When I'm on a treatment or topical medication or any other products to help my acne, I become so methodical. I guess it is very important that once you start a routine, you should follow through and be consistent in order to see positive results (or not!). But, it's taken such a toll on me that I get sort of paranoid about it.
Like, for example, if I have to sleep over at a friend's place after a night out and I didn't bring my products (because it was unplanned,last minute,etc.), I get like this "panic attack". I think to myself omg, I'm going to break out! I'm going to look like a mess the next morning because all I had was water to wash my face...When my friends sleep over at my place, they only wash their face with water and still have clear, clean-looking skin. It sucks how unfair it is for us, no matter how diligent we are!
This other time, I lost my baggage at the airport coming back from a trip and I panicked because my products were in them, and they cost over 100$ all together. I didn't even think about the cool souvenirs I brought back for my friends and family, nor my clothes, or anything else. Just my face wash, lotions, toner...it's funny when I think about it now, how dumb I must have looked like. This girl doesn't have her priorities straight lol.
It's like if suddenly a friend's going to ask me to go out tonight, I'll tell them "Can't, I gotta wash my face." lol
Ok, I don't say that, but I used to think like that a lot. This kind of thinking usually happens when it's an unplanned, surprised, last minute kind of outing, which are very fun, but my daily/nightly routine gets in the way. i wouldn't really call this "missed opportunities" , because it's not like I've ever turned down invitations because of my routine or skin, but it's more the fact that I always have that paranoid thought in the back of my mind, when I'm supposed to have fun. I just wish I was more carefree and chill, but I think my routine prevents me from that.
oh u're so right.
i am very particular at washing my face with my SA wash and i also make it a point to carry my clindamycin tube(just in case!).
i carry it even when i go to my relatives' place.for even though i might not stay back,i'd probably need it for some reason unknown now.
also,we were planning a trip and the 1st thing that struck me was that i need to pack my wash and that tube and my sunscreen in the most valuable pouch along with other important stuff..so that i can keep it with me all along!
thankfully i dnt use a lot of things.but i understand the pain,i had a long list once and it does get tiresome and also freaks us out sometimes.
I've honestly never missed an application of my products or gone anywhere without them. I just wouldn't do that. "Last minute" things don't happen to me. I don't let them, and yes, things like having to take care of my skin are part of why. I'm fine with that though. When I travel, I usually bring a tiny bottle of whatever I need on the plane with me just in case my baggage were to get lost. It usually wouldn't be too big a deal because back up items for the regimen can be bought at any drug store.
I do envy people who can just splash water on their face and go. That was what kept me suffering with terrible acne and avoiding using any medications for a long time. I didn't want to be dependent. Eventually I got tired of suffering and realized that most people rely on some form of medication or another to get through their daily lives... it really isn't that odd to have a routine that you need to do, and most girls (acne or not) aside from when they are young and carefree, have some sort of skin care routine that they do every day. I'd much rather have clear skin like I do now and have to the routine than have acne.
I'm really lenient about my routine, mostly because I'm really indecisive about what facial products I use. I tend to switch facial cleansers and routines A LOT, I actually don't know why. I've switched so many times I can't even count. I remember when I use to be really particular about that sort of thing, but my acne has improved so much that I stopped caring as much. I still care a lot though, because I'm still living with the lifelong fear that my acne will be as bad as it was in 4th grade. If I'm at a friend's house and I spent a day without washing my face, I'm okay with that, but then I spend the whole day worrying about how my face looks. Does that make sense lol?
Oh I definitely agree with this...I think sometimes acne sufferers get our priorities skewed so much because our skin is the focus of our lives. bad times. It's good that you don't miss any opportunities because of the paranoia though, so I wouldn't worry too much about the anxiety that comes with it. Also I know exactly what you mean about travelling - I pack my skin products before I pack my underwear, such a weirdo!
Oh I definitely agree with this...I think sometimes acne sufferers get our priorities skewed so much because our skin is the focus of our lives. bad times. It's good that you don't miss any opportunities because of the paranoia though, so I wouldn't worry too much about the anxiety that comes with it. Also I know exactly what you mean about travelling - I pack my skin products before I pack my underwear, such a weirdo!
lol! 
My friend's birthday is this Sunday and even if it was planned weeks in advance, still I'm stressing out about it. One, I know she's going to bake a cheesecake and I don't want to be mean and not eat the cake since I'm avoiding dairy.!! So here I am right now thinking of excuses to get out of eating it lol...Second thing is I'm breaking out again and I want to hide it with makeup because a lot of her other friends are going to show up and I don't want to look bad...even though my derm advises against wearing makeup...but I guess it's just for one night. See how hard it is to have fun!! 
