Tag: skin

SKIN MINIMALISM DUE TO ROSACEA

I don’t blame you if you don’t trust these pics above (even I didn’t realize it after I took my own pic), but these happened ONLY in 3 days time.

My PPR (PapuloPustular Rosacea) flared up due to stress, and I quickly switched my skincare routine as minimal as I could.

Luckily, due to EID Holiday here in Indonesia, I didn’t have to go out wearing full face makeup, so I totally skipped makeup on those three days. After cleansing, I only use those products in rotation, plus sunscreen for day.

Niacinamide Serum: 5% is a safe spot, and this Kiehl’s serum is my go-to as it did what it claims (visibly reduce redness). And it only contains 10 ingredients, so it lessen any irritation possibilities.

Azelaic Acid Cream: 20% is strong concentration (bought from local pharmacy), and luckily my skin is able to tolerate it. It will help to kill the bacteria and reduce inflammation. It does give that sting feeling when applied, but it won’t last long so bare with it.

Sunscreen: Even though rosace sufferer are recommended to use physical suncreen, but my cool tone skin couldn’t tolerate the white cast. So I choose this Skin Aqua (specifically the blue bottle ones) because it is a hybrid type which uses a combination of chemical and physical sunscreen UV filters to defend against UV radiation.

Repairing cream: My OG, Cicaplast. The healing and anti-inflammatory properties of Vitamin B5 as one of their ingredients, can help with scarring, wound healing and rosacea.

Hydration: It’s still important to hydrate no matter how, and this Dr G cream is the best so far. It helps to soothe and reduce redness (as claimed), while providing intense hydration

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO FIND OUT THAT I HAVE PAPULOPUSTULAR ROSACEA

And I thought the redness, and the unfilled bumps on my skin was caused by products’ irritation. NOT!

Sebaceous Hyperplasia is always a thing for me, so I kept on doing electro-cauter to zipped them out. But apparently, making my skin burned is a no-go. It left me with PIE, more damaged blood vessels which obviously looks quite prominent on my fair skin. And thanks to aging process, it will take longer for everything to heal these days.

Instead of electro-cauter which might put more PIE if you have skin conditions like mine, opt for manual extraction in dermatologist’s office. I do recommend to go to hospital instead of beauty clinics, just to be save, and sometimes it’s cheaper, too. I will update more on my skin conditions after I changed a few of my skincare products. Sneak peek: am going back to 5% niacinamide, lower down on my retinol usage and apply physical sunscreen.

ELECTROCAUTERY 2.0: Wounds & Post Treatment

As you probably know already, milia and syringoma are genetic. Both are harmless, yet aesthetically disturbing. Before 2022 ends, I did another ElectroCautery procedure (or shorten as Cauter) to get rid of them.

Did my first ElectroCautery back in 2018, you can check the post here.

Don’t panic if you google Syringoma and turns out they are actually tumors. They are mild and non-cancer ones. Similar to milia bumps, but they are not formed by oil glands. Instead, Syringoma are the result of over-productive sweat glands. Unfortunately, both can only be removed by professional procedures, and I choose ElectroCautery aka Cauter because I’ve done it before. 

BEFORE CAUTER (mind the angry zit)
BEFORE CAUTER: Milia and Syringoma usually appeared around the eyes area

Since both are genetic, they might reappear after a few years, and in my case, they did after four years. I did my treatment at Beauty By Appointment again with the same steps applied. Clean the face, numb cream for 30 minutes and on with the Cauter. It wasn’t painful during the procedure, but after, your skin might felt sore (depending on your pain endurance level). 

Do’s and Dont’s:

  • Do not wash your face 6 hours after the treatment. 
  • Apply antibiotic cream on the wounds, twice a day on clean and dry skin. Do this consecutively for 5 days.
  • Alternatively, you might compressed your skin before applying the antibiotic cream, with NaCl solution (great for treating burnt wounds). 
  • Use gentle facial cleanser with no active ingredients
  • Do not apply any actives while your skin is healing, wait until the wounds are completely and naturally flaking off.
  • Avoid any type of base makeup when the wounds are still wet. 

How long did it take to heal? It might vary, depending on your skin ability. It took my skin 30 days to heal back in 2018 after the first procedure, see the photos here.

6 DAYS AFTER CAUTER: around the lids were healed more quickly
6 DAYS AFTER CAUTER: no scabs, just the red marks all around

Unlike most people that did Cauter, who had black scabs that peeled off naturally when they dried, my wounds didn’t. Instead they turns red like acne marks without no scabs. No worries, I will do my skin update when my skin heals completely, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, here are the products that I used during skin healing after Cauter. 

