Question
Hi there,
I just ordered the acne prone kit from your shop, which I truly hope will help my somewhat messy skin! I have oily but yet dry skin, it’s oily because I never moisturize my skin after washing it with hot water (dumb I know!!!) And I usually shower with very hot water in order to make my skin very dry because I hate that oily sensation which my face always has. I rarely get inflamed spots but I do get congested skin, mostly on my nose, around my mouth, on my chin and on my forehead as well. But not so much on my cheeks, and I do get whiteheads pretty often too! I try not to squeeze them but I hate them so much that I can’t help myself but to do it anyway!
I’m so sick of battling with my skin. I have tried many different pills, diets, creams and face-washes but everything seems to worsen or dry my skin even more! My skin is constantly dry and very oily at the same time. I can literally peel off the top layer of my skin with my fingers, especially when I’m in the shower and I always have clogged pores which I can feel with my fingers and see when I scan my skin closely in front of the mirror. It’s been like this for the past 5 years and I haven’t had a single period of clearness during all these years. It’s so frustrating that I feel like hiding all the time! I’m so depressed and tired of feeling like this all the time. I feel so helpless and utterly sad because my complexion is never clear, nor smooth.
Will I ever be able to get clear? Maybe it doesn’t sound like a big problem but it is to me, especially since I have zero self-esteem when it comes to my social life. I hate having to put on heavy layers of foundation every time I’m leaving my house just to cover all the redness, red marks and bumps on my skin. I’m just sick of always hiding my skin under so much makeup! I want to know how it feels like not hiding and being able to show my skin to people without having to apply lots of foundation and concealer.
I just recently found your products and read about some of your products and I decided to buy the acne kit but I’m afraid that I will not benefit from using it. I have zero patience because I have tried so many things and I constantly tell myself that it WILL get better eventually… but the truth is that it never does and that hurts so bad because I don’t want to live like this. I know it’s difficult to say if your products will help my skin, but how long does it take until I will be able to see some improvement? And do you know if diet (sugar, white flour, fast food, gluten etc) plays a role in acne? Some say it does and some say that it doesn’t… I obviously don’t know what to believe anymore. I try to eat healthy all the time but my skin is constantly breaking out anyway in small spots, whiteheads and clogged pores. Sometimes I wish I didn’t exist. It’s just so frustrating having to deal with this never-ending problem!
I hope you can help me because it feels as though you’re my last resort.
I hope you can help me because it feels as though you’re my last resort.
Thank you so much!
Answer
Hi There!
Thanks for your email. After reading your email I have a few thoughts / suggestions / resources for you…
Re: Oily yet dry skin
See: http://site.groundedsage.com/why-oily-skin-can-also-be-dry-skin/ and http://site.groundedsage.com/why-hydration-is-important-in-skin-care-video/
Re: “I never moisturize my skin after washing it with hot water (dumb I know!!!)”
You’re right! Please stop doing this! Make sure to follow the acne prone kit routine exactly how it’s laid out on the routine cards. I’d also suggest working the hydration mist or hydra healing gel into your routine as it’s clear your skin needs a lot of hydration (the links above will explain more). If you do add a hydrator to your routine, simply apply them after washing your face and follow-up with the Daily Detox Moisturizer.
Re: “ I usually shower with very hot water in order to make my skin very dry because I hate that oily sensation which my face always has”
Washing with hot water won’t stop your skin from being oily. Only balancing it will with the right amount of oils and water will (oils = moisturizer. water = hydration mist or hydra healing gel). You can also help control oil by using the moisturizer (you can use it during the day instead of the Patchouli Moisturizer that comes with the kit), the Balance Serum (apply before bedtime), the Oil Absorbing Setting Powder (this can be applied whether you’re wearing makeup or not), and Quick Spritz Oil Fix (it will absorb excess oil with just a quick misting to your face and won’t mess up any makeup you might be wearing)
Re: “I do get congested skin, mostly on my nose, around my mouth, on my chin and on my forehead as well. But not so much on my cheeks, and I do get whiteheads pretty often too”
You should see this improve with the acne prone kit. The detox kit is especially designed to tackle congested skin as is the blackhead power pack (so you may want to work in some of the products from these kits into your routine after you finish up the products in the acne prone kit).
