The Pesky Whitehead

Now, I do not mean to post anything super gross right here before Thanksgiving, but a while ago, there was a post dedicated to the blackhead, and I have since neglected to post anything about the other blemish devil- the whitehead.

I will refrain from adding an image, because if you google image "whitehead" I assure you that you won't care for what you see. However, a whitehead is, by look, a small or medium sized white bump on the surface of your skin. You know what I'm talking about.

So what causes them? What are they? And, more importantly, how do we get rid of them? Well, there are no simple answers but I will try to tackle the subject just a bit. As always, if you have severe acne or cystic acne (the kind that hurts to the touch) then please contact your dermatologist. The following information will help for mild to moderate acne, but is not a suitable treatment prescription for more severe acne.

What is a whitehead? Let's start there. Medically speaking, a whitehead is a closed comedo. Often, when people talk about "zits" they mean a whitehead, or group of whiteheads. You may remember that it's cousin, the blackhead, is an open comedo. The difference is simple and fairly easy to understand. A whitehead's pore is closed at the skins surface, meaning that the pus and infection inside has not been exposed to oxygen, therefore keeping it white, and also making it large and perhaps more swollen. The blackhead, which is smaller, flatter, and open, and has a small opening and has been exposed to oxygen, therefore turning the top of infection black. However, they are both made up of the same stuff- sebum, which is an oily substance created by your sebaceous glands.

Are you grossed out yet? I am sure. It's not super glamorous stuff we are talking about here. I'll knock off the yucky medical talk. But, understanding exactly what we are treating does, in fact, help us treat the problem at hand.

You may think that since these pesky whiteheads are made up of oil on and from our skin, that the solution would be to strip the skin of all oil! Well, you'd be wrong. Too often people make that mistake, making their skin red, angry, and often your acne or pimples worse. The human skin, your epidermis, needs oil to stay healthy, happy, and glowing! However, we can gently treat these whiteheads, helping them to go away and stay away!

Your first line of defense is a good face wash. If you are experiencing mild to moderate whitehead breakouts, take a good hard look at your skin care routine. Are you washing your face in the morning and at night? Are you washing all the make up off your face before bed? If you answered "no", then you have a good place to start in the fight against whiteheads! Begin and end each day with a good cleanser. Some of my favorites are Neutrogena's Deep Clean Cream Cleanser and Mario Badescu's Enzyme Cleansing Gel.

Then, depending on the dryness of your skin, you need to exfoliate once or twice a week. I like suki's Lemongrass Cleanser, but it will run you around $45 a jar, which isn't cheap. I can normally find this at Whole Foods. If you are on a budget, you can try the baking soda recipe listed in my previous post. I would only do that once a week, but if your skin is more oily, twice may be suitable for you.

This next step is up for debate and may also be an issue of time. Once you have clean skin, you can do two things. You can use a toner, or you can steam and then use a toner. Toner helps get red of the excess impurities and also helps give skin that balanced and even tone. I personally like Clinique's Clarifying Lotion #2...

...but I am having good results with the previously mentioned Neutrogena's Triple Clean pads, also. This is an important step, so don't leave this out. However, I also like to give my face a good steam before I use toner, I find it really opens the pores and helps the toner do it's job, so you may consider adding steam in your routine if your breakout happens to be fairly severe, or if you have time. It's a good step before bed, as often in the mornings we are rushing out the door!

After toner, use your moisturizer. There are several good kinds out there. At the moment, I am loving Kiehl's Rosa Artica Anti-Aging Moisturizer, as it does not leave me feeling greasy but is also heavy enough for wintertime dryness. In the summer, I can sometimes get away with only a light serum, SkinCeutical's Hydrating B5 Gel, is my favorite. I never go to the beach without this on my face!

Lastly, blast the little sucker overnight with Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. Try it, you'll thank me. Drying Lotion is one of the only products I have ever found that works to kill the whitehead, but also keep the surrounding skin healthy and moisturized (so you don't end up with a huge, red, blotchy patch that was bigger than the original pimple!).

