Sorry it's been so long since the last post, I've been a bit busy with work/christmas etc!
I wanted to write a quick post about what to expect after having a peel of any sort:
Because of the strength of the chemicals in the peel you are expected to stay out of direct sunlight for the next couple of days because you will no longer have a "barrier" which will protect you.
The areas of skin which had spots will become dry and hard, these will eventually fade but not before becoming worse and looking angry; if you pick them it will scar so it's best to leave them alone.
It will be difficult to apply make-up as your skin (especially the areas which are infected by spots) will be dry, the thinner areas of skin will also probably become dry and peel, this is because the skin is resurfacing itself and all impurities are working their way to the surface layer.
After you have had the peel it is best the avoid hot baths/showers/facial washes and you should altogether avoid using any facial washes.
You should use a moisturiser that penetrates the skin (such as Dermaquest B5 Serum), not one which will leave an oily residue on your skin. Thicker moisturisers tend to sit on the surface and feel heavy on the skin and can lead to blocked pores and spots.
My suggestion is to have a peel done when you have time off from work or school because over the next couple of days your skin will get worse and may make you feel self conscious, if you have time off after the peel you will be able to let your skin recover without having to face the public!
And as usual, try not to apply make-up straight after the peel. After my peel I had to walk through the busy streets of Manchester on a Saturday afternoon to get back to my car. As embarassing as that was I was not prepared to pay for a peel to then ruin its effects by re-blocking my pores with make-up. A light layer of mineral powder will not be a problem, just don't apply a pot of foundation!
I think that is everything... I hope you all had a lovely christmas and your skin if reflecting that!
- Natalie
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Dermaquest Advanced B5 Serum
If you suffer from dry or dehydrated skin then this product is DEFINITELY for you!
I have been using this product for a week and I can feel the difference on my skin; my cheeks and nose are no longer dry and flaky and they feel moisturised constantly!
Like most people, I was a bit wary about buying a serum because I didn't really understand the difference between that and a moisturiser. While moisturisers stay on the surface of the skin and can feel heavy/oily, serum's sink in to the dermal layer of the skin where the moisture is then absorbed. The B5 serum "holds 1000 times its molecular weight in hydration" which means that despite only using a small amount the serum is able to hydrate skin completely. Also, because it penetrates skin at a cellular level, it doesn't leave the skin feel tacky!
I paid £57 for mine at House of Fraser, a bit steep but a definite investment!
- Natalie
I have been using this product for a week and I can feel the difference on my skin; my cheeks and nose are no longer dry and flaky and they feel moisturised constantly!
Like most people, I was a bit wary about buying a serum because I didn't really understand the difference between that and a moisturiser. While moisturisers stay on the surface of the skin and can feel heavy/oily, serum's sink in to the dermal layer of the skin where the moisture is then absorbed. The B5 serum "holds 1000 times its molecular weight in hydration" which means that despite only using a small amount the serum is able to hydrate skin completely. Also, because it penetrates skin at a cellular level, it doesn't leave the skin feel tacky!
I paid £57 for mine at House of Fraser, a bit steep but a definite investment!
- Natalie
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Glycolic V Salicylic
After last weeks microdermabrasion I decided that I wanted to have a peel done; I have a lot of congestion and blocked pores and I figured this would be the best way to help clear them out. Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I have had peels done before but the age old question still remains:
Glycolic or Salicylic?
Glycolic is used to help resurface the skin by reducing "build up" at lower levels of the skin.
Salicylic helps reduce sebaceous follicle blockage (oil build up in the sebaceous glands) and supposedly stops current and future break outs.
I am definately leaning more towards to the salicylic peel! The Salicylic is also the stronger peel and because it can be quite harsh it is usually recommended you start off with a Glycolic peel so your skin can adjust.
Certain skin spas won't let you have either peel done until you have used a cleanser with a high acidic percent for atleast two weeks before hand to prepare your skin. At the moment I am using Dermaquest's Glyco Creamy Cleanser which is formulated with 15% Glycolic acid; I started using it the day after having microdermabrasion... what a mistake. The micro had taken the top layer of skin away so there was less of a barrier and when I put the cleanser on I immediately felt a burning sensation!!! Atleast I could feel it making a difference!
I purchased the Dermaquest cleanser from the Skin Health Spa where I am having my peel, you generally can't buy the range online as some of it is quite strong and it is recommended you speak to a specalist before buying. The cleanser was £35 and the peel was supposed to be £85 but I was given a 35% discount on just the one peel (the discount is usually only when you buy a series of 3 peels at once) as I was unsure of which one to go for!!!
I'm having it done on the 5th December so I'll let you know how it goes!
- Natalie
Glycolic or Salicylic?
Glycolic is used to help resurface the skin by reducing "build up" at lower levels of the skin.
