Cetaphil Facial Cleanser Review

Many of my friends and clients are often asking me about daily skin care products.  One of the most common products I'm asked about is Cetaphil cleanser.  I think I get questions about Cetaphil due to it popularity with dermatologists.  In fact, even my old dermatologist recommended Cetaphil.  But Cetaphil and me did not have a good relationship. That is not to say it is not a good product.  It was just not a good product for my skin.  I was sensitive to Cetaphil.  For whatever reason, it left my skin irritated after several times using it. 

Here is what I found out about Cetaphil in regards to sensitive skin.

• Cetaphil contains propelene glycol which is a vehicle used to deliver active products.  It has been recommended that those with allergies avoid propelene glycol.  
• Cetaphil contains sodium lauryl sulfate.  You know that squeaky clean feeling you get after washing your face? That's due to sodium lauryl sulfate, a common ingredient added to face wash to make it foam.  The problem with sodium lauryl sulfate is that it strips the skin of the natural oils that our skin actually needs for protection. This causes surface dehydration which leads to skin sensitivity and irritation due to the damaged oil barrier. Surface dehydration brings on a whole host of issues.  It leads to irritation, dead cell accumulation, dull skin, and clogged pores.  What's more, because it removes the skin's natural, protective oil barrier, the body ends up producing more oil (the very thing you're trying to get rid of) to compensate.  The skin is no longer balanced.  It actually becomes more oily and more prone to breakouts.
• Cetaphil contain parabens.  Parabens keep a product from spoiling by preventing harmful bacteria and fungi from growing inside it. It is well documented that some people may have a sensitivity and become irritated by parabens. This is the reason why so many products now promote "paraben free".

I believe it is best to avoid any chemicals that may irritate and stick to more natural paraben-free, sulfate-free, fragrance-free cleansers.  I get asked what I use as a cleanser.  Currently I use two cleansers.  I use an organic gel cleanser by Juice in the AM to deep clean my pores. I then use an organic lotion based cleanser by Emminence in the PM to dissolve and melt away my makeup and calm my skin overnight.  This works for me and I think helps keeps my pores clean while avoiding drying my skin too much.  My skin feels very balanced with these products.

All the best,

Karen

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All the best,

Karen

After some time away...

It's been quite a while since my last post.  My skin and my emotions went on a roller coaster the past month or so.  Right about the time I was starting my very first job as an esthetician, I suddenly started having terrible cystic breakouts on my lower cheeks and jaw.  At the time my dermatologist and myself chalked it up to stress, hormonal changes, and my skin sensitivities.  But, something seemed very wrong.  I was put on an antibiotic and still nothing changed.  Now I was on spiro and an antibiotic.  This is a lot for a girl who can hardly tolerate Tylenol.  Even with these meds the acne just got worse.  My face was red all the time - everywhere.  Even a minor breakout turned into a monster.  Every pimple turned cyst lasted weeks and would not heal.  At all.

Then two weeks ago, I put it together with some help of an esthetician I work with.  Could the Yaz birthcontrol I had been on for 2 months and 3 wks be causing my sudden terrible acne along with terrible anxiety I suddenly felt?  A lightbulb turned on.  I realized I had been breaking out almost to the day of starting Yaz but never put it together because I had been on Yaz for years and never had skin issues with it - in fact it made my skin breakout proof.  I figured it had to be me and my hormones, but it wasn't.  After stopping Yaz, my skin miraculously cleared up in 3 days.  The chronic redness, irritation, huge breakouts - gone.

I have been off Yaz for 2 wks and I feel like my self again.  My skin is healing and my spirits are high once again.

All the best,

Karen

Perricone Prescription Day 2

I've been following the Perricone Prescription for a day and half now.  I stated this program in hopes that it would help heal my breakouts faster, since each blemish and cyst seems to be active for a least two weeks before even beginning to calm down.  Then, it seems to take another two weeks to calm down the redness, irritation and post traumatic hyper-pigmentation caused by the blemish itself and the 14+ days of putting salicylic and everything else in the monster to help it heal faster, which obviously they never do....  I have never had this experience.  Most often if I breakout, the blemish is healed and gone within 10 days.

So today I woke up and could immediately tell my face felt calmer!  I actually was excited to look in the mirror.  My skin actually seems to be calming down!  It is noticeably less inflamed as it has been the past several weeks and two blemishes that were just not going away and hurt, do not hurt today!  Crazy!  I have not changed anything else in my skin care routine.  Though the diet is strict, it makes me want to keep going!

All the best,

Karen

Starting the Perricone Prescription 3 Day Program

Though my skin seems to finally be settling down, it is far from perfect.  I am still embarrassed the state of my skin.  I have read a ton of blogs and found one that I identified with http://mychemicalpeel.blogspot.com.   In one of the blogs I read the blogger had followed the Perricone Prescription Program to help improve her skin.  I feel like at this point, I need to help my skin from the inside and thought this would be a good start since all I seem to be eating lately are craptastic foods!  I started The Perricone Prescription 3 day program today.  Actually, I am doing a 3 1/2 day program since technically I did not start until lunch today.  With the birthcontrol I recently started and all the stress I have felt lately (new job), my skin just can't seem to get healthy.

Here are some of the skin issues I have been experiencing the past several weeks:
- Blemishes that seem never heal and go away, even with diligently not picking.  I have had one pimple for 2 weeks now.  It is the same as 2 weeks ago even with treatment.
- General inflammation on lower jaw and neckline.
- Uneven tone due to post traumatic hyper-pigmentation.
- Dehydrated skin due to acne treatments.

I started taking Perricone's recommended vitamins, am going to buy his Vitamin C Ester Cream to calm and help even my skin tone and am eating non-inflammatory foods for the next 3 1/2 days. 

Goodbye alcohol, chips and salsa, coffee.  Hello eggs, salmon, blueberries, low sodium turkey, raw nuts, green tea, oatmeal (non instant), and green apples.  I will post a before picture tomorrow morning when I have no makeup on!

Glycolic Peel Follow Up

After some major purging of the skin following my first glycolic peel last week, it took until today, 5 days later, to actually not be completely embarrassed walking out of the house from being so broken out and peely.  Yuck.  But today, I did a second peel and my skin, though a bit flushed, is noticeably more smooth, except for some lingering post pimple trauma and a couple smaller breakouts that are still hanging around.  I did have two new  pimples pop up to the surface along my jaw right after the peel again (isn't that crazy?) but they are small and I am just considering this purging and my skin just needs to go through this phase.

I'll take it seeing as how my overall skin tone and texture seem to be improving significantly each day.  I really should start taking pictures to show the "before" and "after".  This morning my under eyes look so light (my dark circles seem to have have diminished - does glycolic do this?) and my face in general is so much smoother.  I keep feeling my forehead and upper cheeks - they are like a baby's bottom.  Not one bump nad my forehead lines have almost disappeared - from two peels!  I am going to do a series of 6 gylcolic's along with a few salicylic peels to keep the acne away.  2 down, 4 to go...

Also, I am keeping with my regime of reducing my oily skin oil production, regularly exfoliating my skin with the chemical peels along with a light daily salicylic cleanser in the AM.  I am continuing to use a water based oil-free moisturizer but I did switch and went back to my tried and true moisturizer I had used for years before starting school - Clinique Dramatically Different Gel Moisturizer.  I also switched my moisturizing / oil minimizing face oil to Josie Maran's Pure Argan Milk for sensitive skin. I am using this post peel and under moisturizer in the AM and PM.

I am hoping when I start work next week my skin will be fresh and in super good shape!

All the best,

Karen