Bare Escentuals

I discovered a makeup recently, that apparently has been around for some time and I'm blown away with it's positive effects on my skin. It's called bareMinerals by Bare Escentuals. I don't go around talking up products unless I am really, really impressed so I was wondering if anyone else has had such positive results from this too. I have been really excited about this makeup and was even thinkin of getting some for my 12 year old when she starts wanting to wear makeup. I also have a friend who has moderate/severe excema (sp?) who I was talking up this makeup to and it turns out she uses it too. She has super sensitive skin and is really picky what she uses so I thought that she really likes it too is good news.

I was discussing sunscreen and makeup with my esthetician and was telling her how I rarely wear makeup for three reasons:
1) It's too much trouble and I like feeling clean, not bogged down by a bunch of makeup,
2) My skin is dryer right now due to all the lasers and other acne treatments I'm doing and,
3) When I do wear makeup, it doesn't look right. No matter what brand or type, It seems to seep into every tiny line or crease to make me look 10 years older. Even though it will somewhat even my skin tone, it doesn't hide active acne well at all and leaves me looking cakey.

She suggested mineral makeup and said that it has spf in it, is actually good for your skin and doesn't cause problems if, by some reason, I didn't wash it off before going to bed. She couldn't remember the name, said she thought there was a brand that started wtih a "B" and I where I could probably get it.

So, I checked it out. Initially, I was dissapointed that it was a powder and that there was no liquid makeup because, I figured, if even the lightest foundations make me look cakey, then a powder is going to be really bad. I almost walked away. But I let the clerk put it on me and I was impressed. I bought some and have been using almost every day since. I still don't wear makeup on a daily basis but I have been wearing it more consistently than I have in years.

Anyway, if anyone wants to know more about it, go to their website at www.bareminerals.com. I actually haven't even looked at their site yet but I'm curious what other products they offer. My friend says she gets hers on Ebay and it's waaaay cheaper so I'm going to look into that option.

So I've had really good luck with this and have been really impressed. Maybe you all will like it too.

Thermage or Gentle Yag

Gentle Yagâ„¢

Thermageâ„¢ treatment or Gentle Liftingâ„¢ laser treatment (Gentle YAGâ„¢) can suppress acne through a different process. Radiofrequency or laser energy is captured within the skin, shrinking the deeper sebaceous glands that cause acne. For the truly deep persistent cystic acne, this approach could well be part of your treatment plan.


Has anyone tried Gentle Yag or Thermage for acne scars?

What's up with the new format?

I can no longer see all the posts.

I can only see the original post in a thread and then below that is an outline like thing, like a table of contents, that list the responses that follow. In order to read each response, I have to go and click on each one individually.

Was this intentional? Or did I somehow change my parameters to a different format? It's a royal pain in the ass this new way...

Cumulative Laser Treatment Benefits

Hi all.

I've been reading the threads here that discuss Fraxel Laser Treatment and how the positive results are cumulative: The more you do it, the better the results get with each treatment.

I wonder if the same can be said for ALL laser treatments and, if so, is the cumulative effect specific to one type of laser or can it build off of one type of laser treatment to another?

I have had two different lasers now, which I know I've mentioned in another thread, and I am due to start Fraxel laser the end of this week.

I had three treatments of Smoothbeam, each two weeks apart. I didn't have side effects but didn't see much by way of improvement but then again, I was told I wouldn't until after the 6th treatment.

I went to another doctor for a second opinion. There, I've done five Cooltouch treatments each one week apart, the 5th being today. After the first two treatments, I didn't see much improvement. After the third, I saw a small amount of improvement. After the fourth, I saw a great deal of improvement, with regards to controlling my oil production and amount of active acne. Today, I had my fifth treatment and the results are even more immediate than they were after the fourth treatment.

If you add all those treatments together (which are very similar), I've had eight treatments over a 3 month period (approx.) I have noticed a very small improvement in the scarring but the main objective of these laser treatments was to get the acne under control.

That being said, I want to point out that I also take spironolactone and the recent dosage increase is probably part repsonsible for the clearing and decreased oil production.