Salicylic helps reduce sebaceous follicle blockage (oil build up in the sebaceous glands) and supposedly stops current and future break outs.
I am definately leaning more towards to the salicylic peel! The Salicylic is also the stronger peel and because it can be quite harsh it is usually recommended you start off with a Glycolic peel so your skin can adjust.
Certain skin spas won't let you have either peel done until you have used a cleanser with a high acidic percent for atleast two weeks before hand to prepare your skin. At the moment I am using Dermaquest's Glyco Creamy Cleanser which is formulated with 15% Glycolic acid; I started using it the day after having microdermabrasion... what a mistake. The micro had taken the top layer of skin away so there was less of a barrier and when I put the cleanser on I immediately felt a burning sensation!!! Atleast I could feel it making a difference!
I purchased the Dermaquest cleanser from the Skin Health Spa where I am having my peel, you generally can't buy the range online as some of it is quite strong and it is recommended you speak to a specalist before buying. The cleanser was £35 and the peel was supposed to be £85 but I was given a 35% discount on just the one peel (the discount is usually only when you buy a series of 3 peels at once) as I was unsure of which one to go for!!!
I'm having it done on the 5th December so I'll let you know how it goes!
- Natalie
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Worst day ever?
Argh! As the title suggests, I have had the worst day ever. A stressful* day at work followed by total embarassment infront of a restaurant full of people.
At 7:15pm today I had a Microdermabrasion appointment at the Skin Spa, a late appointment but as I am in work everyday during the week I have to fit them around my schedule. The Skin Spa is located in a shopping arcade called The Triangle and I didn't realise it but the shopping arcade shuts at 5:00pm; how did I get to the Skin Spa? I had to walk through the middle of a busy restaurant and use their back door exit to get into the Triangle to get to the spa.
Going in wasn't so bad but walking out the same way after having microdermabrasion was MORTIFYING. I had NO make-up on, my skin is FULL of spots, and my face was OILY and RED!!!! I thought "I'll walk through really quickly with my head down and no one will notice" only everybody did notice because A) I couldn't open the glass door B) everybody was wondering where I came from C) I walked into a waitress.
Moral of the story is: don't book late skin appointments but if you do make sure you don't have to walk through a busy restaurant to get to it.
- Natalie
*if I could have underlined that word more times I would have.
At 7:15pm today I had a Microdermabrasion appointment at the Skin Spa, a late appointment but as I am in work everyday during the week I have to fit them around my schedule. The Skin Spa is located in a shopping arcade called The Triangle and I didn't realise it but the shopping arcade shuts at 5:00pm; how did I get to the Skin Spa? I had to walk through the middle of a busy restaurant and use their back door exit to get into the Triangle to get to the spa.
Going in wasn't so bad but walking out the same way after having microdermabrasion was MORTIFYING. I had NO make-up on, my skin is FULL of spots, and my face was OILY and RED!!!! I thought "I'll walk through really quickly with my head down and no one will notice" only everybody did notice because A) I couldn't open the glass door B) everybody was wondering where I came from C) I walked into a waitress.
Moral of the story is: don't book late skin appointments but if you do make sure you don't have to walk through a busy restaurant to get to it.
- Natalie
*if I could have underlined that word more times I would have.
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Isotrexin
I went back to the doctors on monday because a) I was feeling a bit blue about my skin and b) I had ran out of the last set of tablets he had prescribed.
I asked that he prescribe me some cream/gel because the tablets didn't seem to have any effect on me! So he gave me some Isotrexin; 2% Erythromycin and 0.05% Isotretinoin in a 30g tube! Now the statistics mean nothing to me but I know that Isotretinoin is the main substance in Roaccutane.
I don't want to start taking R again but I thought that by using a gel cream with a small percentage of isotretinoin in it would both help clear up my face and get rid of some of the excess oil without drying it up too much.
So far it hasn't aggravated my skin, although the gel does dry quickly and leave a sort of white film across areas of my skin.
We'll see how it goes!
- Natalie
I asked that he prescribe me some cream/gel because the tablets didn't seem to have any effect on me! So he gave me some Isotrexin; 2% Erythromycin and 0.05% Isotretinoin in a 30g tube! Now the statistics mean nothing to me but I know that Isotretinoin is the main substance in Roaccutane.
I don't want to start taking R again but I thought that by using a gel cream with a small percentage of isotretinoin in it would both help clear up my face and get rid of some of the excess oil without drying it up too much.
So far it hasn't aggravated my skin, although the gel does dry quickly and leave a sort of white film across areas of my skin.
We'll see how it goes!
- Natalie
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Salcura Antiac
A few weeks ago my mum bought me a present; a 50ml bottle of Salcura's Antiac. I had never even heard of this brand but she had read about it online after it had appeared on Embarassing Bodies (a TV show where doctors help treat embarassing/unusal illnesses, for those who don't know) and had got really good reviews.
