Question:
Please help me with my skin it's making me miserable
Have you seen Victoria Beckham on the front page of Closer? Well, that's what my forehead is like bumpy,congested and red and I don't know what's happened to it.The rest of my face is fine.I just don't know what to do,please help, I'm dreading to go out and want to stay indoors to hide away.:boohoo:
Has your diet changed in any way?
Drink more water. According to the face map that Manc Lass posted a few months ago, congestion on the forehead is due to lack of water intake.
yes, my diet's changed i've just come back from holiday and was almost relieved to be back to normal at home. Is there any products I can use to help?
I really recommend a regime with BHA and AHA's.
BHA (salicylic acid) is a chemical exfoliater. IE instead of just rubbing off dead skin, it melts the glue holding it together. Which is kinder than rubbing at the skin. And it gets rid of dead skin from the surface more effectively than manual grainy exfoliaters. Which is great as it's dead skin that congests the skin. By blocking up the pores with oil/dirt etc. Which causes spots, congestion, blackheads etc. The best thing about BHA is that it's the only exfoliater that can penetrate the skin's oil barrier and exfoliate INSIDE the pore. Whereas other exfoliaters can only exfoliate the surface skin. So with BHA the pores don't get blocked up with dead skin from the pore lining either. And it helps clear away existing problems by exfoliating the dead skin from inside the pore, that's caused them. I use Paula's choice BHA liquid. Which is the best imo. As a BHA product has to have the right ph (which the paula's choice one does). Otherwise it won't be able to penetrate the pore anyway. And alot of BHA products on the market don't.
AHA's (glycolic acid is the best one for skin imo). Works in the same way as BHA. IE is a chemical exfoliater. The difference is that it can only exfoliate the surface. And while BHA does that anyway. I still think it's worth adding an AHA product to your routine. As they're more effective at exfoliating surface skin than BHA is. So I find that my skin is even clearer when I use both.
An AHA peel (glycolic peel). Would be a good idea to do as a weekly treatment. The concentration is alot higher than that of glycolic products meant for everyday use. So it's like an intensive treatment for the skin. And they really help to maintain clear skin. Plus they're strong enough to fade any spot scars you might have. You can buy the glycolic acid yourself instead of having the peels done at a salon. Which is a much cheaper option. If you do decide to give this a go. I would recommend using an everday glycolic acid product for a few weeks first. Then slowly building up the amount of time you do the peels for. And of course do a patch test first. I use 30% glycolic acid but you can buy it in higher concentrations. I would personally start with 30% though. And build it up if you think your skin can take it.
Two other products I recommend are TBS seaweed cleansing lotion. As it's a lotion, so not overly drying like facewashes etc. But it's mattifying which is quite rare for a cleansing lotion. Which are usually aimed at dry skin and can leave an oily film on oily or combination skin.
And Elemis herbal lavender repair mask. This always makes my skin look really fresh and clean. Like it's given it a proper deep down clean. But is never drying like some clarifying masks. My skin is always nice and soft after using it.
If you do decide to give the AHA's/BHA a go. It's really important to use a sunscreen all the time. As you are removing the top layer of skin basically. So the skin is more vulnerable to sun damage. With a good high factor sunscreen it's not a problem though. I did find it a problem at first though. As my tendency towards congested/oily skin meant most sunscreens were too heavy and broke me out. I really recommend Clarins uv plus day screen though. It's fine under makeup, never makes my skin oily or breaks me out, it's matte in fact.
Here's some links to the products I use.
The BHA liquid
http://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/shop/...5A9C&pid =229
It works out at about £20. Even though it's not that expensive, the delivery is. It's truly worth it imo though, it's a great product and makes a real difference.
My AHA product
http://www.boots.com/shop/product_de... onid=1044710
I use every other day. I don't like to overdo it with this. As it contains alcohol. I just dab it over the areas where I'm prone to congestion every 2 days. To help maintain what my glycolic peel does. It's actually a cleanser but it's the same consistency as a toner. So I just use my regular cleanser beforehand, then dab this on. I wouldn't actually cleanse my skin with it as I wouldn't scrub at my skin with it like that. For £1.99 though, it's a great product as long as it's not used too enthusiastically iyswim.
My glycolic peel
http://www.lookgr8.co.uk/index.php?m...ducts _id=207
There's enough in this bottle for about 24 peels I think. So it works out very cheap. Compared to the lower strengh ones they do in Boots. That don't really do anything anyway.
My cleanser and mask
http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/...yI d=cat30012
http://www.salonskincare.co.uk/produ...roducts_id/312
My sunscreen
http://shop.clarins.com/as/do/sessio.../3380811281100
Sorry if you already know alot of that stuff about AHA's/BHA. I didn't want
to come across as know it all. It's just that these products have made a big difference to my skin and I wanted to explain properly.
There is also some advice here that might be helpful. As there is advice on lots of different skincare concerns.
http://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/shop/default.asp?mid=900
I know how you feel, I used to feel exactly the same way about my skin at times :hug: Hope this helps.
Thanks OC! Do you know the difference between Paula's choice lotion and liquid? Perhaps the lotion is more suitable for sensitive skin?
Have you seen Victoria Beckham on the front page of Closer? Well, that's what my forehead is like bumpy,congested and red and I don't know what's happened to it.The rest of my face is fine.I just don't know what to do,please help, I'm dreading to go out and want to stay indoors to hide away.:boohoo:
Answers:
Has your diet changed in any way?
Drink more water. According to the face map that Manc Lass posted a few months ago, congestion on the forehead is due to lack of water intake.
Answers:
yes, my diet's changed i've just come back from holiday and was almost relieved to be back to normal at home. Is there any products I can use to help?
Answers:
I really recommend a regime with BHA and AHA's.
BHA (salicylic acid) is a chemical exfoliater. IE instead of just rubbing off dead skin, it melts the glue holding it together. Which is kinder than rubbing at the skin. And it gets rid of dead skin from the surface more effectively than manual grainy exfoliaters. Which is great as it's dead skin that congests the skin. By blocking up the pores with oil/dirt etc. Which causes spots, congestion, blackheads etc. The best thing about BHA is that it's the only exfoliater that can penetrate the skin's oil barrier and exfoliate INSIDE the pore. Whereas other exfoliaters can only exfoliate the surface skin. So with BHA the pores don't get blocked up with dead skin from the pore lining either. And it helps clear away existing problems by exfoliating the dead skin from inside the pore, that's caused them. I use Paula's choice BHA liquid. Which is the best imo. As a BHA product has to have the right ph (which the paula's choice one does). Otherwise it won't be able to penetrate the pore anyway. And alot of BHA products on the market don't.
AHA's (glycolic acid is the best one for skin imo). Works in the same way as BHA. IE is a chemical exfoliater. The difference is that it can only exfoliate the surface. And while BHA does that anyway. I still think it's worth adding an AHA product to your routine. As they're more effective at exfoliating surface skin than BHA is. So I find that my skin is even clearer when I use both.
An AHA peel (glycolic peel). Would be a good idea to do as a weekly treatment. The concentration is alot higher than that of glycolic products meant for everyday use. So it's like an intensive treatment for the skin. And they really help to maintain clear skin. Plus they're strong enough to fade any spot scars you might have. You can buy the glycolic acid yourself instead of having the peels done at a salon. Which is a much cheaper option. If you do decide to give this a go. I would recommend using an everday glycolic acid product for a few weeks first. Then slowly building up the amount of time you do the peels for. And of course do a patch test first. I use 30% glycolic acid but you can buy it in higher concentrations. I would personally start with 30% though. And build it up if you think your skin can take it.
Two other products I recommend are TBS seaweed cleansing lotion. As it's a lotion, so not overly drying like facewashes etc. But it's mattifying which is quite rare for a cleansing lotion. Which are usually aimed at dry skin and can leave an oily film on oily or combination skin.
And Elemis herbal lavender repair mask. This always makes my skin look really fresh and clean. Like it's given it a proper deep down clean. But is never drying like some clarifying masks. My skin is always nice and soft after using it.
If you do decide to give the AHA's/BHA a go. It's really important to use a sunscreen all the time. As you are removing the top layer of skin basically. So the skin is more vulnerable to sun damage. With a good high factor sunscreen it's not a problem though. I did find it a problem at first though. As my tendency towards congested/oily skin meant most sunscreens were too heavy and broke me out. I really recommend Clarins uv plus day screen though. It's fine under makeup, never makes my skin oily or breaks me out, it's matte in fact.
Here's some links to the products I use.
The BHA liquid
http://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/shop/...5A9C&pid =229
It works out at about £20. Even though it's not that expensive, the delivery is. It's truly worth it imo though, it's a great product and makes a real difference.
My AHA product
http://www.boots.com/shop/product_de... onid=1044710
I use every other day. I don't like to overdo it with this. As it contains alcohol. I just dab it over the areas where I'm prone to congestion every 2 days. To help maintain what my glycolic peel does. It's actually a cleanser but it's the same consistency as a toner. So I just use my regular cleanser beforehand, then dab this on. I wouldn't actually cleanse my skin with it as I wouldn't scrub at my skin with it like that. For £1.99 though, it's a great product as long as it's not used too enthusiastically iyswim.
My glycolic peel
http://www.lookgr8.co.uk/index.php?m...ducts _id=207
There's enough in this bottle for about 24 peels I think. So it works out very cheap. Compared to the lower strengh ones they do in Boots. That don't really do anything anyway.
My cleanser and mask
http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/...yI d=cat30012
http://www.salonskincare.co.uk/produ...roducts_id/312
My sunscreen
http://shop.clarins.com/as/do/sessio.../3380811281100
Sorry if you already know alot of that stuff about AHA's/BHA. I didn't want
to come across as know it all. It's just that these products have made a big difference to my skin and I wanted to explain properly.
There is also some advice here that might be helpful. As there is advice on lots of different skincare concerns.
http://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/shop/default.asp?mid=900
I know how you feel, I used to feel exactly the same way about my skin at times :hug: Hope this helps.
Answers:
Thanks OC! Do you know the difference between Paula's choice lotion and liquid? Perhaps the lotion is more suitable for sensitive skin?