Entries from April 2008 ↓

The title to this blog post says it all. I’m so tired of being embarassed by my skin condition. For me, this is the worst part of getting acne, the embarrassment that goes with it.

I don’t understand why acne is the number one disease that causes so much of this feeling of embarrassement. Is it because it’s considered a teenage condition that’s linked to hormones and puberty? It can’t be the fact that it’s on our faces because then we’d also be embarrassed by freckles and moles and mosquito bites on our face but we’re not ..well I’m not anyway. I have a lot of freckles and a couple of moles on my face and I’m not embarassed about either of those. I even have a larger than average nose for a girl and that doesn’t bother me at all. Nor does my big teeth or my eyebrows if I’ve forgotten to shape them. There’s just something about acne that causes so much embarassment.

I go through stages of not caring about what I or other people think, and I stop wearing makup. I love these moments of consciousness because it gives me some freedom to stop focusing on my skin and to start focusing on whatever life brings me in the present moment. I don’t know what knocks me back into being shy and embarassed about my skin again, but I wish I could remain in those consious moments and stop making such a big deal about a few spots. Continue reading →

So, I had my appointment with the dermatologist last week and I was shocked when he prescribed roaccutane. Yeah, I have a few little cysts under my jaw line but roaccutane …really!?

So the questions I asked and the pleasant answers he gave me were enough to convince me that the low dosage that he prescribes does not give you all of those side effects that everybody goes on about. So I filled the prescription and started taking it thinking that this would make me acne free forever and the worst I’d get from the medication was dry lips (so, I just carry a chap stick around - big deal).

Err …no. For the 6 days that I took the medication I was fatigued in the day then restless at night, my back and neck was sore and muscles felt stiff, I had a constant minor headache, my lips were dry, my skin started to peel, and worst of all - my face was bright red and sore just like I had a bad sunburn. I was also starting to get that ‘old skin’ look from the dry skin that I got when I was using Benzoyl Peroxide. This is because both products did a great job at drying out my skin a lot. Continue reading →

I live in one of the worst cities in the world for sun damage (we have a big hole in the ozone layer above us here, I’m a red head with pale skin AND most people in my family seem to get some form of skin cancer after they hit 50 …so I’ve had to pay particular attention to protecting my skin from sunburn.

My mum was great when I was growing up. I’m one of 4 red haired girls so whenever we were at the beach she was extra careful at making sure we were all out only during the ’safe’ sun times and we wore sunblock all over.

As I got older I realized that most people aren’t as careful as me with the sun. Perhaps this is because they don’t burn as easily or they don’t have the same history of skin cancer in their family. HOWEVER, and this is an important however - if you are on some form of acne medication such as antibiotics, roaccutane or benzoyl peroxide, then you need to be more careful when you’re out in the sun because these medications will make your skin more sensitive to sun damage.

It is therefore essential that you wear sunblock whenever you’re outside (and preferably a hat and sunglasses!).

But what sunblock can you wear that won’t give you a breakout? And are there any natural alternatives?? I’ve recorded a video with a few tips: Continue reading →

Price: $39.95
Rating:
Website: Acne Free in 3 Days

If you haven’t heard about this Acne Free In 3 Days guide then I’ll be surprised because it’s almost saturated the acne market.

I thought it was about time that I reviewed it, because if you’re like me then you’ve always been skeptical of this product but a part of you is tempted to purchase it in case it actually works!

What I also like about this guide is that it’s 100% natural, so that means no taking medications and no using topical creams or gels. Anything that has the ability to clear acne without putting unnatural stuff onto or into your body is awesome.

Do I think you can really be acne free in 3 days? Well, my answer may surprise you. I actually do think that this guide can work for some people. Better still - I full believe that it is possible to clear acne in those cases as quickly as 3 days.

So who will it work for? Well, it really depends on why you’re getting acne in the first place. Continue reading →