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Beauty Testing: The Beautiful Skin Workout

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I’m not sure which came first; bad skin resulting from my current pregnancy or bad skin resulting from a trip a couple of months ago where my husband accidentally packed no-name body moisturizer in my facial moisturizer travel container…and then proceeded to let me apply it to my face daily. Either way, some time ago, my skin started to freak out. Not in an I’ve-got-a-few-pimples way, but in an I’ve-got-pimples-and-dry-patches-and-red-rough-spots-OH-MY! sort of way. It was horrible. Not starvation level horrible, but it was definitely a first world challenge to a pregnant lady who needed to feel as good as she could. You feel me, I know.

skinworkout

Once we got back from traveling, I headed straight for the library and checked out a book on skin care written by known dermatologist Dr. Michelle Copeland. It is called , and while this post is not a book review it is definitely going to highlight the process of recommended skin care for any age/type/level of damage, along with some informative tid bits that I picked up during my read. The title sucked me in, because I needed a plan and a time frame within which I would begin to see results. Finally, I’ll be showing you some “before” images and “after” images. Onward!

Dr. Copeland’s 10 Commandments for Healthy Skin

  1. Thou shalt wear sun protection.
    • Don’t bother with anything higher than SPF 40, as it’s not regulated and probably a waste of money.
    • Doesn’t matter if you only plan to be out for a few minutes; apply SPF to your face, neck and décolletage.
  2. Thou shalt clean your face once a day.
    • I laughed when I read this, but then I remembered that there have been many nights since becoming a mom, especially a pregnant mom, that I have looked at my face wash, then to my pillow, and chosen my pillow. Point taken.
    • Avoid cleansers (and products) with alcohol of any kind. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE! It’s bad if you have dry skin, as it dries you out, but it’s also bad for oily skin since it can cause it to over-produce oil, which can lead to a shiny face. Dr. Copeland says alcohol is often added as a solvent to aid in blending products together. If you cannot afford products without alcohol, look for ones that list it closer to the bottom, but never within the first few ingredients.
  3. Thou shalt not subject yourself to extremes, whether excessive UV exposure, binge drinking and eating, or wildly fluctuating water temperatures.
  4. Thou shalt treat your body’s skin as well as you do your face.
    • She does acknowledge that one cannot afford to rub antioxidant face creams all over her body, but Dr. Copeland does recommend avoiding scrubbing with a washcloth, products with alcohol in them, and encourages daily moisturization!
  5. Thou shalt learn how to exfoliate properly and do it religiously.
    • This is a BIG one. Most of us are using physical exfoliants daily, sometimes twice daily, and this is a big no-no. Chemical exfoliants are recommended 1-2 daily and using a gentle physical exfoliant only twice weekly.
    • Physical exfoliants would include wash clothes, scrubs or anything with a grain to it that you rub onto your skin. If you use one with say apricot kernel bits, you could make tiny scars in your skin over time and alter it’s delicate texture.
    • Chemical exfoliants (can be natural) exfoliate by sloughing off skin cells more evenly and gently, if used properly.
      • Favorite chemical exfoliants
        • Alpha hydroxy–found in citrus fruits
        • Beta hydroxy
        • Glycolic–found in unripe grapes, cantelope and pineapple
        • Lactic (mandelic)–found in dairy products
        • Salicylic–found in various types of berries and nuts
  6. Thou shalt eat a healthy, balanced diet–and drink a lot of water.
    • The Mayo Clinic recommends 9 (8 ounce) cups of non-caffeinated liquids daily for women in temperate climates. Add more if you’re exercising, breast-feeding, or pregnant.
  7. Thou shalt slather on such antioxidants as vitamins E and C or green tea every day.
    • Favorite antioxidants
      • Alpha-lipoic acid
      • Beta-carotene
      • Carnitine (ergothioneine and thiotaine)
      • Coenzyme Q10 (idebenone)
      • Ferulic acid
      • Flavonoid
      • Grape-seed extract (polyphenol and resveratrol)
      • Green tea
      • Isoflavone
      • Lutein
      • Milk thistle (silymarin)
      • Rosemary
      • Vitamin C
      • Vitamin E
      • White tea
      • Zinc
  8. Thou shalt not be afraid of pigment reducing creams; use them daily.
  9. Thou shalt make anti-aging creams and serums your new best friends and apply them at least once a day.
  10. Thou shalt not smoke.

That seems like a long and complicated list, but it actually has become quite simple to me when I implemented the actual steps of the “workout” (known in the book as CEMAP) into my morning and nightly skin care routine.

