Tria Age Defying Laser for Acne Scarring

So now that I've had my acne under control for several months, I've been looking into ways to reduce the scarring. When I say scarring, I don't mean the PIH (post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the red or brown marks left behind from breakouts), I mean a few craters from really, really bad cysts from over a year ago. They're still pinkish brown in color and if anything, with time and reduced inflammation of the scar, they've gotten deeper. I have two on my left cheek that are deep. I also have shallower scars on my left and right cheeks. My scars aren't terrible. They could DEFINITELY be worse. I would still like to improve the appearance of them because makeup tends to cake up on them and it makes me super self conscious. They are constant reminders of the war I had with acne for most of my adult life.

ANYWAY. I've used a dermaroller and dermastamp in the past. They've been okay, and might have done some good. Recently, I decided to purchase a Tria Age Defying laser. I know this ISN'T the intended use for the device but I've done a lot of reading on fractional lasers and *THINK* this might work well if given enough time and patience (much like microneedling, I think). I'm excited to try it. Even if it can reduce the amount of wonky pigmentation from old acne, that would be awesome. After 6 months of being mostly acne free, I'm still left looking like I have acne breakouts from the amount of pizza face pigmentation going on.

I'm going to post a before picture in decent, natural light and take pictures every 4 weeks, probably. I am never good at the "blow by blows" but want some documentation of progress or lack thereof. And hopefully it will help someone in a similar situation to me decide if this is worth the $500 investment or just save your money for professional fractional treatments.

Skin Diaries, many months later

So, I haven't updated in forever and a day. What can I say, the change was crazy slow and a blow by blow was pretty pointless.

I stopped using Retin-A micro pretty shortly after my last post (maybe 6 weeks or so of use?). I am still taking Spironolactone at the 100mg dose. I'm going to touch on a few things I've noticed since I began taking it in September of last year (so a solid 7 months).

The Good:

Reduced oil production within the first few weeks. This was HUGE for me as I was the oiliest of all oil slicks. Makeup would melt off and look like crap within the first hour or two. It was a huge issue trying to cover acne and scarring with makeup that wouldn't even stay on my face. I am now happy to report that my skin is what I would consider "normal" neither oily nor dry. It's such a beautiful thing.

My hair is less greasy and I no longer get terrible "dandruff" and itchy scalp. Kind of goes hand in hand with the oil production. Oil causes a type of fungus to grow (how freaking gross is that) and causes a type of sclerosis to develop. No more!!!!

My sweat is no longer pungent and I don't sweat as much as I used to. Sorry, this might be TMI, but I wish I had known about this side effect because it is amazing. I used to be VERY self conscious about sweating because deodorant-antiperspirant wouldn't even touch it. I could NEVER wear clothing twice. I was so paranoid about my boyfriend getting anywhere near my pits, even when I hadn't been sweating. Now I smell fresh all day. You don't realize how freakin bad it was until it's gone and it's something I would have taken this stuff for all on its own. So YAY for not being smelly.

Completely cleared forehead acne and cystic acne after a few months. Completely cleared "bacne" too.

Boobs are a little bigger. hehe

The Bad:

Increased "spider" veins and other visible veins on legs. I've done a lot of research on this issue, because I wasn't POSITIVE it was the Spiro causing it. Spiro doesn't cause this directly, HOWEVER, changes in hormones CAN, especially if you are already genetically pre-disposed for them. So that's why things like birth control pills and pregnancy can cause these to pop up.

Has not been a complete cure for my acne, yet. In saying that, I haven't had a terrible cyst since maybe the first month of starting Spiro. I still have a little acne here and there, especially around that time of the month, but it's no where near as bad as it used to be. I'm pretty sure if I upped my dose it would probably take care of it completely, but at the moment I don't have insurance and can't really afford double.

Increased frequency of urination. This did get better after a few months, though.