  • La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
  • 0.9% Sodium Chloride as my CSM to compress
  • Bioplacenton Gel

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

INGREDIENTS I AVOID

Since I started blogging diligently from 2012, I’ve been learning a lot about ingredients that (sadly) didn’t work for my skin. I’m telling you, it needs a lot of trial & error to find out (but I guess it’ll be rewarding in the end). But, having oily skin that prone to clogged pores and such, it’s really that hard. Anyway, these are based on my personal experiences.

ANYTHING WITH BUTYLENE GLYCOL
I’m telling you it is very hard to find a skincare product which doesn’t have Butylene Glycol in it. Apparently, it is needed to increase the skin penetration by other ingredients. Unfortunately, it has comedogenic rating based on incidecoder.com.

ANYTHING WITH CENTELLA ASIATICA  
I’ve discussed this with dr.Eche Idrus, Board Certified Dermatovenereologist from Makassar, Indonesia. If you have active acnes, forget this ingredient, as it might trigger more. Some people also might also experience irritation with this natural ingredient. But again, it depends on how our skin reacted to this. Unfortunately, on me, it just can’t.

ANYTHING WITH MINERAL OIL
I’ve been having acne problems for most of my life, and mineral oil can exacerbate it. It’s true what they said that it clog and suffocate pores.

ANYTHING WITH DIMETHICONE
Yes, it is the most common silicone used in skincare products. It’s great for makeup primer and such, but covering my sensitive pores is just not my thing.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA, INCIDECODER.COM, LAMER

FUNGAL ACNE: WHERE I’M AT

Just want to say thanks for you who had read my fungal acne post here. And now it’s time for some updates.

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My forehead is clearing up, thankfully. But, thanks to my habit of trying new skincare (in this case, Some by Mi Miracle Serum, read post here), my face acted up, worst than before. Those fungal acne found a new home…my left cheek all the way to my upper neck. Then I realized, it might be Olive Oil in the serum that triggered the whole s*it.

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And my hormones didn’t help too, cystic acnes still appeared here and there. When I can’t stand that hormonal cystic acnes which feels itchy and looked disturbing as hell, I immediately got my acne shot at Beauty By Appointment (check out their IG @beautybyappointment). In fact in this pic, I just took two acne shots, one near my nose, and one on chin.

And of course, my skincare routine has been changing since the first time I dealt with fungal acne. Not necessarily 10 steps, but I tried my best to stick to ingredients that won’t aggravate my skin to the worst.

More centella asiatica and tea tree as my hero ingredients. As these natural ingredients didn’t flare up my fungal acne.

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Niacinamide is still in the picture, obviously. This serum is my second bottle, actually. Expensive as hell, but worth it.

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Since raw honey is good for fungal acne sufferer (according to simpleskincarescience.com), I use this facial cleanser that has raw honey as one of its’ main ingredient.

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I’m so glad I found this new gem, because it contains sulfur that doesn’t smell like one. Again, sulfur is known as toxic for fungi. I apply this 2 times a week as a wash-off facial mask. But, if I have monstrous hormonal acnes, I will apply this as a spot treatment and leave it overnight.

I tried to cut down dairies and instead of having roaccutane daily, I drink Kale juice, skin supplement from a local brand (which consists of Zinc and Niacinamide) and Probiotics for my gut health.

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In skincarisma.com I trust! I used to check out all the ingredients on cosdna.com before I purchased any of my skincare products, but now since skincarisma is it! They have add “Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe” into their Quick Product Notes.

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Last but not least, my skin used to reject vitamin C as it irritated. But then I found this ethanol-free, concentrated vitamin C serum that claims to fade blemishes and dark spots. I am in love with this low-irritant vitamin serum, thanks to its’ lightweight, gel texture. I believe my PIE (Post Inflammatory Erythema) is getting better after using this.

Will keep you guys updated about my fungal acne journey, till then!

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

MY TOP 3 PRODUCTS FROM THE ORDINARY

Hence the name, trust me…there are nothing ordinary about THE ORDINARY.

Who doesn’t love high-quality skin care products at super affordable prices? Luckily, it’s quite easy for me to get this brand from local online stores.

It can be confusing to build a skincare routine from this Canada-born brand, because they are basically more active ingredient-driven products. If you’re not familiar with ingredients’ names, make sure you research a lot before purchasing. If I can have my way, I’d collect all of their minimalist dropper bottles, because they will look darn good on my vanity. But of course, I googled a lot before each of my purchase (just to be safe, because I do have sensitive skin with fungal acne problem).

