Wow, it's been five years since I last posted anything on here. I don't even know if anyone is going to read this but I have missed talking about my favorite skincare products. I'm not even sure how to do this blogging thing anymore but here's my attempt to get back into the swing of things. Here's a quick life update...my twin boys are in Pre-K part time so I have a little more free time, but not much. We moved out of NYC to a different state in mid 2018 which was the best decision ever. I cannot imagine going through this whole pandemic in a cramped NYC apartment with two crazy, energetic five year old boys and trying to avoid people when outdoors! Our neighbors would have been so upset with all the stomping, yelling, pounding that kids their age do. And then, there have been many changes in my once oily, acne prone skin. Where do I begin?
My skin during pregnancy and in the heyday of nursing was great. I rarely ever broke out. But as my twins started nursing less (I nursed until twenty-six months), my acne started coming back. I finally broke down and saw a dermatologist who recommended going back on birth control. The only issue was that I had to stop nursing in order to start the pill. In the end, getting my face in check was more important to me since my skin scars so easily. My derm also confirmed my suspicions that the pill was what would clear up my hormonal acne in the end with the help of 50mg of spironolactone until I go into full on menopause. So fast forward to where the skin is now at forty-five, my acne is under control but I'm left with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), atrophic scars on the lower half of my face, and sunspots which Asian people are prone to having as we age. I've been extremely diligent about sunscreen application since my mid thirties but the damage was already done. I've never been one to spend time in the sun and preferred being indoors but sun exposure is inevitable over decades of one's life. My point, ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY no matter what the weather or if you're indoors or outdoors!!! I put sunscreen on my boys almost every day. I'll admit there have been a few days where I just forgot because my mind was somewhere else but I make it a point to get them in the habit of daily sunscreen use. Also my once oily skin is now more on the normal side, especially in the winter months.
The other big change in my skin was due to covid. I was diagnosed with mask induced rosacea. I have it under control now and my skin barrier is much stronger. But, I do notice how easily my face will get red and wearing a mask for a lengthy period of time will still irritate my skin. Now that I know what the issue is, I have some go to skincare products I reach for when the rosacea acts up.
So, the whole point of this post is that I finally decided to be proactive about "fixing" my face as I call it and start off the new year with a new me! I've been pretty self conscious about walking around with a bare face for a long time now. Yes, I wear a mask everywhere but I'd like to look in a mirror and not fixate on all the spots and divots on my face. With the help of my dermatologist, I started using tretinoin and we decided to do three rounds of microneedling and a few treatments of IPL laser. The microneedling is for treating the acne scars and the IPL is for any pigmentation in the skin like sun spots. I have finished one round of microneedling so far and I hope to post about my initial experience with it soon, fingers crossed. And on that note, thank you for stopping by!
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Jennifer
