Month: September 2019

GROWN-UP SOLUTION FOR ACNE-PRONE SKIN

Since I’m not a teenager anymore (obviously!), I’m not treating my skin like one especially when dealing with acne.

From my own personal trial & error, ingredients that are comedogenic, like Butylene Glycol, Cetyl & Cetearyl Alcohol and Tocopherol (Vitamin E), are a big no no. And thanks to Dr Liv Kraemer (I’ve been enjoying watching her YT Channel), since I stopped using facial oil (even though they claim it’s ok for acne-prone skin, like rosehip and marula), I saw improvement on my skin’s texture. She said in one of her videos, if you have acne-prone skin, the bacteria on top would be trapped by facial oil, which actually formed more pimples.

Another surprising fact that I’ve found recently, Centella Asiatica will not help if you have acne-prone skin (thanks for this information, Dr Eche Idrus SpKK). Yes, Centella is effective in treatment of wounds and even for cellulites. But not for acne-prone skin, especially if they’re still raging like a bull.

So, with new information that I’ve got, I’ve sort of revamped my skincare regime, by selectively cutting out the above ingredients. Here are some new ones that have been taking over my vanity.

Thayers Toner for daily toner, Aqulabo Vinyasa for post exfo-toner, Sioris for mild exfo toner and Mediheal Peelosoft for disposable cleansing

And last but not least, taking vitamins. Trust me, I drank lots of Roaccutane before, but it felt wrong having so much chemical inside, so I decided to stop and switched to vitamins instead. Anyway, they’re vitamins. But, mind me, these vitamins didn’t fix my acne problem instantly, but I believe they’ll help from the inside since I rarely eat healthy foods. Disclaimer: I’m not coming from a medical background, I just wrote based on personal experience and what I’ve found all around the net.

Daily, I took two different vitamins. Two of vitamin B2 B6, and one vitamin D. Vitamin B2B6 is very popular skin vitamin when they came from, Japan. They claim that these vitamins combination will improve skin problems like skin irritation and acne. If vitamins are not your thing, you can also get this vitamin B intake from grains, soybeans, bananas and watermelon (which are known to have vitamin B6).

Now, for vitamin D. Also known as “the sunshine vitamin”, because you can actually get vitamin D while being exposed to the sun. But, since I rarely out in the sun (I am horrified of the heat and the after-smell), I supposed my body is lacking of vitamin D. Imagine to my surprise, when one day, I read that vitamin D deficiency maybe a part of what’s causing acne or making acne worse. When I asked Dr Eche Idrus SpKK about this, she said that vitamin D does have an anti-inflammatory property and in some cases can reduce acne. As we all know, milk and cheese are a great source of vitamin D (not too much or they’ll make acne worse). Unfortunately for me whose sensitive to lactose, I can’t choose to have dairy products as a replacement for vitamin D’s intake. And I believe my fungal-acne won’t agree with me if I’m sitting under the sun to keep acne at bay. So the only choice for me, is this Vitamin D.

Summary:

  • Know what ingredients work well on your skin
  • Stay away from facial oil
  • Take the right vitamin(s) for your skin
  • Drink lots of water, infused ones if you are not a heavy fruits and vegetable eaters.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH VITAMIN A

Took a very long time for me to jump into this Vitamin A aka Retinoid, Retinol stuffs. I was super afraid that it’ll react badly, as some people with sensitive skin like me will purge (even though I don’t believe in purging, but having massive acne attack will not be a walk in the park).

Really, what can vitamin A do?
It’s like a mediator to our skin cells, because it attaches to them and sort of like telling them to behave, by speeding up the turnover. So usually, if our skin regenerates in 28 days, vitamin A will speed them up and cut the days in half. Not just that, it supposedly thicken the dermis for younger and glowing looking skin and improves hyper-pigmentation, acne, large pores and wrinkles. Sounds like a true champ, yes?

WHAT TO CHOOSE? RETINOL OR RETINOID?
Well, both are actually vitamin A derivatives. But, retinoid is essentially a basic term for over-the counter retinol and prescription retinoid. Usually, retinol contains a lower concentration, while retinoid have much higher ones. So, you might see slower result when using retinol compared to retinoid.

So, after a long thought and online research, I decided to purchase retinoid over retinol.

THE ORDINARY GRANACTIVE 2% RETINOID EMULSION

Yes, the good ol’ The Ordinary. This is a water-based serum with a high concentration of two next-generation of retinoids (claimed to be more effective than the standard ones). I purchased this for its’ claim to be a non-irritating retinoid serum.

I didn’t see significant and instant improvement the morning after, but anyway, I don’t believe that one product can do such. And because I do have acne-prone skin (they already put a caution in their website), I experienced a temporary increase in acne during the first two usage. Since I don’t believe in purging, it might be just forcing gunk to the skin’s surface. At least my skin didn’t get red, irritated or dry. I’ll update about my skin condition on my IG stories, so stay tune!

HOW I INCORPORATE THEM IN MY SKINCARE ROUTINE
Because I’m new to retinoid, I started by applying The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion once a week at night time to avoid irritation. After my triple cleanse (micellar water, cleansing balm, and facial cleanser), I use soothing toner, then I prepared my skin with ISNTREE Hyaluronic Acid Water Essence. I waited until they’re completely absorbed and dry, then I use about three drops of Retinoid for the whole face. I’ll wait about 5 minutes then finish with ILLIYOON Ceramide Ato Soothing Gel.

TIPS FOR RETINOL & RETINOID NEWBIES

  • Start slowly. Apply once a week first, then if your skin can tolerate (nothing bad happened), move on to every third night. And if your skin is totally fine with it, go for every night.
  • Always apply on completely dry (not damp) skin. Make sure your toner and essence already absorbed well.
  • Tone down with moisturizer (probably ones with Hyaluronic Acid) to minimize any irritation.
  • Don’t use them if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Never mix with Benzoyl Peroxide, AHA and BHA. This stuff is already potent by itself.
  • If you have sensitive skin that’s prone to irritation, start with retinol first because it’s less potent than retinoid.
  • Don’t forget to slather yourself with SPF the next morning after Retinol or Retinoid. These two are known to make skin more sensitive to sun. And don’t forget to do SPF touch up (every 4 hours if you use SPF 50 like me).
  • If you have raging fungal acne, don’t try this. Wait until your fungal acne is fixed, then you might want to use retinol or retinoid.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA