How to have confidence with acne
Daniela of @oh.mademoiselle shares her tips on how to boost your confidence with acne. Plus, how to deal with it, both mentally and physically.
—
Bumps and self-confidence
I’m certain that many of you can relate. Those pesky little bumps on the skin which just don’t want to go away, and continue to torment you day and night. Some only suffer a little, some are crying themselves to sleep. Many torture their faces trying in vain to chase away these invaders. And all wake up in the morning and inspect their faces wondering if they’ve gotten prettier or uglier. I’ve been through it all and I’d be lying if I said that everything is behind me now. My skin is still not at its best and sometimes I wonder if it will ever be. It’s a very long journey but it became a fun one rather than a torturing one. The key is taking care and making the effort to care for yourself, and even if it doesn’t work out in one go you know that you’re putting all your might into it.
{The first step} will be to recognise that you have a problem that might be out of your hands and that won’t go away on its own. Learn from my errors and don’t lose time, seek the help of a medical professional who can listen to your problems and identify the root cause. It won’t be easy and we all have heard about the horror stories in a dermatologist’s office. Some people are just plain arrogant and will say “it will go away”. I know I had that experience. But you have to acknowledge that sometimes it is necessary to seek medical advice and be persistent.
{The second step} is finding what works for you. You will find a medical expert who can prescribe topical treatments or pills but it is also important to put in effort and create a full skincare routine. One treatment is not the solution to everything, and you have to care for your skin’s needs, especially when it comes to cleansing and moisturising. For me, cleansing is an absolute must. It’s the very first thing I do when I get home, after taking my shoes off.
{Makeup doesn’t always stay right} and often I only see it at the end of day in the mirror as I warm up the makeup remover (if you use any, you’re free to leave the bumps out in the open and it’s completely ok). Often the healing process will leave behind a flaky bump and you don’t know if you prefer this or the raging pimple it was before. I try to tackle any flakiness left behind by the pimples with the Babe Balm. A tiny bit rubbed nice and gentle onto the flaking healing bump in the evening and the next morning I have a nice canvas to apply makeup on.
{Even more often the bump will leave PIH} (Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation). My skin takes a long time to heal and often PIH can linger for another 2 months. It is frustrating. Research shows that retinol is an absolutely fantastic ingredient to use to combat both inflammation and the spots, but the downside is that it can cause more breakouts. My skin is sensitive to it and more often than not I wake up with more bumps than the night before. An alternative I am currently trying out is the Bakuchiol plant-based extract which I discovered very recently (courtesy of BYBI Beauty). I mix it with a calming cream for a double effect. My skin hasn't had any bad reaction to it, quite the contrary, from my first use and until now it's been nothing but amazing for it. With continued use, redness and inflammation are now under control, and my skin is more even, in tone and texture. It has since become a staple in my routine and I look forward to using it each and every day. The positive point is also that I can use it in the morning as it doesn’t cause increased photosensitivity, but always wear your sunscreen!
{Taking this time to care for oneself}, even if it’s just over the weekend, helps a lot mentally. Personally, I know that going out my bumps come out like mountains under my makeup, and that people might be thinking “does she even wash her face”. I just take a moment to mentally tell them “YES! and I do it VERY well”. Works every time.
- Daniela of @oh.mademoiselle
Babe Balm & the Bakuchiol Booster were #giftedbyBYBI.