Sang's Blog

My Skin Care Journey

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by

Sang
in

If you’re visiting here, then you probably am on a journey on find tips and tricks to get clear beautiful skin. Believe me, I’ve been there too. Growing up, I was constantly looked at with pity because my skin was covered in acne, from blackheads to whiteheads, from the top of my forehead to my chin, down my neck to my shoulder areas, to what I believe was also along my scalp! It took me years (been having this issue since I was in middle school) before I figured out what worked best for me. It may not work for you, but its still a learning point on your journey to obtaining clear skin!

So first off, let me tell you about my skin. I have combination but more so oily skin. You could touch my skin mid-day and you would be able to see the oil residue on your hands from where it had touched my face. Secondly, I have both whiteheads and blackheads.

Whiteheads are as they appear: white bumps on your skin. Essentially it is when you have dead skin and oil clogging your pores, and end up with bumps appearing the color of yellow or white on your skin. When its inflamed that nodule has a pink-red ring around the pore, looking like a mini volcano that is trying to erupt.

Blackheads are the when you have black bumps on your skin instead, often caused by debris getting stuck in your skin. They can also be inflamed, but not as often as whiteheads do.

Now in terms of treating the two, can you treat them the same or differently? The answer is yes you can treat them with the same products. The goal of treating is to promote cell-turnover, treating inflammation, and prevent the pores from getting clogged again.

What products do you use then?

There are many different products that you can use to clean your pores, the two main categories are nonprescription and prescription medications.

Nonprescription medications are ones that you can purchase off the shelves at a store without the need of a doctor writing a prescription for you. Now when you head to the store you may get overwhelmed looking at the large variety of products available, and more importantly, at the many different active ingredients in each products that are advertised for the use of getting rid of your acne. The thing that you are looking for is going to be the specific ingredient to do certain things that you find is what your skin needs

Some active ingredients that you would look for are:

  • Azelaic acid: This is a natural acid that can be found in grains such as barley, wheat and rye. This ingredient is amazing as what it does is it kills microorganisms on the skin which prevents inflammation and reduces swelling.
  • Benzoyl peroxide: This is available as an over-the-counter product (such as Clearasil®, Stridex® and PanOxyl®) as a leave-on gel or wash. It targets surface bacteria, which often aggravates acne. Lower concentrations and wash formulations are less irritating to your skin. Irritation (dryness) is a common side effect.
  • Retinoids (vitamin A derivatives): Retinoids, such as Retin-A®, Tazorac® and Differin® (which is now available without a prescription), break up whiteheads as well as blackheads and help to prevent clogged pores. You may notice a change in skin color or peeling. Using retinoids every other day or using them at the same time as a moisturizer can reduce these side effects.
  • Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid is an ingredient that can be found in many acne treating products. It is often in lotions, cleansers, and serums. What this ingredient does is that it promotes the removal of the top layer of damaged or inflamed skin. The salicylic acid dissolves dead skin cells that are commonly found in the pores to prevent clogging, and stimulates the sloughing of the outermost layer of the skin (like a snake shedding its skin).
  • Antibiotics: Mostly in the form of capsules or tablets, antibiotics reduce the bacteria that cause blackheads by preventing inflammation and killing off the bacteria that tends to cause the inflammation.

Should you pop the acne?

Now, while it may be very tempting to pop the acne it is not advised to. Popping the acne causes problems such as

  • Introducing open wounds that would allow other bacteria or current bacteria into the blood stream which can travel to other areas of the body to cause infection. Think of it this way, you’re popping and opening holes on your face which is close to your brain, you can risk letting bacteria sneak past your skin (which is a protective layer), go into your blood, and travel up to your brain!
  • It can cause scarring. Have you seen the number of people who have indents in their skin, like craters or holes in their skin? Don’t ask them unless they’re open about it, but that is what popping those whiteheads and blackheads can do to your skin.

Do whiteheads go away on their own?

