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Well, so I've been a silent reader for quite a long time, but since all that reading messes with my head, I decided to keep a log for myself in order to keep track of what I'm using, what works, etc.
Also, this thread might not be in the right sub-forum, since I do have and get inflamed acne from time to time, but my biggest concern is my very oily, huge pores, thick and uneven skin, which is full of white and black-heads, some get inflamed, most of them don't, they just stay there for ... months.
PLUS: I have a light form of couperose (some red veins shimmering through my skin, especially below the eyes, nose, just a little on the cheeks.) so I cannot use AHA or anything that messes with my blood circulation because it will make it just worse. (very sad about that, since when using AHA my skin improved about 70% - but the veins got bigger.
- and my derm said not use fruit acids with couperose... DAMNIT, FFS )Also, I'm a dedicated skin picker... In the last couple of months it really got worse, since I'm currently having my final university exams, and all the stress and the anxiousness to fail makes me so nervous that I have to leave my books and find the next mirror to squeeze every single pore of my face, leaving me in a condition I can barely leave the house or having to put on 2 tons of make up to go to work.
This seriously has to end. When I squeeze blackheads at my skin, 90% of them get inflamed somewhere deep below my skin, leaving me with bumps that can last for weeks. So stupid. Also, I blame myself afterwards so much, that the tiny amount of stress relief while picking on my skin is really nothing compared to the self-blame afterwards....Anyways... my goal is not to have perfect skin, I'm too realistic to know that this is never going to happen. I just want to achieve a somewhat healthy skin or a clue on how to treat my skin respectfully, since all that aggressive anti-acne stuff + the picking just made it worse. If there is a zit now and then, I can live with it. If there are a few blackheads left, well... okay then. So basically this is the journey to find a gentle working regimen for my skin and to start treating it respectfully without picking it to death.
From all the information I gathered, this is what my regimen looks like... for now. (As I'm based in the middle of Europe, I do not have all the products you guys recommend, but I already started to look around and to check how to order them via amazon/etc. But due to financial reasons I'll have to wait till next month.
Morning:
.) wash my face with lukewarm water, using the Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cream for highly sensitive and intolerant skin, which is PH-neutral.
.) tap dry with tissues
.) spray it with thermal water
.) moisturize with the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Facial fluid.
.) mineral-make up to even the skin a bit.
Evening:
.) same as in the morning
.) spot treatment: Neutrogena-on-spot Gel (I live in a country where you need an prescription for BPO
) + a bit of sudocrem with a few drops of D-Panthenol.This seems to be very gentle for now, I have been using it for about a week now and I definitely miss something to exfolitate properly, since the Toleriane stuff is sure some nice basic-care, but it does nothing against all the clogged pores and blackheads of course. Having couperose, healing clay or any mechanical peeling is not an option, same for AHA and anything else aggressive.
After having done a little research I'm going to give BHA by Paula's Choice a try and I'll order it at the beginning of next months. As far as the internet claims, salicyl-acid is worth a try when having couperose or rosacea or at least not doing more harm.
I still have to find a good moisturizer with SPF for my oily skin, since every time I use one, It makes me break out really bad.
As I do not like the sun anyways... and due to my final exams I'm going to have the spend the forthcoming summer inside anyways, my facial make-up powder with a SPF of 25 will do it, for now... I guess. I hope!Besides that:
.) Trying the Chill out program and keeping a skin picking log for the next 7 days.
.) drinking 2-3 cups of spearmint or peppermint tea to check, whether it helps with my fucked up hormones. (I guess so, at least - I'm having a very irregular menstrual cycle, often just every 3-4 months. - Gyn said, that everything is okay - But I do not want to take Hormones, since they always make me a little depressive...
.) cutting out milk products AND soy milk... I stopped drinking about 4 weeks ago and replaced it with soy milk, which I drink... a lot. probably about one liter a day. I'll replace it with almond-milk.
I hope, any of this will be a little helpful.
If anybody happens to read this - good luck for all of you with your skin care! I'm also more of a reader instead of a poster, but this forum helped me so much with feeling less alone... so thx for that!
PS: Sorry, I'm not a native English speaker, so many excuses for any weird use of your language.
