#76 Face Mapping & Breakouts

I am so sorry about my lack of posts recently!! I was trying to catch up on everything post being ill and have also been swamped with life things in general…. But im back now…so moving on to todays post

I don’t know if this happens to anyone else but over the last few months I have noticed that I have been breaking out along my chin area, and they don’t seem to be your average typical spots but are larger and quite painful.

So having decided I have had enough especially as my skin is quite prone to scarring, I have started doing some research into it. I will be trying to find out what is causing it and what I can do about it.

My first point of research has led me to look at face mapping. Face mapping is based on the belief that the body provides an outside view of the body’s internal health. So the location of breakouts on the face or body will provide an indication of the underlying cause, and by treating this cause, you can supposedly stop the breakouts.

First up is the Dermalogica face map, and I am inclined to agree with what my cause is. I have noticed that the breakouts always seem to occur a few days before my time of the month which definitely indicates that my hormones are at work. Check out the map below and the explanations of the different zones and see if you notice anything that might relate to you.

There are a few other face map theories out there so I will also be comparing them to see how they match up and following that I will looking at what I can do to treat the breakouts and stop them from reoccurring.

(Image and information below is taken from Dermalogica and www.jerseybeautycompany.co.uk/skin_mapping.php

The Zones

zones 1 & 3Traditionally, this zone is regarded as the "sister" to the bladder and digestive system. If you breakout frequently in this area, it might mean that you need to improve your elimination by drinking more water and eating more "whole" foods.

zone 2The middle of the forehead, between the eyebrows, is related to the liver. Congestion in this zone can indicate over consumption of alcohol, rich foods, and possibly a food allergy (such as lactose intolerance).

zones 4 & 10The ears are a highly sensitive area related to the kidneys. If you notice that your ears are very hot, you might be stressing them out – drink plenty of plain water and cut down on caffeine and alcohol.

zones 5 & 9The cheeks often give an accurate glimpse into any respiratory distress. Smokers or people suffering from allergies generally experience fine, broken capillaries or congestion in this area.

zones 6 & 8The eyes are truly a window to the body's health because they're related to the kidneys. Dark circles , while often hereditary, are made worse by dehydration and poor elimination.

zone 7A reddened nose can indicate heightened blood pressure, or the early stages of rosacea. Congestion around the upper lip can occur if you use comedogenic lipsticks or liners.

zones 11 & 13If you've had extensive dental surgery done, you might notice a breakout along the jaw line, near the ears.

zone 12Breakouts or unusual hair growth can indicate hormonal imbalance, possibly caused by extreme stress. Premenstrual breakouts are also very common on the chin.

zone 14Don't forget to include your neck in your treatment regimen - its skin is just as fragile as that on your face, so it definitely needs the benefits of moisturisation and sun protection

#63 Question about scarring

One of the things I love about beauty is that it brings us together – we all have something we can’t live without, we all want to be beautiful in our own individual way and most of us have a beauty bug bear or question. I received an email a little while ago from a reader who wanted to find out some information about breakouts and scarring

Question

I’m on warfarin so I bruise easily and lately I have started to break out a lot. So whatever small scar I have, it turns into a huge scar! So, in short am looking for something that will clear my scar big time!!! I used to use Garnier cleanser/scrub and that was ok-ish but the Olay was on offer so I decided to get the Regenerist Polisher and Cleanser. The cleanser made me breakout a lot, I still use the Regenerist serum as at 26 pounds I wasn’t going to let it to go to waste! Now, am confused whether to treat my skin because it bruises easily or treat my skin breaking out from using Oil of Olay Regenerist Cleanser. What to do?!

Anyone who is a regular reader of my blog will know that the subject of scarring is one of my biggest beauty bugs – so I completely understand and sympathise

First up – you need to STOP using the Olay Regenerist Cleanser - It doesn’t matter how much it cost you, if your skin is breaking out then it sounds like your skin obviously doesn’t agree with something in the product and I don’t think continuing to use it is going to do you any favours. I personally am not a fan of the whole “oh your face needs to break out if the product is working theory” to me I have enough to deal with without also needing to treat my skin following the use of such a product. So unless you are sure that the serum isn’t causing you to break out as well then I would stop using that too

Next I would say you need to treat the breakouts first before you treat the scarring – with skin of colour we have more melanin in our skin which makes our skin more reactive, so a breakout, rash etc can act as a stimulus and trigger off the production of melanin which results in a dark mark or in scientific terms post inflammatory hyper pigmentation. As you mentioned being on warfarin means you bruise easily –so it’s important to reduce the damage and scarring being caused by your breakouts. You need a skincare regime that will help to deep cleanse your skin, exfoliate to remove the dead skin cells and a good moisturiser to put moisture back in the skin.

A cleanser/exfoliator that I have used and loved is Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash. It stimulates the skin's natural cell renewal cycle, actively smoothing and refining, whilst gently sloughing away dead skin cells which dull the complexion. I love that it doesn’t contain SLS which I find can cause my sensitive skin to be reactive and I found that it really helped to polish and improve the texture of my skin as well as help to fade my scars. The only thing with it is that you need to use it on already pre-cleansed skin as it isn’t a cleanser as such, that you would use to take off your makeup. In the mornings I just use it immediately but at night I pre-cleanse to remove makeup etc. I would also suggest that you look into using a mask once or twice a week – combined with a steam (but don’t steam your face more than once a week).

