Let’s figure this shit out!
Disclaimer:
I am NOT a dermatologist
I am NOT a skincare expert/aesthetician
This post is simply an account of my journey with getting to a good place with my skin, having struggled with acne, getting the right advice in a world of information overload, just sharing the lessons I have learnt and finally some product recommendations on what worked for me.
If you’re struggling with severe long-term skin issues, please consult a dermatologist and not an article on the internet!
I know it’s the age of #Skintok and Hyram and 13 year olds explaining hyaluronic acid and layering skincare and slugging to us, but honestly sometimes it can be too much information. We’ve all been there as twenty-somethings – gotten very motivated to get our shit together all in 24 hours (LOL), bought 12 skincare products and done a 40-minute nighttime skincare routine and gone to bed, and never fucking done it again.
They key as I have come to learn now (as I feel my skincare is in a sort of nice-ish stable place), is quite boring – simplify things! The simpler your routine is, the more likely you’ll stick to it, the better your skin will get faster.
Background on my skin
- I have Normal-Oily combination skin, my nose and eyelids get super oily, it’s like I have a fucking highlighter on 😅 Good thing glowy skin is trending!
- Between the ages of 16-22 I did get acne every now and then, but nothing too severe, I know a lot of people who struggled with real acne issues.
- Because my skin is oily I very easily get texture and appearance of large pores, which is something I struggle with. But you know what I’ve learnt – pores aren’t the villain, they help your skin breathe so leave them alone!
- I do struggle with PCOS (this struggle deserves it’s own blog post – would you be interested dear reader💙 ? Let me know and I will get to it, all in good time!)
This means I have hormonal imbalances and breakouts quite often.
Your skin and your emotional health
I also want to talk about certain emotional and psychological aspects of skin, and the journey of a young adult getting to a place where they’re comfortable in their own skin, pun intended. Some things I’ve learnt:
- When you’re young – teens to early 20s AND you’re struggling with bad skin at the same time, it can seem world-ending and sometimes even cripple your social life and force you into your shell.
What helps though – is to not make your skin issues bigger than you and your life, and just throw yourself into achieving your goals and something that really brings you joy! What it gives you is perspective – you are so much more than just what your skin looks like. And once you get some perspective and peace, how far can good skin really be? 😃 - If you’re going struggling with mental health issues like anxiety or depression, sometimes skin issues can add to your pile of anxiety. On the other hand resolving them and some self-care in the form of a relaxing skincare routine can sometimes really help soothe your anxiety too!
- Think about it this way, if you’ve struggled with bad skin (or struggled with anything in life really), you’ve developed a sense of empathy that others probably wouldn’t have – it’s your superpower!
Have you seen those people who’ve just gotten everything easy in life and never struggled with anything? No personality, no maturity, no empathy, and just a certain lack of emotional intelligence. And personally I just find it hard to trust people who say they haven’t struggled with anything at all – they’re probably lying 😅
Physical health and effect on skin
I once heard a nutritionist say – your skin is the quickest health scan a doctor can do to guess what’s going on inside. An over-simplified and overly-reductive statement I think, but not completely void of truth.
- If you’ve had really bad acne for a long time and no topical treatments have worked – it’s a good idea to get a complete health screening, it could be hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies or some other undiagnosed health condition that’s probably causing it, so start with identifying the root cause.
This could be a long and tedious process that might get frustrating, hang in there, lean on people who care about you and make you feel good about yourself! And most of all, lean on the fact that whatever skin issues you are going through, someone somewhere in the world is experiencing that too, so you’re not alone! - Repeating myself from my disclaimer dear reader💙: if you have a persistent skin issue, it is always a good idea to consult a professional dermatologist as opposed to googling or listening to influencers to try random products – which might just harm your skin further. For example, acne might not always be due to superficial issues like pores being clogged with dirt, but maybe something you are eating is causing an allergic reaction in the form of acne.
Products – the part you care about
Okay finally the part you care about – the steps in my current skincare routine and the products that worked for me! The list was getting a bit too long, so I have compiled it in this post.
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