Day Twenty-Five: Stress is so hard to avoid.

Living in the world today, it seems as though it is impossible to avoid stress of some sort. If it isn't work, it is something else - the news, family issues, acne. Whatever sends your adrenaline flowing, and for everyone it is something different. I think that in reality stress may play a greater role in contributing to illness then we think. Too often, stomach aches, headaches, fatigue and other ailments are attributed to being "just" stress. Why do we dismiss it like it is no big deal? Maybe we need to take stress managment as seriously as we take care of our bodies (eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising). Daily stress relief is as important as daily exercise for overall health.

The problem with trying to eliminate stress is that it is easier said then done. As I said before, I am trying to embrace my fears so that I can get past them and they will no longer cause me stress. However, I'm no professional, I am just attempting to live a calm, happy life and I will try everything to get there. I also "meditate" daily for 15 minutes, using a AM Mediation CD that I purchased, it is quite good. I definitely have not mastered mind-control yet but I have come to realize that, like exercise, results may not be seen for several months.

Namaste.

Day Twenty-Four: More on L'Oreal's Adult Acne Regimen.

Yesterday I wrote about an article in Elle magazine discussing skin-care products for the acne inflicted. I was not planning on trying any of these products just yet, as I am about to purchase a set skin-care line from a local clinic. However I found a 7-day trial of L'Oreal Acne Response Daily Adult Acne Regimen and I though I would give it a try just for the week. It contains a pore-clearing cleanser (1% Salicylic Acid), a Skin-Clarifying Toner (Glycolic Acid) and a Blemish-Fighting Lotion (2.55% Benzoyl Peroxide). I will let you know if there is any changes, although a week is not really enough time to test out a product. It seems very similar to Proactiv, with the exception of the exfoliating beads in Proactiv's cleanser.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping up with exercise, good diet, meditation and drinking plenty of water. I've also started to take Zinc, Iron and Milk Thistle (for liver health).

Day Twenty-Three: Advice from Elle.

I don't usually buy Elle magazine, but I'm always on the lookout for new skin-care and acne treatment tips. This month, I noticed that Elle had an interesting cover-story - "Perfect Skin Now: The Only Acne Treatment You'll Ever Need." So I immediately purchased it to see what they had to say.

Turns out the article was an interview ith a MD/PhD who has been researching acne and other skin disorders as well as working as a skin care consultant for L'Oreal. Basically these are the products she recommends for acne sufferers:

L'Oreal Acne Response Daily Adult Acne Regime (big surprise, since she is a consultant for them)
Topix Pharmaceuticals Replenix CF Cream ($48.50 at SkinCareRx.com)
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($121.95 at SkinCareRx.com)
Glycolyic Elite Sunscreen SPF 30 ($21.50 at SkinCareRx.com)

Interesting, the Replenix green-tea polyphenol cream sounds promising - it may reduce redness. I also wonder if the L'Oreal Acne Response Regime is better then Proactiv. Let me know if you have tried it.

Day Twenty-Two: A Consultation with a Dermatologist.

Hi everyone, I just got back from my consultation with the dermatologist and I'm very excited! He let me know what my treatment options are and gave me some interesting recommendations. First of all, he advised me to start on his line of skin-care products (big surprise) composed of natural ingredients combined with acne fighting ingredients like alpha-hydroxy acids and Retin-A. I have decided to try out his skin care line and also have a session of Vibraderm, a new type of microdermabrasion, that will allow the acne medications to penetrate deeper and will remove some scarring. My appointment is next Wednesday, I can’t wait!

Of course, he also recommended that I eat healthy, exercise and perhaps get on some birth control pills to regulate my hormone levels. Birth control pills (such as Yaz) are something I am going to seriously consider. For now, I will stick to my healthy eating and stress reduction techniques,Tai Chi and morning meditation, which are both going very well.

If there products work for me I will let you know what they are called and how you can purchase them.

Day Twenty: Acne and Nutrition.

Although my skin is looking better, my chin area is still quite bad and I am just so sick of the pain of having acne. I can’t wait to see the Dermatologist on Monday, I really hope he can do something for me. I will share what he says with you all when I get back.

So, I know that you are reading my blog because you also would like to have great skin and you want information on how to do it. So, let me talk a little bit about what I have heard about acne and nutrition. First of all, I have read in several magazines that it is important to eat a balanced diet - that means carbs, protein and fats! Definitely don’t go on Atkins if you want to have a healthy complexion.

