Skincare Helpppp!

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by jennm149 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

@Tiffany27la

You can even teach an old[er] MUTer new tricks!

At 47, acne is generally not an issue for me, so I didn't really think adding a third wash would matter. But I thought i'd try it and have. been washing 3 times faithfully at night for the past week or so. I cannot get over the improvement in evenness in skin tone and texture! I have so many cleansers and honestly, it doesn't seem to matter which ones I use, as long as I wash 3 times.

Thanks so much for this tip!
You are so welcome! 

Everyone always thinks it's overkill *until* they actually start employing the third cleansing in their skincare routine...****FIREWORKS*** Lol

I've never had a person yet, client or friend, in over 10 years I've been giving this suggestion NOT see a vast improvement in the overall quality of their skin. So glad you found it useful, as well!

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lolo22 /img/forum/go_quote.gif


Mind. Blown.
I can't believe I've been doing so many things wrong all this time! I've always scrubbed the bejezus out of my breakouts cuz I thought it would the dirt/oil out faster. Here I was making it worse, gah! I bet you hear this all the time, but I wish I 'met' you a long time ago!!

LOL!!

I'm just glad we "met", Lo! 

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by ItsHollyAgain /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Going to start giving this 3x wash a try - worth a shot! I have been doing kind of twice: remove makeup then wash, sometimes follow up with another wash. 
Definitely give it a try, Holly! As others have posted, and as I've seen personally over the years that I've practiced skincare professionally, even something that seems so simple will make a HUGE difference. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions or concerns! 

 

[Tiffany27la]

Ok...I want to take a little break from responding to skincare questions so I can explain my absence from this thread (and MUT in general) to you guys over the past couple of weeks....Quite unexpectedly, I had to fly overseas the day after Christmas to get some emergency dental work done 

 

 It's a long and complicated story, but my health/dental insurance only covers me in the country it was issued in, (which juuuust so happens to be Lebanon.) After a few days of UNIMAGINABLE pain, I got quotes from both a dentist and endodontist in America, and found out that the work I (urgently) needed to get done would have cost me close to $9,000 out of pocket in the states....so....needless to say, I made emergency arrangements in order to get to Lebanon. Lol.

The good news is as I type this, I've already completed one root canal (although, I still have TWO left to go. not to mention the crowns. grrrr)

Moral of the story? Brush your teeth, kids!!!!! And don't forego your yearly dental checkups..or else you'll end up like me, and have to have three root canals done AT THE SAME TIME 

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by utgal2004 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  This explains why every time I use the clarisonic my face turns red and seems to breakout.  I always hear how people's lives have changed because of it but it only makes my skin freak out.  I've often wondered if I was using it incorrectly or needed to keep using it even though I was red to see if my "skin got used to it" like a salesperson told me.  I won't feel guilty any more that my clarisonic is just sitting unused!  
Definitely not! Consumers are just so mis-informed these days...especially in the beauty industry..this is REALLY my soap box. I'm just glad I was able to shed a little light on the problem you were having with it, and hopefully you understand now why it wasn't a good fit for your skin 

 

[tacehtpuekam]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tiffany27la /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Ok...I want to take a little break from responding to skincare questions so I can explain my absence from this thread (and MUT in general) to you guys over the past couple of weeks....Quite unexpectedly, I had to fly overseas the day after Christmas to get some emergency dental work done 

 

 It's a long and complicated story, but my health/dental insurance only covers me in the country it was issued in, (which juuuust so happens to be Lebanon.) After a few days of UNIMAGINABLE pain, I got quotes from both a dentist and endodontist in America, and found out that the work I (urgently) needed to get done would have cost me close to $9,000 out of pocket in the states....so....needless to say, I made emergency arrangements in order to get to Lebanon. Lol.

The good news is as I type this, I've already completed one root canal (although, I still have TWO left to go. not to mention the crowns. grrrr)

Moral of the story? Brush your teeth, kids!!!!! And don't forego your yearly dental checkups..or else you'll end up like me, and have to have three root canals done AT THE SAME TIME 

AHHHH I was wondering where you had disappeared to!

That sounds absolutely horrible, but I'm so glad you got it figured out & taken care of! I was just thinking the other day that it's been I while since I had a dental check up...and now I'm definitely making sure I get something scheduled ASAP. 

Are you still in Lebanon? 

P.s. I have been lurking on this thread for weeks, following your expert advise. My skin looks pretty fabulous, so thank you! 

