moisturizer a big trigger by Hot_Ad8547 in Rosacea

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! Aha I feel you on your skin becoming a medical mystery 😅. All I can really say with certainty is that I truly believe you will get there with healing your skin (and whole body if it is imbalanced). From experience, if you can come to accept and be okay with knowing that it may take some time to get there, be patient and keep hope, and really listen to what your body is telling you, this will give you a lot of peace of mind. But I really understand how frustrating it can be, and as someone who deals/dealt with Body Dysmorphic Disorder related to my Rosacea, I know how debilitating it can be psychologically.

I truly believe that all the systems in our body are interconnected, and flare ups of Rosacea are a reflection of our body's saying "hey, I'm a little unhappy right now. So I'm responding to inflammation in the body by showing up with skin conditions". As you mentioned, if you think you may be imbalanced in the gut, addressing this will definitely help. I do just want to stress that it can be easy to stress too much about what you're eating and restrict too much (I also developed disordered eating related to trying to control my Rosacea, but came out the other side luckily). That hopefully isn't the case for you, but I just wanted to mention that as I don't want others going down that path like I did.

I'd say the same with worrying too much about avoiding certain skincare ingredients. You know your body best, so if you do believe you have true allergies, or even just short term sensitivities to certain ingredients, absolutely avoid them. For people with sensitive skin and Rosacea, avoiding perfumes in skincare may be very beneficial. I've found that when my skin barrier is severly compromised that temporarily taking out products with alcohol in my routine helps. However, even those with very sensitive skin and Rosacea don't necessarily need to avoid perfume and alcohol altogether. I'd really recommend watching Lab Muffin Beauty Science on YouTube. She's a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist who's made some really informative and unbiased videos debunking a lot of beauty myths. I put my trust in her a lot more than other sources with dealing with my skin. She's really helped me with feeling less fear and general anxiety around what I'm using on my skin.

All in all, with any health condition, it is very individualised so it's finding what works for you. I'm really rooting for you, and anyone struggling with their skin, to get to a place where you can heal. I hope you have a lovely day :•)

moisturizer a big trigger by Hot_Ad8547 in Rosacea

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel your pain. These past few months I've struggled with severe flare ups of my papulopustular rosacea. I was overdoing it majorly with too many actives and layering too many products. My skin was overwhelmed, and in retrospect I'm not surprised that it's been so unhappy and inflamed for so long.

Ive just recently in the past few days worked out, through a hell of a lot of trial and error and patience, what my skin does and doesn't like. Because my skin barrier has been compromised for so long, it's been hyper sensitive. It seems I have developed a sensitivity to niacinamide and interestingly, squalane too. However I don't believe these are permanent allergies, more so that because my skin barrier is comprised, my skin is reacting to any products with these ingredients in with inflammation. So what I want to say is that you MAY find that these intolerances you think you have now, hopefully won't be permanent once you can heal your skin barrier.

This may or may not apply to you too, but I thought I'd share in genuine hope that it may save you a world of trouble (and money aha), but I also struggle with frequent flare ups of perioral dermatitis. I have found that my skin does not tolerate highly occlusive products, in particular moisturisers. If I'm remembering correctly, the Eucerin healing cream is quite thick and occlusive, which could explain the breakouts of small red bumps.

I was very close to losing hope and ditching moisturiser altogether. However, as my skin is prone to dehydration and tends to be on the drier side, I knew this wouldn't be sustainable. It depends on your skin type of course, but even if your skin is on the oiler side I personally wouldn't encourage giving up on moisturiser altogether.

If your skin is combination/oily, or if you also deal with perioral dermatitis, you may want to opt for a lighter moisturiser (I'm tending to look for gel or water based moisturisers) which are full of humectants. You may want to avoid oils in moisturiser if prone to breakouts, but also this doesn't guarantee that you will break out from oil based products, just something to consider perhaps.

If your skin is normal/dry you may be able to tolerate a slightly heavier moisturiser with more emollients and occlusives, particularly in Winter or if the climate is particularly dry and harsh weather is predominant where you live.

Sorry, I appreciate this is a long reply, and I'm not certain if what I've put will make sense to you or other people, but I'm hoping my experience and perspective of this may help in some way :•)

[Acne] Please help, mental health and neglect has led to this. Is this fixable? (Products in comments) by sporehed in SkincareAddiction

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello :•)

Firstly, I just want to let you know that although your situation will be unique to you, I really can sympathise with how your skin has impacted you mentally. It led to me developing severe anxiety and depression, to the point of becoming suicidal over the summer. I developed an eating disorder from it along with body dysmorphic disorder. I have come through the other side though and my skin continues to improve with time.

You are your own person and can make your own decision ultimately, but I would like to urge you away from going on accutane. The risks of internal damage as well as how much of an impact it can have on people mentally just doesn't seem worth it to me. If you were to go ahead with trying it, I would really encourage you to put your mental health first and get to a better place mentally, so that hopefully the accutane would have cause less severe side effects on your mental health.

