New Acne Regimen: Dermatologist prescribed

In my last post and update in ages I talked about how I have been experiencing some serious acne flare ups and  had no idea what was causing them. I decided I couldn't not take it any longer, nothing I tried was working. I just kept on getting more and  more pimples and they are just leaving these horrible scars on my face. They are all on the right corner of my forehead- down the temple - just above the cheek bone. Then I have random marks left from pimples on other areas on my face. I would post pictures for you guys to see but lol.. I'm waay too embarrassed. Maybe one day I will get the courage.

Anyway, I went to the derm last week Thursday. We talked , tried to figure out what was causing me to break out but she seemed to have no clue herself. I'm not on birth control, don't take any oral medication.. basically I do nothing that would cause me to break out!. The only thing that we kinda thought what might have caused it was the Milk of Magnesia I was using to combat my oiliness . but that itself I have doubts about because I was using it in my T zone and I'm not breaking out in that area.

In the end she prescribed topical treatments for me. She wanted to start me on antibiotics but I have never been on them before and wouldn't know how i would have reacted so in a effort not to make matters worse she held off. What she did give me as  1. Duac Gel and Retin- A

Duac Gel

This is something new for me. I have to use it once a day in the morning. I normally apply it and leave that alone since I am at home most of the time and dont need sun screen. I apply it by slightly rubbing it in and then smearing it over the face. What I have to figure out now is how it will look when I have to apply it then sunscreen when I go back to work.






Rentin- A 

New for me as well, I know some people use this a lot. This I apply every night in a pea size amount & after 20 mins of washing the face as I heard from many reviewd from youtube and other sites.


Neutrogena Acne Wash

New to me as well. She suggested I use this because of the salicylic acid in it. I had been using Cerave Foaming cleanser before but I bought this because the Dr suggested it.









In all this was a very expensive visit.. wow I can't believe how much money I spent! Lol. It has been about 5 days so I can't really comment on these products. I have seen some pimples gone though but I believe those are just the regular menstrual acne that I get every time that time of month comes around. So I'm not doing the happy dance as yet. Lol :] She also said these products are very drying BUT I know I have extremely Oily skin so I was not worried. I was right.. the only part of my face that has gotten dry is my upper lip and a bit around my mouth.. My skin is that oily! Nothing dries this baby

In 3 weeks I have to go back for a progress report and then hopefully start dealing with getting rid of the acne scars. So my question to everyone.. Have you ever used these products before? How was your reaction? What do you think?

Chloe<3

Update: Hair, life, Skin.. everything!

UPDATES

It's been a while since I have been on here or  posted anything. This year, this 2014 has really been hectic and busy for me that I have barely had time for myself or to take care of myself. I don't even have time to be on the internet unless it something that I really need to get done .. Sigh. There have been thing like a new job, apply and preparing to go off to university to cancelling and having to postpone my university plan (I was accepted! :] )

 Right now I am on vacation from work. I have my last two weeks of the year off so I am using the time to get back on track. I have really missed being here and reading about other's progress and sharing mine. With that said, let's get to the updates...

Hair

Well ladies or Guys lol.. I have been having some real hair issues. I have been successful in growth as I am now Bra strap length.  But I cannot say that my hair is healthy. It is certainly not. I have lost so much hair in terms of breakage, my hair has gotten a lot thinner too. I feel so terrible. I'm on a quest to not only revamp that but to try to figure out what caused it. I have narrowed it down two the following

1. I had in a weave in January and since that I lost a lot of hair. During the process of taking it out thhere was tons of hair loss

2. I bleached my hair to get honey blonde streaks and maybe I have not been taking care of them properly

3.. Its all this stress of work and trying to go to school

4. Plain old neglecting my hair, I have not been taking care of my hair as I should

5. I have been using lots of heat lately just to deal with my hair especially for work. I have been a heat person

6. Protective styles have really been put on the back burner and my hair has been out a lot

7. All of the above.. (I think we have a winner!)

.. So I am on a quest to get back where I used to be in terms of health. I have REALLY seen a difference in the thickness of my hair and it kinda hurts how thin my hair is. I will be relaxing Saturday and from that point doing what I can. I will be relaxing at 10 weeks , my hair is very hard to deal with right now and I have tons of knots. I am going back to my methods, products routines everything. I cannot foresake my hair like this anymore. Its already leaving me..

