Better Skin

Over the years while working in the makeup industry, I have

seen all kinds of skin. Skin with acne is the most challenging. Before

I was a stylist, I dabbled in acting. I was 25 years old and battling

skin issues. There was no digital photography at the time, so all of

my pimples were getting photographed. I was able to cover the acne

I had, but I didn’t feel confident or pretty without clear skin. To be

honest, I was quite upset that I had great skin as a teenager but I was

faced with blemishes in my 20’s. You start to ask, “What is different?

What have I altered in my skincare? How stressed am I?  What am I

eating to cause my skin to change?”

     I made an appointment with a dermatologist. I was prescribed

topical washes and medications. I saw some improvement but

not enough. Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage prior to seeing the

doctor. He didn’t want me on Retin A (Tretinoin topical) or long

term antibiotics, since I wanted to try to conceive again.  The doctor

suggested a soap free cleanser. This helped a little. Then I took

matters into my own hands. I discovered some information, which I

want to share. However, contact your doctor before trying any of my

suggestions or stopping medication. This is what worked for me.  

REMOVE ALL HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP from your

diet. It is hiding in most of your snacks and drinks from pretzels

to, salad dressings and ice tea mixes to sports drinks and sodas.

Basically it is in anything processed. Some people can’t break down

the high fructose in their intestines, so it stays in your colon. When

your body flushes toxins, your skin stays clearer. WATER is most

helpful. We all know this. It keeps your body running smoothly and

flushes out the toxins.  You want to drink at least six to eight glasses

a day, eight ounces each.

   

Do you eat a lot of starches? Your glycemic level may be high.

If you are out to dinner and you eat bread, pasta, and then cake

for dessert you might be spiking your sugar levels. Best advice?

BALANCE. Make sure for each starchy food ingested; you have

eaten a low sugar vegetable to balance it out. You can also purchase

from the health food store the supplement Burdock. Take this with

lots of water on a high starch night out.

When considering cleansers, you may want to try a glycolic

acid cleanser. Leave on for three minutes and then wash again with

a salicylic acid cleanse. Dry and then spot treat with benzyl peroxide.

Don’t over cleanse! If you do, you will produce more oil and have

more breakouts.

My skin did get better, and I did get pregnant. Today I use only

one cleanser, a sunscreen, and anti-aging serums. I also workout,

and I try to eat balanced meals with very few unhealthy snacks. I

was at a breaking point with my acne (even while under a doctor’s

care) when I didn’t see results and I wanted better skin. After

considerable research on the web, I found answers. I hope this will

lead you to finding the best answers for you and to better skin.

Burdock 

Dermaquest Glycol Cleanser 15%

Neutrogena salicylic acid

Clearasil benzyl peroxide 10%

My first headshot by Pia Alesci. Acne hidden with lights.