As far as vitamins are concerned, make sure you are getting an adequate amount of zinc, especially if you are a vegetarian. Most importantly, there is scientific proof that excess Iodine intake can aggravate acne. Iodine is present in high amounts in foods like seaweed, shrimp, milk/dairy products and, of course, anything high in table salt content. I recommend that you switch to non-iodized sea salt at home and limit your intake of the other foods mentioned above. You may want to switch to soy milk, as farmers use iodine-fortified feed to prevent infection in their cows.

Day Nineteen: Be prepared for set-backs.

No matter how hard you try, no matter how well you take care of your skin and try to relieve your stress, you will have skin problems if you have acne-prone skin. You will have those days when your hormones are going crazy for whatever reason and somehow some nasty bacteria found it’s way deep into your pores, causing a pimple to emerge. Hopefully, very soon, these set-backs will be few and far between. But, please don’t get discouraged.

Today is the day for my weekly facial mask, and I’m back to Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Peel to get rid of all those dead skin cells that my skin has so much trouble sloughing off. My skin is looking better but my chin is still covered in pimples, here’s to hope.

Day Eighteen: I digress.

Today I awoke to the sound of my puppy whining, feeling terrible until I looked into the mirror. I have noticed that my face is looking healthier and I’m getting fewer pimples. But this process is very slow, no matter what treatment you are using, it will take months for your skin to heal.

I would like to make a suggestion regarding this process, why not try living your life like you’ve already got clear skin? Be proud of how you look and don’t worry about what people think. You know that underneath those little sores is a beautiful person. I know this is easier said then done but if you can accomplish it it will dramatically change your life.

I try to keep myself busy thinking about other things. You could try pouring yourself completely into your dreams, whatever they may be. If you don’t know what they are, devote yourself to figuring it out. Notice the things that make you smile during the day and spend more time doing those things. Good luck everyone.

Day Seventeen: Relaxation and laughter are a must.

Well, so far my skin looks pretty much the same but the most important thing is that I care a little bit less. Since I have started to meditate and do Tai Chi, I find that a new pimple is much less distressing to me then before. However, I no longer think that I can tackle this problem on my own and I have made an appointment for a consultation at my local skin care clinic for next Monday. They have various exotic treatments like Photodynamic, Blue U Light and various facial treatments. I’m so excited to see if what they offer me helps more then what my prior doctors have offered (mainly antibiotics that absolutely didn’t work).

Laughter is the best medicine, as many wise philosophers have astutely noted, and I have come to realize it is true. Try to laugh at least 30 times a day! Actually, it is sort of sad that we have to remind ourselves to laugh. But, it is definitely worth it - start taking time out to read the daily comics, watch your favorite funny sitcom or movie and after awhile you won’t have to remind yourself!

Can't laugh? Then just scream - let out your emotions!

Day Sixteen: Sleep, parting is such sweet sorrow.

Well, another Monday has showed it's ugly face and I'm feeling exhausted! A bad night's sleep is to blame and it has inspired me to write a little bit about how much of it we should be getting. As you know, how much sleep we should be getting is a popular topic among health professionals and most people just aren’t getting enough.

I completely agree with this, but I even 8 hours just isn't enough for some people. For some time I decreased my sleep to 7-8 hours a night, from 9-10, thinking I was sleeping too much. I have to say, I felt terrible - tired, cranky, achy. At first I had no idea why, but now that I have recently been forcing my self to stay in bed that extra hour and the changes have been amazing. I have some much more energy all day and my muscles ache so much less after a tough workout. I hope these positive changes will be reflected on my complexion too!

Day Fourteen: Some progress.

Upon waking in the morning, my ritual is usually to head for the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth and get ready for the day ahead. I often find myself wishing my sink wasn’t directly in front of the mirror - because as soon as soon as I get there I stare and obsess about any new blemishes that may have appeared overnight. Thankfully, this morning, there weren’t any new ones to report (saving me time and my sanity)!

Another thing that I have been doing differently since I started this blog is to wash my face earlier in the evening. My old practice was to wash it directly before bed, at around 11pm to 12am and then get up at around 8am and wash again. I realized that I was then going for 8 hours between washings in the evening and then 16 hours without washing in the day!

