A BIG HELLO! AND GOODBYE TO BAD SKIN!

So what is Acne?

Your skin has tiny holes (pores) which is connected to your oil glands under the skin. The canal connecting your oil glands and pores is called follicle. Your oil glands produces this oily liquid called Sebum. Sebum's function is to carry dead skin cells through the follicles to the surface of your skin. Small hair goes through the follicle and out of your skin. So when sebum, hair and skin cells clump together, they get infected with bacteria resulting in pimples.

Dermatologists say that approximately three-quarters of 11 to 30 year-olds will get acne at some time. Acne can affect people of all races and all ages. It most commonly affects adolescents and young adults. There are people in their fifties who still get acne.

Although acne affects both men and women, young men suffer from acne for longer - probably because testosterone, which is present in higher quantities in young men, can make acne worse.

Types of Acne?

The following are mild/medium type of  Acne Vulgaris and is most common:  (WARNING: You may not want to see the pictures I'm going to put up below. But I think you should, to see what some people are going through really)

Whiteheads - remain under the skin and are very small.

   

Blackheads - clearly visible, they are black and appear on the surface of the skin. Remember that a blackhead is not caused by dirt. Scrubbing your face vigorously when you see blackheads will not help.

Papules - visible on the surface of the skin. They are small bumps, usually pink.

Pustules - clearly visible on the surface of the skin. They are red at their base and have pus at the top.

Now these are the severe type:

Nobules - clearly visible on the surface of the skin. They are large, solid pimples. They are painful and are embedded deep in the skin.

Cysts - clearly visible on the surface of the skin. They are painful, and are filled with pus.Cysts can easily cause scars.

And the following are rare forms of acne (and to be honest I know mine was/is not as severe as these but even when I had mild acne I was so depressed. I can understand that agony and depression. Whoever suffers from these acne I feel you. But PLEASE do not feel sorry for yourself and stay at home, it will make you miserable. Do not let anything stop you from moving forward.) :

Acne Conglobata: This is the most severe form of acne vulgaris and is more common in men and the cause of this acne is unknown. It is characterized by numerous large lesions, which are sometimes interconnected, along with widespread blackheads. It can cause severe damage to the skin, and disfiguring scarring. 

Acne Fulminans: This is an abrupt onset of acne conglobata-like symptoms which normally afflicts young Caucasian men. Symptoms of severe nodulocystic, often ulcerating acne are apparent. As with acne conglobata, extreme, disfiguring scarring is common. Acne fulminans is unique in that it also includes a fever and aching of the joints. Hospitalization of 3-5 weeks is typical for treatment. 

Gram-Negative Folliculitis: This condition is a bacterial infection characterized by pustules and cysts, possibly occurring as a complication resulting from a long term antibiotic treatment of acne vulgaris.

Pyoderma Faciale (Rosacea Fulminans): This type of severe facial acne affects only females, usually between the ages of 20 to 40 years old, and is characterized by large painful nodules, pustules, and sores, all of which may scar It begins abruptly, and may occur on the skin of a woman who has never had acne before. It is confined to the face, and usually does not last longer than one year, but can wreak havoc in a very short time. 

And what causes Acne?

Nobody knows what really causes Acne but it is believed to be caused by the hormone androgen. Androgen level rises at adolescent; your oil glands grows and produces excessive oil due to this. Excessive can break down cellular walls and causes you to break out. 

Some studies indicate that acne could also be genetic. Some medications which contain androgen and lithium may cause acne. Greasy cosmetics may cause acne in some susceptible people. Hormone changes during pregnancy may cause acne to either develop for the first time, or to recur. 

Treatment?

For Mild/Medium Acne:

Resorcinol: helps break down blackheads and whiteheads.

Benzoyl Peroxide: kills bacteria and slows down your gland's oil production. It works as a peeling agent, accelerating skin turnover and clearing pores, which reduces the bacterial count in the affected area.

Salicylic Acid: Effective treating inflammation and swelling. It helps break down blackheads and whiteheads, also reuces shedding of cells which line the follicles of the oil glands.

Sulfur : helps break down blackheads and whiteheads. Sulfur has been used for centuries for treating acne but scientists are not sure how it helps treating it. Although sulfurous acid works as a mild reducing and antibacterial agent

Retin-A: Helps unblocks pores.

