1. Makeup Removal - I slacked off on the cold cream thing, partially because I’m not wearing makeup often. Could that be a reason for my breakouts? I doubt it, because I broke out long after stopping the cold cream. I think that it has more to do with my usage of the NuvaRing.
2. Cleanser - I still use the Hada Labo Tokyo cleanser. I’m always super oily not long after washing it off. I wonder why. Maybe it’s not gentle enough? I mean, it’s super gentle to most people and feels wonderful, but I am always oily after using it, which is a sign that something is wrong.
3. Toner: I use a homemade 5% Vitamin C serum. This is only my second day, though. I stopped using Thayer’s Witch Hazel for a while after reading about the possibility of it being an irritant on Paula’s Choice. I’m tweaking my routine to see what works after a massive hormonal breakout that covers much of my chin and has intermittent cystic spots on my forehead. I may add the Thayer’s back in, as I experienced no ill effects.
4. Essence: Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence: I decided to take a chance after all the good reviews I read of this product. It has snail mucin and bee venom in high concentrations, and is supposed to brighten skin and reduce inflammation. Though I can’t tell if it has made a difference (I do glow now in the spots that aren’t covered by acne, but that might be the other parts of my routine) it definitely feels nice and non-irritating. I keep it in the fridge so it’s cold and refreshing when I put it on. It’s also one of the only things that soothed my skin after a disaster with too much Aztec Clay mask.
Note: I stopped using the PTR Volufill serum as it seems to make my face look extra greasy, and stings somewhat. I will either add it back in after I repair my moisture barrier or give the leftovers to my mom, who needs heavy-duty anti-aging serums more than I do.
5. Hydrator: Dr. Lin’s Daily Hydrating Gel. I started using this instead of the Hada Labo Tokyo Replenishing Hydrator (the US version of the Gokujyun Moist lotion) because the Hydrator contains methylisothiazolinone, a preservative that I could become sensitive and allergic to over time. The first 12 majority of the ingredients in the Dr. Lin Gel are water, safe humectants/emollients, and gentle plant extracts. The least safe ingredients are Hexylene glycol, a surfactant, and sodium hydroxide, a pH adjuster. The latter is neutralized by the other ingredients in the product. I’ve only used the Dr. Lin gel since yesterday, but it’s definitely hydrating and soothing (though not moisturizing). To get the soft moisturized texture I want, I need more emollients. Which is the next step:
6. Emollient moisturizer: I use pure jojoba oil in tiny amounts, patted on my face. No word on how this works, except it doesn’t seem to break me out, and makes my face lightly dewy but not too shiny. If I’m feeling dry, I put NOW Innovations hyaluronic acid lotion underneath. I’m looking for an alternative, though, because the NOW product has a fragrance, and that can’t be good. The product is okay overall, though, so I’ll use it up.
7. Spot Treatments: Acne.
I’ve been treating my acne with a layer Laroche-Posay Effaclar Duo for about a month with literally no results. I don’t even know if it’s keeping my acne from spreading. Honestly, for me, the problem seems to run much deeper than surface bacteria (no pun intended, this is srs business), and probably has more to do with a hormone imbalance caused by the progestins in my birth control ring. I took it out today and am wearing a pad to prepare for the inevitable withdrawal bleeding. Hopefully I can get my skin back to health in a month.
I’ve also tried tea tree oil on a cotton swab, and Origins salicylic acid gel. Salicylic acid stings and doesn’t appear to do anything after a day. I don’t believe in irritation, and I do believe in products that show results after one use. Irritation (stinging) is just going to make my skin worse in the long run, and I refuse to spend money on lackluster products. I’m looking at you, Clindamycin that also causes my face to itch! For god’s sake, my homemade aspirin mask does a better job of relieving inflammation than a 6 month cycle of Doryx did. (And oral antibiotics don’t actually fix the root cause of acne; hormones. I don’t think you should risk it unless you have an actual infection, like cystic acne.)