Now, my practice is to wash my face at around 8-9pm, then I wake up at 8-9am and wash again. This cycle just makes much more sense to me. I know your schedule can’t possibly be the same as mine, since most people have to awake much earlier. However, I suggest trying to get yourself about 12 hours between washes.

Day Thirteen: Overcoming fear.

I have found that having acne has actually permeated more aspects of my life then one might suspect. Of course, one might imagine that years of being ashamed of how I look would indeed have a huge impact on me. Avoiding social situations, an inability to look others in the eye and a fear of being afraid or stressed are just a few of the consequences of having acne. Right now I’d like to talk a little about the latter problem.

Everyone knows that stress has a negative impact on your skin, something that I have mentioned several times as well. However, lately, I have realized that I have been doing everything possible to avoid stress, for fear that it may aggravate my skin. Hence, fear of being afraid! But, some stress is necessary and essential in life. Not only that, but if you are trying so desperately not be stressed then you are probably bottling in your emotions, which is much worse then just letting it all out.

So, I have decided to embrace fear. To welcome it and even try to do something that scares me every single day! I will try to show my emotions instead of hiding them, as I usually do. I will let you daily what what I have embraced each day.

Also, it is time for a weekly mask again, don’t forget yours. I will be using my Proactiv Refining Mask this week.

Day Twelve: A few more pimples, but I'm not discouraged.

I awoke today to a few more pimples on my chin and one in the absolute worse place, on my lip. Well, not directly on my lip, but so close it that it is impossible to see where it starts and the lip begins. These are the most painful ones imaginable but I’m not discouraged. Why, you ask? Because I have faith that my skin will get better. And, once it does, I will move on to scar removal... I can't wait.

For now though, let me tell you why I have so much faith. Number one, I have to believe or my acne will never go away. Number two, I’m sticking to my meditation routine. Each day I do a short 20 minute morning Tai Chi, and each night I relax with 15 minutes of focusing on my breathing. Now this is not to say that I have yet felt that I’ve drifted into full, relaxed meditation but I fell that some day soon I will. I am beginning to have more success in focusing on my breath rather then the multitude of different thoughts that occupy my mind at any given moment.

Day Eleven: Exercise and a change of plans.

Now that I have been off of the Proactiv program for 10 days - moisturizing daily and using Boscia cleanser, facial tonic and only a small amount of Proactiv’s 2.5% benzoyl peroxide Repairing Lotion- I have only one thing to say, [i]my skin is getting worse[i]!

In light of this, I’m going to make small changes to my regime to see if that makes a difference. I have also been under a lot of stress lately and that may be contributing. I know that you are supposed to wait three months to see if something is working, but who has that kind of time?

So I will now use a combination of Proactiv and Boscia-

Morning: Wash with Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel, tone with Proactiv Facial Toner and finish with a small amount of Proactiv Repairing Lotion and Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration, SPF 15.

Bare Escentuals Foundation

Evening: Wash with Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gell, follow with Proactiv Renewing Cleanser, 60 sec, and follow with Proactiv Toner and finish with Proactiv Repairing Lotion.

Hopefully the Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration will keep my skin moisturized just enough. I feel that the Boscia Nightly Moisturizer was just too oily for me.

Don’t forget a facial mask once a week as well.

Now, a little rant about exercise and acne.

As you may have heard, exercise improves acne by decreasing stress levels. However, sweat can also aggravate your acne - especially if you have any makeup on. Apparently, the heat and sweat combine with your makeup (even if it is oil-free) and clogs your pores. So, it is important to clean your face before and after you exercise. Whew, what a double-edged sword. You are exercising to improve your acne but at the same time it might be making it worse. Also, you don’t want to wash your face too much because that is also bad for your skin as well!

I wash with a gentle cleanser before exercising and then afterwards I take a shower and then use my Proactiv Toner - this is still a pain, especially if my skin feels dry afterwards, I wonder if I should reapply moisturizer. Well, looks like I will remain a tiny bit confused on the subject. Until tomorrow, good luck!

Day Ten: Monday, Monday.. Every other day of the week is fine.

After taking the weekend off for some much needed R&R, I must say I’m really not ready to start the work week off again. Especially since the morning greeted me with a whole new set of pimples, speckled all over my chin and jaw-line.

I know what you may be thinking, this girl probably rests her chin on her hands a lot, but I don’t. At least not consciously! Although now I’m beginning to wonder what I’m doing without noticing I’m doing it. Try to catch yourself too, make sure your aren’t unconsciously rubbing your nose, placing a fingertip on your temple, resting your chin on your hand, etc.