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by lala512 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Hi Tiffany,

I'm brand new the the site and this forum. So glad to have found it. What's your take on moisturizing other sensitive parts of the body besides the face such as the neck and hands? I spend a lot of energy on maintaining my face. (I really like your recommendation on washing 3x/day. I must try it!) But sometimes, I feel like I'm neglecting other important parts of my body that are noticeable with age. Do you recommend using the same moisturize that I use for my face on my neck? What about my hands? Thanks!
Hi, lala and Welcome!

My most sincere apologies for such a late response, as I believe I might have over looked your initial post. Excellent question, and yes...EVERY part of our bodies need hydration/moisturization. (Well, just about..lol)

I know how difficult it can be time-wise to balance your skincare routine, and I agree 100% with your sentiment..sometimes I'm just too exhausted to give the proper attention to other parts of my body after I've spent a considerable amount of time taking care of my face- even though I know how vital hydration is for ALL parts of the body...skin is the body's largest organ, and we definitely need to care for it properly.

As far as which products you should be using on your hands, neck, etc...I usually just extend whatever moisturizer I'm using on my face down onto my neck, simply because it's more convenient for me. There are plenty of "Decollete" creams on the market now, though, should you be so inclined.. but, aside from the obvious representation and marketing of such, I personally don't believe whatever active ingredients present are doing anything exceptional..(especially if it's an over-the-counter product).  The same goes for hands...my personal favorite is L'occitane's Shea Butter hand cream...which people seem to either love, or hate, but the most.  important.  thing. is to put something on!! Whether it's a $30 tube from a specialty boutique or a $1 bottle from the dollar store...keep your hands hydrated. My Mother has applied hand cream religiously (borderline obsessively) throughout her 71 years on this earth, and her hands look positively amazing...

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask if you have any other questions or concerns! 

The problem we encounter with age is that the skin's renewal process begins to slow down dramatically,

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZeeOmega /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  @Tiffany27la This seem so counterintuitive and yet not!

Would cold cream, followed by toner to get what the cold cream missed, followed by washing face with cetaphil-like stuff count as three times? Or does toner not count? I stumbled upon this routine by chance a couple of months back and have seen an improvement in my skin. 
Hi, Zee!

I'm not sure if I addressed this post, or not, so just to be sure I didn't miss it, I'm responding again! The function of toner is restore the Ph balance of the skin..a Ph of 7 is considered neutral, and therefore an optimum level for the skin. A good portion of the specialized soaps for skincare available on the market usually fall somewhere between Ph levels of 9-12, so, depending on the level of the the products you use, a toner is definitely necessary....but, then again, be wary of the actual ingredients listed in the toner, itself, because you don't want to destroy the acid mantle of the skin further, but rather restore it.

If your current regime works for your skin, then great! I would still suggest washing three separate times, though..you could cleanse the first time with cold cream, follow up with Cetaphil (x2), and then tone before applying moisturizer.

Hope this helps! 

 

[utgal2004]

Ok...I want to take a little break from responding to skincare questions so I can explain my absence from this thread (and MUT in general) to you guys over the past couple of weeks....Quite unexpectedly, I had to fly overseas the day after Christmas to get some emergency dental work done :icon_cry:    It's a long and complicated story, but my health/dental insurance only covers me in the country it was issued in, (which juuuust so happens to be Lebanon.) After a few days of UNIMAGINABLE pain, I got quotes from both a dentist and endodontist in America, and found out that the work I (urgently) needed to get done would have cost me close to $9,000 out of pocket in the states....so....needless to say, I made emergency arrangements in order to get to Lebanon. Lol. The good news is as I type this, I've already completed one root canal (although, I still have TWO left to go. not to mention the crowns. grrrr) Moral of the story? Brush your teeth, kids!!!!! And don't forego your yearly dental checkups..or else you'll end up like me, and have to have three root canals done AT THE SAME TIME :madno:

I hope you have a speedy recovery! Emergency anything dental related sucks but it must be even worse when you have to plan unexpected trip out of the country too.

 

[kawaiiwoofs]

I tried the 3x thing and my face felt sooo tight and super uncomfortable so I've knocked it down to two in a row and then once I pop out of the shower I put on toner and all those other goodies. You're so right - once is not enough!! I hope you're ok out there!!

You are so welcome! :icon_chee Everyone always thinks it's overkill *until* they actually start employing the third cleansing in their skincare routine...****FIREWORKS*** Lol I've never had a person yet, client or friend, in over 10 years I've been giving this suggestion NOT see a vast improvement in the overall quality of their skin. So glad you found it useful, as well!