Azelaic Acid: strengthens cells that line the follicles and reduces inflammation. stops oil eruption  reduces bacteria growth. This is naturally found in wheat, rye and barley. It is useful for patients of darker skin who have dark patches, or whose acne spots leave persistent brown marks.

For Severe Acne:

Interlesional corticosteroid injection: A specialist will inject you with diluted corticosteroid to ttreat an inflamed cyst to prevent it from rupturing and scarring. This injection will speed up healing and lower the inflammation.

Isotretinoin: This is a strong oral retinoid, used to treat severe cystic acne, as well as severe acne that has not responded to other medications.

Oral antibiotics: Oral antibiotics lowers the population of a bacteria that blocks follicles. The dosage will be initially high, and then as the acne reduces so will the dosage.

Oral contraceptives: suppress the over-active gland and are commonly used as long term treatement for acne in women. If you smoke or you suffer from blod clotting disorder or migranes you need to check with a gynaecologist first.

Topical antimicrobials: a derivative of vitamin A are very popular. The unclog pores and prevent whiteheads and blackheads from developing. 

MY ACNE STORY

At 13, I started breaking out with only a few odd spots which did not bother me much.. I never popped it and with spot cream it used to disappear in no time!! let's not forget .. it left no scars.. what so ever..!!

 But then my nightmare started as soon as I turned 14 especially when I moved to UK. I had LITERALLY all  the mild type of acne including 2 big nodular one each on my cheeks. I so wish I had photos of me from then to show you but who takes photos when you feel so hideous? I tried my best to avoid photo sessions back then. I hope no one has one.. ;D

Okay, back to my story. I was so down and depressed my mum was really worried about it too. I skipped school to avoid looking people in the eye and yes people did make fun of me. I used to cake on layers and layers of make up even when I was at home; I didn't want anybody to see me without it; this made my skin even worse. I remember being really really moody and miserable too.

I finally went to my GP and to be really honest with you he was crap and I still think he is. All he did was just flick through his books to look for a treatment. I was like seriously? Even I could do that. My acne was affecting me mentally and physically and he looked the least bit interested. I wanted to slap him so hard at one point..    

But he did give me my First Medication...

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 DUAC!! Hallelujah...! it's a benzoyl preoxide cream. It worked wonders for me. It dried out my spots really quickly with a speedy recovery.It does say you're supposed to use it "once daily" but I use it twice a day; once when I wake up and once before bed. DO NOT go overboard with this though, if you apply too much which I did (desperate times) you'll wake up with very dry, flaky, red, burning (because of the bleach in the cream) skin. So just apply a very thin layer on the affected area. 

 

But don't expect it to be a miracle. You will see a lot of improvement but it won't erase everything. From my experience, I have noticed that your skin starts resisting this product after sometime and it does not work as well as it had worked the first time. But it is a really good product to prevent spots from rising to the surface of the skin. When you get that itchy feeling put this cream on and you'll feel and see the difference. There are lots of other Benzyl preoxide gel/cream,  you do not have to use this particular one. Or if you just want to prevent your spot to come out you can use any kind of spot cream. I use Clearsil Ultra, you can find this any drugstore even in Asda. I use this particular one. 

I'll do a full review of this in my next post :)

My second treatment then was

Contracetive Pills. Since the cream was not enough to get rid of my acne completely my doctor asked me if I wanted to try going on the pill. I was a bit apprehensive about this. My mum had a bad reaction to it and has permanent dark spots on her face, so you see why. He told me this method was really common to treat acne. I was so desperate I went ahead with it. 

But it did nothing. Nothing at all. I took them for about 3 months and a bit I did not see any difference. It neither made my skin worse or better. I just did not have to go through PMS and all that trouble so it was fun while it lasted. I cannot say anything more than this now but for some people this method works for them. And I did not gain weight too the most common question.

Again I made a desperate call to my doctor.  This time he suggested

antibiotics NOW this time this worked. It worked like magic. The first month my skin had cleared already. And within 2 months my skin just glowed and it was as clear and soft as a baby's skin. Little exaggeration there. I was left with a little bit of scar but I was overall relieved and happy. I went off the treatment after my skin had cleared.

