Valen’s Vanity Square

Sometimes I get a bit paranoid, worrying that things will happen if I don’t do this or that. So I decided that I should bring along my allergy medicine with me to work everyday, you know, just in case. And thank goodness I did!

Really, the cause of my skin allergy remains a mystery. I didn’t use facial mask this week, neither I went for facial (no more facial appointments during working days for me). But it just happened!

Two days ago, my eyelids and the corner of my lips started to feel itchy after having lunch with my new colleagues. These are the areas that are prone to itchiness and red bumps whenever the allergic reaction kicks in. Quickly I took my antihistamine to calm down the itchiness before things went bad. But the redness and slight swelling, though mild, remained till today. Now. Jeez, I really need a permanent allergy relief solution!

I’m truly puzzled. What triggered the reaction? Was it my sister’s bedding (I slept over at my mom’s place in my sister’s room)? Was it because I ate eggs over the past few days? Was it the eye shadow I put on to work? (But I didn’t put eye shadow around my lips!) Or was it stress, which quietly creeps in once I started working?

I have no clue. All I know is that I will avoid eating eggs, peanuts and seafood this week, and put minimal stuffs on my skin. *Sigh*

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Went to the pharmacy to get my allergic medicine during the weekend. I showed the pharmacist the prescription my doctor gave me - an antihistamine and a steroid. Antihistamine is to stop the itchiness, while steroid is to relieve inflammation and swelling (i.e. the bumps and rashes).

The itchiness subsided two days ago, but there was some redness on the skin yesterday. Today, my skin looks pretty much back to normal. What I noticed is that the skin around my eyes and eyelids tend to become dry and flaky after the allergic reaction, may be because I scratched the area a lot. I know the best eye creams won’t be of any help now, as I need to use eye gel according to the pharmacist.

When I told the pharmacist how my skin allergic reaction happened the first time, and how it occurred again 2 weeks later after my facial, she said I shouldn’t go for facial so soon since the first incidence. And she also advised to avoid allergenic foods, such as peanuts, eggs, prawns, etc, for the time being. Eeeks, I already have had those. Anyway…

And on the skin care aspect, she told me not to use facial cleanser that has bubbles (I think she meant foamy facial cleanser), but simply rinse my face with clean water (not sure if I want to follow that), and use gel-base moisturizer. I wonder if Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid moisturizing lotion is considered a gel-base moisturizer. I’m using it now and it doesn’t appear to cause any problem.

I have to be careful with my other skin care products this week. No facial mask from now onwards. No facial treatment in the next 4 weeks. I’m going to start on a new job next week, and I don’t want to meet new colleagues with a face with rashes all over. Haha!

Jeez, what’s wrong with my immune system? I thought my previous favorite facial mask was the culprit to the skin allergic reaction on my face. It seems that even my facial treatment is giving me problems!

Went for facial yesterday. Everything was fine after that, my complexion looked more supple and my pores were reduced. So, I window shopped, had my afternoon snack and coffee, waiting for hubby to meet me for dinner at the shopping mall.

About 2 hours later, I started to feel itchiness on my neck, face and around the eyes. And there were small bumps and big bumps emerging on my face, too! Oh no, it’s here again. The allergic reaction!

I didn’t have my allergic medicine with me, and my face just becomes redder and had rashes all over. I couldn’t do anything but sat in the ladies washroom (there’s a make-up area with sofas) and waited for hubby. I didn’t want to walk around and scared away the patrons of the shopping mall. Haha!

I still can’t figure out what causes my suddenly sensitive skin. Facial masks that I have used without problem, facial treatment that I have undergone for more than a year, they both now trigger skin allergy on my face.

I don’t know if that means I can’t ever go for my facial again (but I still have 12 more treatments in the course!), or they just have to change the type of treatment to suit my current skin condition. *sigh*

If I had acne and blemishes now, I don’t think I would even bother to look for the best acne treatments, coz I have a more urgent problem to deal with now - a sensitized skin. As to exactly what my skin is sensitive to, I don’t know! Other skin care products that I’ve been using don’t seem to trigger any undesirable reaction so far.

