SELF CARE: SKIN CARE

I have been struggling with my skin since I turned eighteen. I've had a skin care routine since I was twelve — which was nothing more than cleanser and moisturizer (and sometimes pore strips or masks at sleepovers). But now, with the vast information I have learned and products I have tried, I am incredibly content with my skin care knowledge and have finally curated the best routine for my skin concerns. 


When I turned eighteen, I struggled with hormonal acne (the chin area), stress acne (the cheekbone area), and clogged pores. I got that under control by cutting out dairy and lessening my sugar intake (not that I was a sugar addict — I just made myself aware of my sugar intake). 



Our skin is made up of collagen and elastin, which makes our skin soft and supple. As we age, we naturally lose collagen and our skin becomes dry and loses elasticity (this can be prevented with skincare, or corrected with plastic surgery if you wish — to a certain point). Sugar causes cross-linking of collagen, damaging our collagen levels and causing our skin to lose elasticity. Think about the pairing of your sugar intake plus natural aging...ew! Dairy is more of an individual thing though, because this doesn't happen to everyone. "Whey and casein, the proteins in milk, stimulate growth and hormones in calves — and in us when we drink their milk. When we digest these proteins, they release a hormone similar to insulin, called IGF-1. This hormone is known to trigger breakouts." This hormone causes an imbalance in our hormones, leading to an overproduction of oil in our skin. That oil turns into a beautiful pimple on our chin, which is a signal that our hormones are imbalanced (similar to females breaking out on their period — a time of hormone imbalance). That's what dairy does to me.



So, I am sugar-conscious and dairy-free.



Now, I rarely break out unless I'm on my period or my skin is purging. Purging occurs when the products you're using are doing their job and ridding of all the yuck in your skin by bringing it to the surface, causing small breakouts. It's not cute, but it's a part of the process. Right now my problems are clogged pores and hyperpigmentation/blemish marks, that's what my skin care routine is addressing. Skin care is so important to me! Not only do i want to address skin concerns, but it is another area of my life that makes me feel prioritized. My routine is somewhat complex, so I'll leave links for those that want to learn more.



AM:

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* the links i provide for these products aren't the only places you can purchase them — they are also sold on their brands website



RESOURCES:



K THANKS BYE,

I was going to add pictures with this blog post, but I'm still insecure about my skin. I've got it though. My skincare routine is the best it has ever been and obviously my skin is purging because I am FINALLY correctly cleansing/chemically exfoliating! I will at some point show pics — why would you take advice from someone with no proof of improvement. For now just know my face is meh, but don't let that fool you into thinking I don't take care of my skin (like anyone cares except me). Check out my instagram story for some skin-spo, which will also be in my SKIN highlight. Thanks for reading, see you next Wednesday for the last post of March!


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