Let’s start with the basics – my skin type, texture, issues, etc. Most recently (since stopping dermatologist recommended “treatments” – that alone improved things, but I plan to discuss that more in a different post) my skin has been pretty normal or even normal to dry, but congested, blotchy and with a lot of residual redness from past acne and the above “treatments” (yes, the quotes are necessary!). Oh, and who can forget the giant pores mainly on my cheeks (not to mention the new scarring from the aesthetician)? Hoping to cure these ills myself, mainly for lack of time to seek out a new dermatologist, plus a bit of fear in their methods, I have been trying some new products on my own. The following are the things with which I have found the most success!
Didn't wanna include this, but I think it shows the difference. Look at the pore size!
My skin is by no means perfect (who's is?), but I feel like it's greatly improved.
So depressing finding these photos!
Let’s start with the first product I added to my routine. It is the Paula’s Choice Resist 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment. This is a highly concentrated topical Vitamin C that is intended to be used only on specific areas that need help. It targets brown spots and prior redness from acne. It claims to help with deep wrinkles as well, but I don’t have those yet, so I cannot comment on its efficacy in that field. What I can tell you is that this is mother-freakin’ spectacular for red spots! I’m not referring to a condition like rosacea, but definitely post-acne scarring is tremendously improved by this treatment! The difference was noticeable within a day or two. I had been using a Vitamin C serum for a while and felt it helped with redness, which is actually why I had some hope for this, but I was actually so surprised by how effective this treatment was / is! Granted, I still have redness, but it has faded so dramatically and so much faster than with just a standard Vitamin C serum.
I only apply this to red spots, not to my entire face (though the redness makes up a decent span of skin on my face). Also, this is something you need to use a good SPF 25 or higher while using. I pat this on redness twice a day, every day (not sure that’s recommended, but it’s working for me). It is by far the best product I have tried for reducing post acne-scarring. If you are worried about anything of the sort, you need to try the Paula’s Choice Resist 25% Vitamin C Treatment!
The next product I decided to try is also from Paula’s Choice. It is the Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5%AHA. AHA is also known as Glycolic Acid and is an anti-aging exfoliating treatment typically used for drier skin types. In contrast, BHA (or Salicylic Acid), is typically used for oilier and acne-prone skin. I had been using a prescription Salicylic Acid treatment for a long time and came to realize that my skin actually became oilier and more red while using it. Plus it wasn’t helping much at all with the congestion of my skin. I had tried everything imaginable with little success, and thought why not give AHA a go? It’s a chemical exfoliant as well, but different ingredients work with different skin, so I tried the AHA version of the Daily Smoothing Treatment. Again, somewhere between 1-3 days, the bumps in my skin lessened. They are by no means gone even months later – not sure how to solve that entirely – but they are significantly improved and I’m not collecting more. My acne hasn’t returned outside the occasional spot, nor are the existing bumps getting worse. Plus, without the Salicylic Acid (this does have 0.5% BHA, but no where near the doses I had been using before), my skin has resumed its prior state of being relatively normal in terms of oil-production.
Again, I use this twice a day, every day and it is another product that you’re going to want to follow with a good sunscreen. It has a light texture that glides smoothly over the skin and will definitely make a noticeable difference in the softness of your skin…well, it has mine! I also feel that my crater pores began to shrink a bit after starting the Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA! Seriously impressed with this as well.
The newest, and most shocking, addition to my skin care arsenal has been the Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips & Carrot Perfecting Serum. I added this in place of Argan Oil. It is essentially 100% pure Rose Hips Oil blended with cold-pressed Carrot Seed Oil and Seabuckthorn Seed Oil. No need to double oil! Rose Hips oil is thought to regenerate skin, reverse sun damage, decrease scarring, and improve acne and rosacea according to the Shea Terra Organics website. Also according to their description, the Egyptian Carrot Seed oil is high in Vitamin E and beta-carotene, which helps prevent moisture loss, improves smoothness, and soothes irritated skin. The Seabuckthorn oil is thought to heal skin and improve inflammation. Check, check, check, check, check, check, check, check and check! It literally does seem to do all these things for my skin and, most shocking of all, my pores have definitely shrunk since adding this serum! I’ve gone from craters to pin-points. At various points during the day, or with certain foundations, my pores can look somewhat larger again, but nowhere near the size they used to be. I really don’t know how that’s possible, but it seems to be the case and I’m not complaining! J
I can’t say with certainty that this serum repairs damaged skin, enhances healthy cellular growth, improves acne and improves and balances the skin’s moisture levels as the description touts, but I definitely have noticed a positive difference in the condition of my skin! If there is just one of these products that I think everyone needs to try right now, the Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips & Carrot Perfecting Serum would be first on the list. It seriously is a true game changer.
Obviously everyone’s skin is different and reacts differently to products, but for me, the Paula’s Choice Resist Daily Smoothing Face Treatment with 5% AHA, the Resist 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment and the Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips & Carrot Perfecting Serum have been total game changers. I do not know how I was living without these products on my face! If you have similar issues to mine, or even if you don’t, I think you could greatly benefit from adding at least one or two of these products to your routine. I don’t think I have ever been so impressed with the results from any other skin care products before. Definitely game changers! J
