My college friends could all attest to the fact that I had a bad case of acne during sophomore year. I used to have break outs in high school and would just use a drug store astringent and they were gone in just a few days without leaving scars. But in college, my pimples got way out of hand. They were appearing in crops and the usual astringent didn't work at all.
Months passed and my entire face was covered with new and healing pimples. Needless to say that I felt so hopeless and insecure since everybody was noticing how my face has collected quite an amount of scars, bumps and red marks.
My savior was my mom's friend who took me to Dr. Isabel Lopez-Nazal's clinic in Ortigas. I was scheduled for acne surgery which sort of scared me at first not knowing how that went. I later found out it was just a facial cleaning procedure, the usual facial we know today. But it wasn't at all a walk in the park. The procedure was so painful for me since my pimples were everywhere. It got a little more tolerable in time though.
I was scheduled to have facial cleaning every 2 weeks which I really dreaded because of the pain and the results afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the final result was close to a miracle but the first few procedures shocked me. I came out with a swollen face and it looked as if I had more pimples than before (I swear!).
Aside from the facial cleaning, I was also given the task to religiously apply several products on my face day and night. Then after a few weeks my face started to clear up. It was indeed a miracle. From then on I've used the same products as of today.
After that ordeal with pimples, I've had a few bad years in med school and residency training when I had break outs almost similar but not quite as severe as my first in college. Good thing Dr. Nazal already had several branches back then in Q.C., particularly in Fairview (YSA Skin Care Center) where I usually went for treatment until it closed a few years ago. Just yesterday, I had a facial and diamond peel at their Congressional Avenue branch and I have to say that their service still gives me that wonderful feeling of satisfaction. I've been loyal to YSA for more than ten years now and I have seen/experienced how they evolved and kept up with modern times.
Recently, with the advent of different skin care products in the market, I haven't been too faithful with YSA products. I strayed away from using them and substituted a few popular and expensive brands only to find out I'll be going back to my original regimen in the end.
What I learned so far about dealing with pimples are quite simple but easily overlooked:
*First is NEVER touch your face without cleaning your hands. Wash your hands with an antibacterial soap before doing your daily skin care routine like applying a toner or moisturizer. In the middle of the day, if you need to touch up on your make up, simply use a wet tissue or sanitizer to clean your hands before you do.
**Second is don't be taken by promises of overly popularized skin care products. But I have to admit guilty on this one. I have been using other products though I made sure I tried them on my jawline first for a few days before using them on my entire face. So far, what works for me are Olay, The Body Shop and L'oreal products.
***Third is never miss a facial. Because no matter how deep cleansers claim they can really clean your face to the core, nothing beats a good old manual cleaning at least every 2 to 3 months.
Months passed and my entire face was covered with new and healing pimples. Needless to say that I felt so hopeless and insecure since everybody was noticing how my face has collected quite an amount of scars, bumps and red marks.
My savior was my mom's friend who took me to Dr. Isabel Lopez-Nazal's clinic in Ortigas. I was scheduled for acne surgery which sort of scared me at first not knowing how that went. I later found out it was just a facial cleaning procedure, the usual facial we know today. But it wasn't at all a walk in the park. The procedure was so painful for me since my pimples were everywhere. It got a little more tolerable in time though.
I was scheduled to have facial cleaning every 2 weeks which I really dreaded because of the pain and the results afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the final result was close to a miracle but the first few procedures shocked me. I came out with a swollen face and it looked as if I had more pimples than before (I swear!).
Aside from the facial cleaning, I was also given the task to religiously apply several products on my face day and night. Then after a few weeks my face started to clear up. It was indeed a miracle. From then on I've used the same products as of today.
After that ordeal with pimples, I've had a few bad years in med school and residency training when I had break outs almost similar but not quite as severe as my first in college. Good thing Dr. Nazal already had several branches back then in Q.C., particularly in Fairview (YSA Skin Care Center) where I usually went for treatment until it closed a few years ago. Just yesterday, I had a facial and diamond peel at their Congressional Avenue branch and I have to say that their service still gives me that wonderful feeling of satisfaction. I've been loyal to YSA for more than ten years now and I have seen/experienced how they evolved and kept up with modern times.
Recently, with the advent of different skin care products in the market, I haven't been too faithful with YSA products. I strayed away from using them and substituted a few popular and expensive brands only to find out I'll be going back to my original regimen in the end.
What I learned so far about dealing with pimples are quite simple but easily overlooked:
*First is NEVER touch your face without cleaning your hands. Wash your hands with an antibacterial soap before doing your daily skin care routine like applying a toner or moisturizer. In the middle of the day, if you need to touch up on your make up, simply use a wet tissue or sanitizer to clean your hands before you do.
**Second is don't be taken by promises of overly popularized skin care products. But I have to admit guilty on this one. I have been using other products though I made sure I tried them on my jawline first for a few days before using them on my entire face. So far, what works for me are Olay, The Body Shop and L'oreal products.
***Third is never miss a facial. Because no matter how deep cleansers claim they can really clean your face to the core, nothing beats a good old manual cleaning at least every 2 to 3 months.
****Finally, when you're dealing with pimples and are not successful treating them on your own, don't play doctor! Get help, 'cause the longer you wait, the bigger the problem gets. If I didn't seek help within the year I started breaking out, the treatment process would've been longer, hence more painful and way more expensive.
The things I've learned and deemed important to maintain a healthy skin may not be the same with you. There is no SINGLE effective treatment for everyone. What works for me may not be that effective for you. In the end, you have to find out what works best for your skin and if in doubt, get help. Seek consult and leave the problems to an expert. That's why we have them in the first place.
Addendum:
* I'm currently using YSA's Post Acne lotion and Whitening Solution, Olay total effects day cream spf 15 and total effects serum.
* Other products that work well with YSA products are Olay Regenerist line, The Body Shop Tea Tree line and L'oreal Dermagenesis line (replaced by a new line I haven't tried).
Addendum:
* I'm currently using YSA's Post Acne lotion and Whitening Solution, Olay total effects day cream spf 15 and total effects serum.
* Other products that work well with YSA products are Olay Regenerist line, The Body Shop Tea Tree line and L'oreal Dermagenesis line (replaced by a new line I haven't tried).
Wow! Thank you! I constantly wanted to write on my site something like that. Can I take a fragment of your post to my site?
ReplyDeleteHays 76-228 Aluminum Quadrant/Cable Kit, Mustang
Sure thing Erwin, enjoy and continue blogging!
DeleteHello po. May tanong lang po ako ate. Sa Ysa rin po ako ngayon nagpapatreatment ng pimples kaya lang 1 month pa lang po. Mga ilang weeks po ba makita yung as in miracle result na nabanggit nyo? Medyo naiinip rin po kasi ako. Huhu. Salamat po sa post nyo.
ReplyDeleteHi there, just to give you an idea, I had moderate to severe acne back then. I started seeing my face clear up gradually after about 3 to 4 months. I saw the "miraculous" results after about 8 months. Miraculous because most of my acne cleared up and healed without scarring.
Delete