DAILY SKIN RITUAL
So recently I put a ‘Ask me anything to my inbox’ on my Tumblr site, which surprisingly generated quite a few interesting, funny and slightly strange questions.. I won’t go into some of the whacky questions I was asked; not sure they’re ‘politically correct’ haha..
In saying this, there was one question that I was asked quite a few times: WHAT IS YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE. So instead of answering the same question a million times over I figured I’d do a little post on here which you all can read about.
It all started when I hit 8th grade, which brought with it the dreaded outbreak of pimples and skin irritations. I hated it, and no matter how many times my mum and dad would reassure me it was all just a phase, I couldn’t help but try a thousand different things in attemps to get rid of this horrid problem. It stunted my confidence in a huge way for most of my teen years, right up until the problem was fixed. I put my skin through every "pimple" product on the market. Pro Active was the first cry of desperation when I was in 10th grade which seemed to help for 6 months then flared up far worse, eventually I realised it was burning my skin and not fixing the problem; only masking it. So I started using every ‘pimple’ facial wash I could, which to no surprise didn’t help. I tried natural washes, soaps, I tried using nothing at all except water, I tried prescribed antibiotics, diets and masks. I pretty much tried everything that was advertised, everything I was told to try and everything that sounded like it could work..
13 through to 20 it was a huge struggle. I was the definition of "Cake-face", lathering inches worth of make-up on, at the gym I was hugely embarrassed to show my face without covering it with makeup – yes people, I was one of ‘those’ people.
After I heard about a drug called Roaccutane for people with bad acne and skin problems, I decided to go and see a dermatologist about it and have a basic chat about my problem. She put me straight on this drug, and after a long 12 months of using it my face had completely cleared up. I went on Roaccutane around two and a half years ago, since going off it I have only had small outbreaks during my cycle and when I’m stressed out. After my skin had all cleared up I noticed acne scarring and pretty bad sun damage which sucks, but fortunately; it can be reversed.
Sun Damage: Living in Queensland and being silly about sun is to blame here. Up until only a year and a bit ago my mentality to sun baking and exposing myself to the sun was.. well I didn’t think anything of it. I always kidded myself by saying things like; "I’m young, I don’t have to worry about that crap right now, I’ll worry about it later". Unfortunately that later is now and it’s going to take me a while to undo the damage I did to my skin from baking out in the sun without sunscreen. I recommend everyone to wear a moisturiser with UVA protection daily and ALWAYS wear 30+ sunscreen when outdoors for long periods of time. I use a UVA moisturiser daily, a night time correction moisturiser and a skin correction cream as well as weekly masks which is helping correct the sun spots I have In the future I’ll opt for laser and needling to completely fix this.
Scarring: This however is not my fault, there was really nothing that could have prevented this as it was caused by my acne and being an adventurous, active female. However though I have found some pretty awesome products that have helped correct some of the scarring, which is brightening my days. I will also do laser and needling in the future to completely correct the scarring.
All the products I use can be purchased from Strawberry Net or other websites alike, I’ve made a complete list of the products I use daily and weekly.
Murad: AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser
Murad: Anti-aging blemish control / Blemish and wrinkle reducer
La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX Daily moisturising cream with sunscreen
La Roche-Posay Anti-aging dermatological treatment
Meladerm: for hyperpigmentation
Aesop: Parsley seed cleansing masque
Puretopia: Moisturising and soothing Gel Mask
If you’re looking for information about Roaccutane, or are considering using the drug, I strongly recommend you go and speak with a qualified dermatologist about your situation. I went to The Dermatology Institute of Victoria and saw a lovely specialist there who was extremely helpful. I also did a lot of research prior and after meeting with the dermatologist. Please only use this drug if you absolutely have too and you’ve literally tried everything else as there are huge side effects and it’s not suitable for everyone.