I follow accounts that specialise in acne-prone skin and who are always recommending great products to use. All the people who I follow are very interactive and are always answering people's questions. It's a big statement but I owe my clear skin to them and I'm so grateful for it. I mentioned them briefly in my previous post, What I wish I knew about treating acne.
Here are *some* of my favourite Skincare Twitter accounts to follow:
@makeupforwoc- I love following Tiara! She specialises in inflamed skincare conditions which makes her a great follow when you're suffering with acne. She reguarly posts tips and tricks to help reduce inflammation such as, washing with lukewarm water, wearing SPF daily and the importance of a healthy moisture barrier. I am also a member of the #glazeddonutgang!
@alicialartey- Alicia is a biomed undergraduate and esthetician in training. She is the most interactive, in my opinon, and reguarly opens the floor to her followers on Twitter and Instagram to answer any skincare concerns/ questions you have. Not that the others don't but Alicia is more likely to respond. I've asked a couple of questions including which products I can use while on Differin.
@HannahEEnglish- If there's one thing Hannah specialises in, it's sunscreen. Sunscreen is a vital step in your skincare routine, her words not mine. She's not quite as interactive but she does interact with skincare conversations among those in the industry.
@topicals- Topicals launched last year with two standout products treating hyperpigmentation and repairing the skin's moisture barrier. Unfortunately, the US brand isn't available in the UK unless you want to pay extortionate import fees. However, they are well worth a follow on Twitter. They reguarly post education threads on various skincare conditions to explain why the skin reacts that how and some products to help. Lily from @caveofbeauty is in charge of the eduction threads, as the Head of Education, and she is another esthi well worth a follow.
Who do you enjoy following on Twitter, skincare or not?
Love, Aoife xo
I follow accounts that specialise in acne-prone skin and who are always recommending great products to use. All the people who I follow are very interactive and are always answering people's questions. It's a big statement but I owe my clear skin to them and I'm so grateful for it. I mentioned them briefly in my previous post, What I wish I knew about treating acne.
Here are *some* of my favourite Skincare Twitter accounts to follow:
@makeupforwoc- I love following Tiara! She specialises in inflamed skincare conditions which makes her a great follow when you're suffering with acne. She reguarly posts tips and tricks to help reduce inflammation such as, washing with lukewarm water, wearing SPF daily and the importance of a healthy moisture barrier. I am also a member of the #glazeddonutgang!
@alicialartey- Alicia is a biomed undergraduate and esthetician in training. She is the most interactive, in my opinon, and reguarly opens the floor to her followers on Twitter and Instagram to answer any skincare concerns/ questions you have. Not that the others don't but Alicia is more likely to respond. I've asked a couple of questions including which products I can use while on Differin.
@HannahEEnglish- If there's one thing Hannah specialises in, it's sunscreen. Sunscreen is a vital step in your skincare routine, her words not mine. She's not quite as interactive but she does interact with skincare conversations among those in the industry.
@topicals- Topicals launched last year with two standout products treating hyperpigmentation and repairing the skin's moisture barrier. Unfortunately, the US brand isn't available in the UK unless you want to pay extortionate import fees. However, they are well worth a follow on Twitter. They reguarly post education threads on various skincare conditions to explain why the skin reacts that how and some products to help. Lily from @caveofbeauty is in charge of the eduction threads, as the Head of Education, and she is another esthi well worth a follow.
Who do you enjoy following on Twitter, skincare or not?
Love, Aoife xo
*Googling tips to on how to clear acne fast at half past midnight.*
There is a reason why all these acne posts you've read include the word 'journey'. That's because it is and it can be really long, lasting anything between a few months to a few years. For me, my acne journey has been a 10 month battle.
I’ve finally reached the stage where I can comfortably look in the mirror and smile with confidence. My skin no longer looks like a battlefield and has been almost clear for a few months now. Yay! It’s not been an easy road and I’ve definitely made some errors along the way. By no means am I an expert but I thought I’d share all the things I wish I knew before treating acne.
Here are some do’s and don’ts I wish somebody told me on how treat acne:
DO be patient. The first thing your doctor of dermatologist is likely to tell you is, “it’ll get worse before it gets better”. When you’ve been prescribed topical retinoids, you’re skin often purges which will make it look a lot worse. The good news is that it’s actually pushing all the acne that’s under the skin to the surface. So, it does get worse before it gets better. Hold on tight!
DON’T let anyone tell you what to do. Your acne journey is personal to you. Everyone always has something to say when it comes to treating acne. I had a lot of people with perfect skin telling me what to do and what not to do. But like I said, acne is a personal journey and there are multiple reasons as to why it’s flared up. There is plenty of information around -I recommend following estheticians and dermatologists on Twitter- for you to see what works for your skin and doesn’t. You don’t have to follow all their advice and you can pick and choose what works for you. It’s also where I get a lot of my advice from.
DO look after your moisture barrier. I’ve mentioned it plenty of times before and you’ve heard it a million times everywhere else but hydration is key. And the key to healthy skin, is a healthy moisture barrier. Some things that can harm your moisture barrier include over exfoliating, washing your face with hot water and using harsh products. A lot of acne treatments are drying and I've found they're a lot more effective when you're using products to help retain moisture and rebuild your barrier. I've been using Cerave's foaming face wash and I love it!
