Phase 2 - Vitamin C, Antioxidants

Phase 2 of #skincareclub

Again this is directly from Dr Sam Buntings blog on "When Acne and Wrinkles Coexist Part 2" concentrating on brightening, even out skin tone and texture, getting rid of PIH (post inflammatory hyperpigmentation). Part 2 here

The skin should be turning over nicely now, although for myself I still had some acne and cysts at this stage and it was only around Phase 3 and giving up Gluten that I cleared up completely. This is the time now when your seeing results, your way past the purge stage, you can visibly see clear skin and others start to notice too, you also notice that you actually look younger upon closer inspection although it's hard to tell with that patchy, lumpy, still scarred skin tone.

What I used
Vitamin C with Hyaluronic Acid from KLUR skin
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser & SA Cleanser both with ceramides and hyaluronic acid and the SE stands for Salicylic Acid (I always leave these on for 3-5 minutes as a mask)
CeraVe AM lotion with SPF, ceramides and hyaluronic acid
CeraVe PM lotion with ceramides and hyaluronic acid

Other brands you can use for your main serums for phase 1 & 2 (vitamin A, Retinol and Vit C or Antioxidants)
 
Dermalogica
Medik8
Skinceuticals
La Roche Posay
Obagi

There are brands to suit all pockets, all are amazing too. 

What I did
I carried on with my Vitamin A serum 3-4x a week in the evenings with my very carefully chosen supporting items (cleanser, evening moisturiser & day moisturiser with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, SPF and hyaluronic acid serum) and I introduced my Vitamin C serum, I went with KLUR Vit C & Hyaluronic Acid serum, every morning on dry or damp skin. The serum I had didn't sting or cause any adverse effects and it was difficult to believe it was actually working, don't know about you but I am used to using harsh stinging strong Vit C potions. 

I trusted Lesley my skin mentor and Hollywood Aesthetician by now, in fact we had become firm friends. It would have been easy at this point to become complacent but I had worked too hard and so had Lesley, plus by now I had a few interested in #skincareclub and I didn't want to let anyone else down.  I had become complacent in 2016 when I used Biologique Recherche with great results then gave up and added in lots of oils and heavy balms so I have been there, done that and really did not fancy repeating that mistake again. Once it's a mistake, twice it's becoming insanity.

It was so simple, easy to follow and affordable and advocated by a famous Cosmetic Dermatologist (in fact every Dermatologist) and KLUR skincare founder, formulator and Aesthetician Lesley so *shrugs* why would I stop?

At this point I just felt something give in me, something shifted and I knew absolutely that I would not fail!

Within 6 weeks or less
I really noticed a HUGE difference, not just in scars, but my skin was brighter, smoother, flatter no bumps, even coloured, thicker looking, healthy, glowing, I am so happy not wearing make up now its un believable. I am so happy and grateful to Dr Sam Bunting and Lesley at KLUR. 

Why don't we listen?
I'm not sat here typing trying to tell you to spend a fortune on the next latest skin care that promises clear skin. I am sat here talking about a proven way that Dermatologists have been telling us for years and years, but sadly we mostly give up in the first few weeks of the Phase 1 Retinol as skin becomes sore, probably using too much product, the Doctor has labeled instructions saying "use every evening" and we did, no one told us about the purge so not expecting it when skin suddenly get's much worse with a sudden onset of volcanic spots at a rate you've never seen before we panicked every.single.time and stopped using it. 

Years and years I have been in that cycle. Doctors really need to explain a bit more about avoiding the eye area, the dreaded purge, the sore skin, the impotrance of using SPF  and I am sure many more would stick with it and have clear skin. Another huge blame is that no one explains what acne is, so maybe you get through the purge (more spots very suddenly), the flaky, sore skin stage and your skin clears, what do you do? well you stop don't you? after all you no longer have acne, its cured, right? wrong! Keep this up forever, unless your having a hormonal issue your acne prone for life, your skin cells are stickier and your skin produces too much sebum, the skin cream helps but it is not a cure, you stop, it comes back. 

