First things first, sorry for being absent from my blog once again. Life has been throwing a lot at me this year and I really had to figure out my priorities, which unfortunately meant blogging and Instagram got a little neglected.
If you are a regular reader of my skin diaries you would know I've been suffering from hormonal acne for years (8 to be exact) and it is still a constant battle. If you'd like to catch up, here are all my previous skin diaries. A quick summary of my health situation so this can all make sense, after all health and the appearance of your skin is connected. 8 years ago I started experiencing a lot of hormonal issues such as pain, nausea and of course, bad skin. This has continued up until present day. Fast forwarding to July last year (I may have mentioned this in previous skin diaries so I'm sorry if it's repetitive) a cyst was found on my right ovary. I knew because my period literally went missing for a few months, I had terrible pain and my skin was a nightmare. The solution was the pill and it was all and well while I was on it. The cyst went, I gained some weight, my boobs went up three sizes and most importantly my skin cleared completely. I decided to get off it because I'm someone who hates medication and I did not want to rely on a pill to balance my hormones. Assuming the cyst was a one off thing I got off the pill and focused on natural alternatives. Like cutting out dairy and sugar etc.
In January this year my weight literally dropped off. I think I lost a total of 12kg and I was already on the skinny side so it was not good. I didn't reach out to doctors at the time, instead I saw a naturopath but I didn't really openly admit my weight loss. It really affected my mood and I had no idea why the weight went away (so did my boobs, back to an A cup for me). Additionally, my skin broke out like crazy, it was like I went backwards. I went to a doctor and asked for a hormone blood test, I was rejected and told "I'm too young to have any hormonal issues that need checking" so that was that. The naturopath helped me to start balancing my hormones but as you'd notice in previous skin diaries it wasn't as big of a success as i'd hoped. I know natural alternatives take a while but deep down I knew something was wrong with my hormones. Around June/July when I noticed I was really struggling to put weight back on (my weight just kept dropping despite me ensuring I was eating around 2,300 calories) I went to the doctors because my wrists began to hurt. I was advised to take calcium & vitamin D tablets as well as alter my diet. Altering my diet helped me gain weight, roughly 2kg within a month, which was a lot better than it going down. I then saw another doctor because my naturopath wanted me to check my thyroid. I ended up getting a blood test and found my thyroid was hyperactive. That somewhat explained why my weight was dropping however when I had a one month check up my thyroid was back to normal and the doctor wanted me to have more tests because there wasn't much of an improvement with my weight, periods being regular or my skin. He had a feeling there was something off with my reproductive system. He requested an ultra sound as a check up because I had a cyst in the past, so I went to do that. During my ultra sound I discovered I had another cyst (which made total sense because my skin was badly breaking out at the time) as well as being told I have a mild case of polycystic ovary syndrome. The doctor had to clarify through a blood test but when I found out that this was most likely the issue I had all these years I was so relieved but also disheartened. I knew my hormones were imbalanced and I knew the symptoms weren't for nothing so I was glad to finally have a name to what was going on with my body. However, another curve ball. For some reason my blood test results didn't line up with my symptoms or what was seen on my ovaries so I'll need to go to the hospital to do further tests to see if it is polycystic ovaries or some other issue. Although I most likely do have the condition.
Anyway, that's an update on my health this year. It was necessary to explain because it is why my skin is the way it is as well as the reason for my absence. Of course the pill is the immediate response to the condition however it can't actually ever be cured so I thought, what's the point of a "bandaid" fix when I can try to eliminate or at least lessen the symptoms naturally. I've seen a dietitian but wasn't happy so now I will try a nutritionist where my naturopath was located. I will include that experience in my next update. Hopefully now that I pretty much know the cause of my acne I can achieve clearer skin.
I don't really have much of a skin "update" for you all but I do have the reason behind it all so I thought it was important to dedicate a post to. Like I said above I will update on the diet in the next skin diaries but for skin care and beauty this is what I'm using.
Skincare
If you are a regular reader of my skin diaries you would know I've been suffering from hormonal acne for years (8 to be exact) and it is still a constant battle. If you'd like to catch up, here are all my previous skin diaries. A quick summary of my health situation so this can all make sense, after all health and the appearance of your skin is connected. 8 years ago I started experiencing a lot of hormonal issues such as pain, nausea and of course, bad skin. This has continued up until present day. Fast forwarding to July last year (I may have mentioned this in previous skin diaries so I'm sorry if it's repetitive) a cyst was found on my right ovary. I knew because my period literally went missing for a few months, I had terrible pain and my skin was a nightmare. The solution was the pill and it was all and well while I was on it. The cyst went, I gained some weight, my boobs went up three sizes and most importantly my skin cleared completely. I decided to get off it because I'm someone who hates medication and I did not want to rely on a pill to balance my hormones. Assuming the cyst was a one off thing I got off the pill and focused on natural alternatives. Like cutting out dairy and sugar etc.
