Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel

I have no idea what is going on with my face.  I've never been prone to breaking out so when it happens I freely admit that my first reaction is panic.  I almost always have on hand some sort of preparation that is a dedicated product for getting rid of those suckers, which are supposed to work on the occasional "zit" but almost always find that the newest product isn't very helpful.  I tell myself that I'll stop buying these sorts of products and stop wasting my money.  After all, many of the less expensive products on the market often make my sensitive, funky CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibromyalgia skin worse so some of the higher priced products are almost an investment.  Well, I'm happy to report that on this front, thankfully, I didn't stop after all - searching for that holy grail, that is.  

Understand, I'm not talking about bumpy skin - which, because of non-forgiving HDTV, I see all the time now. In the past few years I've started getting a bit of that going on with my forehead and I do think it's because of stress.  When our daughter was so ill and basically called the major medical center in which she was hospitalized her "home away from home," by the end of a year I was surprised to see that hubs was getting the same bumpy action going on as well and he's a mighty hearty fellow - knock on wood and tphoo! tphoo! tphoo! I suspect that this bumpiness was due to the stress as well as the bad diets we found ourselves surrounded with.  I mean, how much take-out food can a person eat without some negative skin reactions?

No, what I'm talking about is plain old unadulterated zits.  When I was hospitalized back in April/May, it was about two weeks before I had a chance to glance into a mirror and was absolutely mortified when I saw a huge "growth" on the very tip of my nose.  Nothing would get rid of it.  I felt as if I should tell anyone who came into contact with me that yes, they can just talk to the monstrosity on my nose.  After all, it was more obvious, even, than the nose on my face. (Get it?  Huh?  Huh?  Get it?)

When I came home the first thing I did was scrounge around in my medicine cabinet and I found the product I had used successfully once before and I just hoped that it would work its magic this time around as well.  Did I happen to mention that by the time I got home, the thing on my nose had increased in size by a lot and that it was starting to get a purple color to it?  I mean it was really gross and I couldn't help getting visions of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" and some of the creepy descriptions. (Eew! Gag!)

After giving my face a proper washing I applied my little miracle product.  And it worked!  The next morning it was as if nothing had been there, and this despite almost three weeks of tormenting me.

So, what was the great product?  I know.  You are all brilliant and the picture above is a dead giveaway.  Yes, it was, in fact, Dermalogica's "Overnight Clearing Gel."  This is truly magic, my lovelies.

Last week I came down with a few "blemishes."  I suspect it's from all the sweating I'm experiencing since it's close to the hairline now and I use a little hand fan when I break out into a very long and annoying "hot flash." Even my scalp needs fanning. The first night this happened I applied the clearing gel again and my face was "blemish free" by the next day.  A couple of days of little sweating and no breakouts.  But today I had a whole lot of sweating going on and I gave myself a good treatment of cleansing, gentle exfoliation and then the gel on the not-so-hot areas.  I'm hopeful that I'll have the same results each time this happens to me.  

Yes, I am still sweating from what I think is the Cymbalta withdrawal but it is, thankfully, happening less frequently - though still too often.

And what are the ingredients of this little miracle gel and what does it do?  From the Dermalogical website:

• Salicylic Acid sloughs off pore-clogging skin cells to inhibit development of future breakouts,
• Natually-anticeptic Tea Tree Oil soothes while you sleep. 
• Helps inhibit breakout-causing bacteria with Meadowsweet (Spiraea Ulmaria) for cleaner, healthier skin
• Niacinamide and Biotin, combined with Zinc Gluconate, Yeast Extract, Caffeine and Licorice help sooth away irritation.

The results are that (again, according to the Dermalogica website) the Clearing Gel:

• Removes impaction plugs from the follicle to relieve congestion and breakout activity
• Helps regulate oil production
• Helps calm irritation brought on by breakouts.

I believe it. I'm going to keep at it for a while, without stopping it for at least a couple of weeks until I know that my skin is settled down.  

A warning to those who have insomnia: caffeine is in the product.  I don't think it's a problem with me but this could be a concern for some.

BTW: In writing this piece, I discovered that drugstore.com has the clearing gel at 20% off at the moment.

I think I'm going to have to give myself a good old, luxurious DIY-spa day very soon, complete with some sort of mask that draws the toxins out.  I may have something exciting coming up by the beginning of next year (depending on how my health holds up) and I want to get myself looking good (feeling good would be a great bonus!) all the way around (including my newly-added weight!) so I'm making all sorts of "resolutions" at the moment.  I've cut back on the Neurontin and, of course, the Cymbalta is supposedly gone, and I see that suddenly I'm not eating hubs and me out of house and home. With a knock on wood and another tphoo! tphoo! tphoo!  (Boy: it's exhausting being so superstitious!)