This is a picture of my hair as of  May 5th when I relaxed and then 17th when I got them treated and trimmed professionally..

 Relax..

After getting a trim..

SKIN..

As for skin now, I have had a good year between January and May but as of June my skin just brokes out terribly. So bad that I want to cry :'(. I had a back break out on my forehead down me right temple and on my right cheek. It's terrible. The scars are there now and I am still breaking out. I think I have a clue what going on. It may be the Milk of Magnesia I was using to combat my extremely oily skin. That's the only thing that I have done differently. 

It could be the new job as well but I have been at the job since January and I would like to think it would not have taken that long for me to have a reaction. Anyway, I am going to see a dermatologist tomorrow because I really cannot take anymore of this. It has had me so insecure with all these pimples and scars. Reminds me of my Biotin days and those were dark days for me. I cannot go back. Oh and I am also gonna try my emu oil again

Thats it for now. Like I said I really want to try to get back to my posting days and getting back to myself. Keeping back on track with my hair and blog. Thanks for everyone who keep reading even though I have neglecting you guys .. :)

Love Chloe <3

Product Review: Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Day and Night

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Day and Night

For those who read my blog posts, you guys know that I have been trying to find a way get rid of my post acne scars. I am very unfortunate because I have had these scars for over a year  now and still have most of them. Here's where Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair (NRTP)comes in...

My mom had the Neutrogena Rapid tone repair night and I really liked it so I  decided to buy my own and seeing that I am a believer of sun screen I purchased the Day cream to work in conjunction with the night. Plus they do say that products in pairs work best together so I gave it a go.

My Assessment:

Stars: ***

These products boasts to have the fastest working retinol available with vitamin C. Also claims to brighten skin tone,rude fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the look and dark spots and improve the skin's clarity and radiance. All this in one week. Really? .. I must test this.

Unfortunately, I was extremely disapponted. All this beautiful stuff they said I never experience. Only thing that I could say was the radiance. The texture of my skin and incredibly increased and my skin is much more smoother and softer.

I first started using these products on July 19th 2013 and stopped using the Night October 13th 2013. I would say I gave them a fair shot of working. The only reason I am still using the day formula is because of the sun screen. I am currently on the lookout for a new sunscreen. Any suggestion for an oily skin gal? .. Anyway back to the product. I love the consistency of the product. Not to thick or runny and there isn't any awful and unbearable smell.

Rapid? I think not. I used this product for almost 3 months and don't see much difference in the acne scars. Probably like 15% of the scars has faded. I am somewhat disappointed though. As I say though my skin is much more smoother.  Won't be repurchasing this product and I am patiently waiting for the day cream to finish so I can move on to something else.

<3 Chloe..

SkinTalk Series-- # 3

Let's Talk

So let's recap. I told you about my cleanser and my oil/night treatment/moisturizer all in one. Today I am going to talk about what I use as a Scrub..

Most people use St Ives Apricot scrub which I have tried which but never really did anything for me and I also tried Clean and Clear Blackhead Eraser which did nothing but give me tiny bumps all over my face whenever I would use it. So since store bought products always gave me trouble, I decided to go the all natural way :)

My Scrub of choice

Sugar scruub!

Ingredients

• Sugar (Brown or white)
• Olive oil
• Honey
• Grapeseed oil
• Vanilla Extract**

Yup..Thats it! I just mix those ingredients together and I dont measure. Its just how long long I want it to last me whether a week or 2 weeks and I store in the fridge. I have an asterisk by vanilla extract because I do not always put it in. Only if I feel like it. I use this scrub three times a week which are Sunday's, Tuesday's and Friday's. So I just was my face let it dry and then use the scrub and then rinse with cold water.