Around the point of starting Phase 2 I had a lot going on so I came away from Instagram a bit, I wasn't posting my routines nor interacting with other accounts. Truth be told I felt I had nothing in common any more, they didn't really seem as interested in me, and I wasn't buying all the things they were so we hadn't much to say anymore. I honestly started to question my account and "friends" I had made on there. I felt really left out, but it gave me a chance to concentrate on my physical and mental health, build myself up a bit before I came back online after my many breakdowns I had on there and a few struggles I had getting along with a few others.

I am so glad I decided to keep up with my account and blog, maybe even if it helps a few others stick with these three phases and start to love the skin they are in - then it will be worth it.

By the end of Phase 2 my skin was beautifuly clear! HALLELUJAH

 From this ...

 To this.....

 To THESE

Part 3 - My Acne Skin Journey - Personal Journey

Part 3

Something else I wished to share is that I have had a difficult few years, many of my Instagram friends have virtually wiped tears away many times, at times I have over shared too many personal details of a breakup, the nitty gritty details, I have talked openly about being in recovery from an addiction, and the fact is I will always be an addict, it's no secret that I have struggled so much with filling a void within me, an empty place that I will sometimes revert back to old behaviours when my life isn't going as I wish, or I am not taking responsibilty for my life choices or I get sick.

 

  Buying skincare obsessively was just one way my addiction can manifest. It's a mental health disorder of Obsessive Compulsive Behavior patterns that can start out so innocently and before you know it your kind of doing it against your will like "why the fuck have I ordered yet another cleanser when I know I have 15 unopened" and you know what, we become the master of self denial, the master of justification and deception. You don't have to have taken drugs to have the Addict Mentality, you just have to have something going on that your not dealaing with, a void in your life your filling with something else.

 I also had undiagnosed Coelics Disease for years, slowly getting sicker and sicker physically but my mental health started to decline hugely too, and my personal relationship. I could barely get out of bed most days and my mind was so foggy I was being tested for early dementia, I was so frightened and out of my depth and with the Dr giving me many different diagnoses that just stun me now.. Anyway it just happened that he went over my tests again and found the Coeliacs, as sonn as I gave up gluten I started to recover, but I am left with M.E, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis a neurological condition.


So, you see I had so much going on in my life that my acne and skincare became a release, a bit of fun, starting the Instagram for beauty reviews to while away my hours in bed, soon became out of control.
I had to reasses what had happened, what I had allowed to happen while trying to keep up with everyone else. I liked the idea of feeling involved with the other skincare accounts, sharing tips, ideas, being one of the first to snag a new product and photograph it. I felt part of a community, and in all this time somthing else worth mentioning is that I was sick, and had been for a couple of years, which is again one of the ideas to keep me occupied from my bed was to start blogging.



I look back now and I am cringing, paying £150 for serums and what not just to look good and fit in with everyone else. Skin needs consistency and by that I mean a set of actives and good supporting products. What we all want (I know I am repeating myself) is clear, healthy and younger and fresher looking skin....right?



So I am sharing what I have found, what I did and why and I will continue to promote healthy skin with absolutely NO BULLSHITand no dressing things up, NO sugar coating shit from me any more. If you have problem skin, you really should read this and the following posts, not because I am the second coming and not because I have discovered something new, but because I have found the correct people to listen to and it bloody well works.

For the first time in a very long time I feel free, despite still having a neurological condition, I am slowly trying to rebuild my life and become used to and accepting of my new limits and enjoy my clear skin.


My advice to anyone caught in this trap is; if you have any kind of skin issues, even just a bit of congestion, there are no quick fixes is consistency (I see that word a lot on skincare accounts with no actual consistency). Find your actives (antioxidants, retinol/vitamin a) and your back up products full of hyaluronic acid, ceramides, vitamins such as A, C, E, K, B etc (cleanser and moisturiser - your serums A & C are your actives) and a bloody good SPF or you'll undo it all. Find a formulation that works for you in a price bracket you can keep up with and stick with it.

Some brands that are suitable for most budgets...
La Roche Posay
Dermalogica
KLUR
Skinceuticals
Medik8
CeraVe

Do your research and give it a go, what have you got to lose?