Hope that this little tidbit helps those who are fellow zit folks. Isn't it grand to know you're not alone?

As always, I hope everyone's doing their very best, only better!  Ciao and paka.


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The DIY and TLC for my face: beauty tips

This past weekend I felt that I really needed to give my face a DIY, as well as some consistent TLC and serious attention.  Between the shampoo system that went awry and the newly-developed hypothyroidism, I felt it was time to take charge.  Furthermore, the skin problems associated with hypothyroidism often first manifest themselves in the face (NOT THE FACE!  NOT THE FACE! - see this link if you'd like to see me poke fun at myself!) and though my skin has suddenly developed an occasional yellowish cast to it, a definite thickening and puffiness can be seen, it's also become a bit bumpy and severely dehydrated, and I've experienced a couple instances of sudden unexplained "wounds," which are taking their sweet time healing.  I've not gotten to the acne stage nor the flaky stage and I'd like to keep these and other problems as far away as possible - in fact, to work hard on reversing the damage.  I also do NOT want/need other added complications - I have enough problems I'm dealing with already, thank you very much.  I'm determined that my year of "looking human" WILL succeed!  (Semi-joking.)

The following are the products I had incredible results within just three days - whew!  I chose well! - just as I started my thyroid medication.  My skin is still not where it should be, but I AM fighting many fronts at the moment, problems I've never seen before on my visage!  The regiment I followed this weekend is as follows:

• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant.  A powdery substance that activates as you add water and work into the palm of your hand, I like to use this as a mini-cleanser and exfoliator.  In MY case, it starts the job of evening out the rough pores I have on my nose especially well. 
• Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser.  This may seem like over-kill, and in most instances I would agree, but we're talking really bad skin problems and I was quite gentle with this cleanser.  I liked the lactic acid, Vitamin E and Rose Flower oil combo.  It really did a nice job combined with the microexfoliant, though I didn't care for what was left over, so I used a...
• Muslin cloth, very, very gently, and then splashing my face with water over and over again as well.  I wanted those dead skin cells as far gone as possible in order to really take in the next treatment, the...
• Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask.  OK.  I admit I was overdoing it at this point, but we're talking about desperate skin conditions!  I really liked this new product quite a bit - and I only used it once since it is not the sort of product used every day.
• La Mer hydrating serum was added at this point.  I loved it.  

OK.  I admit it: by the time I got to this stage I was so tired and fibro-brained that I do NOT even remember which moisturizer it was that I used and am quite disappointed as whatever it was, it worked a treat!  It will hopefully come back to me, but I can't begin to pretend I remember something in order to save face (ha! get it?) and advise willy-nilly. I may have a lousy memory but at least I'm honest about it!  (Dead serious!)

And I'd also like to add that I do always prefer to do a double cleanse, be it starting with my beloved Dove beauty bar (the original), a micellar water (I still have best results with Bioderma) or a new product of some sort.  Perhaps I also do this to make up for the fact that I'm so rarely able to wash my face twice a day....though remember, my life is basically limited to my bedroom and a few hours at the computer after I've done as much as possible on my iPad, so cell turn-over and getting rid of dead skin cells are more a factor than cleanliness most of the time: when I do go back to a big city such as NYC, I'm always shocked to see what my skin endured when I lived there!

After an initial "wash," I get into a cleanser that is serious business (exfoliation and/or a muslin cloth) in order to get rid of all the dead skin cells so that any further treatment will be able to soak into my face really well.  If I use a mask, I often put on a thin layer, then a few minutes later, add a good layer to it, a really successful way for me to go with some types, such as Sisley's.

There you have it: perhaps a record in the short post category, but hopefully, long in the helpful one?

In the meanwhile, I hope everyone's feeling the best they can be, only better.  Ciao and paka!

Exfoliating methods and products for my funky skin: deliciously satisfying.

Some of my favorite exfoliating products.

I thought we'd get away from a bit of the depressing medical aspects of CFIDS/ME and fibromyalgia, and that we'd  have a bit of fun with beauty tips.  I've been experimenting with a few products and thought it might be fun to let you know what's been working in my world.  I promised "exfoliation" in an earlier post and so here goes my version, or at the very least, the one I've been fooling around with most recently.  As always, all disclaimers are in full force.  What may work for me might not work for you.  But I really have tried to list products that I think will be fairly safe for our "funky" CFIDS/ME/fibro skin.