Looks like tonight I have to visit the pharmacy and get some anti-allergic medicine in case a flare up happens again!

Jeez, a few late night sleeps and the hot, humid weather are enough to make my pores open up and cause a couple of zits to pop up. Urrgh, my complexion also looks less firmer than last week.

It’s like you get all ready to look good for a special occasion, but because you’re so busy preparing for the occasion (i.e. house cleaning, cookies baking) and go to bed late for a few nights, you get the opposite effect.

And I have a bunch of relatives to meet this afternoon! I think I need to do a mini at home facial treatment afterward - skin exfoliation and facial mask - before I leave the house. Of course, must apply my L’Oreal anti-wrinkle firming day moisturizer, too. While it’s not the best firming face cream that I’ve known, but it’s considered a cost-effective option for me for the time being.

Oh, I also like L’Oreal anti-wrinkle night cream (the one in blue bottle), but have finished up the bottle a month ago. Ah, I must get a new bottle this week. I think it would have made a difference if I didn’t stop using the cream, and I wouldn’t have looked so bad today.

For those who have been suffering from acne, you might be wondering if there is any effective natural acne treatment to help solve your problem, so that you would no longer have to rely on OTC or prescribed acne medications. You then might also wonder what the best natural acne treatment is.

Well, the best and most natural treatment for acne is none other than…. live a healthy life! Eat a healthy diet, be physically active, and learn how to manage the stresses of life.

Proper diet as a natural acne solution

Increase fruits and vegetables in the diet, preferable at least 2 pieces of fruit and 1 cup of vegetables daily.

Eliminate sugar and sugary foods because sugar makes the skin sebaceous glands more active and secretes more oil. These glands are easily infected by acne-causing bacteria.

Avoid junk foods, fried and oily foods, and dairy products, as they tend to aggravate acne.

Take vitamins and supplements. Vitamins that will help improve acne skin are such as vitamins A, C and E. You can also take garlic and evening primrose oil capsules.

Other natural remedies for acne

You may also try herbal acne remedy  and homeotherapy to help cure acne problems. To use homeotherapy, it’s advisable to have a trained homeopathic health care provider to prescribe your acne medication.

Last but not least, practice good skin care. Cleanse your skin well every day to remove dirt and oil as well as acne-causing bacteria. Exfoliate your skin once or twice weekly to remove dead skin cells and prevent clogged pores.

People are all the same over the world. When it comes to festive seasons and special occasions, we all will want to look our best. At these times, for those who have acne problems will be crazily looking out for the best acne medications to clear up their zits and blemishes in a couple of days.

But there are so many types of acne medication available, which one should you choose? Well, first of all, you need to recognize the type of your acne, because different forms of acne requires different types of acne treatment. There are different ways to handle the different kinds of acne, you will get good results if you get the right help.

Acne generally has three stages as it develops - a beginning, middle and end. The best time to use acne medication is at the beginning stages. In the early stages of acne, the pores will enlarge and create thick oils. The pores will be filled up with black and white matter, resulting in blackheads. This is what that will cause acne and needs to be treated immediately. Also, it is important to exfoliate and remove the dead skin at this stage.

Generally, acne medication creams and gels sold over the counter in drugstores can be used to treat all types of acne. Of course, some may find that these treatments work very well and in a short period of time.

If you have a serious case of acne problem, then you might find the OTC acne medications not working well on your skin. You might then have to take it to your dermatologist. Usually, your dermatologist will prescribe some form of ointment or sometimes oral medication to get your acne under control, or even recommend other forms of therapy to help relieve your acne problem. In this case, it will take some time to clear up your acne. So it’s best that you get help way before the day that you want to appear looking clean and radiant.

Even if you are 30 years old, you may still have acne problem all the time, and naturally you’ll be constantly looking for the best acne treatment. Which woman wants to carry the ‘burden’ of zits all through their life?

While there are many over-the-counter anti-acne products you can get from the pharmacies, serious acne problems may need to be treated with medical options.

