Hey
everyone,
As
some of you may know from previous posts, I’ve had acne for a few years now and
lately I went on medication to try to clear it up for good. I had been on
antibiotics for my skin before and it had cleared it up slightly but the
breakouts have come back with force over the last six months or more. So, I
decided to go to the doctors again and see what I could do this time. I was
prescribed an antibiotic which hasn’t made much of a difference yet, and it’s
been almost two months since I started it. I was also prescribed a topical
cream which has benzoyl peroxide in it, and that has been quite irritating to
my skin which means I can’t use it as much as is needed to clear my breakouts.
Apart
from the medication I have been taking, I have been trying to find the best
skincare products for my skin. I’m not sure if it’s because of the medication
and the topical cream that my skin is dry and painful, but it has become an
issue of late too, making skincare products a difficult thing to sort. Many of
the products I had been using before I began the prescribed treatments no
longer suit my skin, and some of them actually feel as if they’re burning my
skin as soon as I apply them. I had to stop using my micellar water and
sometimes even my moisturiser. Everything I applied to my face stung and I had
horribly red patches in various places on my face and neck. I’m still not sure
what is causing this but I have scoured blog posts and advice columns for
anything that can tell me what will help.
For
my skin, I had been using the Lush Angels
on Bare Skin cleanser, although this has just run out, and I have replaced
it with the Avène gentle milk cleanser. I don’t use a toner – just cold water – as I
am trying not to use too many products on my face. To moisturise when my skin
was extremely irritated I had been using coconut oil as that was the only thing
that helped to soothe the irritation. My usual moisturising products are the
Boots Botanics Triple Age Renewal eye
cream (or the one in the purple packaging, as I identify it), the Superdrug Simply Pure sensitive skin moisturiser,
Estée Lauder’s Blemish Remedy serum (not sure if my skin likes this yet,
though) and I also use the Superdrug Vitamin E night cream but I am thinking about
giving that one up as the fragrance is an irritant.
In
all honesty, the condition of my skin is something I am very conscious of and
it often makes me feel insecure but I know it won’t be this way forever if I
look after my skin, and I am doing everything I can to do so. If you are
suffering from acne, or irritated and painful skin, don’t be afraid of going to
the doctor about it but also, try not to let it get you down because at the end
of the day your skin doesn’t define you and it may be embarrassing or hard for
you to look at but it won’t be that way forever. I am constantly wishing for
clear skin, and there are some days where I want to just scratch my skin away
because I can’t stand to look at it, but I have to persevere and be kind to my
skin if I want it to heal.
I
hope this little update has helped you if you are experiencing similar
problems, and if you have any advice to share, please do so!
Much
love,
Jessica.
