Suspend-It

On my way home, while crossing the street from my office, I saw Katherine, a high school classmate. We were both shocked to see each other. It’s been exactly 10 years now since we graduated high school. But she was more so because I looked completely different – like I’ve gone through a major makeover. She literally gushed about my appearance.

You see, I used to be somewhat boyish, plus I had lots of pimples! Katherine’s facial skin is also pimple prone and unfortunately for her, she still hasn’t found the right acne treatment for her skin type even after trying the top 10 - acne products in the market.

We decided to have lunch that day and got into discussing how I achieved my pimple-free, clear, smooth skin. I told her that aside from taking a daily dosage of vitamin C and E, I have a great dermatologist that really looks into my skin type and problem. I ended up referring her to my dermatologist and setting up an appointment for her after our lunch break. Hopefully, her pimple problem will be gone the next time we our roads cross paths again.

Keep this in mind especially when you are tempted to try a new product or a new remedy you read or heard about. If you try anything without doing the least bit of research and knowing the condition of your skin, your skin might just end up worse than before. So, I repeat, not all acne treatments are good!

So, how do you know if it is a good acne treatment? First, if reputable people or websites are saying it, like medical websites or websites of naturopathic doctors. This is one way of assuring yourself that indeed not only are the acne treatments recommended effective but also safe.

Also, know the condition of your skin. Is it sensitive? Do you have allergies? Find out products or home remedies that are good for and not harmful to your skin.

With a little research, you will find the best acne treatment for you from all of the acne treatments you read or hear about.

Yes, you can treat acne fast – even overnight, although the latter only means a reduction of swelling and redness.

If you have a big pimple or zit in your face and you have that hot date or party tomorrow, you might want to try putting tea tree oil drops into your pimple. Tea tree oil has been proven effective and is safe for the skin. It is quite potent, though, so a tiny drop or even less can suffice. Then leave the oil on your face overnight. You will notice differences in the morning.

Another way to treat acne overnight is to put a bit of toothpaste or aloe vera gel onto the pimple and then again, sleep it off, and see improvements the morning after.

To treat acne long-term, though, you might want to visit a dermatologist, especially if your acne is recurring. He/she will give you a proper prescription and diet to treat your acne.

For probably the last 3 months, I’ve had an itch on my leg – the back part of my calf to be specific. I thought perhaps I hadn’t been washing my legs thoroughly enough in the shower and that if I did, the problem would go away. Not only did it just get worse, but it seemed to have spread to the other leg as well.

After enough time spent rolling up my pants at work just to relieve myself (not in the way you might be thinking), it was time to see the dermatologist. For the most part, it was the only time I had ever really been genuinely fearful of my skin mutating into some kind of alien matter. I had watched the movie District 9 only a few weeks prior, and I was really starting to worry that this was a symptom of some kind of alien incubation process. This was of course the only conclusion I could draw to as after enough time spent meticulously scrubbing my legs with all kinds of soap, nothing was improving.

The dermatologist revealed that the condition was called eczema, and that it was an allergic reaction activated by stress and dry skin – looks like my life as a human being is safe – at least until the eczema treatment proves ineffective.

Men are so vain these days. I used to hear my granma tell my granpa about his wrinkles but he only tells her that he does not mind. But now, I see my brother surf the net looking for sites about wrinkle cream reviews, and he is only 26! Since his girlfriend told him that he seems a little older because of his forehead wrinkles, he started to try out different wrinkle creams already. Stupid loser stop eating my bandwidth!Personally, I think men should not worry that much about wrinkles. For me, matured men with wrinkles look tougher and more appealing than those soft skinned boy band type guys. Wrinkles in men depict maturity in personality and point of view in life which is quite macho if you asked me. Women in the other hand should however do everything they can to keep their skin’s beauty. It may be ironic but it is reality.

Yep. It’s a three-layered pimple. And they just keep popping on the most prominent spots on my face – especially on my chin - ever since I hit puberty. Frankly, having a pimple within a pimple within a pimple almost weekly, and sometimes having two at the same time is the worst kind of acne you can ever have. Why? Because it’s harder to get rid of three layers! *sigh*

I’ve pretty much tried all remedies to avoid that and with a goal of having a pimple free, if not clear and smooth skin. In my hunt for the perfect remedy, I experienced peeling, redness, itchiness, and even allergy just for trying them out. It was through this that I also found out that the method and means with which you wash your face can either cure acne or can actually make it worse.

In my trial and error experience, I have actually found an acne face wash that solves most of my problem – except for the ones on my chin. It was only later on that I found out that my toothpaste was actually the culprit that’s been causing those severe pimples because of the harsh ingredients. With a simple toothpaste switch, I got rid of those three-layered pimples!

With the global warming, summer heat intensified more than usual this year. Consequently, with the intensified heat comes profuse, inevitable sweating. Unfortunately for me, excessive sweating means saying hello again to back acne and goodbye to tank tops, sleeveless, and spaghetti straps .

Then again, I will not have the sun win over me! In search for the best treatment for adult acne, back acne from sweat in particular, I decided to do some research and encountered 3 tips on How to Avoid Getting Back Acne From Sweat:

• For people who tend to sweat a lot or are prone to sweat like athletes, make sure to use non-clinging, light clothing like those made from cotton. This is because some materials like lycra and wool trap the sweat and can irritate the skin, which can aggravate the problem.
• It is very important to remove the sweat, so do take a bath whenever you get really sweaty.
• Especially during summer or when exposed to prolonged heat, it is very important to change your shirt several times a day. This will help prevent bacteria from building up from the dirt or sweat that have accumulated on the shirt.

It’s always good to develop a good habit when it comes to taking care of yourself. I have seen women who says they’re 34 but they look like in their late 40s. The reason is because they failed to give time and enough care for themselves. I have seen some who had been aging backwards. A good example is my sister’s mother-in-law.

That woman looks so effing hot in her early 50s. Men half her age would still look her way. Her skin is as smooth as porcelain and her body still got those killer curves when she was in her 20s (as seen from her photos). The secret ingredient were, according to her, eating fruits and or veggies in the morning and in the evening and sunscreen + moisturizer.

According to her the sun is getting too harsh on the skin so in order to keep it youthful, always use moisturizer like prototype 37c and sunscreen no matter how greasy they feel. Your skin would thank you 30 years from now by simply doing that regularly.

I may still be young but it’s not too early to start!

Beauty is everything. That’s what everything and everyone around us thinks. Even television commercials show it.

With a society as obsessed with vanity as ours, aging is one of the biggest factors we want to avoid.

Thus the anti aging supplements came into existence. There are a lot of benefits and disadvantages to this, and that’s what this kind of society brings to us.

All I know is, I don’t want to be like the rest of the mummies who follow all this society’s norms. It’s just not healthy.

Sometimes, it isn’t enough to just go by the recommendation of beauty ads and dermatologists when it comes to finding solution to skin problems such as acne. I personally have tried several dermatologists but majority of them failed to solve my acne problem. That is, until one of my relatives recommended her dermatologist.

Considering that she used to have an acne condition that’s worse than what I currently have, and that our genes are pretty much the same (which means what worked for her may most likely work for my skin type as well), I decided to go visit her dermatologist. What do you know, I was able to find the best acne creams through her dermatologist! Right now, my facial skin is almost scar and pimple free. ^_^

I only wish I figured the I-have-the-same-genes-with-my-relatives-consequently-similar-skin-type part sooner. That way, I need not endure the torture of looking at the mirror with those darn pimples smiling at me all this time. Oh well. They’re gone now. That’s what’s important.