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!