• First, in the category for cleaning my face with a gadget, I have fallen absolutely in love with my Clarisonic Mia.  (It's in coral: how "today" - can you get and how much will it haunt me in a few years, no?)  

This was a bit of a surprise since my original Clarisonic wasn't a complete success.  I would use it periodically, but it seemed a bit rough for my face.  Mind you, at this point I hadn't realized that my skin was, indeed, problematic. (I'm a slow learner, remember?)  I just kept thinking we didn't agree for some reason.

When feeling virtuous and diligent about "doing my face,"  I'd occasionally go to my Clarisonic, but I wasn't in love with it.  In fact, when I bought the Mia, I only did so because I thought (hoped?) that I'd thrown out the original when we moved everything out of of our Master closet, bedroom and bath for the big remodel -when I'd bitten the bullet and ruthlessly thrown out anything I didn't want or need, looked awful on me, or was in anyway just taking up room. Whoops. Somehow the old Clarisonic wasn't thrown out (it was the toothbrush I'd thrown out) and so I was now "stuck" with two Clarisonics.

However, I started to fall in love with the coral Mia when I realized it didn't make the water rolling-down-your-arms-when-using-it mess.  But the old Clarisonic needed a new head - I was not about to use a cruddy looking old head!  So I finally ordered two heads from Sephora: the "delicate skin" one and the "sensitive skin" one because, of course, I couldn't make a decision - a CFIDS/ME/fibro problem in general.  When they came in it took me forever to decide which I needed, the one for delicate skin or the one for sensitive skin.  I mean, really, didn't I have both types of skin, delicate as well as sensitive?

Here are the great distinctions, from the Clarisonic site:

      *Normal: Perfect for normal skin, shaving prep and for use on the decollete and body.
      *Sensitive: An easy introduction for sensitive to normal skin types.
      *Delicate: Ultra-gentle for those with delicate or extra--sensitive skin.

What?  Fibro-brain here was having a hard time making the distinctions!   But I finally decided  that the old Clarisonic would be used on my body with the "sensitive" head and the Mia on my face with the "delicate" head.

• Oh my!  The "delicate" head put the Mia into another world and I am in love.  It was so gentle that I didn't want to stop using it and I felt as if my skin was finally getting cleaned out for the first time ever.  This was not something I'd felt with the original ("normal") head.  I really wanted to write a post about it immediately, but given that I was in the midst of my DIY ("Do It Yourself") spa experience, I was certainly not able to do so because I was so busy melting in the bath.

This now leads us to what did I use with the Clarisonic?

• Well, I certainly didn't use the cleanser that came with the Mia.  Sorry, but it's a bit too generic for me.  I don't want to take chances.  And who really knows who even made whatever is in there?  No, I do not want to go there.
• I have a bottle of Perricone MD "Nutritive Cleanser" (12 oz or 354 ml) and it was no better on my face with the Mia than before.  It absolutely strips my skin.  I really should just toss it into the garbage, especially since I still have four trial sized versions sitting around but I can't stand to throw out so much money.  So periodically, I'll used the Nutritive Cleanser on my body.
• However, I know a lot of people do well with Perricone MD "Nutritive Cleanser."  I was told by a beauty expert that it's the foaming action that must not agree with me.  Other people swear by this product, so please take that into consideration.  Do you have problems with products which have foaming action?  (Of course, that doesn't quite explain my love for Dove and certain foaming shampoo's....) Is this a general CFIDS/ME/fibro reaction or is just me, I do not know.
• I used La Mer's "Cleansing Foam" and that was not the greatest product that I've ever used but not the worst.  I wash with it occasionally, but am very careful and will be happier when it's out of my life.  In other words, though I am in love with La Mer products (and have been since the Creme de La Mer since first came out), this particular product has not been a huge success story for me and not really worth the money for me.
• I hit a home run, finally, with Kate Sommerville's "Gentle Daily Wash."  This is great for face and body, I find.
• And believe it or not, I actually use my good old Dove "beauty bar" soap, the original, the classic.  And I see that it has made it onto InStyle's "best of" list again...GO DOVE!  Not perfect, but much better than the products above, save the Kate Sommerville.
• I tried Estée Lauder's "Soft Clean Tender Creme Cleanser" the other day and will try it again.  It looked very promising.