But after 6 to 7 months it came back again. Not the big ones but those white heads all over my face. I was devastated. My doctor gave me a higher dosage of antibiotics this time and the same thing happened. I had 3 different dosage of antibiotics and none of them worked permanently. 3 different dosage because my body starts resisting the antibiotics. I was frustrated. 

Thank god my then boyfriend did not see me like that ; I was in a long distance relationship. I went back to Nepal (where I'm originally from) to see my bf; I was on treatment so my skin was clear. Clever or what? hehe

Finally I told my doctor Right I want to see a dermatologist. After waiting for months, I got to see him. I told him I have been on a few treatments and nothing seem to be working ; he listened to me attentively. Now I liked him. :) Finally someone paid attention! 

He recommended me Isotretinoin (Accutane) He told me about the side effects. The depression, dry nose, nose bleed, nausea and most dangerous one is birth defects. I was a bit scared but desperate times call for desperate measures. I said ok. They took my blood test and everybody kept telling me I should not get pregnant. Which kept embarrassing me. When I went home I researched about it, almost everyone said they felt depressed and they were always moody, but it didn't work for everybody. I was getting discouraged. 

After a long waiting list I did see the specialist again and brought home the medicine. I thought for a long time and I'm sorry to say I chickened out. It was more like self reflecting, I was thinking why am I so desperate? I was already depressed and I did not want to be more depressed. People go through worse and I am not the only one who suffers from acne..My  bf loved me no matter what so I had no one to impress and plus Acne was taking over my whole damn life. I told myself it's all in my head.

Self Reflection

After that little pep talk with myself, my life took a different turn. The world seemed much happier and beautiful. What the hell was I doing? I was 17 -18 already I had done nothing but worry about my damn acne..!! it seemed so sad, pathetic and funny to me... 

I just stopped worrying, I stopped stressing.. I had better things to worry about like my career, my job, basically my life. I had a lovely bf whom I missed and loved so much, I had and have a very supporting and loving parents. It was finally easier to breathe and to go out. I was and am a lot happier person now.
Apart from Duac and Clearsil Ultra, I ditched all my spot creams, my antibiotics and all the acne-prone shits. I started  wearing a lot less makeup and even walked around without it sometimes. It made a tremendous difference. My pores were blocked because of that constant caking. At last My skin could breathe again; I felt fresh, bare and cleaner. My skin started to look and feel a lot better but I was not "cured" and I am still not. But It does not matter at all because I feel comfortable in my own skin and my attitude towards my acne now is "it just comes and goes like seasons I'm delicious" <Fergilicious-Fergie hahaha Random>. 


So, you see, don't let acne take over your life. I wasted all my teen years  shutting myself in my room instead of going out with my friends, having fun and do what teenagers do. I can't get my teenage life back again but I'm glad I realized soon I was better than my miserable self. 
So, whoever suffers from acne don't let it take over your life. So what, if people make fun of you; I'm sure they are the one with most insecurities anyway and they are just putting you down to make themselves feel better. If you think people don't want to talk to you because you have acne, then you are very wrong. It is because you think that, people do not want to talk to you; you're probably putting your head down and you're not speaking to anyone. Nobody wants to talk to someone who avoids the rest of the world. Even if a person with clear, beautiful skin has an attitude like that nobody would want to talk to that person. Be open, be nice, confident, cheerful and happy not for anyone but just for yourself. You will start to see good changes in your life. :) :) :) So bottom line, IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD!!!!!!

So, here's a picture of my white heads on my forehead; you can't see it properly because I had put a bucket load of foundation and concealer on my face.  I do not have any picture of me without my face on but I'll try to find it at home (my parents' home) I'm bound to have some. I'll post em up next week when I go home for Christmas. 

My Skin Care Routine

Just because I told you, you're suppose to feel comfortable in your own skin doesn't mean you have to let go of yourself. You have to take care of your skin. When you hit your 20s or even late teens you'll start losing that glow in your skin when you were like 14, 16. So if you want fresher, softer and brighter looking skin you have to look after your skin everyday of your life just like brushing your teeth. 