Instead of looking forward to her birthday, I kinda dread it now.
hun please stop stressing.the more u stress the worse it is for ur skin.
i did that all the time but realised cheating or rather living life once in a while totally worth it.
u could simply mention to ur frnd that u r intolerant to dairy.am sure she wont feel bad.
u could also wear make up for one day.just stress less,try to avoid dairy(or anything u r INTOLERANT to),be free about the fact and explain urslef to ur close frnd(the birthday girl!) and enjoy urslef.
trust me u will be good.
wish her a great birthday from all of us!
and u,ENJOY!
I ORDER!!
My friend's birthday is this Sunday and even if it was planned weeks in advance, still I'm stressing out about it. One, I know she's going to bake a cheesecake and I don't want to be mean and not eat the cake since I'm avoiding dairy.!! So here I am right now thinking of excuses to get out of eating it lol...Second thing is I'm breaking out again and I want to hide it with makeup because a lot of her other friends are going to show up and I don't want to look bad...even though my derm advises against wearing makeup...but I guess it's just for one night. See how hard it is to have fun!!
Instead of looking forward to her birthday, I kinda dread it now.
Bingo! I was in the same situation Stella! Except it was my dad's b'day and he baked a cheese cake for his own b'day.His short stint as a chef was a special one.He loaded the cake with dollops of mascarpone cheese.I was terrified at the idea of eating it as i know for a fact that dairy does break me out.It looked so delicious that i ended up eating it! and not a small serving but 3 big pieces! But surprisingly i didn't break out ...Since then i have started introducing more dairy products to my body.Maybe it's like vaccination. 
I remember the time when my acne blossomed.It had only started so i was rather caught off guard.I went to a dermatologist with my mother and the old woman prescribed me BP and Cetaphil face wash.I followed the regimen meticulously.The air was pregnant with hope.That i would be free of acne one day.Despite my scrupulous cleansing acne reared it ugly head again and again.I became paranoid.
Carried my little "acne kit" with me everywhere.It became a hassle.I needed a big wash-basin with a big mirror and lot of lighting to make me feel at home.I never visited places which failed to meet my requirements! haha I remember the copious amounts of high potency BP that i used to put on my face.Caused more harm than good...
Now i don't put anything on my face and i get less acne.It's so liberating! I save like 30 minutes everyday!
My friend's birthday is this Sunday and even if it was planned weeks in advance, still I'm stressing out about it. One, I know she's going to bake a cheesecake and I don't want to be mean and not eat the cake since I'm avoiding dairy.!! So here I am right now thinking of excuses to get out of eating it lol...Second thing is I'm breaking out again and I want to hide it with makeup because a lot of her other friends are going to show up and I don't want to look bad...even though my derm advises against wearing makeup...but I guess it's just for one night. See how hard it is to have fun!!
Instead of looking forward to her birthday, I kinda dread it now.
Bingo! I was in the same situation Stella! Except it was my dad's b'day and he baked a cheese cake for his own b'day.His short stint as a chef was a special one.He loaded the cake with dollops of mascarpone cheese.I was terrified at the idea of eating it as i know for a fact that dairy does break me out.It looked so delicious that i ended up eating it! and not a small serving but 3 big pieces! But surprisingly i didn't break out ...Since then i have started introducing more dairy products to my body.Maybe it's like vaccination.
I remember the time when my acne blossomed.It had only started so i was rather caught off guard.I went to a dermatologist with my mother and the old woman prescribed me BP and Cetaphil face wash.I followed the regimen meticulously.The air was pregnant with hope.That i would be free of acne one day.Despite my scrupulous cleansing acne reared it ugly head again and again.I became paranoid.
Carried my little "acne kit" with me everywhere.It became a hassle.I needed a big wash-basin with a big mirror and lot of lighting to make me feel at home.I never visited places which failed to meet my requirements! haha I remember the copious amounts of high potency BP that i used to put on my face.Caused more harm than good...
Now i don't put anything on my face and i get less acne.It's so liberating! I save like 30 minutes everyday!
