I grew up watching my mother slather on face creams and lotions.... literally - I used to sit on the floor outside the bathroom and talk to her while she did it. It used to take her forever!! morning and night. BUT she had beautiful skin... may have been partially genetics but I believe it was the care she took of it too.
So during my life time I have tried all sorts of cleansers and face creams and lotions. Finally giving up on the expensive companies and settling on drugstore offerings. My hit and miss ministrations must have had some effect as folks do not believe my age when I tell them.... usually assuming I am about 10 years younger than I actually am. (ok ok my energy levels probably help)
BUT last summer all hell broke loose with my skin. Dry does NOT describe how bad it was. I had rashes appearing on my forehead... if I ran my hand around the edge of my face I felt sandpaper ...... my eyebrows - dear lord - they looked like porcupine spikes!! sticking up and out from my face. I've been blessed with nice eyebrows - nicely shaped without having to tweeze - nice colour - BUT now they were ugly!! and it wasn't just my face - my whole body was drying up and flaking off. and itching!!!
A friend told me her dermatologist recommended CeraVe .. I bought vat sized CeraVe and slathered that sh*t on my whole body and FACE night and day. I had some relief - but not much.
THEN as if it couldn't get any worse......... brown age spots started to appear on my face! I was devastated... (yes that sounds dramatic - BUT it's the truth - I was devastated! I am almost 20 years older than Sir Steve - I did NOT want to look like an old crone when I was with him!! vanity is real!)
A couple of months ago on my feed on Facebook - I read an ad for face treatments. They offered a month's supply of your choice for free. AND they promised not to automatically enrol you in their program. Curiosity won out and I clicked the link. First plus was it was a Canadian company. I browsed through their packages - settling on their treatment for extreme dry skin......... I started to fill in the forms.... waiting for the required credit card number. It never came up. They shipped their product and it arrived in less than 10 days........... AND it was totally free - no tax - no shipping! I started using it...... at first I thought it was a pain - cleansing - treating - moisturizing and once a week I was applying 2 masks - first a glycolic peel - then a hydrating antioxidant mask. I did notice that my skin seemed to be less dry........ was there hope?
I decided to place an order for full size product - it was easy peasy and still no automatic renewal .......... YAY!! (Can you tell how impressed I am ??!!)
This morning I put all the creams lotions and masks out in the bathroom.........
OMG! and I believe I'm not high maintenance?? (grinning) It takes almost an hour just to do the masks - then cleanse and moisturize BUT I am seeing a small improvement..... my skin is soft again - no sandpaper! My eyebrows are lying flat again - no more porcupine spikes. As for the brown spots? the wrinkles? I'm not expecting a miracle.... and they do say it can take months for the age spots to fade ........ who knows maybe they'll fade a little bit.............
As for that vat of CeraVe - I'm using that on my body....... it's slowly moisturizing again and isn't as itchy or flaky.
BUT I can't help musing on what we women do in the name of beauty - or is it pure vanity?
Make sure you have a good sunblock. That helps with the age spots.
ReplyDeleteAlso, yes, i do believe what women will do for vanity. one of the tags on my blog is "skincare" lol.
Cerave is awesome. Use it on damp skin for locking in moisture with the ceramides. But that's about all it'll do. If there are other issues it's likely you'll need other ingredients.
I'm glad this range is working for you. It's such a relief when we find something that suits us. It's really also annoying that there isnt just that one easy fix. If only there was a one-size-fits-all formula!
It's also a huge plus when there's no "auto renewal" type of enrollment. I hate those.
I am very fair skinned and have never been a sun worshipper. For most of my adult life I have lived in the shade with sunblock slathered on. The only thing I don't do that I should is wear a hat.. I HATE hats - wait that's not entirely true... I always think they look ugly .. and when I take them off - HAT HAIR !!!! GAH....
DeleteHAHAH i hear you on the hat hair!
DeleteI'm glad you're getting some relief. I remember watching my mother too. I'd give a ton to fine the exact cream she used - she ordered it special. I'd use it but mostly I want to smell it again. I've had the dermatologist remove two age spots from my face. That looks like hell as they heal. Both were mostly hidden by my glasses, but the one I have now is right on my cheek and I'm trying to decide when to have it removed. I hope all your stuff works.
ReplyDeleteI did not realize they could be removed!! am not sure I would ever go that route... but who knows?!
DeleteLiving with psoriasis, there are periods when I have to do a lot of skin care regimes. It is annoying but getting a good result is a relief. It's worth the time and effort
ReplyDeletePrefectdt
ugh - I have psoriasis too Prefectdt - it's on my scalp.... I have oil for that .... that too is a new addition to my life - had it for about 10 years ... ahh well - it could be worse I guess
DeleteFor the past two years now I have been using prescriptions of Enstilum. It's the best thing that I have used so far and gets me away from the steroid based treatments, which I am wary of
DeletePrefectdt
Hi Morningstar, I'm glad you have found a range that seems to be working for you. I do think alot of our skincare regime is in the name of vanity. However, when skin issues result in uncomfortable, sore, itchy skin it's a necessity.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Roz