Micropeel

I'm feeling like I want to cry, my grandad just said to me "what's wrong with your face? There?" And pointed at my chin. Aghhhh why do people do this?! What do you think is wrong with my face?

I had my Micropeel yesterday! 

First they double cleansed my face (I like this part, I wish someone would double cleanse my face for me everyday!) and then they applied a mild glycolic people all over my face. They waited for it to dry and then over the areas that are badly infected they put a higher percentage, stronger peel. 

It tingled but didn't sting, I said from a scale of 1-10 the tingling sensation was a 2 overall.

The peel is activated with cold water so they then put strips of gauze over my entire face wherever the peel had been applied and poured cold water over it!!! By the end of it I was pretty soggy... I could feel the areas that had the stronger peel on turning very hot but once the hotness and tingling sensations had faded they took the gauze off and began prepping for the microdermabrasion.

Now I think I have a high tolerance when it comes to painful treatments on my face, I don't know if it was anything to do with the peel but I found yesterday's microdermabrasion quite painful! My eyes were watering at one point.

They even microdermed over the large spots on my chin, that was pretty uncomfortable but no pain no gain!

At the end of it they applied a cooling mask and an SPF and I was in there for just over half an hour!

I have my 2nd one booked on the 8th May so I'll see if it's made a difference before then!

This was hanging on the back of the door in the treatment room, I thought it was cute

- Natalie

Pictures of my skin today

Sometimes I feel like I'm going backwards with my skin, it's so much worse now than it has been in the last few weeks!

The majority of my acne is around my chin which, if face mapping is correct, is due to hormones. I've recently started taking Dianette again and I had hoped that that would help control the hormonal effects!

These spots are so persistent; they have been there for 2 weeks now and if one fades another pustule pops up next to where that one was!!!

I'm going for a Micro Peel tomorrow (combination between a microdermabrasion and a peel). Usually, the practitioner will avoid doing the microderm in any area where there is active acne to avoid spreading the bacteria so hopefully the peel will help get rid of it!

The spots were cystic, they've gone down a little bit now but have definitely caused scarring around that area. Lumps are the worst because even if you cover them you can still see them!

It doesn't look too bad on there but I have zoomed in quite a lot, the most embarrassing thing was that before my friend put the picture on facebook she airbrushed my face... Should I be thankful she did it or upset that she thinks my face needs airbrushing?

I was really impressed with Lorde who posted a picture of herself on Twitter naturally next to one that had been airbrushed by photographers! 

She's a good role model for young girls to have!

- Natalie

Food Intolerance catch up

So my last post was about the food intolerance test; I received this in the post shortly after writing that

There was a needle to prick your finger with (which doesn't hurt) and then a cotton swab to absorb the blood, you write your details on the container, pop the swab in, an put it in the post.

When you get the results it lists every food/drink you could possibly be allergic to. It's then split into red/orange/green categories (red being very allergic and green being not allergic at all). 

Mine came back with a slight intolerance to yeast and dairy. 

I rang the number on the form and booked an appointment for a dietician to call me to discuss the results. From that day I followed a strict diet that cut out all yeast and dairy.

Unfortunately, it didn't help clear up any acne. It was a long shot but I was hoping, after reading other people's success stories that it work.

Has a diet change ever made your skin better?

- Natalie

Food intolerance test

My results were positive! They're sending me out another kit in the post so I can send them another blood sample and that way they can get an accurate reading on what foods/drinks are affecting me. 

It's possible that it has no connection to my acne whatsoever but I am intrigued!

Have any of you had a food intolerance that has affected your skin? Did a diet change help clear up your acne?

- Natalie

York Test Laboratories

Hello, I hope you're all well. I've just come back from travelling around Thailand- I wish I was there now!

My mum showed me an article a few days ago about a woman who suffered with acne for years and after taking a food intolerance test as a last resort she found out that the cause of it was an allergy to dairy she never knew about! I decided to do more research and found out that it is actually more common than I assumed.

With this in mind, my mum then showed me a website http://www.yorktest.com/ where you can order a home test kit to test yourself for any potential intolerances. 

When ordering it you choose why you want it so I chose the "skin conditions" option.

The basic test costs £19.99 (£9.99 until the 6/9/13 as there is an offer on) and mine came 2 days after ordering it.

It comes in a little box like this: 

and inside is the equipment you need to do a finger prick test (needle/swab/antiseptic wipe/plasterer etc) and once you've done that you put the box and the sharps back in the box, into the free post envelope provided, and pop it in the post back to the lab. Simple.

Once they receive the sample they send you an email like so:

If your test is negative then there is no further testing, however if the test is positive then you have the option of doing a thorough food/drink tolerance test for around £250 which tells you what exactly you are allergic to.

The only reason you can't do this test is it you are pregnant/breast feeding/taking steroids/suffering from HIV or hepatitis. 

It's expensive (as is everything we do for clear skin, right) but if there is an underlying cause its always good to know. 

I'll let you know when my results come back.

- Natalie 

Aloe Vera

I bought some Aloe Vera last week which I have been using on a daily basis. 

There was no particular reason for buying , it's just the one thing I haven't tried! 

The one thing I have noticed about it is that it can be quite drying if you put a little bit too much on, after applying it "liberally" to my face I can feel my skin getting tighter and it feels dry. 

My skin is very red at the moment, and with us having a crazy heat wave in Manchester, I have been using it to soothe my skin and prevent sun damage.

It's only been a week so I haven't noticed much difference but its a natural ingredient and is very cheap. It's supposed to contain anti-inflammatory properties and is strongly anti bacterial.

I bought mine from Holland and Barrett for £5 

http://m.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=515&prodid=298

- Natalie

Proactiv

Hello! Sorry I haven't been on here in a while, I'll try and post more regularly from now!

Last weekend I was shopping in Manchester and went in Boots (the big one on Market Street) where I was surprised to see they have started selling Proactiv products!

Everyone who has ever suffered from acne knows about Proactiv; it's very big in America and has been endorsed by Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, and Avril Lavigne (to name a few). When I first started getting acne when I was 16 my mum looked into it and apparently you couldn't just buy a single item, you had to buy a 3 month supply (which is why she didn't buy it because you don't want to be stuck with something that doesn't work).

I decided to buy a bottle of the Proactiv Solution Deep Cleansing Body Wash because the acne on my chest and back has been flaring up again. It contains 2% Salicylic acid as well as exfoliating micro beads to get rid of dead skin cells. It says you can use it on your face but I've been trying to avoid using salicylic acid on my facial skin to avoid over production of oil.

Since I've been using it I have developed more spots on my chest, and the small black heads seem to be coming closer to the surface giving the skin a rough texture. I HOPE that this means it is starting to work by clearing out the affected area and not aggravating it and causing a reaction; it's still early days so I'll give it a couple of weeks before making any decisions.

It was a little bit more expensive than your average body wash and at £19.99 so I'm hoping it's not a waste of money!

Apparently it went on sale in London just over a year ago but this is the first time I've seen it one sale in Manchester, there is a lot of mixed reception about Proactiv; has anybody ever tried it before? what did you think?

- Natalie