People say that breakouts are a normal part of growing up. What a cop out. Breakouts are not something you should have to live with. It can leave scars on your face and body and do untold damage to your self-esteem. I had the worst skin and on top of it I had these annoying scars on my forehead from getting the chicken pox at only a few months old. It haunted me. I was made fun of in grade school, so like most girls, I got a new haircut-bangs. This was great until I reached my twenties and started having crazy breakouts. It felt as if there was just no winning. I couldn't go a day without a lengthy makeup routine and even found myself waking up early to put makeup on when I had spent the night at a guys house.. God forbid he saw what I really looked like. I tried everything-at least I thought I had- and decided to just accept my fate. Then I met someone. He asked me why I don't just fix it. I immediately defended myself with everything in my arsenal. His response was so simple it stopped me in my tracks- " Well, just stop touching your face and go see dermatologist. I'll book an appointment for you. She can also remove those scars. There is no need for you to live with them." I couldn't believe how simple he made it sound. But here I am a year later with no breakouts, an awesome skincare routine, and no scars! So here you go ladies - and even men- here is my secret to going from unmanageable to not needing foundation!
Washing Your Face. There are so many brands out there, don't let marketing get the best of you!
With thousands of different facial products its hard to know which one is going to be ideal for your skin. I can eliminate one for you right now. Pro-Active. Don't use this stuff! The product worked for about 2 months then made my skin worse! I have come across several brands that have worked on clearing up acne but my favorite is... drumroll please... Yon-Ka. Seriously this stuff is like magic in beautifully scented silky blue bottle. I can personally endorse almost all of there products. One of my favorite things about using Yon-Ka products is how after only two weeks of using it my skin looked brighter and felt softer. I woke up every morning feeling like I was living in a cover girl ad. I followed the directions and used twice daily, and followed it with their toner- which smells like a paradise by the way. Go to there site and do a quick diagnosis for yourself and find out what products are going to work best for your skin type! www.yonkausa.com
Washing Tips. Don't scrub so hard! Your face is sensitive and will get just as clean by gently rubbing in little circles with the tips of your fingers as aggressively scrubbing. Ouch. By gently cleansing your skin you are less likely to irritate any current breakouts which can make your face more red. After gently washing your face, pat dry with a very clean new towel or my personal favorite -since washing that many hand towels everyday is exhausting- a paper towel.
Clean Your Brushes. Makeup brushes contain all kinds of gross bacteria. So clean them!
Purchase a brush cleaner and apply after every use. I also clean my brushes in a mixture of hot water, dawn, and white vinegar once a week just to make sure all the gunk gets off them. By cleaning your brushes you will notice your makeup will go on easier and since you won't be spreading around bacteria, a decrease in breakouts. Mac and Bobbi Brown make some amazing brush cleaners, go into the store or check it out online.
Stop Touching Your Face. Your hands touch all kinds of things throughout the day, and you don't even want to know whats hanging out under your fingernails.
When you are in the mirror and see breakouts, just leave them alone. I know it's difficult, I really struggle with this one myself but touching it isn't going to help. It will make it look worse. If you pick at a breakout too much it can also result in scarring. Not touching your face doesn't just apply to picking at breakouts. Throughout the day be aware of how much you are leaning on you hands. Also check to see if your cell phone is covered in a layer of old makeup. These two things can add oil and bacteria to your face so hands off and clean your phone! If you really can't fight the urge to pop a whitehead use two q-tips and gently push, if it doesn't come out.. leave it. For those with lots of white heads I recommend using Juvenil by Yon-Ka. It's a great product that will help to get rid of the breakout overnight.
Scars. You don't have to live with them.
There are several options out there to help reduce the appearance of scars, and even eliminate them entirely. I used both natural and surgery. I purchased a small bottle of 100% emu oil and put a small amount on the end of a q-tip and put it on the areas that had been scarred and even on my breakouts! I then -after consulting with my dermatologist- went through 6 rounds of sculptra injections. Sounds scary but it's not that bad and you may need less as mine were very deep. Sculptra is a great product. It works by stimulating your body's own ability to produce collagen. The collagen forms making the scar raise closer to the surface until its smooth. This is not an expensive procedure and left me with minimal bruising. I used arnica after the procedure and was completely healed with no pain in 48 hours. Sculptra procedure in combination with the emu oil has left my skin with very minimal signs of scarring. I even wear my hair completely off my face. I currently have a scheduled final procedure of skin resurfacing which will be the final step. Skin resurfacing takes off the top layers leaving you with glowing bright healthy skin. This can also remove freckles, light scarring, and skin discoloration.
Avoid. Skin is fragile, avoiding these things can help the longevity of your skin and minimize breakouts.
Sunscreen is important when spending a day at the beach, but its is more important that you do not use oily sunscreen. Choose a product that is oil free, LaRoche-Posay is my personal favorite. It comes in a spray that is lightweight and won't clog pores. Best of all, you can use it on your entire body.
Stay away from the tanning beds. Tanning beds aren't good for any area of skin. It will age you, and the tan doesn't look very natural. Better to just avoid it. You will get your skin clear in no time, and porcelain skin is beautiful. Rock it.
Dairy and Meats. Check your food to see how much of your food is loaded with hormones. Milk and meat can be loaded with hormones you don't even know about. Switch to organic and hormone free products.
Birth Control. I personally switched to a very light dosage of birth control which helped to regulate my hormones and therefore making my breakouts more manageable. Talk to your doctor, maybe this a good option for you. I also did not gain very much weight so if that is a concern, don't let it be. Its just water, and your body will adjust and go back to normal in a few months. Birth control also helped to stabilize my mood, and periods. Who doesn't want that!