Now another look at the connection between stress and acne. I picked up a few more helpful tips for stress relief this weekend I’d like to share. First of all, try to set aside 15 minutes per day in which you do “nothing.” During this time you should try to relax in a quite place and concentrate on your breathing, perhaps even repeating a mantra like “I am more then my thoughts” or “Let go and let God” or “I am relaxed” in your head. Try to simply let your thoughts roll through your head without focusing on them. If sitting still is too difficult, go for a walk and focus on the steps instead of on your thoughts.

Secondly, try to incorporate a relaxing exercise like Yoga or Tai Chi into your daily routing. Nothing too vigorous, simply something that allows you to focus, and breath.

Yesterday I successfully accomplished 15 minutes of nothing and a short Tai Chi practice (I recommend Tai Chi for Beginners by David-Dorian Ross, it contains a great 20 minute morning practice). The 15 minutes of nothing is always very difficult for me. I find thoughts run through my mind so quickly I can’t possibly focus on my breath. So, I turned on the fireplace and tried to focus on the flickering of the flames while breathing deeply. I felt more relaxed afterwards and I hope that in time I will be able to move on to real meditation.

Day Seven: A word about facial masks.

Last night I put on my facial mask for the week. I usually use one of two masks that I have, Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Peel or Proactiv’s Refining Mask, which serve two separate purposes. The Green Apple Peel is high in alpha hydroxy acids as well as vitamins A, C, and E - it claims to improve skin tone, texture and color. I use it to remove dead skin cells from my face. On the other hand, the Refining Mask contains 6% sulfur to remove oil and impurities from the skin.

This week I used the Juice Green Apple Peel - it is quite harsh on your skin, especially the first few times you use it. Afterwards, your skin is left red and sensitive so be sure only to only use it before bed and don’t follow the treatment with any harsh products like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid treatments. I recommend a light moisturizer and then hit the sack.

Another fact I wanted to bring up today is the possibility that your boyfriend may be contributing to your acne! Let me clarify - what I mean is, if your boyfriend has a rough beard or goatee (like mine does) and you are noticing pimples around your chin and mouth, his facial hair my be to blaim! Remember, any rubbing or friction on your face will irritate your skin and contribute to blemishes. Consider asking him to shave it for you. If he loves his goatee, try to limit it’s contact with your skin (I know, easier said then done).

Day Six: A minor set-back.

A woke up to the sudden realization that I have gathered all these facts on acne, I have worked so hard to get a healthy complexion and yet I have fallen short. Why? I think that it is the mind-body connection I mentioned earlier.

So, in leu of this realization, I have decided to try harder to work on my meditation. But, more importantly, we must all really believe that the treatment will work and that my skin will get better. Ever heard of the placebo effect? Believing something will work is half of the treatment!

Day Five: My new Bare Escentuals makeup.

I think that you all may want to know a little bit more about makeup foundations and acne, an extremely important subject for women acne sufferes. Of course, if you are a woman with acne, you would love a great cover-up for those hideous acne scars and blemishes. Well, as I mentioned before, there are almost no liquid foundations without any oil whatsoever. Let me just tell you a few of the many many foundations that I have used and given up on due to excessive oil content that seemed to be making my skin worse -

Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation

Lancome Magique Matte Mousse Makeup

Clinique Superfit Makeup

Dermatologica Treatment Foundation

Maybelline Pure. Foundation

If you ask me, foundations just have too many ingredients! You can’t possibly check every single one to be sure they aren’t comedogenic. In the end, I have decided to try Bare Escentuals for this very reason. The powder obviously does not contain oil and the list of ingredients - titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica- is very short. However, I have some trepidation due to the fact that the product contains mica. I have read that this is irritating to the skin but I have also read that it depends on the quality used and the type (flaked versus micronized). Right now I’m keeping my fingers crossed and using it daily.

Even if Bare Escentuals does not aggravate my acne, it does not provide great coverage. If I did not have any blemishes or scars the product would be probably be great. However, I have been finding it quite difficult to conceal my acne with the product. Nevertheless, I believe that using it is much better then making my skin worse with another foundation. Also, I am going to purchase there special Multi-Tasking Minerals that promise to cover dark circles and imperfections and I will let you all know how well it works.

