil, Lemon oil mix (I'm not sure if this does anything, but I use it when it doesn't feel like a "Retin-A day")




ONCE A WEEK.
Boots botanics intensive moisture mask
Vitamin E oil - smothered on and taken off with hot water and a cloth.
Lush Lip Scrub as a face scrub - don't feel the need to use this as much since I started using Dark Angels


I'm sure it looks like I'm using a lot, but it is really just a 3 step system - cleanse, tone, moisturise. If you are about to embark on your own skin care journey you need to have at least those 3 things down. 


*I'll be switching to these products once I purchase them after payday. I also need to replace my DHC facebrush.

Skin Care Journey: Sorry about the radio silence/Mandelic acid+Retin-A

I haven't been updating the skin care aspect of this blog because frankly there was not much to say. I was mauling over getting mandelic acid and trying to get the face brush all of which has been discussed here in the past.


I ordered the brush from ebay and it came yesterday. It is the DHC face brush, they are infamous for their face oil. It is a pretty interesting face brush with very soft bristles on the inside and harder ones on the outside. Because of the harder bristles you can't scrub too hard else you will end scratching your skin raw and bleeding. I used it at night to take off left over make up and I'm surprised how much stuff is left over after taking my make up off with the wipes.


I ****ed up! I accidentally ordered the Mandelic acid toner instead of the face peel.I'm undecided as to where to go from here - should I order the peel as well and use that with the toner? would that be too abrasive for my skin? I'll decide that within the next 24 hours so I can order asap and kick this off. I know people have been finding my blog because of the promise of info on the Mandelic acid+Retin-A combination and I hate to let people down. so, I'm going to attempt to be a guinea pig for the cause. 


My skin as it stands at the moment.











I know it looks bad, but this is better than where I started. It is becoming harder to take pictures of the spots - which is a good thing. The main problem is the texture of my skin which I'm hoping the mandelic acid should solve. 

Skin Care Journey: Peels, Scrubs and 3 months later

So, I've spent the past 2 weeks or so taking stock of my skin, where it stands and what I want to improve. My major headache at the moment is the texture. I am not really sure what is wrong with it, but my make up wasn't going on as nicely as it used to and I can land space ships in my pores. My Burts Bees toner doesn't seem to be helping and I am thinking of changing back to the Glycerine and Rose water toner I bought from boots.



check out those holes and little black dots!  I burst a couple and they were full of pus - yuck! 


 I took a really close look at my skin and noticed I have clogged pores around my nose and under my eyes. I also have lots of little pimples (what is that about?). I remember when I used to use peels about 2 years ago my skin was quite smooth. I bought my peel from an ebay shop (http://shop.ebay.co.uk/forever-young2007). I have had a good experience her peels, I emailed her to see if I could use the mandelic acid with my retin-a regimen. And she said,

It is hard to say. I would never recommend using a standard peel strength solution with tretinoin. 

But the Alpha-bright is very mild by comparison. Just 5% Mandelic by volume and weight. 

There is school of thought that suggests mild peels with Retinyl (std Vitamin A) 

can work really well so there isn't an obvious conflict between Vitamin A products

 and alpha hydroxy acid peels.

My understanding is that the concern is about Tretinoin and alpha hydroxys

 both being skin exfoliating products and that using two exfoliators might overly irritate the skin. 

But I guess that as long as one monitors the skin and stops using both 

products at the same time if irritation does occur then I can't see there being a problem.

And once again the alpha bright is very mild.

As an alternative though would you consider our Lumineux blemish reduction cream?

 There is no indication of any slight conflict between the 

active ingredients in the cream and Retin products.

 If you read the listing then you will understand how it works and maybe you would feel 

confident in using it. It is the cream with Glucosamine and Niacinamide

 rather than the Arbutin and Kojic blend ( a strong cream that might not suit Retin users).

So, I'm still trying to decide between her recommendation and the Mandelic Peel...or I could use both and watch my face peel off and go down the drain. She is also one of the most affordable chemical peel shops around. 


I'm working on getting rid of left over hyper pigmentation which you can see in the pictures below.



anyone else have a problem with pimple recurring in the exact same spots? for me it's those two darkest spots, I swear there is a line of them waiting to come out as soon as one leaves.

