Facial tips

My skin decided to start freaking out a few years ago. So long gorgeous, flawless skin that I took for granted: hello crater-ville.

It was awful. I was so embarrassed. But the other day, a friend at church pointed out that my skin looked good, and I realised, Hey! Yeah it is! I mean, it's still not perfect but it's much better than it used to be.

So I thought I'd share what I've been doing.

1) I broke down and bought into the ProActiv hype. But it had NOTHING to do with Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson urging me to get it on TV. Maybe Kelly Clarkson. Man, why is she so cool? (And yet I have not bought one of her albums? Anyone with me? That one song was great...). ProActiv broke the cycle of constant breakouts and smoothed my skin out. BUT it didn't help the cystic acne that I had developed which is the worst.

2) Ah, but the cysts seemed to dissipate after I cut out... DAIRY. Yup. Lactose intolerance (for me) goes beyond just my intestinal tract. I ended up cutting out a good deal of dairy anyway, as part of our dessert fast (dessert once every two months only), but I stay away from cheese and milk as much as possible. It seems to have made a big difference. Thank goodness for almond milk and soy creamer for my coffee. Also, I suspect that cutting out a lot of processed sugar has helped. For the most part, I use honey as a sweetner. But, oh no, what about those scars?

3) Every week, I mix together a couple of tablespoons of yogurt with the juice of half a lemon. I spread a little all over my face, let it sit for 15 minutes and then wash it off. This does a couple of things: lightens the scars, and I suspect tightens and moisturizes my face. I'm not gonna lie girls... it smells FUNKY! But you'll get used to it, and you'll see effects almost immediately. It's fantastic! At first, I used it every other day. Now I use it about twice a week.

4) I can't believe I'm doing this, but I now wear sunscreen almost every day. I hate it. I used to pride myself on being one of the sacred dark people, who can withstand almost any amount of sun without getting burnt -- that's still true, but the sun does not help erase scars, as I once thought. Plus, the sun is glaring just a little heavier with the thinning ozone layer right? Might as well take all the protection I can get.

5) This is a weird superficial one but... I prayed for good skin. In fact, I have been praying every other day for it. Now listen, I know this is a surface-y kind of thing to ask for. But, as long as I keep it in perspective (ie, praying for all kinds of other loftier Miss-America type of things like world peace etc etc first), these kinds of requests are alright I think... the Lord knows that they're the icing on my (dairy-free) cake. I figure that when He's sick of me asking for help, He'll tell me. And so far, I think He's alright with it. Thank Goodness He's such a patient Father!

Anyway, thought I'd post this in case it happens to help any of you.

I wish I had some before and after photos. I'll keep an eye out and post 'em if I find some.

-x-
aarti