Today, I did notice one more zit has appeared on my cheek, but I have not given up hope! I will continue to follow my new regime and hope for the best. I am still doing well with my exercise, diet, drinking plenty of water (6-8 glasses/day) and sleeping on my back. However, I still drink a cup of coffee a day and I do have a few sweets (mmmm, ice cream). The bliss of meditation has so far alluded me but I will continue to try.

Also, for all you heavy exercisers out there, I would like to recommend these 10 tips for recovering from a workout.

Day Four: Acne treatment tips from morning television.

I woke up this morning and started to make my boiled egg and fruit breakfast with tea when I decided to turn on our T.V. - we just got our cable hooked up yesterday - and I came across an interesting morning news bit on adult acne. Truly, it wasn’t the most enlightening thing I’ve seen on acne but they did have a few tips you might find interesting -

1. The sun makes you acne worse by damaging skin and also by darking blemishes and scars, making them more noticeable. Always use an SPF of 15 or higher (right now my sunscreen comes in two forms - my Boscia Oil Free Moisturizer with SPF 15 and my Bare Minerals Foundation with SPF 15). If you live in Canada, as I did once upon a time, I suggest the Neostrata Oil-Free Facial Sunblock, SPF 30. Expensive but very good.

2. If you have noticed your acne is getting worse lately, your laundry detergent may be to blame! Irritating ingredients will aggravate acne - I use Tide Free or you could try an natural detergent from you local health food store. This is actually something I hadn’t thought of before and it has inspired me to stop using my Bounce scented dryer sheets.

3. Look after your overall health (this is the most duh! tip they gave), by eating well, exercising and drinking tons of water. I must admit, I still have some problem drinking a lot of water, but I try to force myself.

As for me, no new blemishes today but otherwise my skin looks pretty much the same as yesterday, so far so good.

Day Three: Facial care - tips I have gathered.

Today I just want to provide you with a few hints I have learned over the years for improving your complexion, whether you have acne or not.

Number 1 - Wash your face for 60 seconds to make sure all the dirt and grime is completely gone.

Number 2 - Don’t ever pick at your blemishes or blackheads. I know you have heard this a million times but it really does make them worse and cause scarring - trust me, been there and done that!

Number 3 - If you are going to splurge on something, buy expensive skin care products and cosmetics that are non-comedogenic. Great skin will make you much happier then a designer purse. Unfortunately, finding a good skin care line is not as easy as picking the priciest brand - read ingredients and do your research.

Number 4 - When you get a blemish, ice it down for about 60 seconds to reduce swelling/redness.

So now that my tips are out of the way, on to how my skin is doing - the old blemishes around my chin and jaw-line are still there but I can see that my skin is looking healthier. I can see from using Boscia[/url] that the dryness has disappeared but will this make my skin have fewer blemishes? Well, that remains to be seen. After all, they say a zit takes about 60 days to develop - whew!

For now I’m using the Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens, by far the best oil absorbing sheets I’ve tried, by the fistful. It looks like all this moisturizing hasn’t halted the never-ending stream of oil that springs from my pores.

As for eating and living well, so far so good. Tons of organic fruits, veggies and salmon (ever heard of the Perricone Perscription? - more on that later). I have also been exercising and maybe today I will find time for a little meditation. I will keep you posted.

Once again, hope your own fight against acne is going well.

Day Two: Stress, meditation and sleeping on your back.

Last night I did something I have tried to do on many prior occasions - I slept on my back. Another thing that I learned from Acne Rx that friction and rubbing can exacerbate your acne. I have noticed as of late that the side of my face I sleep on generally gets a few more blemishes then the other. Hence, my goal is to sleep on my back from now on - something that, for me at least is more easily said then done.

It is now day two using the Boscia skin care line and so far I have noticed my skin is much less “tight” after I wash it (you know, that feeling of intense dryness after you wash your skin with harsh cleansers). Also, the flakiness around my chin has almost completely disappeared. Well, so far so good, but will it help with my acne? I hope that the most important thing is that I really believe that it will.

