November 2011
194 posts
October 2011
10 posts
EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE SKIN CARE REGIME!!!!!!
What’s the first thing you see when you meet someone?
Their face. Your face is who you are, your own unique asset and people remember you by it.
But 20% of adult faces (http://www.acne-resource.org/understanding-acne/acne-statistics.html) are hidden behind acne.
Acne is a skin disease and the most common in the United States. 60 MILLION people in America are suffering from acne right now and many more all over the world. It is caused by a number of different things, including but not limited to: genetics, stress, and environmental changes.
For someone who has had acne, and still recovering from it, I know that it is an extremely painful thing to go through. It effects you emotionally and physically.
I am a huge advocate of beauty and fashion. My job requires a ton of communication with people face to face and I modeled a lot before I started to break out. I always had amazing skin and people would ask me all the time what my secret was to “flawless, soft, glowing skin.” I didn’t have secret skin care regime, I didn’t drink an abundance of H2O, and I didn’t work out very much. That’s just how my skin was. I never even thought about the possibility of acne.
So when I began to break out, I began to freak out. I actually stopped showing up for my job because I was so embarrassed, and eventually just quit. I stopped going to my college classes, stopped hanging out with friends, and became very very depressed. I actually began to resent beauty and fashion because I felt like I wasn’t worthy of being apart of that world anymore. This was a very difficult time in my life. Everything changed- my relationships, my education, my finances, and my health.
I tried every single kind of trick and product that I could find. Nothing was working. It only got worse. I honestly believe now, that lifestyle and thoughts play a huge role in the condition of skin. Unfortunately, sometimes it is just bad luck and there’s nothing we can do about it naturally or without spending a ton of money.
BUT….
I realized that I was not doing the best I could do to clear my skin, and that my negative thinking and lifestyle was only going to make it worse. I decided to do what I can and move on from the matter.
We’ve heard it a billion gazillion times that exercise and drinking lots of water is the most important part of a healthy lifestyle and pathway to better skin. So I began a running schedule with Nike+ program. (I really reeeeeally suggest checking this out! This was the best decision I have made to improve my lifestyle! http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//dashboard/). I began carrying a water bottle with me EVERY WHERE I went. And whenever I caught myself thinking about my acne, staring at it in the mirror, messing with it…I would just make myself stop. I would begin singing or pick up a book or go for a run- whatever I needed to do to make myself stop thinking about it. It’s really important that you don’t fill your mind with negative thinking about your skin or the way people look at you. It only stresses you out, and stress is a MAJOR MAAAAJOR factor in your skin. I canNOT stress this enough. The last step I took was researching top skin care lines/products. I read reviews, made sure they had products that targeted my problem areas specifically. Another important thing I did when researching products was make sure that it was something I could continue to purchase if it happened to work out for me. It would be absolutely awful to invest in a product that worked, but then not be able to purchase it again because it’s too expensive. So make SURE it is something you can AFFORD or there’s no point in even looking at it.
One of the most famous skin care lines I have heard about is ProActiv. There’s so many stories and reviews going around that I decided to check it out. The website offers a trial for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. You can return it for a full refund if it doesn’t work for you. It’s affordable and the worst that can happen from trying it is it not working. So I went ahead and ordered it online and received it in the mail about 2 weeks later. My skin was really bad so I did the complete routine as much as I could. Once in the morning, once at night, and sometimes even in the middle of the day if I wasn’t going anywhere. I began to see a change in my skin the VERY NEXT DAY! It wasn’t a huge change obviously, but I could see the bumps tightening up and the swelling and redness decreasing. I continued to use the routine 2-3 times a day. My skin became extremely dry. I could hardly move my face and I was shedding skin like crazy. I had read about this problem in the reviews before I even ordered it, so I was somewhat prepared. But I was still very upset, because what’s worse than have acne AND a dry, flaky face?! I called my dermatologist (which I suggest doing before trying any kind of product) and he said to buy a bottle of Aveeno daily moisturizer.
I bought the Aveeno and simply added it to my ProActiv routine. I would do the 3 step-process, wait 10 minutes, and then apply the Aveeno moisturizer. This has proven to be very effective for my skin. Like I said in the beginning, I am still recovering. But my skin is healing rapidly and it looks soooooo much better than it did 3 weeks ago.
I am not saying that my regime will work for you if you have acne. Everyone’s skin is different. But I believe whole-heartedly that if you do your very best to live healthy (physically and emotionally), chances are it will work for you.
If you are suffering from acne and the emotional effects that accompany acne, I am BEGGING you to just consider what I have taken the time to explain to you! I know what it’s like and how it can literally RUIN your life. And now, thanks to the changes I have made, I know what it’s like to be recovering and living with a face towards the sky, not the ground. I have provided below, a simple list for you to follow and links to check out products and other things that have played a role in my recovery.
I hope you decide to try this out and live a healthy, happy life…without acne! =)
1. Exercise daily (or as much as you can)
With Nike+ you can choose your workout/running program to fit your schedule! ( http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//dashboard/ )
2. Drink lots of water! Buy a cute water bottle and carry it with you everywhere. Make it your beverage of choice at every meal. And no soda!<so bad for your skin! :(
3. Change your way of thinking!!! No more negativity. No more looking at your skin in the mirror and messing with it. No more thinking it will never clear up and you’ll never be happy again. Seriously, if you think this way you need to STOP! It causes so much stress. NEGATIVE THINKING= STRESS > STRESS= ACNE
4. Research top, affordable products that target YOUR specific problem areas (ex. oily, dry, normal, severe acne, etc…) Read reviews on the products, consult your dermatologist, and make the decision to try it out. If you order the product, follow the directions completely, don’t halfway do it.
-also stay in contact with your dermatologist. let him know how it’s working or not working out. he may be able to help.
- ProActiv and Aveeno products have been working for me.
5. MAKE A COMMITMENT!!!! Oh my gosh…make a commitment! Your skin is NOT going to heal over night. It may take a month, it make take 5 months. No matter how long it takes, it is NOT going to heal if you give up. Continue to workout, drink water, think positively, and clean your skin…even if it doesn’t seem to be working.
The best thing you can do for yourself is TRY. Do not give up. Okay? I’m not giving up and you shouldn’t either. Stay happy no matter what. Stay positive. Do your best and let God take care of the rest. =)
Thanks guys! And good luck!!
Love,
Asia