Its been working fine for me. Its better than any other store bought product I have used. I will continue to use this for the rest of my life :D

 

Chloe >3

SkintTalk Series - # 2

SkinTalk Series

So its episode two of my series where I talk about the products and/or techniques I've been using to help clear up my skin after my terrible acne breakout. The next product I will be talking about today  is my Emu Oil.

"Emu Oil is a naturally healing oil and is a white solid which melts between 18-22C becoming a pale golden liquid. Most people use Emu oil for muscle and joint problems and for nourishing and repairing damaged skin. Many people also use it for regenerating the scalp and hair.

Emu Oil can be used by people of all ages from the youngest to the most elderly. It is gentle enough to use on the most sensitive skin on a daily basis. Emu Oil is non-allergenic. It has been used by millions of people for many decades and no problems arising from its use have been reported." - http://www.emu-oil-well.co.uk/

My Assessment

First, the Emu oil that is pictured above is not the actual oil that I used. The one I have I bought it from Ebay.com and its not branded like something like "Swanson" or " "Homehealth". Its 100% pure emu oil. Oh man! I just remembered Im soon running out. Need to repurchase soon! >.<

I have to say I really love this oil. It has done great stuff for my skin by helping reducing the inflamation on my pimples and it has help reduced the appearance of some the dark marks left by the pimples (This along with another product that I will discuss)

How do I use it and when you may ask?

Since its an oil based product I can't use it in the day because I don't believe in wearing anything oily during the day, plus that's the time for Spf. However, if you are like that this products absorbs well enough into the skin to not make the skin look oily. Just as long as you dont use too much..A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY.

After I wash my face at night with my Simple Facial Gel (Oh my God! I could never get the name right lol).. I dry my face and then take one drop and massage that into one cheek. Then another drop on the other cheek and then one last drop that is divided up into my forehead and chin and mouth area. And that's it! Oh yeah, If its around my menstrual, after doing this I still apply some oil directly on whatever little pimples I may get. This helps to 'suck out' all that nasty stuff out the pimple and the size is either reduced incredibly or if I have been doing it for atleast 3 days the pimple is totally reduced. Yes! three days. Nothing works over night.. There's no miracle products

So thats it guys! Emu oil. I really like it. I has helped me so much. Helps reduce inflammation and reduce scars. Definitely try it out. Can be bought either on Ebay or Amazon

Chloe <3 

SkinTalk Series -#1

Introduction:

.... So from an earlier post if you read you would know that I had a skin break out that led to months on constant acne breakout which then resulted in tons of blackheads && dark spots. I had wanted to post the products,methods and techniques (As requested too) that I been utilizing to clear my skin once more. Yes it has been 7 months (started in Sept 4th 2012) since I have doing what I am doing and some of the dark spots have faded but some are still there. Personally, I know it will be a long process cause I huge hyperpigmentation issues.

What I will do is start a "SkinTalk" series where I talk about what I use. Mind you, this is my experience and what has worked for me. I cannot guarantee anything I use will work for you guys. Products work for different people and BELIEVE me it took me a long time to find the products that work for me.    Lets begin... :D

SkinTalk Series - #1

Cleanser

 

I have tried a series of cleansers ranging from Aveeno, Nuetrogena, raw Black Soap to Clean and Clear. Nothing had worked for me. Until one day I stumbled upon this commercial and I went "Hey, I should try SIMPLE!" It was worth the try anyway. Every since I have been in love. 

The fact that I have very sensitive skin was a bonus because the company boasts to the the "Sensitive skin experts" I am hooked and I'm never going back guys!