What exfoliation do I use besides or instead of going the Clarisonic methods?

•  "Daily Microfoliant" by Dermalogica is great.  It's a powder that you rub into your very, very wet hands in order to turn it into a foaming paste and then into foaming "nothingness."  It reminds me a lot of Bare Minerals "Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser."  It can be a bit harsh for my skin, so I use it when I feel like my skin can take it, especially if I've gone through a long period of not washing my face and really need to even out that skin, especially my nose.  I like the massaging and "rubbing" action when it's called for.

• On a more daily basis, I prefer the Dermologica "Gentle Cream Exfoliant."  It seems gentler on my face (I have combination skin), not stripping, nor scratching, just nice smooth skin afterward.

• My favorite exfoliant must be La Mer's "Facial Refiner," something I admit I didn't care for too awfully much for years, but kept using samples.  Well, ladies (and gents?) this really should be used in the shower!!!!  It makes a huge difference.  My beloved Sylvia also gave me a couple of tips when I got that first sample but somehow, I didn't listen/hear her.  A couple of years later, I finally tried it in the shower and then promptly bought the full-sized "Facial Refiner."  Furthermore, while in the shower, don't wash it off immediately, but let it sit on your face (and the backs of your hands if you can manage that?) and do something else in the shower, like wash your hair, shave your legs.  Let the "Facial Refiner" work for you.  Make sure you have it completely massaged and activated before putting it on you face.  This is one mighty fine beauty treatment.

• A less expensive, but more difficult to acquire exfoliant treatment, is by Liz Earle.  Now the award- winning Liz Earle has a US branch on the internet, however, and I'm in love with her products.  Liz Earle's method employs the muslin cloth.  In fact, she was the first to come up with this idea and other companies are now copying this method.

Essentially, you pump some cream on your dry hand and smooth it onto your dry face and gently massage it all in, including over your eyes.  It takes all the makeup off, if you're wearing it.  Personally, I prefer to take off that first layer of makeup with Dove and then move on any other product, but that's just me.  I use "Clean and Polish" even when not wearing makeup because I love the cream  and results so much.  As you massage, the skin softens and I find that if I'm in the tub, it's hard to stop.  And as if that's not enough: Liz Earle's products are all very natural but not at the expense of it feeling luxurious.  The "Cleanse and Polish" has Rosemary, Chamomile, Cocoa Butter and Eucalpytus essential oil. 

• Step two of the Liz Earle "Cleanse and Polish" is gently "polishing" off the cleanser with a hand hot muslin cloth.  I used face cloths a lot with other products before buying the Liz Earle and have found that the muslin cloth is indeed more effective than a washcloth.  

However, be warned to remember the words to "gently polish" the cleanser off.  In my enthusiasm for the muslin cloth, one day I decided to use it with her "Energizing Body Scrub" on my shoulders where I tend to get really rough skin.  It's a great product, but like I said, I was a bit too enthusiastic and ended up with two knuckles abraded when the cloth rolled on me and my fingers somehow got twisted in the cloth.  Don't be as dumb as I am, please!   For those who would like to check out Liz Earle's website (and I do encourage you you to do so) it's: http://us.lizearle.com/?cmp=google_brand&kw=liz+earle+com+b

I especially loved the travel weekend kit with its travel-sized products.  It's a sweet kit, just the right size to put in loads of trial-sized products while traveling, including shampoo and conditioner.  And because Liz Earle has trial-sized products you can buy, I know I'll be restocking that travel kit once I buy the normal-sized products too. http://us.lizearle.com/kits-and-gifts/pampering-weekend-kit.html

And finally, a real surprise:

• Aveeno "Clear Complexion Daily Cleansing Pads."  I love them!  My skin never breaks out in tiny bumps, nor rashes, and always feels just right after using these pads.  I'm on my third jar of it, and since it's a relatively new discovery, that's really saying something!  The product info under the name says "Gently Exfoliates for Clear, Even-Looking Skin."  Exfoliates, yes. I'm not so sure just how much it helps even out my ahem....ugh...."mature" skin.

So there you have it.  These are the latest exfoliating products and processes I've been fooling around with lately.  After this, your face will definitely be ready for serums...

...of course, I haven't even touched upon the deep cleaning masks yet....they are really lovely things to have in your beauty arsenal.  More to come, I promise!

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Note: I somehow lost this original post and, of course, it was the ONE I didn't back up.   Worse, I hate to think how many errors there are in this copy...but can't bare to look through it all right now!   Someone grab me some anti-nausea med, please!