Acne Cure Program Products

I finally have all my products together that am going to be using in my acne cure program. 
      1.       2% Salicylic Acid:  Obagi Clenziderm foam cleanser and pore therapy
      2.       Benzoyl Peroxide: Obagi Clenziderm 5% therapeutic lotion

3.       Glycolic Acid: Reviva Labs 10% Glycolic acid cream

4.       Moisturizer with sunscreen: Celazome Moisturizing sunscreen with SPF 30 UVA/UVB protection

 

5.       Cold pack: Thera Pearl Facemask

Basically these are what I am going to be using. The Obagi Clenziderm M.D. systems package comes with a 2% salicylic acid foam cleanser, a 2% salicylic acid pore therapy lotion and the 5% benzoyl peroxide (BPO) lotion. This package is for normal to oily skin and I have oily skin so this fits. The Obagi system is a little expensive but I went ahead and got this because years back I used one of their other products (not a Clenziderm system) and it was pretty effective so I trust the brand. Also I read a lot of good reviews about them so am going to trust them again and see what happens.

The Reviva glycolic cream was decently priced and has lots of great review on amazon.

The Celazome moisturizing sunscreen with spf30 was not a new buy. I have been using it for a while now. I have tried a lot of sunscreen moisturizers over the years and they all sucked. They were either too oily or actually made me break out. A lot of them smelled really bad too. My bad experience had actually led to me not wear sunscreen until May of this year when I discovered Celazome. It had a lot of good reviews but I was really skeptical when I bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised with it. It doesn’t make my face oily, it doesn’t break me out because it’s non-comedogenic, and it is PABA and fragrance free. A 4 oz. bottle is about $20, a tad expensive but it is totally worth it. It’s greaseless, water-proof, and sweat-proof. It also lasts a long time because a little goes a long way and the 1 application lasts all day. And did mention that it’s a great moisturizer. Try it if you are in the market for a great moisturizer with sunscreen.

Finally, remember me saying Dr. Dubrow recommended using a cold pack on your face before the benzoyl peroxide. The reason being that the cold opens up the pores where there is a lot of bacteria so the benzoyl peroxide is able to enter and work. It also reduces inflammation which reduces swelling around pores and reduces clogging of pores. This makes total sense. Oh and by the way this cold technique is used a lot by plastic surgeons post-surgery and by dermatologists too.

Ok there you go. Will post full regimen next.

XOXO,

Ony.

P.S.: all pictures via google.

Goal: To Cure All Acne (Body Acne Included)

Via Jessicasimien.com

Since my teenage years and now in my adult life I have always dealt and continue to deal with acne -on my face, my chest, my back and arms- and I HATE IT. It has ruined my skin and affected my self-esteem. I remember growing up and my mom telling me not to worry about it because am going to grow out of it. Well am in my late 20’s and yet to grow out of it. Like many others suffering from acne I have tried a lot of products from over-the-counter products like Neutrogena, Olay, Clearasil, Oxy clinical, AcneFree, Murad, Proactive and others to prescriptions like benzoyl peroxide (BPO), RetinA and antibiotics that I can’t remember their names. Even as recently as 2 months ago I tried another product I saw at Costco called SebaMed. The thing is these products worked but only for a short while. The prescription BPO worked but I unfortunately lost a lot of clothes to it due to its bleaching. I was younger then and really didn’t care to continue with it. RetinA was too drying on my skin. Proactive was working a little but then it gave me a rash, I had to choose between just my acne face or a face full of itchy rash AND acne so I had to stop proactive.

Now that I am actively pursuing clear skin, I decided to read a book that I had in my book shelf for months now called ‘The Acne Cure’ by Dr. Dubrow.

 via everbeautiful.com

It was a good read and the basic summary is that there are 4 steps to Dr. Dubrow’s acne cure program.

Step 1: Clean away excess dead cells with 2% salicylic acid (SA) twice a day.

Step 2: Remove clog with 8%-10% glycolic acid (AHA) lotion every morning.

Step 3: Stop acne in its tracks with 2%-5% benzoyl peroxide (BPO) every evening. There is a key addition to this step that requires using ice pack to cool your face and reduce inflammation before applying the refrigerated BPO.

Step 4: Protect skin with oil free moisturizer with SPF 15 or more.

According to Dr. Dubrow, if you follow these steps in 6 weeks, your acne will be cured for approximately 95% of acne sufferers. He explains that his program works because of the combined use of SA, BPO, and AHA. He also includes research in the book to support his cure program. Coming from a science background this program makes a lot of sense and am going to be living by it for the next six week. I’m looking to starting this program on Monday since am waiting for my glycolic acid  lotion to get here. I might put up before pictures if I get the courage.

***Please if anyone is thinking of following this program, please read the book before proceeding. It really is a good and quick read and there are key instructions in the book that needs to be followed. Also please talk to your personal physician before doing anything that affects your health.

Love,

Ony 

NEW BEGINNINGS

 photo from www.we-testify.com

So I have been looking for something new to do and blogging happens to fit perfectly with where am at in my life now. After more than a quarter century of life I have decided to find the more feminine me. Not that I have necessarily been a tomboy but I have not been that "girlish" either. When I say not girlish I mean I have not been the type of girl that had her nails done every week or couple weeks (am guessing that's how often they get is taken care of, I don't know) like most girls, or have their hair always looking good, lover of all shades of pink, with great skin and makeup -I don't even know how to properly put on makeup for crying out loud.

 

Anyway, so I finally  decided to do something about it, be more girly and hopefully find my true feminine side and fashion style in the process, and am going to use this blog to document my journey. Finding Outer Beauty is exactly what am looking/planning on doing, finding my outer beauty -which every female has. From repairing my acne prone and damaged skin to finding what makeup work with my skin and how to properly use it, to losing the extra 25 pounds I gained over the last year plus a lot more. I need to stay motivated. Wish me luck :-)

 

xoxo,

Ony