Acne Magazine

This is a really quick one, more like one of my quick thoughts for the day.  I was examining some spots on the side of my face the other day, and almost mistook them for age spots.  Age spots are those light to darkish brown spots that appear on the skin over time from, you guessed it - age.  They are not melasma, which is an actual skin disorder which causes brownish discoloration of the facial skin, but they are rather a little larger than a typical freckle, and have a usually irregular shape.

They usually are not that dark, but they are a little more pigmented than a slight discoloration of the skin.  Age spots can be corrected by microdermabrasion and dermabrasion, as well as with repeated acid peels and also as another option, may be treated with a laser if you have the time and money to spare. 

Acne scars that have long since faded may sometimes appear as age spots, which was my whole point before I totally digressed, and these spots, like age spots, may also be treated in the same fashion.  If you are using a home kit for acne scarring or microdermabrasion, you just need to exercise some patience for results, as it needs to slowly slough off the damaged skin over time to make a truly beautiful improvement and lightening in the color of the scar. 

I read an interesting blurb a few days ago about how this new fangled (but really only a slightly different take on other popular diets) diet called the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to help people with acne clear their skin up.  My first reaction was DUH, but that is unfair, because it’s only my personal experience with similar diets and the helpful clearing of my own skin that I can make this conclusion!

When I say similar diets I mean diets that are based on omega 3 adequacy, which means they incorporate things like olive oil, olives and fish into the diet to give the person adequate omega 3 fatty acids, which provide a number of health benefits, including clearer, smoother skin when combined into a health and balanced diet.

Health and balanced means lots of lean protein, limited refined carbs to none, and tons of veggies and a smidge of whole grains.  If I’m not mistaken, that is what the Mediterranean Diet is based in, and this is why it is being lauded as one of the diets that can help people with acne obtain clearer skin. 

I’ve recently been trying to give attention to my skin, in particular my chin area where the result of years of acne has been made apparent by periodic rough patches that come and go, and get better with treatment.  My preferred method of treatment is to exfoliate with a home microdermabrasion kit for acne scarring, as well as a light acid peel afterwards. 

Problem is, I have to do this when I have a couple days of really no important events, because it usually ends up resulting in flaking, irritated skin, especially since I usually will do it a couple nights in a row.  I will try to do it on the weekends when I don’t have to be to work or anywhere important for that reason. 

After using the microderm kit, and the peel, the skin, especially where extra attention has been given, should begin to slough off.  Although it is unsightly at the time of sloughing, this is exactly what you want, so fresher, more even textured skin can be revealed and smoother, less damager and rough skin can be revealed.  It’s a process!

I have one suggestion though, and that is to only try to rub off the flaking when the skin is wet and well moistened for a while, such as after a warm shower, since this soften it up and causes greater ease and less irritation in removing the excess flaking.  Don’t try it when it’s dry, you’ll only end up with a flaky, red mess.  At least I do!

The first time I was ever introduced to the word “comedone” was after a visit to a dermatologist when I pointed out a black spot that was slightly protruding on my face, specifically on the side of my cheek.  I was concerned because the spot had not disappeared for quite a few weeks, and since my family has a history of skin cancer, my feelers are always out for any suspicious spots or lesions that will not go away and are out of the norm. 

This black dot was definitely on my radar, and since I already had a dermatologist appointment set up for an unrelated issue (not acne, by the way), I asked her about the black dot that was maybe only a millimete in size and not visible unless you were right up on my face.  She quickly determined that it was only a comedone.  I asked what a comedone was, and she explained that a comedone is simply a blackhead.

Most blackheads that I’ve had do not reach this size, nor are they in areas where I normally do not even get acne, so this one was a little out of the ordinary of what I’m totally used to by now, of diagnosing capably on my own.  She quickly extracted the comedone with expert hands (they do not recommend you try this yourself unless you know what you are doing, as it may cause further inflammation if it is done incorrectly), and that was the end of it.