Re: “ It’s so frustrating that I feel like hiding all the time! I’m so depressed and tired of feeling like this all the time. I feel so helpless and utterly sad because my complexion is never clear, nor smooth…… have zero patience because I have tried so many things…”
I can totally understand your frustration because I’ve been there! One important thing to note is that to clear your skin up naturally takes time (your skin didn’t become like this overnight and neither will healing happen overnight). I know that’s not what you want to hear (I certainly didn’t!) but the good news is that when you do clear up your acne naturally it won’t be a band-aid solution or a roller coaster ride.
The 3 key areas (all of which are equally important) are:
1) Natural Skincare
2) Internal Balancing
3) Emotional Wellness / Stress Reduction
… so tackling each area will be essential to healing your skin. You’ve got the first area (natural skin care) underway now (also see notes below), so you’ll want to start on the other 2 areas as well (more on internal balancing below). The third area (emotional wellness) can be the hardest to tackle because it means evaluating not only your lifestyle but where you’re at emotionally. You’ve express how unhappy you are and this will definitely be affecting your skin (often times it’s hard to know if the acne came first or the depression, but either way, they both feed into each other so one needs to take steps to elevate both). I would highly suggest seeing a professional health worker that you’re comfortable talking to. Even a naturopath or community counsellor can point you in the right direction. You’ll want to find out if your depression is caused by a chemical imbalance (so your doctor can work with you to find something that will help). Otherwise, no amount of “feel good” activities will completely help you get out from under depression. Until you can see your doctor or a health professional, you may also try finding something physically active (like walking or yoga) that you enjoy (and work it into your weekly routine – even a few times a week is better than nothing) and spending time with friends that make you feel happy and supported. Basically, the sooner you can start your emotional healing journey, the less bumpy your skin healing journey will be.
Re: “I hate having to put on heavy layers of foundation every time I’m leaving my house just to cover all the redness, red marks and bumps on my skin. I’m just sick of always hiding my skin under so much makeup”
I totally understand. It’s frustrating, and we want to make sure that wearing makeup isn’t making your skin worse (it can be one of the most common causes of congested skin!). I made my Mineral Foundation for exactly this purpose – to provide coverage during healing without making things worse.
Re: “I know it’s difficult to say if your products will help my skin, but how long does it take until I will be able to see some improvement?”
You’re right, it is difficult to say since everyone’s skin is different and not everyone’s acne is caused by the same thing. If the majority of your acne is caused by the products you’re currently using you should see improvement fairly quickly (within a couple of weeks). If the majority of your acne is caused by internal imbalances, you’ll likely see a small improvement over a couple of months but will need to address the internal imbalances before a significant wave of healing will happen. You’ll also want to check out these posts on detox breakouts as your skin and body heals: http://site.groundedsage.com/qa-why-am-i-noticing-an-increase-in-my-acne/ and http://site.groundedsage.com/qa/
Re: “And do you know if diet (sugar, white flour, fast food, gluten etc) plays a role in acne?”
Yes, diet absolutely plays a role in the development of acne. The root causes of chronic, stubborn acne, always stem back to internal imbalances – most notably digestive health (poor gut detoxification), insulin resistance (connected to sugars, glucose, hormones, etc), chronic inflammation (whole body inflammation, even at low levels), and nutritional deficiencies. Each one of these root causes is affected by our diet. High sugar & inflammation causing diets act as a trigger for acne (along with over a dozen other triggers like stress – which affects hormones, chemical skin care products, allergies, etc). To be completely clear of acne, especially chronic, stubborn acne, one has to address their diet. I’m currently working on a mega resource for this but in the meantime, here are a few resources to help point you in the right direction:
If you haven’t already checked out the “general tips/suggestions” in my letter to acne sufferers, start there (pay particular attention to the internal / supplement / diet suggestions and tips):
Also see:
I hope that helps!
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