A Quick Dose of Skincare Advice

Hello there! I just wanted to do a blog post regarding my skin and what I've done (or stopped doing) to make it better.

To start off, I just want to say that what worked or works for me may not necessarily work for you and in no way am I trying to discourage you from trying out my advice regarding skincare. To each her own.

Now here are a few things that I've learned after years of suffering from acne...(we're talking from pre-teens to adulthood).

1 - TO POP OR NOT TO POP
Don't pick and prod on your pimples. If you must pop, pop it right! Pop your pimple after you take a shower, that way your pores are more open and it will only take very little effort.

Do not use your fingers or nails, opt for two toothpicks cotton swabs. The pimple is ready to be popped when the pus has become visible.  You want to ever so lightly apply pressure using the cotton swabs, but don't force it to pop. If you literally have to squeeze it for more than a few seconds then it's not ready. Just apply your on the spot acne treatment (I recommend Mario Badescu Drying lotion or Zapzyt) and play the waiting game.

2 - DO NOT use an alcohol base toner! Anything that burns your skin is NOT a good thing. Get rid off that belief that if it burns, it's because it's working or it's because it's killing the bacteria. WRONG! What you are doing is, drying all the areas of your skin...even the good areas which is again, no bueno! (Your probably thinking..."No wonder why my skin is so red after I tone my face!").

3 - Be gentle please
I think a lot of us forget that washing our face is not the same as washing the dishes. I think that the moment I finally stopped treating my face like a dirty plate with old crusted food, was when it actually started to heal.

By scrubbing your face, you're only aggravating your pores. If you're going to wash your face (especially those sensitive eye areas), do it gently so that you don't 1) over exfoliate 2) disturb those good cells beneath the skin that work to fight off bacteria and inflammation.

4 - Less is more
I don't put a ton of products on my face...anymore. I learned that the more products (serums, lotions, etc.) you apply to your face, the more likely that your pores suffocate and can't breathe. I'm no expert but if you think about it, your body has a way of responding to outside bacteria or anything that doesn't belong.

Did you ever consider that maybe the reason why your face is producing more sebum (natural oils) is so that it can remove stuff off your face? and why? so your skin can breathe! Also, don't forget to apply some moisturizer after you cleanse your face because if you leave your face dry, your body will try to adjust to it and produce more sebum which then causes breakouts to happen even more.

5 - Good ol' H2O!
If there's anything out there that I can recommend, it is to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Why? Well consider this...you hydrate your face on the outside by cleansing it, so why not hydrate within as well? You're body is made up of about 50% water and you loose water in so many ways...even by breathing!


If you have any questions...please leave a comment below or e-mail me. I am here to help. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Jules