Skincare tips to help your skin look its best - even when the paparazzi sees you at your worst

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Cost of Picking Pimples and Not Wearing Sunscreen

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Whoa! It's been such a long time since my last post (which was made when I lived in British Columbia). I am back home in Toronto and have a lot to share. But first: The Cost of Getting Rid of Scars.

I got a lot of scars from picking at pimples and I never realized it (because they were the same shade as the scars from what I can tell), was that I also had sun spots. My advice to you now is: Wear sunscreen every day if you don't already. Preventative care is so much easier than dealing with the consequences when they come.

My ultimate goal was to remove these scars so I won't have to hide them with foundation and powder anymore.

Through a suggestion, I went to do glycolic chemical peels. I did one every three weeks for four times. The complexion of my face became better; it was glowing instead of looking dull. On my fourth visitation, my esthetician told me to consider photofacials. The scars I had seemed pretty deep and even with chemical peels, it wouldn't remove all my scars. So through the honest recommendation of my esthetician, I went in search of photofacials.

The thing with social buying sites (group buying pages like GroupOn, Living Social, Team Buy, etc) is that they offer cheaper prices for what would be steep dents in my pocket. I know some people don't trust these places because of the prices but remember it's just regular spas that are offering this deal in hopes of bringing in more customers.

I luckily came across a spa that was offering two photofacials for $50/each. It was a nice place (nothing sketchy) and the esthetician there was very knowledgeable. It was an IPL photo facial and if you've done laser hair removal, you would know that there is a bit of pain that comes with it. It's kind of like flicking an elastic band on your skin. There were some places that hurt more than others. For example, my forehead was the most painful area for me.

I have done two photo facials as of today and will be going onto my third session later this month. I have also added microdermabrasion to the equation at another spa which they both separately recommended. Microderma would be for the top layer of the skin and photofacial works underneath. Apparently the results would be faster.

Overall, I still have scars but they've lighten and my overall complexion has improved. I've learned that my scars aren't just scars, some of them are sun spots, which could have been prevented by wearing sun screen when I was younger! I now wear sunscreen everyday even if it's cloudy out (plus I have to because of the treatments I'm doing or it'll just be useless), but preventative measures is so much better and less costly.

WEAR.
SUNSCREEN.

EAT WELL.

DRINK LOTS OF WATER.

PROTECT YOUR SKIN.

/end rant

About Paparazzi Skin

A blog that explores skincare and the truth behind product claims.

I am not a dermatologist nor do I claim to be. I extract information from books and the internet that I believe will help educate readers and myself about skincare.


From time to time I will do makeup-related posts.

Email
paparazziskin [@] gmail . com

Toronto, Ont., Canada

Skincare Books

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beautiful Skin
by Marsha Gorden and Alice E. Fugate



Future: Product Reviews