I want to talk to you today about problem skin. My skin, though somewhat improved of late, is still far from ideal despite all efforts. Therefore, I am familiar with the issue firsthand. And I often come across certain misconceptions and strange advice about how to treat my skin, which doctor to run to, and how to continue to live in general.

You know, I said this text to myself many times, after hearing again and again the oohs “well, why did you let yourself go like that” and advice like “well, at least you wiped your face with alcohol or something.” I have accumulated a lot of observations on the problem. I can’t say that now I will tell you a universal recipe that will help get rid of acne. But suddenly you will find something useful in my experience.

To begin with, anyone who had acne in their teens and then with success considers themselves a well-deserved acne expert. Well, he wiped it with clearasil – and everything went away. So there is a simple method that works, and all these creams and multi-stage care of yours are from the evil one. But teen breakouts and adult acne are, in my opinion, completely different problems, with different causes. And, accordingly, there should be a different approach to solving these problems.

Usually, when a sexually mature person comes to a cosmetologist with an acne problem, many people immediately say that they need to check the gastrointestinal tract, do a complete examination of the body, take hormone tests and, in general, provide a complete and detailed medical record for the treatment of acne. I am a person with not very good health and a bunch of chronic diseases that cannot be cured, you can only maintain remission. And what will my diagnoses give the beautician? If you believe the words of some salon workers, then until I cure the source of the problem, there will be no improvement on the skin. I would say that this is fundamentally wrong. I came to a specialist not for a medical solution to the problem, but for help in an aesthetic sense. Even if I have health problems that require long-term correction, I want to look good even during this. And the task of the beautician is to offer me a suitable solution. And do not shrug your shoulders with the words “well, then what do you want, with your body!”

Let’s go back to the gastrointestinal tract. This is the first thing to check when it comes to acne. And at the same time they advise to adjust the diet: exclude fried, fatty, sugar and chocolate. I can honestly say that I spent a year on a very strict diet for medical reasons: I ate rice, boiled vegetables and steamed fish, drank tea with milk. The body got better. It had no effect on the skin. But, after some time, I felt that somehow I didn’t feel very good after milk and excluded milk altogether, leaving only cheeses and sour-milk products in the diet. I know that “after” does not necessarily mean “because of” but I can say that this was the most significant improvement in my condition.

This does not mean that I advise everyone to give up milk. I suggest listening to your body. And if you have suspicions that the skin condition is related to nutrition, experiment with products. Perhaps the reason is some individual intolerance, and not the traditional triad of “sweet-salty-fat”.

Well, if we talk about stress, it is impossible not to mention that many traditional remedies for problem skin are already stressful for this very skin. (not to mention extreme folk methods such as laundry soap or vodka tinctures) They often overdry it, clean it aggressively. Because, as it seemed to me from experience, cosmetics for problem skin (especially the mass market) are designed specifically for teenage problems. And in adulthood, problem skin is most often sensitive skin. And you need to take care of it accordingly. I can honestly say that at some point I changed my care fundamentally: no aggressive products for problem skin, with the exception of a few masks, gentle cleansing, sometimes products with acids and creams for sensitive skin, or just very good moisturizing for normal skin, but from a proven expensive brand. And the situation got better. The skin has become more hydrated and less prone to various microtraumas (and I must say that in the cold season, this is a constant problem: the skin is in contact with a hat, scarf, sweater collar. And this constant contact, combined with dryness of the skin, simply provokes rashes out of the blue. )

And of course, the main mantra: acne should be treated, not glossed over. Like, decorative cosmetics only harms the skin and aggravates the situation. In fact, this is true for the generation of our mothers and grandmothers, who smeared their faces with a dense layer of Ballet cream. Today you can find decorative cosmetics that will not only harm the skin, but will also have a healing effect. And also, a good appearance has a positive effect on the state of mind of a person with acne, which means it reduces stress levels and improves the situation 🙂