How I Transformed My Skin in 3 Months
When I look at these photos I am in awe of how far my skin has come in just 3 short months. In today’s post I am going to break down in detail the 5 things I did to completely transform my skin. But first, a brief back story.
I have used and loved Beautycounter products for almost 10 years now. I have mixed in other brands occasionally, as one does, but continue to come back to them for how incredibly clean AND effective they are. (It was my experience I could find products that were one or the other: clean OR effective, but not both.) However, after having Andy, my second son, almost 3 years ago, my skin started changing, and not for the better. What started as a patch of redness on my cheek slowly developed to vascularity around my nose, more redness across my nose and T-zone, and eventually blemishes that bordered adult acne. I tried everything I could think of, including changing skincare brands, using Dime for a short time, and seeing no results. I got a few facials, at which the estheticians were totally stumped and basically told me to reduce my skincare routine to cleanser and moisturizer only until I could figure out what was irritating it (assuming it was a product I was using.) I thought maybe it was hormonal, environmental (since we moved back stateside shortly before Andy was born and this all began), dietary etc. While all these things CAN have a significant impact on our skin, nothing I tried was working.
I finally “broke down” and went to the Dermatologist. I resisted doing this for so long because I “knew” they would prescribe me something toxic I wouldn’t be willing to use anyways, so why go? But I became desperate. I had never felt so uncomfortable with my skin and after YEARS of trouble shooting on my own, I was, at the very least, curious as to what they would say.
The appointment lasted all of 10 minutes. She took one look at my skin, told me I had rosacea (and a very mild case at that) and that a triple cream could deliver some amazing results. I had her write down the 3 main ingredients so I could go home and do my research to make sure I was comfortable with the ingredients. Come to find out they were extremely mild! They targeted the redness and vascularity I was experiencing as well as the acne. Apparently, everyone has skin mites. Might sound gross but they are microscopic and generally harmless. But for those with rosacea, the skin mites can really irritate your skin and cause all those break outs! The Ivermectin in the cream kills the mites and keeps them from irritating your skin. After researching and feeling comfortable with the ingredients, I went ahead and ordered the cream. IT WORKED. And this calmed down my skin enough that I realized: nothing in my skincare routine was irritating my skin! I moved forward carefully adding one product at a time back into my routine to be extra sure, and within a few months I had gone from a simple cleanser and moisturizer, to my full 4 step routine, adding in the C Serum (that I had never been able to use before!) and weekly exfoliation (that I used to think flared up my rosacea but now actually helped clear it.) The photos speak for themselves. I get about one pimple a month right before “Aunt Flo” arrives, my skin is less red and blotchy, my skin tone and texture has improved significantly. I have never been this confident in my raw skin before. And it feels SO good!!
There are 5 things I did as part of this journey to care for my skin that I want to share in case they can be helpful to you too:
I went to the dermatologist! Don’t discount their professional opinion. I still did my research to ensure the products I purchased from them were clean and not going to do any internal harm. But I cannot discount the fact that the cream they gave me allowed me to follow through with steps 2-5. It was the beginning of the transformation.
Once I worked my way back up to a full regimen, I started using a 4-step skincare routine… CONSISTENTLY. Every morning and night I 1. Cleanse 2. Prep (tonner or essence) 3. Treat (serums) and 4. Protect (Moisturizer). If this sounds like a lot, please know it takes all of 1 minute and 50 seconds to do the entire routine. Combined with brushing my teeth my entire routine takes under 5 minutes. Not bad at all! And a routine is just that… a routine. Once it becomes a daily habit, you might just start to look forward to and enjoy it. I know I do!
Part of that 4 part routine has been using our Mighty Plump Water Cream. This cream happened to launch right around the time I went to the dermatologist. So when I went back to the basics of cleanser and moisturizer only, I implemented the Mighty Plump for my daytime cream. The ceramides were so soothing for my skin, really calming the redness. And while a thicker cream, it did not clog my pores or contribute to the breakouts. On top of that, the plumping makes my skin look and feel so smooth in the morning and now that I have been using it for almost 2 months, I can truly attest to the lasting anti-aging benefits. This one cream might quickly becoming my #1 favorite product.
I exfoliate weekly. A few times a week I make sure I either: physically exfoliate with our Bamboobuff Polish, chemically exfoliate with our Overnight Resurfacing Peel or I tackle both at once with our AHA Mask (chemical and physical exfoliant.) This encourages cell turnover, helping my skin repair itself faster and keeping blemishes at bay.
Lastly, I try to maintain good skin health from the inside out. I take my daily collagen and multi-vitamin. I drink plenty of water. I limit sugar and alcohol intake. I do everything I can to keep my hormones in balance (that’s a whole other post for another day!) and protect my skin from the sun (within reason, I also love some good Vitamin D.)
All of these things are constant layers. On any given day or week one or more of these may be out of balance. And that’s okay! Having perfect skin is not the goal. But taking good care of myself is. And I cannot tell you the ripple effects this has on my overall health. I find when I am consistent with some things it overflows into other areas of my life. When I have a good evening skincare routine I am more likely to write in my journal before bed. When I pause to do a weekly mask I usually end up taking it up a notch by combining it with a bath, some hot tea and a book, thus giving myself half an hour of quiet and calm I would not have otherwise had. Caring for my skin overflowed into other areas of my life, and for that I am thankful!
Now the question is… do you love your skin? Do you feel confident even without makeup on? If not, I would love the opportunity to try and help you with that. Send me a DM, comment on this post, reach out in any way and I would love to be in touch! Do something TODAY that you will thank yourself for tomorrow.