I think the combination of retin-a, mandelic acid and a good face brush might be the push I need to get my skin to where I want it. I am trying to see if I can get my hands on the boots botanical face brush (aka the manual clarisonic), I couldn't find one in my local boots, so I want to check the larger one at Liverpool Street Station. If that fails, I have my eye on the DHC face brush on ebay.  My regimen is staying the same as my last update till I can get everything in place for phase 2. 

till then. 


P.S I scrubbed my face till I scratched the surface, I've now got little scratches and scabs on her face...not good. 

Skin Care Journey: How do you remove your make up?

Very good tip from Goss. I've seen this direction on packs of face wash.


Personally, I would do it like this;
 - Take my make up off with Johnson and Johnson baby wipe. 
 - Squeeze some face wash onto my hand and spread it around.
 - Wet my hands and wash a bit more. 
- Rinse.


That way I get at least a few minute. When I was having problem with dryness, I incorporate my boots scrubbing pad into the routine. 


In other news, I am pleased with the way my skin is going - clearing spots and reduced the frequency of my acne (thanks to duac). The smoothness is my big issue at the moment, I have heard amazing things about the Clarisonic AND the manual Clarisonic (the boots botanical brush). But, since the boots one is more in my price range, I will be checking that out and up dating you all with progress pictures. 


till then. 

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (8 wks progress pictures)

I think I took these pictures in week 7 and 8, or 7 and 6 but I'm not too sure. I'll call it 7 and 8, so it matches up with the skin care posts. 


Week 1



Week 7 



Week 8







Right Side:


Week 4(I don't have week 1, pictures)



Week 7



Week 8





I have NOTHING (not even moisturiser) on my skin when I take these pictures, I'm fresh out of the shower. I've been using it for 2 months now and I'm happy with the results, I was inspired to try Retin-A by this user on acne.org. She used Retin-A micro, I'm not sure how that differs from the Retin-A that I'm using. I wish I had done a control experiment to see if the improvements are due to Retin-a or time and good exfoliation. I feel more confident going out with my bare skin. I do want to take a break give my skin time to regroup. I have a prescription of Duac from my doctor, so I might use that in the interim. 

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (week 5 and 6)

I didn't do one of these last week (wk5) because I had nothing to say and I don't want to keep rehashing the same thing over and over again. My skin has been the most normal it's been since I started, I guess that is because I've reached the 5 week mark when the Retin-A really kicks into gear. I still get breakouts and the texture is still reminiscent of a gravel road - yuk! but, the hyper-pigmentation is clearing nicely. I've also changed my routine again! I know I haven't really stuck with nay products and if you are following this you are probably wondering what product to buy to follow this routine. Personally, I would go with whatever works for your skin, during my skin care journey I have bought A LOT of stuff and  tried a lot of stuff based on other people's recommendation and I didn't notice a difference in my skin. Which is why I ended up with lots of half used products and I'm working my way through them. I guess my routine (Cleanse-Tone-Moisturise) stays the same, it's just the products that change.

The other day, I was watching ANTM and one of the girls mentioned using vitamin E - I happen to have Vitamin E gel and oil on my dressing table, so I've added that to my weekend routine.I didn't have much of a weekend routine, so I wants to see how this changes everything.  So my routine as it stands.

MONDAY TO FRIDAY

Morning

Wash - Good Things Stay Clear Face Wash

Exfoliate  - Queen Helene Mint Julep (no longer using the boots scrubs at the moment, my skin seems to wince at the idea of being scrubbed)

Toner - Burts bees

Moisturiser - Good Things Mircale Mattifier (I went back to it when my skin started to behave)

Night

Take Off my make up with any wipe I can get my hands on

Wash  - Murad Essential C Cleanser (got for free in a mag so I had to try it)

Retin - A

Saturday And Sunday Morning

Rinse off Retin - A residue then apply Vitamine E gel (I'm trying to use that up first then on to the oil)

Continue the rest of the day  and finish with my usual night time routine. I try not to wear make up at the weekend unless I'm going out for drinks/to a club at night.


till next week.

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (part 2 - progress pictures)

So, I'm 4 weeks into using Retin-A and I've been talking so much about fine tuning my routine and skin irratations. It was gettign a bit reptitive. So I thought it wa high-time I showed my progress in pictures. Unfortunately, my memory card failed, and I had to format it so I lost some pictures, but I managed to salvage some and put together an half decent progress report.


WEEK 1






WEEK 2



notice the dry patch and scabby patch on my cheek bone.


WEEK 4

getting better still small  break out.No more dry scabby patch.


WEEK 4b



WEEK 4c

Major forehead breakout.


Seeing it this way makes me want to get better at taking pictures. I'm not sure if the changes I'm seeing is a result of the treatment, placebo effect or time. I'll be back to normal blogging and talking about my regimen and new products I'm trying out next week. There may also be a foundation post/how to cover up bad skin post in the near future...once I get a new memory card for my camera.


Till next week.

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (week 3)

I probably should have written this in week three because now I'm finding it hard to remember what my skin was like. Week 3 was the week before my period, I had a tiny post period break out that I was not too happy about. I burst one and picked at it, but managed to fight the urge to burst the other ones - progress!.

I'm really unimpressed with the texture of my skin. My foundation which used to look good now looks cakey and emphasizes my large pores. I have no idea what to do about this other than stick with the treatment like I'm supposed to. Again there isn't a wealth of information from black women using Retin-A treatment so, it's hard to know what to expect. I came across one on acne.org, but there was only a picture and no details about her course of treatment. I have fine tuned my regimen a little bit, now I'm using....

MORNING

Cleanse: Good things stay clear face wash.

 Exfoliate: Boots scrubbing pads and sulphur soap ( I need to get a new bar)

tone: burts bees toner.

NIGHT

Cleanse: Good things stay clear face wash.

Exfoliate:  Neutrogean black head clearing scrubs and Boots scrubbing pads.

Retin - A

I know I have an aggressive scrubbing regimen , that is because I read that Retin-A increases cell renewal in addition to causing dry patches so the scrubbing is meant to help with that.

Till next week.

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (products I use)

Some of the products I'm using at the moment. I'm fine tuning my routine and I'll post more details about them and how I use them very soon. 


BOOTS SCRUBBING PADS
Dry



Wet



RETIN-A



TONERS CLEANSERS AND MOISTURISERS



 - Burts Bees Toner, - Good thing miracle mattifier, - Jojoba Rich Cleanser





 - Boots evening primrose, - Clinique take the day off

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne

So, I know my blog is usually devoted to music, but I haven't been feeing inspired to write or post anything for a while even though I have been collecting links and saving them. I even have posts drafted, but I don't post them.


At the moment, I'm inspired to do something for posterity. I'm a long time acne sufferer, I had my first break out in my late teens and it has been down hill since then. My skin has gotten better but, it is still lumpy and uneven.  During my acne journey I realised there is not a wealth of info out there for people like me - black women, acne suffers, who have hyper pigmentation. Most people ignore hyper pigmentation all together or recommend things like cocoa butter that just doesn't work!


So, for the 6 - 9 weeks (according to what the Retin A box says), I'll be blogging about my skin care journey. I've put together a quick summary of where I am at the moment, I hope to expand this soon and add some pictures of my progress.

Week 1

The first week was weird, I expected my skin to be dry, but instead it was oily and I broke out in tiny spots. I was using my primer (K by Beverly Knight) with my make up but by the end of the day my face looked like an oil spill and almost like I had no makeup on. My skin texture was terrible, I briefly considered not using this anymore, but I know bad skin is one of the first reactions so I decided to stick with it.

Products being used at the moment;

Morning

First wash: Sulphur soap used with scrubbing pads/poppy seed and goats milk soap

Second wash: Good things stay clear vegan face wash.

Toner: I was using Boots’ rose water, but it finished and I’m trying out Burt’s Bees’ Toner.

Face cream: Good things Matifying lotion – used to work brilliantly till I started Retin A.

Night

Neutrogena blackhead eliminating scrub.

Good things stay clear face wash.

Make up remover

Retin A

Week 2:

My skin has a weird prickly feeling; it makes me want to scratch my face off. My skin has also gotten dry and flaky.  I stopped using my face scrubbing pads because I was mostly using the poppy seed soap and the seeds exfoliate the skin. But, I’m not getting the exfoliation I need so I’m going back to using only Sulphur soap and scrubbing pad for week 3 (note: my weeks start on Wednesday, I know it is weird, but that was the day my doctor gave me the retin A.) . I also bought some Monistat chaffing gel and used that as a primer under my make up, it seems to have helped with the staying power of my makeup and the greasiness.

Side note: I missed two days of application this week.

Products used this week are the same as week one.