My skin has been mostly temperamental for as long as I can remember. I kind of have a love-hate relationship with it. Let’s see the list::
1) My complexion is oily. This is terrible for a climate like Singapore’s, where it’s hot and humid all the time. My face looks shiny even before I step out of the house and my makeup runs halfway through the morning (not even lunch time!). My pores are therefore also enlarged due to the release of excess sebum, and I get breakouts very easily since dirt sticks way better on an oily surface than a non-oily one. One good thing about this though, is that I am less susceptible to getting wrinkles!
2) I break out really easily. When I was in junior college and starting out in university, I had very serious acne problems. While outbreaks for other girls were tiny pimples that were nearly invisible, I had at any one time at least 5 humongous, angry-looking and sometimes pus-filled mountains on my face. It looked awfully gross. I’ve seen many doctors and dermatologists since then and even till now, the breakouts don’t stop but they are like what the other girls had: nearly invisible spots. My best prevention now is birth control pills. Nothing has worked better for my skin than that.
3) Somewhere between the ages of 17 and 18, my skin changed for the worse. I had used a lotion given to me by a dermatologist and it made my skin sensitive to alcohol. Oh how terrible, seeing that alcohol kills bacteria, tightens pores and is included in most makeup and skin care products. Career-wise, it also means I can’t work as an organic chemist… unless I want to look pimply and red all over everyday for the rest of my life.
4) It wasn’t only until recently that I realised that I have atopic dermatitis. No, I didn’t get this confirmation from any doctor but just looking at the recurring symptoms from the past years has led me to this conclusion. The never-ending breakouts that come for no apparent reason, the sudden red, itchy patches that also come without any prior warning and develop into scaly, flaky skin, the hypersensitivity to almost anything it touches… When I visited a doctor for a cream to treat atopic dermatitis, the doctor took one look at me and didn’t even question my condition.
5) Skin care and makeup products I’ve used on my face ranged from drugstore brands like Maybelline to high-end brands like M.A.C. and Clinique. Clinique’s 3-Step Skincare routine used to work really well when I was still the teen undergoing puberty, but it’s now too drying for my skin. Because of my oily complexion, I have only used compact powders as my foundation. The best foundation I’ve used so far belongs to Shu Uemura and I don’t think I will ever switch my foundation brand unless – until – I turn 40 and need SKII. Since my skin is so sensitive, I get a good reason to buy higher-end brands of skincare and makeup products! Oooh splurge me out! =)
6) Finally, my skin turns all red and puffy when I take hot baths, and blemishes get all obvious and red as well. They go away after a short while but this means I can’t stay very long in the shower during winter months!
That’s about it for my skin. It’s like a spoilt little baby girl who has to get what she wants or she will make me look bad. LOL.