To find out how I cleared my acne and cysts Phase 1 Retinol

Part 2 - My Acne Skin Journey - needing help!

Part 2
I needed help...real professional help! I realised this isn't my expertise and I don't know everything there is to know about the skincare profession. Actually I knew nothing when it came down to it. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't going to get the answers on Instagram. See most people use what works for them, they know what they like. However  most of us skin obsessed consumers don't know what it's like to treat and help others and how  other people's skin responds. What another  individuals needs are. I even realized many of the brands I was using weren't created by people with any skincare background or knowledge. I was getting the wrong advice from too many of the wrong people.

This was a light bulb moment...I don't know why I didn't do this earlier, but I begin to focus my attention on dermatologist advice, talked to skin therapist and then I came across Dr. Sams Bunting's blog on Acne & Wrinkles. I decided that this would be the route I would go next. I would use the blog as a step by step guide and start over with basics, it really couldn't hurt. I was desperate and not willing to do Accutane ever again.

If you don't know her already Dr. Sam is a highly sought after Cosmetic Dermatologist, she has appeared on TV and has an extremely informative YouTube VLOG and Instagram account, she posts her weekly scolds series and Dr Sam in the City and has an incredible finger waggle. Lets face it, if I had tooth ache I would see a dentist, so why not the same for skin?

As fate would have it, that same week in Early February. I got a message from a woman in Los Angeles. She offered to help me, with no strings attached, genuine she wanted to help me. She had a very simple philosophy and with a few exceptions, she was pretty much on course with I read on Dr.Sam's blog.

Lesley is an Aesthetician from Hollywood who has worked with skin a long time, even for huge brands. She sees her own clients and makes her own skincare in a lab (not a cooking pot in the garden), but in a genuine certified kinda way. She spoke sense, was not pushy, did not bash other brands, wasn't restrictive, most of all her reasons for contacting me was nothing to do with boosting her brand, her motive was purely and simply to help me attain skin health.

In return for her professional assistance she asked for a couple of things, the most important was to do 90 days with consistency 3 skin cycles basically.

HER RULES:
1.) Stash away everything I owned so I wasn't tempted. (Obviously this was a little hard ).

This was major for me, I put everything in a dark place ..............


2.) Use only the products she shipped or recommend I purchase and that's it. (Brutal as I had no idea what I was getting into).


3.) Stay consist for 3 months.
( I'll say this wasn't easy I was tempted to introduce my oils etc, but I powered through it)

 Wait, what? I have to put ALL my skincare away? Surely she didn't just say that!!



I did just that I committed to 3 months, this turned into 6 months! I put away everything I owned, sold off and gave away stuff.  When she shipped a box from Los Angeles to Leeds in a few days, I knew I had to commit. All I needed to do was use them and listen.


Listening was difficult because I had been giving the wrong advice so many times, and spent so much money which only made my skin worse.

I was stubborn, thick headed and finally after weeks of skincare education, explanations, chatting, texting and her holding my hand! I let down my guard and just took the chance.

She became my skin mentor I posted on everyday what I used and when she saw things I shouldn't use she called me on my crap. And gave me a full educated breakdown of why I shouldn't use it, but not in a aggresive manor, she was more amusing, made me laugh.

Lesley at KLUR Aesthetician - reviews
We used whats-app almost every week to discuss the routines and she told me how skin works, why I needed to focus on REPAIR and not treating acne. That the products I would be using anyone could use. They weren't for acne, and it's not about the Acne--that my problem was  inflammation, compromised barrier and skin mis-function. The products she created just make your skin work better and give your skin what it needs, to heal and repair itself.

The routine was so simple, it became addicting and refreshing! Finally not to think of routines at all this required minimal effort. It was liberating  gave me freedom, mental clarity, extra time to spend with my son, and now I could focus on my diet and getting healthy inside.

Most importantly, they worked. Slowly but surely by obsession lessoned, I just used exactly what I was told. Check out these results 5-6 months later.....

click to read Part 3

Part 1 - My Acne Skin Journey

 just a tiny fraction of my old skincare stash

Part 1- The makings of an addict 

Going back to Summer 2016. I bought everything! I mean anything that promised beautiful skin, everything that anyone was using and anything that looked good on my IG page.