Haha, we're in the same boat, buddy. Whenever I slept over a friend's house or went to travel, I had this HUGE pile of facial products all to combat acne, moisturize , combat oily skin, purify the skin, all that nonsense (in total, I had at least 8-9 products! it was mad crazy, PLUS on top of that I used to wear makeup, too, so that adds up to my routine as well!!). It really was a hassle to carry all that shit around, they took a lot of space. I'm so glad I'm over that, and you're right that overwhelming our skin like that can do more harm than good. Now, I don't use BP anymore as it caused a resistance. I'm so glad I have less than half of what I used to carry around. It definitely saves me 30 minutes, too! One step closer to"freedom", I guess!
I think I'm just going to go ahead and eat a piece of that cake after all. 
I'm not going to die!
This is so true for me as well. I can't go anywhere without taking some type of concealer with me at the very least, along with a bottle of jojoba to keep from being all flaky. And if I need to stay the night anywhere GAME OVER. I have to have an oil, my BP, tea tree oil, and makeup of course or otherwise I go into panic mode. :<
I've actually cut down on the amount of products I use. x.x
Oh the daily struggles of an acne sufferer! I sometimes actually keep concealer in my bra so I can get it out if I go to the bathroom and touch up my make up - I remember getting undressed in front of my boyfriend once and it rolled out onto the floor haha his face was a picture! I guess at first we convince ourselves that every product is essential and it kind of becomes a comfort blanket and for me a control issue too, I feel like if I don't do the same skin routine every single day then my skin will go crazy, when in reality it probably wouldn't make much difference...I'm quite lucky diet doesn't really affect my acne so that cheesecake would be inhaled in 5 seconds flat lol
My friend's birthday is this Sunday and even if it was planned weeks in advance, still I'm stressing out about it. One, I know she's going to bake a cheesecake and I don't want to be mean and not eat the cake since I'm avoiding dairy.!! So here I am right now thinking of excuses to get out of eating it lol...Second thing is I'm breaking out again and I want to hide it with makeup because a lot of her other friends are going to show up and I don't want to look bad...even though my derm advises against wearing makeup...but I guess it's just for one night. See how hard it is to have fun!!
Instead of looking forward to her birthday, I kinda dread it now.
Bingo! I was in the same situation Stella! Except it was my dad's b'day and he baked a cheese cake for his own b'day.His short stint as a chef was a special one.He loaded the cake with dollops of mascarpone cheese.I was terrified at the idea of eating it as i know for a fact that dairy does break me out.It looked so delicious that i ended up eating it! and not a small serving but 3 big pieces! But surprisingly i didn't break out ...Since then i have started introducing more dairy products to my body.Maybe it's like vaccination.
I remember the time when my acne blossomed.It had only started so i was rather caught off guard.I went to a dermatologist with my mother and the old woman prescribed me BP and Cetaphil face wash.I followed the regimen meticulously.The air was pregnant with hope.That i would be free of acne one day.Despite my scrupulous cleansing acne reared it ugly head again and again.I became paranoid.
Carried my little "acne kit" with me everywhere.It became a hassle.I needed a big wash-basin with a big mirror and lot of lighting to make me feel at home.I never visited places which failed to meet my requirements! haha I remember the copious amounts of high potency BP that i used to put on my face.Caused more harm than good...
Now i don't put anything on my face and i get less acne.It's so liberating! I save like 30 minutes everyday!
Haha, we're in the same boat, buddy. Whenever I slept over a friend's house or went to travel, I had this HUGE pile of facial products all to combat acne, moisturize , combat oily skin, purify the skin, all that nonsense (in total, I had at least 8-9 products! it was mad crazy, PLUS on top of that I used to wear makeup, too, so that adds up to my routine as well!!). It really was a hassle to carry all that shit around, they took a lot of space. I'm so glad I'm over that, and you're right that overwhelming our skin like that can do more harm than good. Now, I don't use BP anymore as it caused a resistance. I'm so glad I have less than half of what I used to carry around. It definitely saves me 30 minutes, too! One step closer to"freedom", I guess!
I think I'm just going to go ahead and eat a piece of that cake after all.
Yeh! let not acne come between us and good living!
Oh the daily struggles of an acne sufferer!
I sometimes actually keep concealer in my bra so I can get it out if I go to the bathroom and touch up my make up - I remember getting undressed in front of my boyfriend once and it rolled out onto the floor haha his face was a picture! I guess at first we convince ourselves that every product is essential and it kind of becomes a comfort blanket and for me a control issue too, I feel like if I don't do the same skin routine every single day then my skin will go crazy, when in reality it probably wouldn't make much difference...I'm quite lucky diet doesn't really affect my acne so that cheesecake would be inhaled in 5 seconds flat lol
was that his expression?
Oh the daily struggles of an acne sufferer!
His expression? LOLOL