Period can be super wonky. Sometimes it'll be almost 2 months before I get it. I dunno. I kind of look at this as a good/bad/yay bonus! type of thing, lol. Haven't had too many issues with spotting.

Skin Diaries Week 6

It has been a few weeks since I posted...

I have a case of the BLAHS. My face (and back, ugh!) decided to break out a bit at about the 1 month mark. I was hoping that I had skipped the initial breakout phase. But noooo dice! I read that this is completely normal though. A lot of women break out at the 1 month mark because of the fluctuation of hormones. It could also be because I upped the Spironolactone dose from 50mg to 100mg. It may even be a mixture of these two things.

The good news is, my face is SIGNIFICANTLY less oily and has been for the past several weeks now! It is not just my imagination this time. ;) In fact, the oilies really started abating once I upped my dose to 100mg. I am not oil-free by any means but the amount of oil produced now is a pretty normal and bearable amount (like going from 3+ blotting sheets a day down to a half one at the end of the night to take the shine off...which is the way my skin used to be before I started the BC pill and messed up my hormones.)

I have two active zits...one may even be a cyst, by my mouth. It is a painful one. >:| And a bunch of healing ones from the IB. Yay. I am hoping I am over the worst of the IB.

Review Rimmel Sunlight Bronzer 021, Match Perfection Blush Light Medium 002

Oh boy. Where do I even begin.

I picked up two Rimmel products while perusing the Wal-mart isles, and for a mere $5 each got my hands on the Sunlight Bronzer & the Match Perfection Light/Medium blush.

Rimmel Sunlight 021 Bronzer

I am a sucker for a cute design. I think the little sun embossing pulled me to this particular bronzer...but it also does not hurt that it was under $5. I am a huge fan of Rimmel Stay Matte powder. It is up there with Maybelline Dream Matte powder as my all-time favorite HG setting powder. Anyway, I digress. 

In the pan it looks like a pretty beige-y brown with a bit of shimmer. It looks like it would be a lovely bronzer for us super pale ladies.

...and then I got it home and swatched it. Holy sparkles, Batman. Not shimmer, not a hint of shine, but gritty, chunky glitter. It was ultra powdery too, and took MANY swipes to get the color payoff you see in the swatch. There was like...no color at all. Just gold glitter. I cannot even express to you my disappointment with this product. I was hoping it would apply better to the face than it did in the swatch. Sometimes products surprise you like that.

Excuse the blur...I must have put a smudge on my camera lens ><
Rimmel Blush & Bronzer on cheeks

 ...It did not. As you can (hopefully..) see above, there is very little color deposited. And even that little bit of color took many a swipe. And I used a MAC 109 brush. I mean, come on. Although it did leave a HEAP of gold glitter all over my face. Even though I love me some Edward (dont judge me xD) I do not want to sparkle like a Twilight Vampire (does anyone, REALLY?)

Rimmel Match Perfection Light/Medium 002 Blush

If you were hoping the blush faired better than the bronzer...you will be disappointed. The blush is matte, without a hint of shimmer, so thankfully it did not have the same crazy glitter fallout everywhere.

I like the fact that the blush and bronzer were the same size as the stay matte powder. It is really a huge amount, and you could easily use your brush to pick up just one of these three colors or swirl it around to combine them.

For this swatch I chose to combine them. The color you see here took MANY swipes to achieve. This blush is very poorly pigmented but not in the same way the ELF studio blushes are. With these, it is almost impossible to build up any color at all...and when you do, the result is subpar; a patchy, powdery mess.

The Verdict: Stay away. Although I love the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, there are MUCH higher quality drugstore blush and bronzer options to choose from. Both the Rimmel Sunlight Bronzer and the Rimmel Match Perfection Blush in Light/Medium were total duds for me. As with any beauty product, though, your mileage may vary.

FOTD Junkie & Doggie Surgery

I took Brutus (my 15 week old Pomeranian) to get neutered today. I figured it would be a quick and easy surgery. Unfortunately the vet had some bad news for me; not only had his testicles not descended, but he had a hernia causing the blockage. They were able to repair the hernia and sterilize him, but he is definitely down and out. I feel so bad for my little man.