Get Glowing Skin.
Now that we have discussed how to get your breakouts under control and even get rid of your scars lets talk about the fun part. Glowing GORGEOUS skin. This is 70% diet, 25% water, and 5% skincare. Yon-Ka will help give you the softness and brightness. Drinking 8-15 full glasses of water is key to hydrating your skin. Greens are the key to glow. Green vegetables especially raw will give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs. When your body is happy and healthy this will show on your face and even in your hair. Consider taking supplements as well as biotin and vitamin E. I start off everyday with a shake made with kale, spinach, one scoop of nitro-fusion vanilla ( plant based protein powder you can buy from amazon) coconut milk, and pineapple. This gives my body the jumpstart it needs in the morning to give me a day of energy and my skin the vitamins it needs to glow.
On top your regular skincare routine and healthy eating apply a cold compress to your skin once or twice a month along with a gentle scrub or mask. You can use Yon-Ka for this as well, they make some amazing masks. I find it best to do this after or during a long bath.
For Blackheads. Take a lemon and apply a few drops of honey. Wash face throughly, then take the the lemon with honey on it and gently scrub area with black heads on it. Leave on face for 5 mins. Then rinse with cold water. This should get rid of most of those pesky things.
For soft glowing skin - not face related- take a small bowl and add 1 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup coconut oil, and a big splash of lemon. If you want you can even add a little dash of vanilla extract for a sweeter smell. Rub this on your body then shave. You will notice a gross layer of skin coming off.. this is normal. Do this routine twice. Then rinse. Your body will have shed its excess layers of skin and dirt and leave you with a soft, sweet smelling close shave.
There are several options out there to help reduce the appearance of scars, and even eliminate them entirely. I used both natural and surgery. I purchased a small bottle of 100% emu oil and put a small amount on the end of a q-tip and put it on the areas that had been scarred and even on my breakouts! I then -after consulting with my dermatologist- went through 6 rounds of sculptra injections. Sounds scary but it's not that bad and you may need less as mine were very deep. Sculptra is a great product. It works by stimulating your body's own ability to produce collagen. The collagen forms making the scar raise closer to the surface until its smooth. This is not an expensive procedure and left me with minimal bruising. I used arnica after the procedure and was completely healed with no pain in 48 hours. Sculptra procedure in combination with the emu oil has left my skin with very minimal signs of scarring. I even wear my hair completely off my face. I currently have a scheduled final procedure of skin resurfacing which will be the final step. Skin resurfacing takes off the top layers leaving you with glowing bright healthy skin. This can also remove freckles, light scarring, and skin discoloration.
Avoid. Skin is fragile, avoiding these things can help the longevity of your skin and minimize breakouts.
Sunscreen is important when spending a day at the beach, but its is more important that you do not use oily sunscreen. Choose a product that is oil free, LaRoche-Posay is my personal favorite. It comes in a spray that is lightweight and won't clog pores. Best of all, you can use it on your entire body.
Stay away from the tanning beds. Tanning beds aren't good for any area of skin. It will age you, and the tan doesn't look very natural. Better to just avoid it. You will get your skin clear in no time, and porcelain skin is beautiful. Rock it.
Dairy and Meats. Check your food to see how much of your food is loaded with hormones. Milk and meat can be loaded with hormones you don't even know about. Switch to organic and hormone free products.
Birth Control. I personally switched to a very light dosage of birth control which helped to regulate my hormones and therefore making my breakouts more manageable. Talk to your doctor, maybe this a good option for you. I also did not gain very much weight so if that is a concern, don't let it be. Its just water, and your body will adjust and go back to normal in a few months. Birth control also helped to stabilize my mood, and periods. Who doesn't want that!
Get Glowing Skin.
Now that we have discussed how to get your breakouts under control and even get rid of your scars lets talk about the fun part. Glowing GORGEOUS skin. This is 70% diet, 25% water, and 5% skincare. Yon-Ka will help give you the softness and brightness. Drinking 8-15 full glasses of water is key to hydrating your skin. Greens are the key to glow. Green vegetables especially raw will give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs. When your body is happy and healthy this will show on your face and even in your hair. Consider taking supplements as well as biotin and vitamin E. I start off everyday with a shake made with kale, spinach, one scoop of nitro-fusion vanilla ( plant based protein powder you can buy from amazon) coconut milk, and pineapple. This gives my body the jumpstart it needs in the morning to give me a day of energy and my skin the vitamins it needs to glow.
On top your regular skincare routine and healthy eating apply a cold compress to your skin once or twice a month along with a gentle scrub or mask. You can use Yon-Ka for this as well, they make some amazing masks. I find it best to do this after or during a long bath.
For Blackheads. Take a lemon and apply a few drops of honey. Wash face throughly, then take the the lemon with honey on it and gently scrub area with black heads on it. Leave on face for 5 mins. Then rinse with cold water. This should get rid of most of those pesky things.
For soft glowing skin - not face related- take a small bowl and add 1 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup coconut oil, and a big splash of lemon. If you want you can even add a little dash of vanilla extract for a sweeter smell. Rub this on your body then shave. You will notice a gross layer of skin coming off.. this is normal. Do this routine twice. Then rinse. Your body will have shed its excess layers of skin and dirt and leave you with a soft, sweet smelling close shave.
This is just my personal experience and what has worked for me. If you have had amazing success with something else please share it in the comment section! I would love to hear what has worked for you.
Don't Be Afraid To Be Beautiful,
Sydney Day
Don't Be Afraid To Be Beautiful,
Sydney Day
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