DO wash your face with cool water. I remember reading that you should wash your face with hot water because it will help open your pores and leave your face cleaner. WRONG! I’ve found that washing my face with cool/ lukewarm water has been really good at not irritating my inflamed skin and helping it to retain moisture. I got this tip from @makeupforwoc on Twitter who specialises in inflamed skin conditions.
DO use SPF. Wearing SPF is vital to anyone but when you’re been on retinoid creams and antibiotics as your skin becomes more vulnerable to the sun and it’s rays. Even more reason to top up on the SPF. The sun can always cause red/ dark marks to darken even more so SPF is a really good way to help improve the appearance of scarring. It’s also essential even if you’re not on any medication. SPF protects your skin from harmful UV rays, which are still around on rainy days.
DON’T pick your spots. I used to be an avid spot picker but it was my spot picking habits that helped me to realise I was starting to get acne. These spots were deeper under the skin and never formed a head. Acne spots aren’t pickable and trying will only leave you with scarring. Knowing that whatever I picked would leave a scar helped me kick that habit to the curb. Post acne and my skin has a lot of pigment scarring from the inflamed acne. Any spot that pops up
Love, Aoife xo
*Googling tips to on how to clear acne fast at half past midnight.*
There is a reason why all these acne posts you've read include the word 'journey'. That's because it is and it can be really long, lasting anything between a few months to a few years. For me, my acne journey has been a 10 month battle.
I’ve finally reached the stage where I can comfortably look in the mirror and smile with confidence. My skin no longer looks like a battlefield and has been almost clear for a few months now. Yay! It’s not been an easy road and I’ve definitely made some errors along the way. By no means am I an expert but I thought I’d share all the things I wish I knew before treating acne.
Here are some do’s and don’ts I wish somebody told me on how treat acne:
DO be patient. The first thing your doctor of dermatologist is likely to tell you is, “it’ll get worse before it gets better”. When you’ve been prescribed topical retinoids, you’re skin often purges which will make it look a lot worse. The good news is that it’s actually pushing all the acne that’s under the skin to the surface. So, it does get worse before it gets better. Hold on tight!
DON’T let anyone tell you what to do. Your acne journey is personal to you. Everyone always has something to say when it comes to treating acne. I had a lot of people with perfect skin telling me what to do and what not to do. But like I said, acne is a personal journey and there are multiple reasons as to why it’s flared up. There is plenty of information around -I recommend following estheticians and dermatologists on Twitter- for you to see what works for your skin and doesn’t. You don’t have to follow all their advice and you can pick and choose what works for you. It’s also where I get a lot of my advice from.
DO look after your moisture barrier. I’ve mentioned it plenty of times before and you’ve heard it a million times everywhere else but hydration is key. And the key to healthy skin, is a healthy moisture barrier. Some things that can harm your moisture barrier include over exfoliating, washing your face with hot water and using harsh products. A lot of acne treatments are drying and I've found they're a lot more effective when you're using products to help retain moisture and rebuild your barrier. I've been using Cerave's foaming face wash and I love it!
DO wash your face with cool water. I remember reading that you should wash your face with hot water because it will help open your pores and leave your face cleaner. WRONG! I’ve found that washing my face with cool/ lukewarm water has been really good at not irritating my inflamed skin and helping it to retain moisture. I got this tip from @makeupforwoc on Twitter who specialises in inflamed skin conditions.
DO use SPF. Wearing SPF is vital to anyone but when you’re been on retinoid creams and antibiotics as your skin becomes more vulnerable to the sun and it’s rays. Even more reason to top up on the SPF. The sun can always cause red/ dark marks to darken even more so SPF is a really good way to help improve the appearance of scarring. It’s also essential even if you’re not on any medication. SPF protects your skin from harmful UV rays, which are still around on rainy days.
DON’T pick your spots. I used to be an avid spot picker but it was my spot picking habits that helped me to realise I was starting to get acne. These spots were deeper under the skin and never formed a head. Acne spots aren’t pickable and trying will only leave you with scarring. Knowing that whatever I picked would leave a scar helped me kick that habit to the curb. Post acne and my skin has a lot of pigment scarring from the inflamed acne. Any spot that pops up
Love, Aoife xo
Over the last six months or so, my acne has gotten much worse. It went from a few pimples on my cheeks to having a full beard of red marks and occasionally painful spots. It's been so itchy and I couldn't even cover up the redness with makeup. It got so bad that I didn't like looking at my face in the mirror and seeing all the inflamed redness. They say not to pick your spots because that could make things worse but let's be honest, we've all picked a spot at some point in our lives. The good news is I've managed to curb that habit and I'm just hoping it'll clear in its own time.
I thought I could sort it without the help of a medical professional but even my Effacular Duo couldn’t save me.
Over the last six months or so, my acne has gotten much worse. It went from a few pimples on my cheeks to having a full beard of red marks and occasionally painful spots. It's been so itchy and I couldn't even cover up the redness with makeup. It got so bad that I didn't like looking at my face in the mirror and seeing all the inflamed redness. They say not to pick your spots because that could make things worse but let's be honest, we've all picked a spot at some point in our lives. The good news is I've managed to curb that habit and I'm just hoping it'll clear in its own time.
I thought I could sort it without the help of a medical professional but even my Effacular Duo couldn’t save me.
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