FYI, the top three acne medications are the following:

1. Benzoyl peroxide

This anti-bacterial medication (antiseptic) takes care of killing the acne-causing bacteria, P. Acnes. It is both over-the-counter and prescription drug that comes in gel or cream. After you start using BP, it usually takes approximately 3 weeks to notice the changes.

2. Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is normally used to treat skin disorders such as dandruff, calluses and warts,  but can also be used as an acne medication. It slows down the cells in the follicles from cracking; this helps to prevent blockage. It also assists in breaking down the whiteheads and blackheads.

Salicylic acid comes in many forms including cream, gel, lotion, ointment, and many more. You have to be careful when using SA - must use according to the directions from your doctor or on the label recommendations. It may cause side effects if wrongly used.

3. Sulfur

This ingredient is common among soaps, washes, and creams. It allows the skin to peel and dry, enabling the breaking down of the whiteheads and blackheads. As with SA, you have to carefully check the label directions to avoid unnecessary side effects or complications.

Some people might be allergic to the ingredients mentioned above, so you’ll want to be sure you are not allergic to them before you start using. Anyhow, it’s still the best to seek the advice of skin experts for acne treatment that is tailored to your condition.

Oh dear, I’m down with a flu again. Am also having sore throat and slightly feverish. I must have got it from my mom, coz when I went to my mom’s house few days ago she was coughing and speaking in a hoarse voice.

Okay, may be it’s partly due to my own fault, coz I had been indulging in too much fried foods for the past week, hence my body got ‘heaty’. Oh, and lots of coffee, too. Yeah, coffee is considered as a ‘heaty’ beverage according to the Chinese. And in traditional Chinese medicine. flu is associated with ‘heatiness’ of the body.

Somehow this ‘heatiness’ is also reflecting on my face! Several zits sprouted since two days ago, and now there’s some acne marks on my face. I wonder if there’s a really fast acne scar removal cream that can remove my acne marks by tonight? Because I will be going for my facial tomorrow, and I don’t want to hear what my beautician who will be most likely going to say, “Hmmm, are you picking on your zits again?” Hahaha!

Hands off my face today!

Below is an article taken from the “Anti Aging and Skincare Made Easy” ebook (see picture in sidebar).

Talking of anti aging or anti wrinkle skincare products, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is vitamin C-based antiaging skin care products. These products work by enabling the synthesis of collagen (a structural protein that is found in skin). This category of antiaging skincare products is related to anti-oxidants. Anti-aging skin care products that are based on vitamin C are, however, posed with the danger of having themselves oxidized (as they come into contact with air during their usage). So some antiaging skincare products are based on the derivatives of vitamin C, which are more stable and less expensive. However, the effectiveness of such anti-aging skin care is not as much as it is for vitamin C based antaging skin care products.

Besides vitamin C, vitamin E and lipoic acid are anti-oxidants too. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble anti-oxidant that is found in human blood and helps in building resistance against infection. Vitamin E is also known to inhibit cancer. Liponic acid is known to combat the signs of aging very effectively by reversing the skin damage caused by the aging process.

Phytochemicals form the other category of anti aging skin care products. Phytochemical are special chemicals that are extracted from plants. There are a variety of phytochemicals that are in use today. Phytochemicals prevent occurrence of cancer of certain types; these include prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. That is why they find their place in anti aging skin care products.

Some B-vitamins like B5, B6 and B12 are also in use for anti aging skin care products.

The field of anti aging skin care products is vast and needs a lot of research. Though the currently available products are effective, they still have challenges to combat. Hopefully, these challenges will get resolved in due course and help get better and cheaper anti aging skin care products.

However, anti aging skin care products should be used only as a supplement to the natural ways of skin and body care. So, drinking a lot of water, getting a good night sleep, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping stress at bay are essential means of delaying the aging process. No anti aging skin care product can replace them really.

Hope you have had learned something from this article. If you want to read more of these informative articles on anti aging or acne skincare, you can click on the link at the sidebar and find out how to download the ebooks for free!