So back to my original question about cumulative effects. If every laser treatment you do takes at least 6 treatments to see improvement, but you've done several of each, is it 6 total or six for each individual treatment? Does that question make sense? In other words, despite Smoothbeam and Cooltouch being similar, they were still different lasers but, regardless, I saw an improvement after the 6th overall treatment. Will that cumulative effect carry over to my Fraxel treatment results? Will it only take a few or will it still take 6-8 Fraxels no matter what?

I know that it depends also on the severity of my scars but I still wonder if, having previous laser treatments, the overall treatment results will be earlier rather than later.

Does anyone else have experience with multiple laser treatments? Did you see reults after the sixth time, regardless of the type of laser?

Adult acne is different from Rosacea

I was doing a little research on adult acne. I know it's primarily caused by hormones but I wanted to get more information. I've not been searching long but I'm frustrated with the information out there.
Perhaps the acknowledgement that adults over 30 do get acne has not been explored any deeper than attributing it to some other skin condition.

I've had acne since I was 10 and it started off with blackheads. As I got older, within a few years, it was whiteheads and blackheads all over my face. By time I was 16, I had the bad cystic stuff in addition to the blackheads and whiteheads and would occasionally get acne on my chest and back. During my college years it got even worse, the severity flucuating and varying but always remaining. I continued to battle acne throughout my 20s despite accutane treatment, topcials, antibiotics, etc, but it never went away. In my 30's, it started getting bad again, with the cysts. Birth control helped but wasn't the cure all answer. I've done accutane treatment a few times in my life and my skin is very stubborn.

So, here I am, a 38 year old mother of two with acne going on 28 years. I can tell you for sure, it most definitely NOT rosacea, especially when you look at the definition.

So why are the "experts" saying that adult (hormone caused) acne is the same thing as Rosacea? Can they not even tell the difference? I am, indeed red, but if you look close enough, those are marks and scars from long ago acne. The fact that I continue to break out in blackheads, whiteheads and the occasional cyst, despite all the different therapies, should prove I do, indeed, have acne and not rosacea, by definition.

Could it be this misdiagnosis perpetuates the misunderstanding of adult acne and how it's treated?



The following is a quote I found on the net:
What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a skin disease that affects the middle third of the face, causing persistent redness over the areas of the face and nose that normally blush -- mainly the forehead, the chin and the lower half of the nose. The tiny blood vessels in these areas enlarge (dilate) and become more visible through the skin, appearing like tiny red lines (called telangiectasias). Pimples can occur in rosacea that resemble teenage acne. In fact, rosacea is frequently mistaken for acne and is also referred to as acne rosacea.

Is rosacea like acne?

Rosacea is basically different than acne. Unlike common acne, rosacea is not primarily a plague of teenagers, but occurs most often in adults (ages 30 to 50), especially those with fair skin. Different than acne, there are no blackheads or whiteheads in rosacea.

Rosacea strikes both sexes. It tends to be more frequent in women but more severe in men.




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How is rosacea cured?

Rosacea cannot be cured but it can usually be controlled with the proper, regular treatment.

What about using acne medicine?

Over-the-counter medications for acne can be a hazard; they can irritate the skin of rosacea.

What is used for rosacea?

Treatment involves both oral and topical medicines. Oral antibiotics (such as tetracycline) are commonly prescribed; the dose may be initially high and then be tapered to maintenance levels.

A topical (skin) antibiotic cream such as metronidazole (Metrocream) is useful to reduces the inflammation and the redness. Other topical antibiotic creams include erythomycin and clindamycin (Cleocin).

Short-term topical cortisone (steroid) preparations of the right strength may also be used to reduce local inflammation. Some doctors are trying tretinoin (Retin-A) or isotretoin (Accutane), prescription medications also used for acne, or permethrin (Elimite) cream, which is used for the mites that cause scabies.

So, if you are misdiagnosed as having Rosacea, it may be treated differently and perahaps not effectively...

Isn't it intersting, too, how many skin conditions the experts will apply long term antibiotic treatment too?