I just want to take a minute here to note a very important aspect of acne that many of us might overlook (or at least try to forget about), and that is stress and the mind-body connection. I have believed for some time that you are what you think about all day. If I’m stressed from work or school and/or my general mental state isn’t great it will be reflected on my face. Want to know how my week is going? Just count those blemishes (am I the only one here that hates the word ‘zit’?). However, knowing what is the root of your problem is not going to fix it, you have to proactive. So, in conjunction with my new, more gentle approach to skin care, I will be gentle with my body too. That means no alcohol, no chemically processed foods (like chips, candy bars, sodas (both diet and non), etc.), regular exercise and, most importantly, meditation. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those people that can just give up all these things at the drop of a hat. I fully intend on minor (okay, and major) slip-ups. Also, in order to be happy, you can’t completely eliminate these things from your life so an occasional treat is fine. I hope you all will be with me, encouraging me to keep it up.

Meditation is something that I have been attempting for many years now (at least 6!), off and on, with no luck. You see, I’m great at thinking. I can over-think anything and I find it so hard to turn off this ceaseless process I can barely pay attention to conversations with others! That is why meditation has always been so appealing. The ability to ‘turn-off’ one’s brain and drift into tranquility... aaaaaaaaaaaahh, sounds like heaven. Perhaps, in prior attempts, I have pushed myself too much. I struggled for 20 minute intervals, hoping to pay attention to my breathing for at least two cycles before I was sucked back into my own thoughts. This time I’ll start with 5 minutes per day and I will use a mantra (which I have yet to come up with) and hopefully I will succeed!

I’ll keep you all up to date on my progress. Good luck with your own endeavors!

Day One: My Acne Story

My first pimple, at the age of 13, was quickly followed by my first acne treatment - a tiny tube of Oxy 10, 5% benzoyl peroxide Spot Treatment. As the weeks past, and my acne continued to get worse, I bought my first foundation to cover my face and allow me just enough confidence to show my face at school - it was Cover Girl Fresh Look in Ivory. I smeared it all over my face and followed that with a generous coating of powder to control the shine and I hung my head low each day as I walked through the halls. I wouldn’t learn until years later that that foundation was highly comedogenic - containing isopropyl myristrate, a very harsh chemical - it was probably making my skin much much worse. For years I struggled, hoping that I would soon grow out of it.

How did I find out about comedogenic ingredients? Well I started to try to understand my acne at age 17 - when I gave up on the idea that I would grow out of it. I wanted to know exactly what it was and what was causing me to break out. I wanted to know the best treatments available and what my options were. My first resource was Acne Rx by James Fulton, M.D., it was very enlightening. I learned, for the first time, what was really causing those tiny red dots of inflammation (too much oil isn’t the real culprit) and why (thanks mom and dad for the bad genes). You can pretty much find all I learned on AcneInformation.org.

My skin did improve using Dr.Fulton’s skin-peeling program, in which you pretty much slather on so much benzoyl peroxide and sulfur that you can until your skin dries out and starts to peel. This is a good thing, according to him, but it pretty much looks just as bad as the acne itself. Of course, once you stop the acne simply returns, so what was the point of all that peeling anyway?

I have to admit though, I have been stuck in a cycle. First, I dry out my skin using Proactiv with no moisturizer until the acne clears and then I ease back on the program a bit, using in only once a day instead of twice. This usually causes the blemishes to return and thus I start the cycle over again.
As far as foundation and concealer go, I have been searching for a good one since the age of 13 but to no avail. I have been through them all, from cheap to expensive, from powder foundations to tinted moisturizers and all of them have failed one test or another (color match?, good coverage?, zero oil/comedogenic ingredients?). One other thing I learned from Dr.Fulton was the oil migration test, in which you smear some of your foundation onto a sheet of white paper and wait for the oil to migrate out (you will see a ring of oil around the smear a couple of hours later). And, of all the liquid foundations I’ve bought that claim to be oil-free, not a single one actually was! Go figure.

So, after getting my first facial last week, I have decided to take the advice of my Aesthetician and stop over-drying my skin! I bought a Boscia skin-care kit from Sephora, a gentle system with natural botanicals (ooooh). And, after years of protesting that I don’t need one, I will use a moisturizer, both morning and night. Here is my (new) arsenal (I was using the Proactiv system for the last year but so far the results have been mediocre at best):

Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel, Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic, Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15, and Boscia Recharging Night Moisture

Oh, and I will of course add in a bit of Proactiv benzoyl peroxide cream and some weekly masks to give myself a little piece of mind.

I have also switched to Bare Minerals Foundations, wondering if this so-called “makeup you can sleep in” is all they claim (I have my doubts, but it sounds pretty good).

I will keep you up to date on how treating my skin with kid gloves is working and how I’m coping. Best of luck in your own endeavors.