8. Eye Cream: I make sure that I’ve got some of the C serum on my eyelids, first. Then I use my CeraVe Eye Repair cream, lightly tapping a line of it into my undereye and eyelid lines. The hyaluronic acid definitely plumps them up, making them less visible immediately. Then I use my Clarisonic Opal to vibrate more eye cream into the area of skin above my lower orbital. I never press the Opal into the soft tissue in my socket!
9. Sunscreen: My favorite sunscreen is Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50. 8 oz for about 10 USD is a winner. It uses the natural filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which don’t sting like chemical sunscreens do when they run into the eyes. This is a must for me since I exercise outdoors two hours a day, and my face always sweats terribly. Any sunscreen with natural filters is fine by me, actually. I like the CVS Kids SPF 50 one as well, which is 9 dollars.
10. Optional Treatments:
When I’m feeling particularly oily, I use the Aztec Secret bentonite clay mask. I always mix it with apple cider vinegar so as not to mess up my pH. I leave it on for 45 minutes each time, by which time it is so tight that my face is pulsing and I am unable to talk. Washing it off takes about 5 minutes. I always do it over the kitchen sink garbage disposal. It definitely pulls every bit of oil out of my pores, to the point that I have to add some moisture back. I can’t use it two days in a row; my skin is too sensitive. I had a bad experience once (mentioned above) that could only be soothed with Benton Snail Bee Essence. I haven’t had it long enough to tell if it will work long-term for my acne.
My favorite treatment for anti-inflammation is an aspirin mask. I get two or three aspirins, just the CVS brand, and first rub them in my hands under running water until any dye comes off. Then I put them in a small bowl of almost-boiling (pretty hot) water for five minutes or so, or however long it takes for the coatings to loosen. I then fish them out with a fork and peel their coatings off one by one. Then I crush up the now-uncoated aspirins with a tiny amount of cold water, letting them dissolve until a smoothish paste is created. I then apply this on my face and wait until it dries. It’s a surefire way to reduce inflammation, but I wouldn’t use it more than once a week as I’m sure you can build up a tolerance. Also, cutaneous aspirin in large amounts may contribute to gastric bleeding. No more than once a week, people! This would be so much easier with powdered aspirin, but I can’t find it, so I’ve used this method with success for about two months. This won’t make acne leave entirely, but it definitely reduces redness, pain, and swelling due to the anti-inflammatory effects of the acetylsalicylic acid.
Other treatments: Thanaka (or tanaka) is a semi-fragrant wood native to Burma (now Myanmar, but I don’t respect the junta who renamed it). Burmese use it as a cosmetic, but it also makes a great mask to use if you’re looking for something that is soothing to acne. I used it every day in Bangkok to combat acne that I believe was caused by the humidity and pollution there, to great success. On days when I was getting three or four new pimples every day, a nightly mask of thanaka powder mixed with my face lotion always got rid of the pimples from the day before. It’s really gentle, and I’d suggest it. Mix it with turmeric and honey instead of the lotion for an even more anti-inflammatory effect.
The dermatology belief that acne isn’t connected to diet is based on one study that does not take glycemic index into account. Though we still don’t know what the connection diet has with acne, there are a few things you can do that may help. I do them: I take omega-3 for its anti-inflammatory effects and IGF-1 growth factor limiting ability. I take a multivitamin with zinc, which is linked to cell repair and anti-inflammation. I take an antioxidant pill for anti-inflammatory (not to mention anti-aging) effects. I also avoid meat, dairy, and eggs, and I exercise regularly. Finally, I’m looking to add other things to my routine: for instance, today I drank about 20 oz of a green/licorice tea for the strong anti-inflammatory/antioxidant benefits. I will continue and I’m hoping to see results soon. Hopefully, this hormonal breakout will be over soon and I can focus on having glowing, undamaged skin well into my middle age.