To fade the marks I would suggest a combination of exfoliation, skin brighteners, an oil and daily use of an SPF. Exfoliating regularly helps to clear clogged pores and to polish and break down the pigment in the scar. I prefer to use non gritty exfoliators and firm favourites that I turn to are the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash as mentioned previously, Origin’s Modern Friction (read a previous review here) and Demalogica’s Daily Microexfoliant which I think is fantastic for creating an even surface and an instant brightening boost – they say it can be used everyday but I tend to use it every other day otherwise I find my skin seems to get slightly oily and sensitive. Skin brightening ingredients (completely different to skin lightening) will help to suppress the excess melanin and to even out your skin tone – ingredients to look for are Vitamin C, Mulberry, Bilberry etc. At nightime I love using oils and have used Bio Oil in the past which my face seemed to love, another oil that was recommended to me recently is Cosmetics a la Carte's Rose Elixir, It was recommended by Ateh, she used it on a scar on her hand and it faded it really quickly, see the review here atehjewelbeautyinsider.blogspot Follow this up with a good SPF every day to protect your skin from the sun’s rays which can exacerbate discolorations. If you would like to give your skin a big jump start then a professional facial that focuses on exfoliating and fading scars will really help and you can work on maintaining the results at home with the right products. Finally another important thing to note is that unfortunately there is no quick fix so you have to be patient and commit to a proper routine to keep it under control. I hope this has been of some help and wish you the best of luck. Keep me posted on how it works out

P.S check out my previous post on Lumecin Overnight Treatment and Darphin Clear White, they are both products that are meant to help with scarring and brightening the skin. However I have only just started testing them out so I can’t really tell you how they have worked for me yet but check back in a few weeks for a review.

Xoxo

#55 Bag Spy: Whats in your bag? - Ateh Jewel Beauty Insider

Drumroll please!! Today’s Bag Spy come courtesy of journalist extraordinaire Ateh from atehjewelbeautyinsider. An award winning beauty journalist who regularly writes for a list of well known and respected titles such as Vogue, Grazia, Sunday Time Style, In Style Magazine, The Telegraph's Stella Magazine, and Red Magazine to name a few, so to say I was honoured when she agreed to do a bag spy is a major understatement. But I think what touched me the most when I approached her was just her personality, she was just so down to earth and nice (no journalist diva here) and was even thanking me for approaching her …while I was doing a little bow and saying We’re not worthy, were not worthy! Check out her blog atehjewelbeautyinsider.blogspot for some insider knowledge into the beauty world and enjoy her bag spy and mini bio below.

Thank you for asking me to reveal the contents of my beauty bag! I have been beauty mad since a kid and I used to apply my mum’s make up and cut her hair (only a mother’s love would allow this). By the time I hit university I used to buy electrician’s toolboxes to keep all my make up bits and pieces in and would make up girls for first dates and balls. After I graduated, I read History at Bristol University, I decided to put my two loves together – writing and beauty and started work at In Style magazine just after the first issue launched. I then spent a year at Tatler before going freelance in 2002. I love writing for different titles such as Vogue, Grazia, Daily Mail, Metro, Sunday Times Style, Daily Express and Black Beauty and Hair magazine and love the drama, self -expression, artistry and sense of well being the beauty industry and products can give women and has given me. Here’s a glimpse into my beauty stash.

Dermalogica, Special Cleansing Gel

I love this facial wash as it’s soap free, so it doesn’t strip the skin and contains calming and balancing lavender and balm mint extract. This is my daily skincare essential

Eve Lom, Cleanser

I love the ritual and ceremony of using this Bentley of cleansers, as the creamy texture is great for massaging and boosting the skin’s circulation before using the muslin cloth to gently remove it. I have combination skin and the mix of clove, chamomile and eucalyptus is really decongesting.

Crème de la Mer, Lip Balm

I actually think I am in love with this lip balm with it’s miracle broth, marine extracts and vitamins. I do love a good lip balm and this is the best one I have ever come across. Jamelia also loves this lip balm we bonded on how much we love it!

Ole Henriksen, Blue/Black Berry Enzyme Mask

I mask twice a week and it makes a big difference to the quality and texture of the skin. This one by Ole who is a lovely man contains calming lavender, skin smoothing papaya enzyme and the berries, which are packed full of antioxidants.

Aromatherapy Associates, Renew Rose & Sandalwood Facial Oil

I use this oil every night on my skin, as oils are a great way to deeply hydrate and add a glow to your skin as the skin recognises the oil and makes it penetrate quicker. The quality of AA’s products are amazing and it’s a joy to use before bed.

Darphin, Hydraskin Serum

I use this serum twice a day as it leaves my skin looking plumped and is super hydrating.

Nars, Sheer Glow Foundation in Benares

Anyone with a darker skin tone will tell you it’s a nightmare to get a great foundation as the colours from most brands don’t go dark enough or the undertones are wrong, which make you look ashy or too red. However, this is the first foundation in my 31 years that I truly love and is a great colour match.

Bobbi Brown, Lip Gloss in Merlot

Bobbi Brown is great for darker skin tones as all the products are packed full of pigment, which means it shows up on my skin. This lip-gloss is very natural and gives a soft glow to the lips, which I like to wear everyday.

Shu Uemura, Eye shadow

I had the chance to meet Mr Uemura before he died and it was such an honour and a privilege he was a true visionary and I love his products. These eye shadows are packed full of pigment and look amazing on all skin tones especially darker ones. I am loving IR Brown 810 and P Gold 350 at the moment.

Chanel, Joules Contraste in Imprevu and Enchantresse

Chanel blushes are packed full of punch so they are good on my skin. I find these blushes leave a healthy glow on the skin and make your whole face look alive. I know lots of black girls don’t do blush because they think it doesn’t look natural but I disagree, try popping a blush on your cheeks it will rock your beauty world.

And thats it, thanks again Ateh - you were great! talk about a fab list of products - I am liking the sound of the Ole H mask and the Chanel blushes.

Make sure you check out her blog

Xoxo