If breakouts persist, talk to your doctor. Hormones, genetics, stress, lifestyle, and skin care all contribute to whiteheads and acne. You may need something stronger (like medication) to treat your whiteheads, and that's ok! It's important to get the right treatment for your skin so that you feel healthy and beautiful.

Lauren Conrad's DIY Microdermabrasion

Recently, I ran across a recipe for a "do-it-yourself" microdermabrasion on Pinterest that claimed to be from one of my favorites, Miss Lauren Conrad herself. So of course, I had to try it!

Now, before we go into the recipe and the results, let me just say that technically microdermabrasion is a cosmetic treatment that works to reduce acne scars, discoloration, fine lines, and other imperfections with the use of a mechanical tool and some type of solution. It is a non-surgical procedure that abrades less deeply than it's more intense cousin, the dermabrasion. While the two processes do have some similarities, the recovery time on a microdermabrasion is much less, making it more popular with people who are looking for an instant pick me up and brighter skin. I have to admit, I have never had a professional microdermabrasion, as I have sensitive skin and was recommended to stay away from them by my facialist. So, if anyone has any stories they would like to comment, please do!

I have, however, used over-the-counter "microdermabrasion" products, which give ok results but are a bit of a mis-nomer. Basically, these products are using this term as a marketing strategy, as the popularity of the microdermabrasion has grown significantly in the last few years. It does not mean these products won't work for you, it just means that more than anything, you are really getting more of a strong exfoliation instead of a real microdermabrasion.

But, I digress. Let's get to Lauren Conrad, shall we?!

So, here's her recipe. It's very simple. 3 parts baking soda, 1 part water. I had to play with this a bit to really get a good paste, but you'll know when you've found it. Don't go too overboard on the water, as you really are looking for a paste that you can pick up with your fingers and use as a scrub.

So, once you have your paste, apply it to a clean face (one that has been rinsed of make up) and start gently scrubbing in a circular motion. Keep adding the paste as needed, until you have really given yourself a good scrub of your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin, as well as the the entire jaw line, which can be prone to blemishes and is often ignored. Rinse with warm water.

I didn't notice huge results (this will not eliminate fine lines or discolorations), but I will say, my skin felt nice and soft and very clean. Also, I had a bit of a dry spot on my chin, and I probably should have avoided scrubbing that area, as too much scrubbing on a sensitive patch can lead to redness. But, it didn't seem to be bothersome.

All in all, I will try this again. Not bad to have on hand if you need a little pick me up before bed or if you are out of your regular exfoliating scrubs. And of course, the price tag is lovely!

Beauty on a Budget

It should be stated, I would spend my every last dime trying crazy facial stuff. If I was on a deserted island, forced to choose between food and Bain de Soleil sunscreen, I'd pick the sunscreen. (Who wants to be on an island all burnt up and red like a lobster? Honestly.)

However, I just so happened to be married to a rather budget-minded accountant, who can't seem to wrap his CPA head around a $75 bottle of pore minimizer. (Alas, he could stand to use some, but that's neither here nor there.)

So, whichever way that you became a budget-minded beauty gal, this one is for you.

Here is a list of my absolutely-swear-by-can't-live-without products that all fall UNDER $20 each. Because, lets face it, we can't all drop cash like J Lo.

1. Mario Badescu's Drying Cream- This stuff is amazing. It helps dry up your whitehead or blemish, soothes your skin, and, if you happen to be Caucasian, also serves as a nice little concealer if you don't want to wear make up. A little 1/2 oz container will last you forever, and it only runs $14.

2. Neutrogena's Deep Clean Cream Cleanser- This is one of the very few products that I have always (and I do mean ALWAYS) had in my rotation. It is gentle, non-drying, and for around $6 will give you a nice healthy glow and a comfortable, clean tingle while you use it. Extra perk- my husband doesn't mind using it, since he doesn't consider it to be too "girly"!

3. Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Blemish Pads- You might not believe it, but these little pads really do seem to agree with my sensitive skin. I have started using them again recently, only once a day, and I love the feeling of seeing the pad swipe any remaining dirt from my skin. My pores feel tighter, and my skin has been left with a nice overall smoothness, especially considering that a container of these pads will only set you back about $5 at your local drugstore.

4. Bain de Soleil's SPF 4 Orange Gelee Sunscreen- This stuff, while not delivering a large amount of sun protection, is a great moisturizing sunscreen for your body (not the face). If you have darker or more olive skin, you can likely use this all over and get enough proection, so long as you also wear a hat or sit under an umbrella to protect your face. As a fair-skinned gal, I find that this stuff is one of the best sunscreen's for my legs, which don't tend to burn like my chest or shoulders. Chlorine from the pool or salt from the ocean can dry out frequently-shaved summer legs, so this stuff really helps keep my legs looking sexy from head to toe. I find that a $12 tube will last me most all summer. Extra perk: the French name makes you feel like you splurged on fancy sunscreen!

5. Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion- Now, I know I reference my main man Mario fairly often, but his stuff is great and very reasonable. This is my all-time favorite whitehead killer. I use it every single night. My college roommate had a boyfriend who saw me out one night and told me it was the first time he had ever seen me "without those pink dots"... woops! However, this stuff is pretty fabulous and only costs $17. You'll want to read the instructions carefully, http://www.mariobadescu.com/drying-lotion, as the application is sort of different. (You don't shake the bottle, you actually want the pink stuff to settle at the bottom.) Now, because you'll likely want to use it all the time, one bottle may not last you but a month or so, but it's worth it!

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

No, this is not a face mask from outer space, though I am fairly certain the term "glycolactic" sounds like something I heard on Star Trek as a kid. It's actually one of my new favorite products! A while back, I was in DC for a friend's wedding and my sorority sisters and I popped into Sephora. In typical Sephora fashion, I walked out with a bunch of little samples in my bag, and this mask was one of them. I have to admit, it took me a while to work up the courage to use it, as the sample says "not for sensitive skin." So, I waited until a nice rainy Friday night when I planned to stay home and decided to give it a whirl.

It tingled, so if you plan to try it, get ready for that. I did have a moment of panic that my face was going to turn into a splotchy mess. And, I made sure to only keep it on for the recommended 10 minutes. But when I washed it off, boy was I impressed!

My skin had a nice cherub like glow to it, and my pores felt tighter and smaller. I couldn't really tell if it made any difference on fine lines, but I only used it once, and let's face it, miracles do not occur overnight!

All in all, I am definitely planning on buying the full sized bottle. Unfortunately, this goes on the list of "beauty splurges" as it runs about $55 for 50 ml. You can get it from Sephora, http://www.sephora.com/, or directly from the REN website, http://www.renskincare.com/p/3036. The good news is that you only use it about once a week (perhaps a bit less if you do find it be a little irritating) and so the supply should last you a while.

As always, remember to avoid the eye area when you use products like this, as the skin around your eyes is more delicate.

Lactic Acid Sensitive Skin Peel

Well, I finally broke down and tried a Sensitive Skin Peel at my favorite spa which is run by, and attached to, my favorite dermatologist. Now, for those of you out there who are regular peelers, I defer to your wisdom, as this was, suprisingly, my first. I have really sensitive skin, and dry skin, and so I worried that a peel was not for me. But, I was feeling a bit brave and plus, I needed something to write about!

So, off I went. My facialist suggested that we start with a light Lactic Acid Peel. I really liked it! I was not red or irritated afterwords. It didn't burn while I had it on. My skin did, indeed, feel a bit smoother and tighter. I did have some flakiness later that week (I had the peel on a Saturday morning, and was a bit flaky Wednesday-Friday.) I did become a little bit red in one spot on the right side of my chin, but that soon faded.

So all in all, I'd recommend this type of peel, even for those of you with sensitive skin! It's a good starter and one I will likely try again. Of course, don't try try a peel right before a big event, you never know how your skin will react!