While I was waiting to pick up my Bru-berry I decided to play with a UD liner that I have not used yet, the beautiful Junkie.

I love it, it is such a gorgeous dark teal pearl with gold shimmer. I usually stick to my neutrals, though, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone especially for daytime wear.

FACE:

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Concealer in Light 18

Clinique Acne Solutions Foundation in Alabaster (far too pink for me, yuck >_<)

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent

Sue Devitt Silky Blush in Koh Samui

EYES:

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Junkie on top and bottom lids

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion upper and lower inner rims

Covergirl LashBlast Volume

LIPS:

Too Face lipgloss in Pillow Talk

FOTD & Review ELF Warm Bronze

Another ELF product I picked up while running errands is the Warm Bronze bronzer (Target - $3). It contains 4 different shimmery shades that, combined, create the loveliest beige rosy glow on my skin.

This product is shimmery, but there are no glitter chunks or particles. The shimmer is not overpowering and does not seem to sink in and highlight pores. You really do not need a separate highlighter with this. The texture is silky smooth and not at all powdery; something you usually only find in blushes at a much higher price point.

This was a VERY heavy swatch

The powders, swirled together, apply fairly sheer giving your skin a faint wash of color. It really is a lovely glow. The color can be built up; I used 3 swipes to get the desired effect on my cheeks and used one swipe along my hairline and nose. The fact that this applies sheer makes it a heavenly bronzer for fair skins like mine, where if you are not careful can easily over-apply and give yourself mud cheeks. I think on darker skin tones you might have to apply more than you would want to, and the effect could be overly shimmery, not just a subtle glow.

What is also interesting to note is that the ELF bronzer case is identical in size to a NARS bronzer ($36) and contains a nice, large mirror just like the NARS. I really do love the sleekness of the black cases. Classy ELF, very classy.

Here I am wearing only Warm Bronze on my cheeks, nose, and forehead.

FACE:

NARS Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc

Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser in Fair

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Cream

ELF Warm Bronze bronzer

EYES:

Anastasia Brow Powder in Ash Blonde

UD Naked Palette - Buck (all over lid & bottom lash line), Naked (crease)

UD liner in Hustle (smudged out on top lid)

Covergirl LashBlast Volume mascara

LIPS:

Loreal Color Riche Balm in Rose Elixir

FOTD & Review ELF Candid Coral

Yesterday whilst I was out running errands, I picked up a few elf blushes. One of those blushes was Candid Coral. 

It looks so pretty in the pan, a faintly shimmery peachy coral. This blush has been touted as a dupe for Nars Orgasm (....it is funny how many times I see this, when in reality I have never come across anything quite like Orgasm) It is not. Not even close. It is also sometimes referred to as a dupe for Nars Deep Throat. Nope, not there either. Deep Throat is more pink. But it is quite a pretty blush in its own right.

Heavy swatch

This is not a highly pigmented blush. In fact, on my super fair skin, it took about 3 passes to get the kind of color payoff that you can usually get from a highend blush in a single sweep. I do not consider this a terrible fault, though, at least for me. It is nice not to have to worry about giving yourself clown cheeks. :D And for $3 it really is a steal. 

It applies smoothly and evenly, and is not overly shimmery. Meaning, it does not fall into my pores and highlight them. And It is not a crazy powdery mess (I am looking at you, Nyx blushes)

Throughout the day, it does oxidize a little on me and turn a bit more orange. 

FACE:

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Concealer in Light 18

PC Barely There Sheer Matte Tint Level 1 Fair/Light

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Cream

ELF Candid Coral Studio Blush

EYES:

UD Stash smudged out on top and bottom lashlines

Covergirl Lashblast Volume

LIPS:

Carmex

Maybelline Coral Crush lipstick