My drawers were filled to the brim with stuff, my counters were cluttered with bottles and containers. Some good things, but mostly lots of unnecessary stuff. I had products galore! Every week a package arrived at the door. I was so swept up in the hype of products, that didn't read ingredients, I didn't care, and didn't google anything to see if the ingredients made any sense for my skins needs. If it wasn't suited for my skin I bought it. I used it, indulged and my skin paid the price.

Me at the Cult Beauty Sale.......

I thought what was popular was good for me. And offered my skin what it needed. I thought going natural would be my savior. After all natural is better right? So it seemed...Not till my face was damn near falling off, sore, and completely damaged did I realise this was just the placebo effect and the effects of good marketing.

I justified things because I didn't want to admit what I had spent thousands of pounds on just wasn't helping. 

My mind said they worked, but my skin didn't show any signs of improvement. The truth is my beautiful balms, many face oils, oils serums, oil cleaners, masks, acids and luxury brands were just making me feel good inside. The real truth is they made no difference in my skins condition except to worsen it.

By the time the 2016 holidays came I was so far deep into the hole, I barely had the extra funds to buy what I actually needed to repair my fragile-broken skin. My skin was a DISASTER my self-esteem was low, my confidence was shot. The appeal of Instagram beauty brands, over priced products and advice from most beauty-bloggers had lost its shine and worse their methods and suggestions completely failed. I needed some real help...

Some of my before photos

To see some of my old skincare routines go to just_claire_leeds Instagram

coming up.... Part 2

Clear Skin Phase 1 Retinol/Vitamin A

Phase1 #skincareclub Retinol

I was going to write a big back story and try for fancy writing, but decided on straight to the point.

Step 1 = 12 weeks Vitamin A
As I spoke about on an earlier post, I found Dr Sam's blog post "What to do when acne and wrinkles coexist"  

That post was my "skinspiration" to change!   

I tried to go straight in to phase 1, but my skin was so damaged that it was just reacting, I remembered a conversation I had with the lady who owns Bella Aura Skincare, she had suggested leaving my skin alone, totally! So I did, I went with no make up, and only washed at night time for a few days, I even skipped a day or two here and there, but mainly I just cleansed and moisturised for a few weeks.  

 My skin when it was super reactive to any skincare I applied

little bit calmer after a few weeks of cleanse and moisturise and some days doing nothing

Things I used for phase one-

1. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser.
2. A gently foaming or "proper" cleanser I used CeraVe SE cleanser. 
3. A vitamin A serum I used KLUR vitamin serum. You could use Differin but I wanted a multi-vitamin serum to start and used stronger retinols in phase three.
4. An evening moisturiser like CeraVe PM lotion as long as it's non-comodogenic to you.
5. SPF like CeraVe AM lotion (it's only 30 so reapply a lot and stay out of direct sun).
6. I only used a toner for a few weeks then dropped it as I didn't want anything messing with my skin, La Roche Posay Serozinc if you must. 
7. A Hydrating serum like Niod Mmhc.
8. Patience, dedication and absolute sticking with it. 

* also La Roche Posay do an amazing range of spf, cleansers, moisturisers, choose basic and for your skin type. 

What to do
To start, use your vitamin a (retinol) serum on Monday evening after cleansing on dry skin, it's better to wait 30 minutes after cleansing to apply.
Next week Monday & Friday. 
The following week Monday, Wednesday & Friday evenings.

I left at least an hour before moisturising to allow the serum Vit A to do it's thang.

NOTE
Please absolutely avoid the eye area, the full orbital bone under the eye and above the eye to the brow, it is very sore and painful if you apply in this area, and only use a tiny amount. 

In the mornings I used the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser and left on for 3 minute on damp skin, it will sting a little as you get retinol flakes. Then Hydrating serum then spf, no moisturiser is needed if you use CeraVe AM SPF lotion if you have oily skin, however you can use the CeraVe PM lotion under the AM one, or find a nice La Roche Posay one such as Toleraine.

Your going to be a little sore just stick with it, do NOT use face oil or heavy moisturiser or masks. Use a face cloth to gently buff when needed. 

