My skin.
Competitive horseback riding wearing helmets, marathon running, and the general life of a college student are all factors that heavily contribute to my skin. Having anxiety also doesn't help. The worst thing about my anxiety is the fact that picking anything (nails, skin, etc) calms me the eff down. Frequent skin picking(pimples, nails, scalp, scabs) is also a sign of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well. We live a life where sometimes, some of the worst things for us make us feel the best. It is so not easy to break a habit, especially one that brings out comfort in bad situations.
Back when I was job searching, I picked my skin all the time. It didn't help that I have a huge bathroom mirror at home (I always pick more when I visit home versus at school). All it literally took was one look in the mirror and I would zoom in on my skin, picking anything and everything. I would leave that mirror with red everywhere, and my face would look even worse than before! I would regret it instantly. You know how I mentioned in my nails post that I had a resolution to not pick or bite my nails in 2016? Well picking my skin/pimples was included, too. Sadly, I didn't make it that for on the skin picking resolution. I remember I had a HUGE zit on New Year's Day, like bad. I decided that I would pick my skin if it got bad, but I would use a tissue instead of just my fingers. I figured that it would be less extra oil going into my skin and therefore, it wouldn't be as bad. NOPE. Nope nope nope nope nope. Don't do it. Please don't. Picking at a pimple or zit in any way, shape, or form won't do anything good. Let's flash forward from January to April:
I'm sitting here in my tiny sorority house bedroom, staring at the new random pimple that just seemed to pop up on my chin. My chin is my worst area. Every other part of my skin is usually clear (except for the occasional pimple or two on my forehead) but there has always been something-whether a pimple or a scar-on my chin. I have been taking really good care of my skin lately, I haven't picked in a few weeks and I am trying to keep my momentum up. I haven't been touching my skin as much (touching your skin can spread more oils and bacteria). I have been using a minimal amount of products on my skin, only the ones below:
I have been starting to use Micellar Cleansing Water over traditional makeup wipes. This stuff is a lot gentler on skin, and gets makeup off, but sadly not as good as the wipes. I use wipes for my eyes only (I try to minimize rubbing) and use this for my skin!
I love this soap! It is Cuticura Medicated Antibacterial Soap for acne-prone skin. Want to know one of the most interesting things about this soap? One of my professors gave it to me. Yes, that is probably a first! This was back about a month ago where I had to miss class because I used too much Dermatologist prescribed Benzoyl Peroxide gel, and I looked like one of those goldfish with the big swelling eyes. She recommended this soap because she buys it in bulk and has always used it. One day in class, I show up and the soap was placed down right in front of me! BUT SERIOUSLY GUYS...I think this soap is the only stuff I will ever use now. I used to buy all of those scrubs and face washes at Walgreens and Target, but now I will only stick to this stuff. It has cleared up my skin so much! Shout out to you, Dr. J!
I bought these pads because they were cheap, but they actually work really well and smell very good! I use them on my chest after a run, and a few nights a week I wash my face with the Cuticura soap and then use one of these after. My skin is so much clearer the next day!
Besides these products, I love Olay Complete Moisturizer with SPF 15, and MaskerAide face masks. They are a little on the expensive side- $7.00 per mask, but I love the cute packaging and how well they work! Check out the MaskerAide blog here at http://www.maskeraide.com/blog/. My favorite one is the All Nighter mask, it smells so minty fresh and is perfect after a long week of studying.
However, despite using these wonderful products, my chin is STILL breaking out. Despite everything, even being on medicine for my skin, some things may just take a while to change. My skin has had its worse days, and it is currently the clearest it has ever been. So here is what I am going to do:
A 30 Days of NO PICKING Challenge!! Are you with me?!
For this challenge, I will resist all urge to touch and pick my face.
I will
-Drink more water
-Follow my skin care routine with the products listed above
-AVOID TOUCHING SKIN AT ALL COSTS
-Use a face mask at least once every other week
-Drink a cup of tea every night
-Be in bed by 11:00 every night and asleep by 11:30
I know that all of these factors will help me get better skin. So are you in with me?! Let me know in the comments section below or on any of my social media platforms. Let's help each other out! Remember, slipping up every once in a while is OK. It happens, we are human, and like I said, sometimes these habits can take a long time to break. Just keep your chin up, and keep at your skin care. Remember that you could be doing everything right, but some factors (like stress and genetics) are still making those pesky pimples pop up. Just be patient!
Good luck and let's do this!!
Grace
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