Simple:

"The Simple brand was born in the UK in 1960 and was the first to create a cleansing product with no perfume and no color. This unique positioning was designed to care for even the most sensitive skin, as these ingredients are common causes of skin irritation." Simple Website

1 ADDED VITAMIN 
   PRO-VITAMIN B5 known to help restore, soften and smooth 
My NO SOAP 
NON Drying 
NO DYES
NO ARTIFICIAL PERFUMES 
NO HARSH IRRITANTS to upset skin 

   Dermatologist tested 
   Noncomedogenic 
   Hypoallergenic

My assessment:

I really love this cleanser and its the only cleanser I will use until the end of time. No soap no perfumes, and hypoallergenic. Its perfect for me and my very very very sensitive skin. Its clear and the consistency is thick yet a bit runny..Does that make sense? Lol :P

A little goes a long way.. Literally, two drop the size of a lentil pea(Pea Size). It great with washing away make up too but I always wash my face twice just to be extra sure. My first 2 bottles/container whatever you want to call it lasted me 6 months.

I really love this cleanser. Give it a try if you have uber sensitive skin like me. I buy mine from Amazon.com. By the way, This is the only Simple product that I use. Later on into the series you will see why and what I substitute. Oh Yeah.. Strangely, their toner makes me break out :'( so on that note I do not use toner at all!.

Chloe <3

Urghh!, I'm having a break out

I have yet to figure out how to never have a acne break out. I think If I had one wish from a genie it would be to never have anymore breakouts. No, not to win the lottery or to have the perfect life- after all I don't believe in perfection.

Waking  up Saturday morning I realised that I was about to have a break out. Saw the tiny bumps on  my cheeks and forehead. I'm a bit baffled because these bumps on my forehead are normally period break out which I get around the 18th day of the cycle  but its only been 15. I just do not what's going on. There are about 21 of these tiny bumps on my forehead not forgetting the total of 12 on both cheeks.

I know I need to get on top of what caused my break out so I have narrowed it down to these:

My MSM consumption

or

Makeup I had on friday(Bare minerals)

or

I ate junk food twice last week (lol I couldn't help it!)


I guess I need to start documenting more to help my control my break outs. Let's see how long it takes me to clear this break out and hopefully none of those hideous dark spots remain. I cant stand those guys! urrggh!



Chloe <3

 

My Acne

My Acne...


In 2011 I had some issues with my face and acne. First I must say that my family has a history of acne from my mother to my sister to my aunts and female cousins have battled with acne. Its strange tho.. the males in my family has never had any issues with acne. LUCKY BASTARDS 

Anyway..

Lol, due to the fact that I was on my hair journey and I was experimenting I decided to try Biotin and let me tell you its something I have lived to regret

Let me tell you, this thing is like hell in a jar. Granted it did help thicken my hair for the months that I used it and it wasnt even much. I was taking 2000mcg per day. I know ladies that take so much more and have never seen these side effects. Its my own fault tho, I should have know. I have such a sensitive body and sensitive skin that I should have predicted this outcome. After that my skin just kept getting worse.  I just kept breaking out (December 2011-July2012) with these huge and hurtful zits and they always left a dark marks. My body is so complexed that no matter what once my skin is punctured it leaves a mark. So months after I got rid of them ..Took a lot of time and figuring out what's good for my face my face was plagued with hyper-pigmentation marks...

However this was like a year ago and I HAVE TRIED SO HARD TO BOUNCE BACK.  Between September 2012 to Present I have constructed a regimen hat has been very successful. My face has cleared some of the marks but I have ways to go and i still have the occasional menstrual zits or those that just pop up.

So this is my 4 month progress CAUTION: THESE ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT AT HEART!! 

After biotin and 8 months  - December 2011- July 2012

4 months into my regimen

In this picture is a bit wet soo.. Anyway Its only been 4 months and I have a good way to go still but Im happy with what I have achieved in the four months. Yes I still have the occasional breakout but its nothing severe. I plan to continue what I am doing so I can achieve the skin I had before my break out. Anyone interested in my regimen just comment and I'll make a post... :D Bye guys! Any questions? Feel free to ask I dont mind