So that's it. 3x a week in the evenings your vitamin a serum, and Hydrating serum and SPF every morning. 

Please DO NOT skip SPF, the harmful rays will undo all your great anti-ageing work and cause the new scar tissue to darken becoming scars that will take a long time to fade. Wear it even if it's winter. Every. Single. Day

This is me now.

I can't find any mid phase photos, but I was hugely upset when at the end of 12 weeks I still had some spots, no where near like the photos at the top, but I did still have under jaw cysts and some jaw (think beard area) spots. I stuck with it and just kept going. It's worth mentioning that in this time I was diagnosed with Coeliacs Disease that can cause external inflammation in the form of cysts and acne, when I gave up gluten my skin cleared up under my jaw and jawline very quickly. It may be worth seeing a naturopath or similar to test for allergies and intolerances that could be causing the cysts. 

Step 2 coming next "Acne is under control so what's next?"

Josh Rosebrook Active Enzyme Exfoliator

Josh Rosebrook Review
I thought since I have used so many products over the the past year I would do a mini review of a few of them, and first up is Josh Rosebrook Active Enzyme Exfoliator.

What is it? It's described as a "professional resurfacing treatment" which basically means an exfoliator. It can be used as a cleanser (second or morning cleanse personally) however I used this as a treatment mask.

Why use it? We exfoliate our skin to reveal a brighter complexion, exfolating can help with acne, breakouts, dull and uneven skin tone and hyper pigmentation and the likes.


Whats special about it?
This is a dual exfoliator, meaning it has gritty bits (walnut shells) in to manually exfoliate the skin like a good old fashioned face scrub, but it also has enzymes in that 'eat away the dead skin'. Josh's line is also organic and cruelty free. It's also a mask or cleanser or both and I love a dual product, but this ones a dual dual product. It also has anti-inflamatory and antioxidant benefits.

How much and where from?
It's not a cheap line however due to the quality of the ingredients and the fact it's Organic you should expect to pay a little more for products that are small batch and so lovingly prepared. It's $60 or £69.95 in the UK for 1.5oz it seems the UK are hit massively with the cost there. Personally I would purchase direct and do a big order to make it worthwhile but remember customs tax in the UK is a sting and you wil get charged.
USA here
UK here 


Who is it for and how often?
The website claims it's for all skin types, personally I don't think it's suitable for super reactive skin, sensitive skin or if your using a strong prescription retinol. This is a super active mask/cleanser hybrid so give it the respect it deserves and go easy and slow.  I can't find a 'how often' on the website, but I guess it's skin dependant, if you already use acids, exfoliators etc maybe cut back on one and replace it, start off once a week. You know your skin better than anyone. I only used it as a treatment mask as I find it too expensive to use as just a cleanser. It has a sticky feel and is near impossible to spread on dry skin, I apply it on freshly washed, warm and damp skin and you can make a little go a long way. Then left it for an hour, it doesn't dry hard like a clay and it removes really easily too, as I was trying to avoid the 'manual exfoliation' I just splashed my face with luke warm water and it doesn't leave any residue nor did it sting my eyes as I splashed.

Final thoughts... (ooh it's like Jerry Springer)
This is one of the few products I class as a Holy Grail (HG) item, it gives me the kind of results I was expecting from Sunday Riley Good Genes, that instant wow factor. I really don't like a 'manual' exfoliator, I gave those up years ago. So although Josh advises you to apply in circular motions then leave on for 10 minutes to an hour, I don't do the "circular motions" bit. I pat on then leave it for an hour, but I worked my way up to that. My skin is super damaged at the moment from product overload so I can't use it at the moment, and it's empty anyway.

 The results from this are instant, instant glow, instant brightening. I am using a basic routine at the moment to let my skin adjust to a retinol and I have made a pact with myself to only purchase HG items and necessities in the future, this is one of them. I was stunned the first time I used this, and with ongoing use that didn't change (as it can do with those instant gratification items, you know the ones we declare instant love for them three weeks later our face fell off). This is something I would use once a week on Spa Sunday, with a clay and a hydrating mask (triple masking). It smells like liquorice and expensive chocolate YUM! I found this to be the perfect exfoliating and brightening mask. When I was using this consistently with a certain set of products I was super happy with my skin, I noticed a difference in acne and congestion and I felt that I just looked so much healthier.

