AboutCaroline-Morgane Choisy-Rossi Expertise I can answer any question about skin and hair care. I have a passion for holistic beauty and health, so I can offer advices on the best skin or hair care treatments for specific conditions, for anti-aging and for specific skin conditions. I can also answer questions about specific ingredients or diets and supplements for beauty. Having a PhD in Biology, and working for a natural and organic beauty company, I can also answer scientific questions about beauty.
Experience I have a PhD in Biology and did 10 years of research in medical science. I have been working since 2004 for Nature Purity, a holistic company which offers natural and organic Beauty products from France. I write articles about beauty and health for our newsletter "Beaute Naturelle" and for our blog. I review news, books and articles about beauty and health to find the best and most effective beauty care. Holistic Beauty is my passion.
Organizations Nature Purity www.naturepurity.com
Education/Credentials Master in Genetic and Molecular Biology
PhD in Biology, Molecular and Cellular Genetics
I’m 19 years old and I had some questions, my skin type is combination I have an oily t zone area and my cheeks are normal. When I was younger I started using proactive because I was very acne prone and I think I still am but I haven’t been able to figure it out because I can’t find a skin care routine that will actually work, I have tried Neutrogena, clean and clear, Avon, and the list goes on. Recently I started using lush products because I bought the coal cleanser which started working for me then I got samples of products and they were working for my face so i went ahead and bought eerything that worked. Right now I’m using their cleanser toner and moisturizer an I have been using it for 2 weeks now my skin started breaking out from the first day I started using it also I had never used moisturizer because I thought my skin was too oily for it but I got the least amount of oil moisturizer and I have been using it along with all these products, I don’t know how to figure out if there is a specific product that is breaking me out or if I have to wait a month and see if the products are actually going to work. Maybe im breakin out because i have never used a combination of all these? And I am stuck using the products because I don’t have anything to fall back on that actually works so I don’t know what t do in order to find out which product is breaking me out, I can completely stop but then I would have nothing to wash my face with tone or moisturize. I don’t know if you can help me figure something because so far no one that I have asked knows what I can do. My face is not all that terrible but I have small red bumps and white heads and they keep coming everyday specially on my forehead and chin also the blackheads that I have on my nose are starting to break out.
Thank you so much
Katie
Answer Hello Katie,
I will try to help you the best I can, but some parts of your question were not clear to me. For example, did your skin break out from the 1st day you used the lush products or only 2 weeks after?
There are 2 important components in your skin problem: 1. the skin care products you use and 2. your stress about your skin. So let's take one at a time.
1. the products. It sounds to me that you have been very proactive because you were afraid that your skin would break out. I don't know exactly what you have done and how harsh you've been with your skin but maybe I would guess that you've been tough on it. This may be one of the reasons why your skin is reacting now, so you need to calm things down and rebalance your skin. First of all, as soon as you see that your skin reacts to a product, stop using the product. What you can do now is either wash your face with water and use the moisturizer or use the cleanser and moisturize with what you used before. Whatever you use, NEVER use anything which contains mineral oil or petrolatum. And see what happens. If your skin doesn't get better, it means you have to find new products.
Meanwhile, I would greatly suggest to do Green Clay mask twice a week and moisturize your skin with whatever you used which worked before. Green Clay will purify your skin and help to rebalance it. It may bring out some breakout at first as it draws impurities from the deep layers of your skin and purifies it thoroughly in a natural way, so don't give up the first week but at least try for a few week as it takes time for the skin to rebalance itself. I have written a full article about acne healing, you may have a look at it for further details: http://www.naturepurity.com/holistic/home_spa_acne.html
But first, start with just Green Clay mask. And quit trying to scrub your skin out, it only makes things worse.
2. the stress. The fact that you are so stressed about your skin may be enough to trigger a breakout as stress hormones have a deep effect on the skin, like any other organ of your body. In your own way, you need to calm yourself down and accept whatever your skin is going through temporarily while you try to rebalance and heal it; otherwise your stress about the current breakout is going to prepare the next one and it's going to be a catch 22 situation. When you look in the mirror, stop concentrating on the "bad" details, just look at the harmony and beauty of your face. You are young and I'm sure that beside the breakouts, you have a perfect skin, very supple and radiant that lost of women in their 50's would die for. You just need to gain so self confidence and be patient with your skin. If you are interested in Flower Elixirs, I would recommend to use the Bach Flower Remedies which you can find in health food stores. For you, Crab Apple and Larch would be good. Take 3 drops twice a day in a glass of water or cup of tea for 3 weeks and see from there.
Finally, you can have a great impact on your skin with your diet. Sweets, candies, sodas, refined and processed food, meats and dairies, coffee should be greatly reduced if not eliminated. This is a very important part of the solution for anyone with acne. I would also suggest a detox program. You can read more about it on the web or here: http://www.naturepurity.com/holistic/springdetox.html
It's about Spring detox, but it's exactly the same in the Fall.
Given that there is an hormonal aspect to acne, if you are taking a birth control medication, you may want to visit your gynecologist and ask her to find a birth control system which will not trigger acne and be more gentle on or more compatible with your body.
I'm sure you are going to heal your acne, have confidence in yourself and don't give up until you've reached your goal.
Please let me know if you need further details.
