I went off birth control a few months ago (and am now using the LadyComp Pearly, which I'll probably devote a post to someday), and while I'm overall pleased with the decision, it has had the unfortunate side effect of fucking up my skin. I need more data to know for sure, but it seems that there's a couple of weeks of every cycle, around ovulation, where my skin decides it's had it with anything resembling good behavior. I break out in small spots, big spots, cystic acne, the whole works. It's terrible. Seriously, skin, fuck you.
Benzoyl peroxide (I use Clean & Clear PersaGel 10) helps speed up the healing process, but it's also quite drying, so I can't use it all the time. I augment it with nightly application of Rainshadow Lab's ABT Blemish Clearing Mask. It's advertised as either a spot treatment or full-face mask, but I find it absorbs nicely and I can wear it as a sort of serum at night (it also works underneath makeup, but I tend to restrict my acne treatments to nighttime only so as not to overstress my skin). I'm not sure it has a big effect on preventing acne, but I do notice it helps speed up the healing process on blemishes that already exist, and works beautifully on bigger cystic acne as well––nightly application on spots makes them less noticeable, less painful, and heal faster.
It contains witch hazel, salicylic acid, and clove oil (which makes it smell like cloves! yummy), which are known to help combat acne. It also has colloidal silver, which has apparently been touted by some as a cure-all but actually has no beneficial effects when ingested, and can actually be harmful, leading to argyria; my cursory research online suggests that the risks are much reduced for topical application, and it is an anti-bacterial, but I would rather it not contain any. Still, I haven't had any negative effects, so I'll just hope it's nbd. My skin loves aloe, which is also moisturizing, and I'm glad to see they've included it here (as they do in almost all of their formulas, which is great for me, but not for anyone who's sensitive to aloe!).
A little goes a long way, as the texture is thin and spreadable, and at $3.95 for 2 oz, it's a heck of a deal, even with shipping (~$12). I'm not sure I would repurchase, but I will gladly use up my supply, and it's good to have on hand for skin emergencies!
$3.95 for 2 oz, other sizes available from Rainshadow Labs
What's your go-to treatment for grouchy skin? Does anyone more science-y know more about colloidal silver and its risks/benefits? Am I fucking up my skin by using this?!
Benzoyl peroxide (I use Clean & Clear PersaGel 10) helps speed up the healing process, but it's also quite drying, so I can't use it all the time. I augment it with nightly application of Rainshadow Lab's ABT Blemish Clearing Mask. It's advertised as either a spot treatment or full-face mask, but I find it absorbs nicely and I can wear it as a sort of serum at night (it also works underneath makeup, but I tend to restrict my acne treatments to nighttime only so as not to overstress my skin). I'm not sure it has a big effect on preventing acne, but I do notice it helps speed up the healing process on blemishes that already exist, and works beautifully on bigger cystic acne as well––nightly application on spots makes them less noticeable, less painful, and heal faster.
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| similar thickness to honey, but without the stickiness. |
A little goes a long way, as the texture is thin and spreadable, and at $3.95 for 2 oz, it's a heck of a deal, even with shipping (~$12). I'm not sure I would repurchase, but I will gladly use up my supply, and it's good to have on hand for skin emergencies!
Ingredients: Organic Herbal Infusion, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Carbomer, (2s)-2-Amino-5-guanidinopentanoic Acid, Wildcrafted Salix Lucida (Salicylic Acid/Willow Bark), Colloidal Silver, Eugenia Caryophyllata (Clove Essential Oil), Ethylhexyl Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol.
$3.95 for 2 oz, other sizes available from Rainshadow Labs
What's your go-to treatment for grouchy skin? Does anyone more science-y know more about colloidal silver and its risks/benefits? Am I fucking up my skin by using this?!