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Here are my current top 3 favorites:

  1. AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution: I used to do peeling once a month at my dermatologist’s clinic. But it was so bloody expensive, I decided to do it myself at home (once a week). Warning you: this burned, especially if you are not used to any acids exfoliation. Tip: start with a low percentage of AHA & BHA first, before jumping in to this high percentage of acid cocktails.
  2. 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: 100% love! I used to hate facial oils, but this truly stands out from the oil crowd. I thought it’s going to smell fishy, but this is plant-sourced version. Odorless, anti-bacterial, won’t clog pores and best of all, can be used on sensitive (fungal acne) skin. Totally a winner, I use this every night as the final step of my skincare routine.
  3. Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%: if only I know about this ingredient earlier in my teenager’s days. Azelaic Acid is an antioxidant that is naturally produced by yeast living on healthy skin. Now that I have fungal acne problem, I was quite hesitant to use this at the first place, because why feed yeast with yeast, right? Apparently, according to Simple Skin Care Science, Azelaic Acid is an effective treatment for fungal acne. This really helped my clogged pores a lot.

Next on my list:

  • Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
  • Caffeine Solution 5% +EGCG
  • Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
  • Lactic Acid 10% + HA

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA 

 

LET’S RECHARGE OUR SKIN CELLS

Every day, our skin cells loose their energy (just like our smart phone, I suppose). Without that energy, skin cells produce less fat, collagen and elastin. Here’s when it get more interesting. At the heart of our skin cells, there are a powerful element called Mitochondrial DNA. They control the whole mitochondrial (the place when cells are located) function and play a huge roll for skin cells energy production. Our everyday stress, UV rays, pollution and free radicals, attacked this fragile and vulnerable Mitochondrial DNA which triggered worsen skin aging.

But how on earth are we gonna recharge our own skin cells?

I found the answers at NUXE PARIS event earlier this week, when they launch their latest duo products, NUXELLENCE.

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This new range is essential for daily skincare routine as they will help to repair Mitochondrial DNA to lastingly reveal skin youthfulness for women of all ages.

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Why two? During the day, NUXELLENCE ÉCLAT will help smoothes, plumps up and illuminates skin. While NUXELLENCE DETOX will regenerates and revives dull complexion at night.

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At the event, there are lots of beautiful flowers decoration. And for obvious reason, because Nuxe has always drawn its effectiveness from the very heart of flowers. Specifically for Nuxellence, their laboratory studied three flower extracts : Passionflower, Anchusa and Poppy to help repair Mitochondrial DNA appearance. 

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The good thing about these products, they can be combined with other face care to increase the effectiveness. And Nuxe has quite an extensive range of skincare products which already available in Indonesia (yeay!). You just have to choose which one is the right range for your skin need. 

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PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

TO CELEBRATE MY …. BIRTHDAY, I DID THIS!

My first BOTOX at Jakarta Aesthetic Clinic with the one and only dr. Olivia Ong, dipl. AAAM (Aesthetician and Anti-Aging Specialist).

And Botox was not the only procedure I had at dr. Olivia’s beautiful clinic. After consultation with her, apparently I need filler and rejuvenation. As I age (I’m not gonna tell you how old I am..lol), it’s not just the wrinkles I worried about, I looked tired as hell. See before after pics below.

Cheeks began to sag, dark circles got worse and turned out I did have bunny lines. And did you see how wide my nose was? And did you notice my chin got sucked in by age? A bit skeptical about the whole treatment, because I was worried about the post-effect. Turned out….that was me a week after the whole procedures. If you need more proof, check out the pics below…taken one day and two days after. Although dr. Olivia said that some swelling might occurred, I felt only a bit chubbier on the third day. 

For Botox, results may vary…some will see improvement within days up to 30 days. But I might say, I’m impressed with my results. Botox were shot on my forehead, both sides of nose, chin and bunny lines. 

Another before after pics after my second visit..my chin looked longer and my nose looked slimmer. And lots of improvement on my dark circles. 

If you asked me “was it painful?” I’d answer “beauty is pain, darling”. I wouldn’t lie to you, but botox shots are nothing compared to filler. But no worries, dr. Olivia and team will make you feel at ease. First, the application of anaesthetic cream aka numb cream on the specific areas that will be treated. 

Noticed the brown oil below? It named “amazing oil”. And..it lived up to the name. I believe it kept the redness at bay. 

Compressed with amazing oil after the treatment. I have to admit, the one that hurt the most was the chin area, filled with filler. Dr. Olivia used Restylane filler to fill my under eyes and chin. More than just shaping, filler also made my skin more plump and tight. 

Voila!!!! That was my latest pic after about 2 weeks. My skin looks better, overall result: I have fresher & slimmer face on my … birthday (still not gonna tell..lol).

Will these results last forever? Unfortunately, not. Botox & filler need different touch up sessions. For more information about Jakarta Aesthetic Clinic, please click here. 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA