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.