I do not use over the top mad expensive products for my skin or put any hydrating serums and what not serums on my skin. But I am looking into buying serums; heard good things about them. All I use is 4 simple products 5 if I'm using a spot cream and I use it before going to bed and after I wake up. 

All I do is the infamous cleansing, toning and moisturizing; eye cream and spot cream as extras. Your skin will feel awesome if you keep doing this I promise you! :D

I was my face two times a day three if I feel greasy after a long day. Again, before going to bed and after I wake up. and no wiping, pat your face with your towel. PAT! PAT! PAT!

Cleansing:After washing my face. I cleanse my face with either Botanics' or Loreal's cleanser. 

I take loads of the product out and rub them on my face like a maniac but be gentle around the eyes. The more you rub the more dirt comes out but I don't mean keep rubbing until your skin falls apart. LOL. jk. But anyhooo after rubbing I either wipe the product off with cotton pads or if I'm feeling a bit lazy I use facial wipes with astringent in it if I want to skip Toning my face. I use just any wipes with astringent in it you can find it at any drugstore or department store. 

I'm not a huge fan of 

Botanicsmini review' smell but since my skin is really sensitive and I'm acne prone to EVERYTHING really.  Botanics' are organic that's why they complement my skin. It leaves my skin feeling really soft and glowy. I love it!



Loreal mini reviewI love this one's smell. I bought this one just because it's pink haha but I really really love this product too. I don't use this one that often because I'm scared it will make me look really shiny or make me break out. But if it's a really dull, cold winter day and your skin needs the most moisture then I use it. :)

TONING: Toning is a really important step you should not miss. Because toning helps in removing any residual dirt or cleanser on the face. It also helps in restoring the natural pH level of the skin, making it ready for being hydrated.I apply the toner with cotton all over my face except the eyes and lips. I wipe the toner in upward and outward direction. After I apply toner, I feel refreshed and not oily after the cleansing step. I use this one.

 Moisturizing  Moisturizing is really important for your skin too. It restores the skin's natural

moisture leaving your skin feeling soft and glowy. So no matter how pimply faced you are you have to moisturize. From my experience, I was always scared to moisturize because I thought my skin would break out but if you find the right product for your skin trust me you won't. When I did not use to wear moisturize my skin went into panic mode because it did not have enough moisture on my skin and I was oilier than usual and hence, I used to break out. I took my mum's advice and started moisturizing and VOILA! less oily skin less pimples. 

And if you have really oily skin it is better for you if you use gel instead of cream based moisturizer. I used to use Niveas oil free moisturizer that did not work for me I used to get oily really quickly.

< Mini reviewI use this one. I'm probably the laziest bum in the world that's why I love their packaging. It's so easy to use and plus it's hygienic too. And of course it has a cover to cover the pump.

First time users, you will be revolted by its smell. I'm being really serious. It smells like rotten grass? I don't know how to describe the smell but it certainly takes time to get used to. Once you put it on the face it wont smell horrible though. I love this product because obviously it doesn't make me break out or make me oily and my make up stays in place. 

 I clean my hands before I put on my moisturizer. I apply it in circular upward and outward motion; I do this because it helps my blood circulation and it's like a mini facial because it prevents your skin from sagging <that's what my mum says; she was a professional beautician for 8 years so I guess she knows stuffs lol> Do not cake it on though; I mean when your skin is really dry then yeah you put loads on. But do not overdo it because it might clog your pores.

Yep that's all about acne, my acne story and my skin care routine. Obviously, my skin care routine will change overtime but so far I'm happy with it. My acne has been coming and going for a year now but that has become a part of my life now. I will experiment with different products and find out what's suitable for my skin. I don't live by the more the merrier 

principle; I live by less is always beautiful;so for now I'll just follow these 3 steps as my skin has never felt better like this. 

What you put in your body also makes a huge difference to your skin don't eat too much junks like crisps, chips, takeaways, hot food; I know people usually say chocolates don't affect your skin but it does for some people like me. Remember what you put inside your body reflects on the outside too. If you take care of your whole body and your health you will feel better from the inside and even when you have acne your skin will glow and look youthful.

Take Care! Remember when you feel down IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD and smile!

♥ YOU ALL ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!♥

my smile Idol ! ♥ 

♥P.S Thank you for taking your time to read :D I hope I was of some use :D ♥