Yes they do go away on their own. How long though, it can vary. I know I am guilty of lacking the patience so I tend to touch my acne and cause them to get inflamed.

Now what products do I like to use to manage my acne?

Ok now for my personal thoughts on what I’ve found worked for me. I found that for me simplicity is the key. I found that keeping my regimen simple is good as it helps me figure out what worked and what did not work for me. I’ve tried a lot of products, I even tried the 10 steps Korean skin care at one point in my life and it was hard for me to figure out if a product was causing more problems and which ones helped. Consistency is another thing. For the first week or so the product may not seem to be working, and what I learned is that it takes time before the results starts showing. Give it roughly a month or two before you decide if it is really working or not.

Ok so now to the products that I use!

  • Facial Cleaner: My go to facial cleanser is the Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin (https://amzn.to/4gjsiRr). It is gentle on my skin, but out of a lot of the other cleansers that I have used in the past, I can tell it works. The first couple of weeks that I was using it I could tell that it was drying my skin. My skin would feel like dead skin that got dried up and is trying to peel off. It does not feel good, but I kept using it anyway since at the time it was during COVID so no one could see my peeling skin underneath the mask, and after a month of the drying and peeling it stopped. My skin looks clear and not scaly now.
  • Serum: This one is not a popular one as its not something that pops up on the list of products that you would often find in a beauty store. My go to serum is the Eva’s Natural Vitamin C Face Serum With Hyaluronic Acid (https://amzn.to/4e0EGnP). I like this one because it has vitamin C which helps promotes skin cell turnover. On top of that this serum contains a plethora of other ingredients as denoted above that are commonly used to help with managing acne such as retinol, niacinamide, and salicylic acid. Mind you when I first started using this serum, for a good month my skin would burn on initial contact to my skin. After a month or so the burning stopped, and I noticed a huge change to my skin complexion and the amount of acne so I’ve been continuously using it ever since. With the bottle it typically lasts me about 2-3 months before I need to order a new one.
  • Moisturizer: So with this one, I am still in the process of looking for the perfect one that will be in constant stock. My favorite one has been in and out of stock so I am still looking for a good replacement for it. First Aid Beauty gel moisturizer (https://amzn.to/3XG17ZY) is my absolute favorite. Having oily skin, I don’t use creams much as it is thick and can clog my pores more. Gel is thin and absorbs well without leaving a residue so it does not cause clogging. This product has been a tried and proven true amazing product for me. At one point though it stopped being made though so I had to turn to other products. I use the Momopuri Moist Barrier Face Cream (https://tokyocentral.com/products/momopuri-moist-barrier-face-cream-2-8-oz) recently when I traveled to California and like the texture. Despite the misleading name, its not a cream but is gel based. It also smells really nice.
  • SPF: My go to has always been Kanebo Allie SPF 50 UVA/UVB sunscreen (https://amzn.to/3MIn308), but essentially any sunscreen that covers UVA and UVB is good. My second go to is Neutrogena SPF 70 UVA/UBA (https://amzn.to/3Zr6XQd). Both of these I think are light so they don’t feel heavy on my skin which helps as in the past thicker ones tend to leave a shiny residue behind which often lead to clogging my pores.
  • Treating Acne Spots: This has been my go to for when an acne pops up. The COSRX Acne Pimple Patch (https://amzn.to/3XDcH81) contains hydrocolloid which has the ability to cause osmosis in pulling out impurities across the cell membranes. Its really slow if the acne hasn’t popped yet, but I like to use it as it also acts as a protect barrier that keeps my finger from touching the acne itself. You can also see it work as the patch will slowly have areas on the patch that turn an opaque white which is the impurities. Sometimes it sticks to your skin really well, other times it will need replacing in a day or so as the patch may not be big enough to hold all the impurities or your skin is too oily for it to adhere well.

Other products that I like are denoted below. They vary as these are not used regularly, but are more so occasional treats that I like to do on top of my daily routines.

Give a comment on what products you find works for you for your skin type! Sharing is caring!

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