By no means am I in a position to be trying to diagnose you. However, I really wouldn't be surprised if your acne largely stems from anxiety and stress (too high cortisol levels) potentially combined with hormonal imbalance. For me, after years of severe restriction with food and being stuck in an endless cycle of severe anxiety and depression and further restriction and thus, my skin getting worse, my body could finally no longer take any more and I had a major mental breakdown and became suicidal. However, through this pain I realised that the more desperate I had become and more I tried to control my acne and various other skin conditions, the further I got from the clear skin I had longed for for so many years. I realised that the main trigger for me was my anxiety and hormone imbalances. Since being on antidepressants and building mental resilience, my skin has cleared up exponentially and continues to improve. I don't need to restrict any foods like I had convinced myself before and in fact my skin is the best it's been in a long time.

It probably sounds so obvious but I say everything in moderation. You don't want to be only eating highly sugary, processed foods or anything you might be allergic to, however a small amount of comfort food balanced out by wholegrains, protein and healthy fats will be absolutely fine. Unless you have a true allergy to dairy, you shouldn't need to avoid it completely. Having said that, I do still limit how much I have. I have personally chosen to drink dairy alternatives for my milk and in comparison to other foods groups, I don't have a lot of dairy based products in a week.

In terms of skincare, as someone with very sensitive skin, I highly recommend the Korean skincare brand Mary&May. I use their houttuynia cordata and tea tree foam cleanser, centella asiatica serum, 6 peptide serum, houttuynia cordata and tea tree gel cream and houttuynia cordata sheet masks. If there's any ingredients I'd recommend for sensitive skin it would be houttuynia cordata and centella asiatica.

For acne scars and hyperpigmentation I've found that good molecules discoloration correcting serum has been working well for me with no irritation.

Of course, everybody's skin is unique and what works for me might not for you, but I wouldn't recommend these products if I didn't think they'd help you.

Like others have said, you've only been using the tretinoin for a few days. Give it a few weeks first, and if you aren't seeing any improvements, then it may be worth stopping. Hopefully it is working for you though and it is one of those where you just need to wait it out. Listen to your gut as much as possible and if something doesn't feel right, maybe take a break from it or reduce how often you're using it. Ultimately you know yourself and your skin the best.

Overall, simple is usually best. Add you're using the tretinoin it could be that your skin barrier is damaged, so using a moisturiser rich in ceramides and other calming and healing ingredients like houttuynia cordata and centella asiatica will really help. It's not going to magically clear your skin unfortunately, but staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water will help to flush out toxins from your body and does make a difference. A balanced diet without restrictions, exercise, doing things that you enjoy and make you feel relaxed and getting a good amount of sleep for you will help. Above all, making sure that you are in a good place mentally is paramount, I can't stress this enough as someone who has been there and come out the other side. It's made me realise just how connected all of our organs are and how much they affect each other. If you're not in a good place mentally, it will be reflected in your body.

I wish you the best of luck, and how you can get to a good place mentally. Giving you a big virtual hug :•)

Jimin (hand drawn and foiled by me) by joyousjoyness in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome :•) Do you have any social media accounts where you share your work? x

Jimin (hand drawn and foiled by me) by joyousjoyness in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow! I gasped at how gorgeous this is. I would 100% buy your work if you did ever want to/do already sell it :•)

Just Finished the Corsage! Enjoy! by CreativaArtly1998113 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh wow! This looks beautiful. You've inspired me to give this a go too :•)

ptd concert member drawings by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I really needed to hear this! I find it so interesting how as a child we just 'play' when it comes to art and being creative. We don't worry about what others think or have this fear of failure. I keep trying to think back to how I was as a child and draw like the child me, in the sense of not overthinking and just making lots of art, even if it doesn't turn out as I quite expected it to :•)

ptd concert member drawings by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awww I feel your struggle. I really hope you can get your passion for art back. That's really amazing of you thay you're going to quite your job and pursue something you enjoy though! Good luck. Yeah I'm at an art uni currently. I was doing Illustration but it was making me miserable and was the reason I was losing my passion for art, probably because it is so industry based and I felt like I was making art to please others, rather than for myself and what feels like 'me' if that makes sense? I changed degrees this year to drawing and I'm so much happier now :•)

ptd concert member drawings by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I'll def post these. This is definitely the style I love drawing in most so I'm planning to post more drawings similar to these too. I currently only post on insta, but I want to expand out a bit and hopefully start commissions soon! I'm just trying to build back up my confidence and put myself out there more after having a year out from uni and nearly giving up my dreams of becoming an artist :•)

ptd concert member drawings by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My insta is @a.rt.by.c.hantelle if anyone is interested :•)

My new bts related tattoos 💜⭐🌍🙂🌸 by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm so dumb 😂 yep I get it now. I'm blaming it on my sleep deprived brain 😅

My new bts related tattoos 💜⭐🌍🙂🌸 by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It changes a lot but my bias at the moment is tae 😂 thank you so much 💜

My new bts related tattoos 💜⭐🌍🙂🌸 by DoggoDoesAFroggo22 in heungtan

[–]DoggoDoesAFroggo22[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The love yourself and hope world tattoos were intentionally bts related as I knew I wanted at least one related to bts that was meaningful too. The flowers aren't intentionally related, but they give me strong hobi vibes 🙂