My Current Skincare Update

I have been getting requests on my skincare update on YouTube. So I decided to put together a few tips on how I rehabilitated my skin.

This time last year I was constantly breaking out on my forehead for a few months. I was getting really large cystic acne which I would refer to as unicorn horns (that's how large they felt to me). They were very painful and took a long time to go away. I would cover them with my bangs and a lot of makeup. This lead to a desire to figure out the root of the problem and make some changes. Over time I have discovered that the combination of these have vastly improved my skin.

Before I get started I will describe my skin's natural inclination. I have combination skin where my t-zone has a tendency to get oily by the evening and the skin around my eyes and cheeks are drier. I can honestly say that I love my skin this year and hope I can keep feeling this way!

1.) Don't let stress bog you down. When you are stressed out your body releases hormones that affect your skin. We all get stressed out for various reasons, it's part of life. The key is to recognize it and try to mitigate it as much as you can. Sometimes things are out of our control. Sometimes it's that moody time of the month. I try to realize it and minimize the impacts when I can.

2.) Get enough sleep. This tip is linked directly to the one above. When I was incredibly stressed out last year (with my dog having surgery and other personal issues) I was severely lacking in the sleep department and my skin was most definitely paying the price. For lack of sleep the skin around my eyes suffered the most. I started noticing a correlation to lack of sleep and bags/dark circles under my eyes.

3.) Consider your diet. Each person's body reacts differently so this is really a personal experiment for you to take on. You must be in tune with your body and how it reacts to what you consume. It took a while for me to figure this one out (and still learning). What have I discovered about myself?

The first (and most impactful) was to avoid fried food (as much as I can). I love my fries but I found a direct correlation to fry consumption and getting a new pimple. I still have my cravings but try to satisfy them a lot less (my forehead thanks me for it).

The second was to avoid caffeine in my diet. I am so sensitive to caffeine that if I drink/consume just a little bit in the morning, it will cause me to have a terrible night of sleep. Not only does this go back to tip number 2 but caffeine is a diuretic which connects to tip 4.

The next was to reduce the amount of artificial sugar. Again I want to be realistic, I don't completely avoid avoid sugar.

I wondered if my diet was lacking the building blocks I needed for healthy skin. I've always heard that prenatal supplements were helpful. Though not a prenatal supplement, I decided to take a hair, skin & nails supplement. I feel like this helped give my face a glowy complexion, make my hair thicker and shinier and my nails stronger. If you're interested, I take one that can be found at Costco and is called Nature's Bounty. The suggested serving is 3 pills a day but I only take 1.

4.) Drink enough water. One thing I notice is that when my skin is tight and dry it is more sensitive.

5.) Figure out what products irritate your skin and avoid them. Personally, I try to avoid using products that dry out my skin. For me that means products that contain alcohol and benzyl peroxide. When I get a pimple I prefer to use a salicylic acid product but of those some products still irritate my skin. At first I thought it was the concentration of the active ingredient but after trying a few with 2% salicycle acid and having different skin reactions I believe it must be the other ingredients that I could possibly be causing and allergic reaction. The Alba Bontanica AcneDote Oil Control Lotion works on me for those breakout days to calm my skin.

disclaimer: I am aware that everyone's skin is different and my tips are what worked for me and my experience. I'm not a healthcare professional and I am only sharing what helped me out. This post is not sponsored and all these opinions are my own.