52 replies to this topic

[Kramerica]

Week 12 update...

Another good skin week. No new inflamed spots! It's been about three or four weeks now with no new inflamed spots.

Still having the same issues with congested skin on my inner cheeks near the sides of nose and still getting new small skin-colored non-inflamed spots frequently that come and go.

A little bit of dryness this week due to upping the BP to 5%, but nothing too bad.

Kimberly wants me to take some photos to send into the clinic, so I've got to do that tonight or tomorrow morning and check in with her to see if she wants to bump me up to the Exfol-A yet or not. I'm a little dry this week so I'm not sure if that's going to happen yet.

As for the dietary changes, I added back in some gluten this week in the form of sprouted grain tortillas daily and some Kashi whole grain crackers. I've also been adding in some treats of 70% dark chocolate. Still no dairy, yeast, caffeine, eggs. I'm actually going out to eat at a restaurant for the first time in five weeks tomorrow night. It's hard for me to believe, but I've literally made every single meal I've eaten except for two business functions and two dinners out at friends' houses. No wonder why my grocery bill is so high!

[willow569]

Great to hear that you haven't had any inflamed acne for the last few weeks! Hopefully once you start the Exfol-A, you can start to clear out the rest of the noninflamed stuff too.

Do you think the dietary changes have made a difference for you?

[Kramerica]

I've noticed a huge difference in my oil production since making the dietary changes. Normally my face would be shiny an hour or two after washing and applying my minerals and I would have to blot with a tissue every couple of hours.

I don't know if it's the increase in raw vegetables, the reduction of alcohol, or completely eliminating the dairy, but my skin is so much less oily throughout the day. I'm definitely going to continue on this dietary path for a while and see how it goes.

[Kramerica]

Week 13 update...

Still no new inflamed spots - yea! Same old issues with congested skin and still having new and old non-inflamers.

This week I started alternating the Exfol-A and Derm-A-Gel. So far so good with no irritation or dryness with the Exfol-A. It's a bit more difficult to apply than the Derm-A-Gel. For one, there's no pump on it. The consistency is somewhat like egg whites, it's a liquid but kind of congeals to itself. It also pretty much evaporates as soon as it's on your skin so you can't really massage it in. But I'm hoping since it's a stronger product than the Derm-A-Gel it will combat my congested skin issues.

Still no dairy, yeast, caffeine this week. I did start to incorporate eggs back in. Didn't do so well on the red wine this week. I had red wine 3 nights this week

[willow569]

Week 13 update...

Still no new inflamed spots - yea! Same old issues with congested skin and still having new and old non-inflamers.

This week I started alternating the Exfol-A and Derm-A-Gel. So far so good with no irritation or dryness with the Exfol-A. It's a bit more difficult to apply than the Derm-A-Gel. For one, there's no pump on it. The consistency is somewhat like egg whites, it's a liquid but kind of congeals to itself. It also pretty much evaporates as soon as it's on your skin so you can't really massage it in. But I'm hoping since it's a stronger product than the Derm-A-Gel it will combat my congested skin issues.

Still no dairy, yeast, caffeine this week. I did start to incorporate eggs back in. Didn't do so well on the red wine this week. I had red wine 3 nights this week

I used the Exfol-A for awhile and had the same problems with applying it. The Derm a Gel definitely goes on easier!

[Kramerica]

Week 14 update...

So I've had this large under-the-skin non-inflamed whitehead on my chin for about 3 months. It finally decided to make its way out this week. It became somewhat inflamed, but came to a head fairly quickly that could be gently squeezed out. It's now flat, but there's still somewhat of a whitehead under my skin again in the same spot, although quite smaller than originally? I also got a small microzit pop up right next to it this week, but that was short-lived.

Still having the same issues with congested skin on the sides of my nose, inner cheek area.

Tolerating the Exfol-A very well. Still getting use to trying to get the right amount applied. Still using every other night for another week then I'll bump up to every night. I'm curious as to what my next step from the clinic will be. I'm assuming graduating to a 10% glycolic from the 5%?

I'm into my fourth month with the Face Reality products and still haven't had to replace any bottles yet. They really do last quite a while.

[Kramerica]

Week 15 update...

Not much new to report. Been a good skin week, but I'm still getting new non-inflamed spots. Got about 4 new ones on my forehead this week and still having the same issues with congested skin on my inner cheek areas. I've been using the Exfol-A now every other night for a little over two weeks, so I'm really hoping the continued use will help those pesky ones from forming in the first place.

Also some changes at the Face Reality clinic. I've been working with Kimberly long-distance for the past 15 weeks. She left this week for maternity leave so I'll be working with Julie now. I just sent her her first update on me with some pics so she can "get to know" me. I'll be waiting to hear back if I'm to start using the Exfol-A every night now.

The clinic also has a new form to be filled out and sent in once a month for us long-distance clients to keep them updated on our specific regimen, as well as any problems we're experiencing. I think this is a brilliant idea. I think it will help the clients keep better track of things as well.

[Kramerica]

Week 16 and 17 update...

I've been using the Vivant Exfol-A now every night for the past two weeks. Tolerating it very well. Some days I have some very mild flakies, but not too bad.

The congestion on my inner cheeks/nose area has looked better this past week, however I've gotten a couple new small inflamed spots this week. One on my right temple near the corner of my eye, which is a completely wierd spot. Another on my right smile line, and yesterday got a new small inflamed on my chin.

I got a little concerned with one of the Face Reality products this week. I had reordered my Micro TZ SPF which is one of my favorite products of theirs. I started using it and noticed a coconut fragrance whereas my previous bottle was unscented. I emailed the clinic and turns out their manufacturer screwed up and added a fragrance to the SPF. They knew about the problem, yet still shipped it out to me which I thought was a little disconcerting. Kind of makes you wonder what else the manufacturer is adding to it. They are re-shipping me the correct unscented version.

[willow569]

I really wouldn't overanalyze one product error. They probably shipped it to you before they realized there was a problem - I don't see them purposely shipping a product that they knew contained a problem ingredient. I've been using their products for almost two years and have never had any product consistency issues.

[Kramerica]

My point was they still had it on the shelf in order to ship it out to customers. I would like to think once they learned of the problem, they would have sent it all back to the manufacturer or discarded the whole batch before it had the chance to get out to their customers.

[willow569]

My point was they still had it on the shelf in order to ship it out to customers. I would like to think once they learned of the problem, they would have sent it all back to the manufacturer or discarded the whole batch before it had the chance to get out to their customers.

You don't know that they still had on the shelf. They may have discovered the problem after they shipped it to you and had already discarded what they had left at the clinic. I know the owners well enough to say that they would not knowingly keep or ship out a product they knew was problematic.

Since this is the first time this has happened, they have shipped you a new product and no harm was done - I'd say just relax and give them the benefit of the doubt.

[Kramerica]

No worries, I just received my unscented replacement in today's mail.

Willow, I am taking your position in your personal log and ceasing my board activity. I agree with you that this forum is just not healthy. I'm sick of stressing about my skin and being on this forum is just not helping me to be thinking about my skin all the time.

[willow569]

No worries, I just received my unscented replacement in today's mail.

Willow, I am taking your position in your personal log and ceasing my board activity. I agree with you that this forum is just not healthy. I'm sick of stressing about my skin and being on this forum is just not helping me to be thinking about my skin all the time.

If you read this before leaving the board, just wanted to wish you good luck - I totally understand where you are coming from. I don't think I will disappear totally, but am really going to cut down my time here - at least until I get my life in a better balance.

And glad to hear you got your replacement product.