C.E.M.A.P.

Here are the steps, along with the products I am using for each. Remember to apply each product to FACE, NECK and DÉCOLLETAGE.
  • Cleanse
    • Recommended: Simple, alcohol free cleanser. Followed by toner.
    • My AM: Warm water splashed on (pennies), followed by apple cider vinegar toner (pennies)
    • My PM: Whole Foods 365 Facial Cleanser ($6), followed by apple cider vinegar toner
      • No alcohol in the cleanser, and the apple cider vinegar has lots of awesome benefits for my acne prone skin without DRYING it out.
  • Exfoliate
    • Recommended: Chemical exfoliant 1-2 times daily with physical exfoliant up to twice weekly. Refer to list of chemical exfoliants above; sugar is a great, cheap at home physical exfoliant. DO NOT USE salt, as it will tear up the surface of your skin.
    • My AM/PM: Alpha-Hydrox Oil-free Formula 10% AHA ($12)
      • No alcohol; a little goes a long way. It has even helped me get rid of my pregnancy mask/chloasma!
  • Moisturize
    • Recommended: Oils are needed to balance oils; coconut, apricot, rose hip seed or avocado (depending on skin type) are excellent and only require a few drops.
    • My AM/PM:  ($25)
      • You only need a few drops each time, so it lasts a few months! It’s a nice, light moisturizer.
  • Activate
    • Recommended: Here is where you incorporate your anti-aging and vitamin serums and pigment reducing creams (if you need them for age or acne spots). Check the list of favorite antioxidants above.
    • My AM/PM: Since the rose hip seed oil is is loaded with antioxidants as well as it’s ability to moisturize I can skip using another product for this step, but Dr. Copeland does warn about using products that are known as “all-in-ones” as they are often loaded with lots of filler ingredients that do nothing and can irritate your skin. Her advice is to only combine a maximum of 2 steps within a product, since each step of the routine allows the following step to be better absorbed.
    • If I weren’t pregnant, I’d be adding in Retin-A or another retinoid product for this step to get rid of the residual pigmentation marks from acne and sun damage. It also is supposed to aid with wrinkle reduction. Um, yes.
  • Protect
    • Recommended: SunBLOCK is better than SunSCREEN as its high level of zinc oxide will protect you better than sunscreen.
    • My AM: Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion SPF 30 ($11)
      • This stuff works, goes a long way, and hasn’t caused any breakouts. Again, no alcohol. BUT, I definitely need to do more research to find a more natural sunBLOCK that’s not $60 and is suitable for the face. This one works well, but it has a lot of excess stuff in it that I don’t like the idea of using long term. Any more natural recommendations you have would be awesome!
You can see that I’m not spending an arm and a leg to achieve all the steps/results promised in the book. Yes, I could spend less, but then I’d probably be putting crap on my face, orbe spending all day concocting homemade products from within my kitchen. No thanks!
Overall, I’m very pleased in the results over the course of the last 8 weeks. It has taken me some time to get into the habit of drinking enough water, but I am noticing that I feel amazing from the inside out when I do…though my bladder is in pain a lot (having a baby sitting on it and all) if we’re being honest 😉
 Before1 Before2
Before images, without makeup, that don’t truly capture exactly how bad that rash on my cheeks was. It was sandpaper rough in some spots and red continuously. My acne had also abated a touch when I returned home and stopped apply BODY LOTION to my face. No name body lotion, too. I still shudder remembering it and not realizing what I was doing while on vacation!
 After1After2
After images, without makeup. It’s not perfect…YET, but I am blaming some of that on my hormones. I still have some residual marks from the pimples, a laissez-faire skin routine since getting pregnant, and years of sun damage. I’m looking forward to adding in a retinoid once I’m no longer pregnant and seeing how that helps diminish some of my fine lines and the discolorations. Overall though, I am thrilled with how soft and smooth my skin has felt and the lack of breakouts. If I do get a few pimples now, they are small and go away over night by using a drop of tea tree oil blended into my nighttime application of moisturizer. The change is actually noticeable. I’m loving it! I think the longer you keep up with any workout, the better the results, so I am motivated to stick with this plan. I hope you learned even one thing from this information. I sure did!

About Lee Harmon Waters

Lee lives near Richmond, VA, where she is fixing up a new house. She's married with a daughter, a son, a dog, and a design dilemma on her brain at any given moment. Lee's bubbly and outgoing personality makes her stand out as the life of the party, no matter where she is. She loves laughing, lions, and lemon everything.

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