 

[ItsHollyAgain]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tiffany27la /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Quote: Originally Posted by ItsHollyAgain /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Going to start giving this 3x wash a try - worth a shot! I have been doing kind of twice: remove makeup then wash, sometimes follow up with another wash. 
Definitely give it a try, Holly! As others have posted, and as I've seen personally over the years that I've practiced skincare professionally, even something that seems so simple will make a HUGE difference. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions or concerns! 

Thanks for responding! I've been washing 2-3 times (does removing makeup with makeup remover count as 1 time? If so, I"m solid on 3 times!). Should I still wash 3 times a day in the morning? I do wash when I get up, but usually once. 

What face wash do you recommend? My skin is combo, a bit drier now that it is winter (plus one of my super awesome *rolls eyes* lupus meds is making me a touch drier right now). I use an oil based cleanser at night after removing my makeup.

 

[AlexandraB]

I will be doing this tonight, right now i've got quite bad skin and i'ts really upsetting - to the point I don't even want to go outside! But I always make sure i thoroughly clean my skin, never use facewipes, but to initially take off any makeup use make up remover, then exfoliate, then a cleanse and polish with a hot cloth/muslin, then put a bit of moisturizer on afterwards, usually tea tree to keep skin soft. Sometimes I just find no matter what I do and how well I may look after my skin i will just wake up one morning with spots! But trying not to stress out and will just keep trying to take care of my skin!Thanks for all your tips!

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by usofjessamerica /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I tried the 3x thing and my face felt sooo tight and super uncomfortable so I've knocked it down to two in a row and then once I pop out of the shower I put on toner and all those other goodies. You're so right - once is not enough!!

I hope you're ok out there!!
Oh noooo, Jess! I'm sorry three times turned to be overkill for you 

I've had several clients over the years comment on the same thing, but in their cases the cleansers they were using were way too harsh on their skin. (Each time, I tested them with a Ph stick, and I never found one to be less than 13, which is crazy harsh for the skin!) Maybe incorporating a cleanser that has a closer Ph to neutral (7) would help! 

 

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by ItsHollyAgain /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Thanks for responding! I've been washing 2-3 times (does removing makeup with makeup remover count as 1 time? If so, I"m solid on 3 times!). Should I still wash 3 times a day in the morning? I do wash when I get up, but usually once. 

What face wash do you recommend? My skin is combo, a bit drier now that it is winter (plus one of my super awesome *rolls eyes* lupus meds is making me a touch drier right now). I use an oil based cleanser at night after removing my makeup.
No problem! I'm happy to help! I usually instruct my clients to remove their make up with a make-up remover cloth before they begin the cleansing routine..this way your definitely getting a jump start, but I always still encourage cleansing three separate times. 

The skin renews itself at night, so, as long as you've cleansed properly before bedtime, washing twice in the morning is sufficient. Once to remove surface oils, etc. that were excreted by the sebaceous glands during sleep, and the second time to actually cleanse and treat the skin itself.

As I noted above in my response to @usofjessamerica, occasionally people experience extreme tightness/dryness after cleansing, and this is almost always due to the fact that the cleanser their using is far too harsh for their skin type and ultimately destroying the acid mantle (or protective barrier) of the skin. 

And using an oil based cleanser as the final step in your cleansing routine is absolutely perfect. I realize this may seem counter-intuituve to those who have "oily" skin, but, more often that not, it's not *excess oil* that's causing the problem, it's *dehydration*....when the skin isn't hydrated enough, the natural reaction of the sebaceous glands is start working overtime to produce excess oil in order to make up for the hydration deficiency...

A good, basic, inexpensive, Ph-friendly cleanser that I recommend often is Cetaphil /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Hope this helps!

 

[Tiffany27la]

Quote: Originally Posted by AlexandraB /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  I will be doing this tonight, right now i've got quite bad skin and i'ts really upsetting - to the point I don't even want to go outside! But I always make sure i thoroughly clean my skin, never use facewipes, but to initially take off any makeup use make up remover, then exfoliate, then a cleanse and polish with a hot cloth/muslin, then put a bit of moisturizer on afterwards, usually tea tree to keep skin soft. Sometimes I just find no matter what I do and how well I may look after my skin i will just wake up one morning with spots! But trying not to stress out and will just keep trying to take care of my skin!Thanks for all your tips!
I'm so sorry to hear your having such difficulties with your skin 

If you read up thread, I already addressed several different issues concerning the spread of acne/acneic lesions that you may benefit from reading.. 