Apparently it has won awards and I've been told that dermatologists are recommending it as a treatment before they prescribe Roaccutane! I don't believe that 100% but it must work if it was shown on national TV, it wouldn't be a very good promotion for the company if it had no effect at all...
I decided to have a look on the website and read some of the customer comments and they all seemed very positive; the main area of discussion was how quickly the treatment worked and what a good job it did of clearing spots. Another positive fact was that it is made with all natural products so while it helps clear the skin it has no nasty ingredients in it that could make it worse!
The 50ml bottle was only £9.99 from http://www.salcuraskincare.com/antiac-skin-therapy-spray-33.html so it is relatively cheap compared to some of the treatments I have purchased. It has a spray pump to penetrate the liquid deep into the skin and it is recommended that before you spray it directly on your face you spray some on to a piece of cotton wool and wipe over the worst areas so that you get better results!
My family have commented on the smell, saying that they know when I'm about to walk into the room because they can smell my face first! It is quite strong but when your the one that's wearing it you don't really notice.
Negative point: I have been using it for let's say... 3 weeks? And I have noticed no major improvements, or minor ones at that! But with all the publicity and positive feedback it has been getting it is definately worth a try!
- Natalie
Apparently it has won awards and I've been told that dermatologists are recommending it as a treatment before they prescribe Roaccutane! I don't believe that 100% but it must work if it was shown on national TV, it wouldn't be a very good promotion for the company if it had no effect at all...
I decided to have a look on the website and read some of the customer comments and they all seemed very positive; the main area of discussion was how quickly the treatment worked and what a good job it did of clearing spots. Another positive fact was that it is made with all natural products so while it helps clear the skin it has no nasty ingredients in it that could make it worse!
The 50ml bottle was only £9.99 from http://www.salcuraskincare.com/antiac-skin-therapy-spray-33.html so it is relatively cheap compared to some of the treatments I have purchased. It has a spray pump to penetrate the liquid deep into the skin and it is recommended that before you spray it directly on your face you spray some on to a piece of cotton wool and wipe over the worst areas so that you get better results!
My family have commented on the smell, saying that they know when I'm about to walk into the room because they can smell my face first! It is quite strong but when your the one that's wearing it you don't really notice.
Negative point: I have been using it for let's say... 3 weeks? And I have noticed no major improvements, or minor ones at that! But with all the publicity and positive feedback it has been getting it is definately worth a try!
- Natalie
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Sensitive Skin
Happy October!!!
Because of all the products we use and all the treatments we have done to fight acne, our skin can become exceptionally sensitive; if you think about it, some of the acne products we use are made to remove layers of the skin and therefore our skin is bound to be a lot more sensitive than most!
Last week I washed my face with an exfoliator than I had never used before and the next day my eyes were bright red! From the lid and brow section to the "bags" underneath, my eye area was crimson, flaky, and sore. Foolishly I had used a fragranced exfoliator without paying much attention and the outcome was not pretty.
Before I took R my eyes and lips had never been sensitive or prone to drying but during the months I took it and the year after I had stopped taking it I noticed that my skin had stayed sensitive. I altered my whole facial collection to include products that were fragrance free and free of any harsh and unnecessary ingredients. I spoke to my doctor and he said that the act of washing ones face actually damages it more than it does good!
Now, the only thing I was my face with is Clean & Clear Truly Gentle Facial Wash which is soap free with ingredients so mild that it is as pure as water, and it's true! After my eye area became irritated I used this product because everything else made my eyes burn horribly, but this did no such thing and soothed the eye area.
I would definately recommend it's use and will be avoiding harsh and fragranced skin cleansers from now on!!!
- Natalie
Because of all the products we use and all the treatments we have done to fight acne, our skin can become exceptionally sensitive; if you think about it, some of the acne products we use are made to remove layers of the skin and therefore our skin is bound to be a lot more sensitive than most!
Last week I washed my face with an exfoliator than I had never used before and the next day my eyes were bright red! From the lid and brow section to the "bags" underneath, my eye area was crimson, flaky, and sore. Foolishly I had used a fragranced exfoliator without paying much attention and the outcome was not pretty.
Before I took R my eyes and lips had never been sensitive or prone to drying but during the months I took it and the year after I had stopped taking it I noticed that my skin had stayed sensitive. I altered my whole facial collection to include products that were fragrance free and free of any harsh and unnecessary ingredients. I spoke to my doctor and he said that the act of washing ones face actually damages it more than it does good!
Now, the only thing I was my face with is Clean & Clear Truly Gentle Facial Wash which is soap free with ingredients so mild that it is as pure as water, and it's true! After my eye area became irritated I used this product because everything else made my eyes burn horribly, but this did no such thing and soothed the eye area.
I would definately recommend it's use and will be avoiding harsh and fragranced skin cleansers from now on!!!
- Natalie
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