In January this year my weight literally dropped off. I think I lost a total of 12kg and I was already on the skinny side so it was not good. I didn't reach out to doctors at the time, instead I saw a naturopath but I didn't really openly admit my weight loss. It really affected my mood and I had no idea why the weight went away (so did my boobs, back to an A cup for me). Additionally, my skin broke out like crazy, it was like I went backwards. I went to a doctor and asked for a hormone blood test, I was rejected and told "I'm too young to have any hormonal issues that need checking" so that was that. The naturopath helped me to start balancing my hormones but as you'd notice in previous skin diaries it wasn't as big of a success as i'd hoped. I know natural alternatives take a while but deep down I knew something was wrong with my hormones. Around June/July when I noticed I was really struggling to put weight back on (my weight just kept dropping despite me ensuring I was eating around 2,300 calories) I went to the doctors because my wrists began to hurt. I was advised to take calcium & vitamin D tablets as well as alter my diet. Altering my diet helped me gain weight, roughly 2kg within a month, which was a lot better than it going down. I then saw another doctor because my naturopath wanted me to check my thyroid. I ended up getting a blood test and found my thyroid was hyperactive. That somewhat explained why my weight was dropping however when I had a one month check up my thyroid was back to normal and the doctor wanted me to have more tests because there wasn't much of an improvement with my weight, periods being regular or my skin. He had a feeling there was something off with my reproductive system. He requested an ultra sound as a check up because I had a cyst in the past, so I went to do that. During my ultra sound I discovered I had another cyst (which made total sense because my skin was badly breaking out at the time) as well as being told I have a mild case of polycystic ovary syndrome. The doctor had to clarify through a blood test but when I found out that this was most likely the issue I had all these years I was so relieved but also disheartened. I knew my hormones were imbalanced and I knew the symptoms weren't for nothing so I was glad to finally have a name to what was going on with my body. However, another curve ball. For some reason my blood test results didn't line up with my symptoms or what was seen on my ovaries so I'll need to go to the hospital to do further tests to see if it is polycystic ovaries or some other issue. Although I most likely do have the condition.
Anyway, that's an update on my health this year. It was necessary to explain because it is why my skin is the way it is as well as the reason for my absence. Of course the pill is the immediate response to the condition however it can't actually ever be cured so I thought, what's the point of a "bandaid" fix when I can try to eliminate or at least lessen the symptoms naturally. I've seen a dietitian but wasn't happy so now I will try a nutritionist where my naturopath was located. I will include that experience in my next update. Hopefully now that I pretty much know the cause of my acne I can achieve clearer skin.
I don't really have much of a skin "update" for you all but I do have the reason behind it all so I thought it was important to dedicate a post to. Like I said above I will update on the diet in the next skin diaries but for skin care and beauty this is what I'm using.
Skincare
- Palmer's Cocoa Butter Gentle Facial Cleansing Oil - the same as my other skin diaries! Although I do want to purchase the face halo and remove makeup with that.
- Nourish Skincare Kale 3D cleanse - I love kale, when I saw it was in a cleanser I immediately knew I'd love it. It is a colour changing cleanser (goes from silver to green when you mix it with water and use on your face) that is super gentle. It lifts impurities and detoxifies the skin. I prefer it over the previous cleanser I was using and am trying to use it 2x daily. I am guilty of only washing my face once a day, in the mornings I like to use warm water but I see more improvements when I use this cleanser twice.
- Nourish Skincare Radiance Firming Facial oil - I replaced rosehip oil and my sukin moisturiser with this oil. It is very lightweight and doesn't clog my pores. I've really enjoyed using it especially in the mornings under mineral makeup because it helps hydrate my skin. I did purchase another facial oil to use after this one so I look forward to seeing which one I prefer. I'll definitely update in my next post.
- Tea tree oil - I've been using this to spot treat any cystic acne I get and it works wonders but new pimples love to pop up so its a constant battle lol.
Makeup
I have made the conscious effort to use more natural ingredient makeup on a daily basis. I have a natural/organic cosmetics series coming soon including reviews and favourites so I won't go into detail but I'll list a few i've been using.
- Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation spf 15
- Physician's Formula Organicwear CC Cream
- Scout Cosmetics Organic Healthy Glow Fluid Foundation
Here are some photos of where my skin is at lately + comparison from last skin diaries:
July (previous skin diaries) - Pictures were taken roughly a week or so before my period. Possibly closer to ovulation time which is always when my skin is at it's worst.
(These photos were taken indoors and the next images were taken outdoors in natural sunlight. Natural outdoor lighting does make my skin appear "clearer" whereas indoor lighting tends to make it look worse, so keep that in mind. I will try to remember to attach some indoor lighting photos again for a more accurate comparison.)
20th September - Taken a few days prior to my period (I forgot to take photos at ovulation time when my skin completely broke out). A couple of hormonal breakouts along jaw, cheek and temple although at this point mostly were starting to clear up.
6th October: my 11 day period finally ended and this is how my skin is looking.
In my next update I will discuss my diet in more detail, especially the changes I've made over the past two or so months. I just want to have an appointment with the nutritionist to get more advice so I have more to share with you all. Have a lovely day/night!
In my next update I will discuss my diet in more detail, especially the changes I've made over the past two or so months. I just want to have an appointment with the nutritionist to get more advice so I have more to share with you all. Have a lovely day/night!
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