Ingredients

All skin types

*Honey, *Vegetable Glycerin, Water, *Soy Lecithin, *Avocado Oil, *Jojoba Oil, *Sunflower Oil, *Evening Primrose Oil, *Neem, *Echinacea, *Hawthorn Berry, *Alfalfa, *Ashwagandha, *Goji Berry, *Beetroot, *Bilberry, *Black Cohosh, *Rosemary, *Fennel, *Dandelion, *Calendula, *Fo ti Root, *Turmeric, *Sage, *Stevia, *Chamomile,  *Rose Hips, *Licorice, *Chickweed, *Horse Chestnut, *Eyebright, *St. John’s Wort, *Coriander, *Burdock, *Elderberry, *Yucca, *Thyme, *Lavender, *Olive leaf, *Raspberry leaf, *Red Clover, *Papaya Enzyme, Walnut shells, *Guar Gum, * Gum Arabic, †Lemon Essential Oil, †Cypress Essential Oil, †Fennel Essential Oil, †Bergamot Essential Oil, †Lime Essential Oil.

*CERTIFIED ORGANIC

†ORGANIC

No Animal Testing

Made in the USA

10/10 claire rating!

Josh kindly sent me this sample size free in with my order direct.

Update on sort my shit skin out phase 1 and some changes

Ok, so......
I have really damaged my skin.

Far too much damage to be using a prescription strength retinoid anyway. I even stopped using it for a little while, no actives just the basic CeraVe skincare I had. My skin is just not ready, so not to be put off I sought advice from an aesthetician (basically I can't even spell it) and while she isn't Dr Sam she is the next best thing.

Plan B is to switch a bit, I am now doing Antioxidants in phase 1 as they are a little more gentle and I can concentrate on repair and protect. Phase 2 will now be over -he-counter retinoid, slowly titrating up to prescription strength Retinoids. I am a little dissapointed as I know I am known for changing things around too quickly and giving up before the magic happens. This decision was not taken lightly. I really thought long and hard about it. I decided that my skin was more important than my public image (I know it's already in tatters thanks gluten). *mega eye roll*

Maybe I should have had 8 weeks of basic skincare and no actives in the first place, but I didn't realise just how reactive my skin has become. It wasn't the usual Vitamin A irritation, in fact I had no peeling it was just my skin became itchy, bumpy, sore on my cheeks as it was previously when I had over exfoliated or just caused product overload.

The Antioxidant I have chosed is Vitamic C 18% with Hyaluronic Acid from a company called KlurSkin. I wanted something not hyped up, small company and hand made thoughtfully, from someone who knows skin and formulates it in a lab, properley. She sees 1000's of clients a year and just wanted to help, I am under no obligation or pressure and she isn't interested in gaining likes or clients it was purely to help me, and she has enough clients anyway. Saying that if it works then she best be ready and have plenty on stand by coz I will shout from the roof if I find something that actually works.

The Vitamic C type is Sodium Ascrobyl Phosphate as is a newer C breaking through in skincare at the moment, it's non irritating like it's sister L Ascorbic Acid can be, and L Ascorbic Acid can actually make acne much worse as I have experienced previously. I am no ingredients geek or science based blogger so I can't claim to know much about this sort of thing. I did do a little googling and found some satisfactory information.


I have been using it from yesterday evening AM & PM, due to the HA content (also an anti-ager) it instantly plumps the skin, the only product I have seen that with is Niod MMHC, instant plumping results.

So far so good. It's early days and I have had to be realistic as dissapointing as it is, the show must go on. I will get clear skin and feel great.

I hope others are joining, and I am keen to know what your all using. #clearskinrevolution #drsambuntingmademedoit #skincareclub



I'm just gonna cry into my Gluten-Free sandwich (that's another story and the reason you have seen me lose my shit and basically acting all weird on instagram....gluten poisoning.)

Thanks for reading