While I would have to analyze your skin in person to be 100% certain, from the detailed description you gave of your cleansing routine, I think your probably overstimulating the lesions, inadvertently causing them to spread...

Our natural reaction is to "scrub" away whatever we feel doesn't belong on our face (dirt, makeup, etc..) but, when it comes to acne, you have to do the opposite. The more you scrub, the more you spread, and the more inflamed the lesions become. I would suggest giving the muslin cloth a rest and using the tips of your fingers when cleansing instead 

Hope this helps!

 

[JC327]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tiffany27la /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Ok...I want to take a little break from responding to skincare questions so I can explain my absence from this thread (and MUT in general) to you guys over the past couple of weeks....Quite unexpectedly, I had to fly overseas the day after Christmas to get some emergency dental work done 

 It's a long and complicated story, but my health/dental insurance only covers me in the country it was issued in, (which juuuust so happens to be Lebanon.) After a few days of UNIMAGINABLE pain, I got quotes from both a dentist and endodontist in America, and found out that the work I (urgently) needed to get done would have cost me close to $9,000 out of pocket in the states....so....needless to say, I made emergency arrangements in order to get to Lebanon. Lol.

The good news is as I type this, I've already completed one root canal (although, I still have TWO left to go. not to mention the crowns. grrrr)

Moral of the story? Brush your teeth, kids!!!!! And don't forego your yearly dental checkups..or else you'll end up like me, and have to have three root canals done AT THE SAME TIME 

I was wondering why I had not seen you around for a while. Hope you are feeling l better, I know how horrible tooth pain can be.

 

[AlexandraB]

Quote:
I'm so sorry to hear your having such difficulties with your skin 

If you read up thread, I already addressed several different issues concerning the spread of acne/acneic lesions that you may benefit from reading.. 

While I would have to analyze your skin in person to be 100% certain, from the detailed description you gave of your cleansing routine, I think your probably overstimulating the lesions, inadvertently causing them to spread...

Our natural reaction is to "scrub" away whatever we feel doesn't belong on our face (dirt, makeup, etc..) but, when it comes to acne, you have to do the opposite. The more you scrub, the more you spread, and the more inflamed the lesions become. I would suggest giving the muslin cloth a rest and using the tips of your fingers when cleansing instead 

Hope this helps!

Thank you, I will have a read of these and hopefully find something that will help me with my skin problem. I think I may be guilty of "scrubbing" too which as you said could be "overstimulating the lesions, inadvertently causing them to spread...". 

I will retire the muslin cloth and will start to use the tips of my fingers instead and see how that goes. Thank you very much for your advice. I hope this solves my problem or at least helps *fingers crossed*

 

[dancersmum]

@Tiffany27la I sure hope you are okay now....that sounds horrific!

Do you have to fly back to Lebanon to finish the work?  

Hope all is well now.

 

[Wida]

I read the advice in this thread a couple of weeks ago and when I read to wash your face 3x, I honestly thought "What a waste of cleanser".  However, since I am mid-30's with skin that is just not good (seriously, a Dermatologist told me that I just have bad skin and to learn to live with it), I decided to give it a try anyways.  While it hasn't cleared my skin all the way up, it has made a vast improvement.  My skin is clearer with less bumps and is so much softer and looks more radiant.  I'm now a believer and I'm incredibly hopeful that over time, it will get rid of the stubborn congestion that I've struggled with for years.  I did find that it was too drying to use my regular cleanser 3x, so I do the first 2 with my regular cleanser and my last one with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to restore a bit of moisture and I'm thrilled with it.  Plus, it's a cheap fix for better skin!  Thanks so much Tiffany27la

 

[BirthToAshes]

Hello, @Tiffany27la! I'm new here to the forums. You have given such great advice in this thread! I hate to hear that you had a medical emergency and hope all is well with that now. I definitely plan to implement the 3x face wash to my routine. I currently use Cetaphil cleanser but also have some leftover Mary Kay cream cleanser. I may use the Cetaphil twice and the cream cleanser once. This may be just what the doctor ordered. 

I have been having a lot of facial breakout issues lately 

  It isn't like an acne breakout, though I have a couple bumps. These bumps are more rough feeling and are not infected and can be "scratched" off. Also, I have noticed a slight rash around these rough areas. The rash gets worse after cleansing my face and moisturizing. Any idea what this might be? It isn't the same as rosacea pictures I have seen. Thanks so much!