The reason I bring this up is because my mother also had the same issue, and her being in her mid fifties, she is also starting to check mysterious spots out as well.  She also went to a doctor and was told it was “only a comedone”, and was relieved.  You don’t know for sure though until you go, so if you do get any larger than normal black spots, it’s still better safe than sorry to get them checked, as skin cancer can also take similar form. 

I was hopeful when I purchased the green bottle of Garnier Nutritioniste detoxifying face wash at my local CVS about two weeks ago.  I figured
that since my job is to review certain products and see how they work for people with skin that is prone to acne and other fun things like irritation and dryness at the same time,  I should try all these great new products that seem to pop up every week at the grocery store, at beauty counters, and in your local drug stores.

Sometimes, I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for great packaging in products.  Not just face washes, cosmetics and other skin care products for acne, but I’m pretty much a sucker for great, sophisticated packaging on anything I buy.

Somehow, it must trip my “quality” sensor and make me think that because a product is packaged attractively and is made to look natural or
organic, it must work on everyone’s skin beautifully.

However, I must say that after using the product at night for the past several nights, I can conclude that it dries my skin out too much.
Sometimes  when you first start to use a product, and you break out, you figure (at least I do), that your skin is just adjusting, or if it
seems to dry it out too much, maybe your skin just isn’t used to it.

For this reason, I try to give any new product at least a week to see if it’s really not good for my skin type or if it just needed a little
time to adjust.  For the Garnier Nutritioniste detoxifying face wash, I can safely say that it dried me out too much, more so than just creating a little tightness right after washing, but also created a greater need for moisturizer.

Since I’m a firm believer that overdrying is horrible for acne, and we should not destroy or over dry the skin protective barrier if we have
acne, I don’t think I’d recommend it for someone with combination/oily skin like mine.  However, as with many other great products, this may be a case where it might also be suitable for another person’s skin type.  If anyone has any additional feedback on the Garnier face wash, please share! 

I was looking at some pictures of the stunning songstress Rihanna online the other day, and the thing that really struck me about this exotic beauty was how flawless her skin was.  Not only is she blessed with the perfect skin tone, but the color itself is so warm looking that it creates it’s own ethereal glow around her face.  The talented and seemingly trouble-less star (that’s a rarity in these days of Britney Spears and other troubled young stars) is now also showing off a new, shorter and punkier hair do that just shows off her flawless skin even more.

I always wonder, with stars that have skin this perfect, is it really all genetics, or do people like Rihanna just go all out when it comes to skin care also?  ‘Cause I gotta say, if she’s paying for it, it’s worth every penny!  I bet the girl has never seen a blemish in her life or had to use any type of acne products, even as a teen, as evidenced by her seemingly acne scar free face (either that or she’s got one hell of a makeup artist or uses some acne treatments that I want to review!)

So, what would you be willing to do, how hard would you be willing to work for, or how much money would you be willing to pay to get this type of flawless skin, especially if you’ve struggled with imperfect skin and acne much of your adult life? 

Well, after about a year run with Bare Minerals, I decided to give up this easy foundation for a while and go back to my old trusty combination of a good, noncomedogenic foundation (I vary between Revlon, Clinique and L’Oreal for my foundations), and Revlon Skinlights skin illuminator lotion.  However, when I went to go buy more of the Revlong Skinlights makeup, I was disappointed that two stores were not carrying it. 

I came to find out upon further research that Revlon has discontinued their Skinlights line.  I couldn’t believe it! This was my all time favorite addition to my makeup routine, and I loved that it didn’t make me break out, and provided a slightly dewy, healthy looking glow without looking fake or off color on my face. 

So, I went online desperately looking to see if maybe someone had some stock leftover, and after I read some posts on a forum that there might be some left over at discount stores like Big Lots, I ended up finding the last of my color of Skinlights on Amazon.com.  I purchased all of the tubes that the merchant had left in stock of the Warm Light color, and I received them just last week. 

I liked the Bare Minerals for summer time, when I naturally had a bit more color to my face, but I found that for winter, the Bare Minerals just wasn’t cutting it for covering up blotchiness and blending my skin tone smoothely, as well as covering a minor breakout if I happened to have one.  I will probably still go back to using Bare Minerals in the summer, but will always have my standby of “old faithful” Revlon and foundation combo, just in case. 

For those of you interested in trying something like that, I believe Revlon now has a line that is comparable to the Skinlights line, in other words one that is supposed to complement the skin tone and be worn as almost a second moisturizer, but I don’t know the name of it, nor the availability in stores yet, since it’s fairly new.  I’m hoping they bring Skinlights back though, that really is a superior product. 

Smooth pores seem to be the end all, be all when it comes to traits we think of when we think of someone with “great skin”.  Think about it, isn’t a face that has virtually no visible pores more attractive and appealing to look at than one that has large pores and an uneven appearance thanks to those large pores? 

Well, this is why techniques in high tech skin care like dermabrasion, chemical peels and other facial skin refining processes have become immensely popular today.  Women and men as well, but mostly women, are willing to pay a premium to get that smoother, flawless look that pore minimization gives their skin, and the services that provide this type of outcome are expanding more and more every day, so much so that you can go to salons and spas now that carry special treatments like these allover the place.

But can’t you get the same look at home, at least somewhat?  Well, you can definitely take things into your own hands when it comes to pore refining and getting those minimized, clear pores that you’ve been striving for by using an excellent exfoliant and home microderm kit, and you can even buy some great mild chemical peels today online or over the counter that will also help to smooth the pores and create that elegant finish you’re looking for. 

The key for smooth and mimized pores is to exfoliate often, and use a good toner (astringent) that is mild but closes the pores effectively after each use.  Because of your acne, you are going to want to be careful to not pick one up that has a ton of alcohol or strong smell to it, as this usually means it is irritating to your skin and especially your acne. 

I think I’ve talked about this before, but I wanted to reiterate that wearing sunblock, noncomedogenic, of course, is still important even in the winter months when it may seem like you go weeks without seeing the sun.  Sun block is important for those of us with acne, because as mentioned even in the previous post, sun damage may actually cause or spur acne on the skin, not to mention make for an ultra bumpy surface instead of the smooth, even skin we all crave. 

I really wish I would have known this when I was younger, or at least not have doubted the importance of sunblock, as I believe I would probably have much smoother skin today with less age spots and discolorations, but we won’t cry over spilt milk, we’ll just try to fix our misgivings going forward!

Many people with acne are worried about putting sunblock on.  Heck, many people with acne are worried about even picking the wrong moisturizer for their skin, for fear it will exacerbate their acne or bring on a breakout.  However, both moisturizing and blocking the sun is still a necessity, even for those of us that suffer the most severe forms of acne.  If the skin becomes too dry, this can actually spur more oil (sebum) to be produced by the skin, which leads to more acne breakouts.

Likewise with sunblock.  I was so worried in my teens about putting sunblock on my face for fear that it would make me break out.  Of course, there were limited selections of sunblock back then too, and I was actually allergic to a common ingredient in sunblock back in the day as well, called PABA, so I had already had a bad experience with horrible breakouts from sunblock, which made me all that much more weary of trying new ones. 

So, because of this, I let my face burn more times than I even care to admit, foresaking my skin’s health because I was too afraid to try a good sunblock.  Today, what you want to look for in a sunblock for winter is one that is perhaps a bit more emollient, so it can double as a moistuizer, but one without mineral oil, which can block pores. 

Any noncomedogenic-labeled sunblock should be fine.  Also, if you wear foundation, pick one with a sunblock in it - there are tons now that have sunblock in them.  The sun’s rays are just as damaging in the winter, yet we don’t think about it because it’s not as obvious.  Just sitting in the car you get exposed to UV rays that can damage the skin, so it’s important to just make it part of your daily routine to apply some sort of sunblock.