It's Complicated.
Nicole's Battle With Acne
I imagine that there are some things you like to figure out how to do yourself. Finding your own path. Problem-solving. I’m a little bit of a free-spirit about some things in life and don’t often like to follow directions. For example; assembling IKEA furniture and cooking. I mostly like to wing it. But other things, I pray for a manual. Give me a map and I will follow! Things like raising an independent, considerate, and healthy child, or organizing my kitchen. SOMEONE, PLEASE TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT TO DO! This is what I had been screaming for 15 years as I battled acne breakouts. There were all of these ridiculous companies/people promising that if I just did X, I would have clear skin. But here is what I think is real: it’s complicated. Everyone’s body is different. This is why I know people who can maintain pimple-free skin by barely washing their faces. How annoying, by the way. Or people who can cut sugar from their diet and never get a pimple again.
Now, I am not going to spend this blog post walking you through my entire history of what I tried and how it worked, or rather how it didn’t work. But to give you an idea, I tried acne systems (think Proactiv), I tried 10-step Korean skincare regimens, all-natural and organic skincare, I took doxycycline, I started using Colorescience mineral makeup, I got chemical peels every 4-6 weeks, and did a heavy-duty laser resurfacing treatment. For the record, changing my makeup to all Colorescience and getting a skin resurfacing treatment at New Image did wonders for my skin. It got rid of a lot of discoloration and texture from picking and popping, and I was feeling hopeful about curbing my breakouts for a short while, but it just didn’t stick. Getting a SkinMedica chemical peel once a month was the most consistently acne-free skin I had but who wants to forever and always be going to work, and on vacation, and to the store while having the top layer of their face peel off like a molting snake? It’s not ideal.
So, I was doing all these things and then I got pregnant. I had heard how pregnancy can change things about your body forever. I’m not talking about losing bladder control or sagging everywhere. I’m talking about changing your skin at a deeper level. Like hyperpigmentation that just appears on your face. Women who hadn’t had a pimple their whole life but got pregnant and never had clear skin again. But I already had terrible skin! What if the opposite was true for me and having a baby kicked my hormones into alignment and I walked away from this with beautiful skin!? No dice.
So about 6 months before my 29th birthday I hit a breaking point. I wanted my baby to be able to touch my face, shoot, I wanted my husband to be able to touch my face without feeling self-conscious. I wanted to run errands without feeling like I had to put a full face of makeup on (because who has time for a full face of makeup AND a newborn?!). I wanted to spend my skin care budget on products that would target the wrinkles I was starting to see, not pimples I had had since I was 14.
I spent some time talking to a dermatologist who walked me through my options. I could go through the process of changing my diet and overall lifestyle in an effort to balance my oh so delicate hormones (which ultimately may or may not be successful), or I could take a round of Accutane. To be totally honest with you, there may have been a point in my life that I would have had the patience and the energy to go the hormone balancing route, I tend to lean more to the side of being gentle with my body and following its cues. But I wasn’t there. I wanted it fixed...yesterday. So I picked Accutane. It takes everyone a different amount of time but it took me about 8 or 9 months to get through it. And it worked. It 100% worked. I’m 2 years post and the worst breakout I get is maybe one little pimple the week before my cycle begins. It’s like a dream. Outside of mascara and blush, I almost never wear makeup and even now when I put some on because I’m feeling fancy, I don’t look like myself. Natural, bare skin is so beautiful and I finally feel comfortable showing people mine.
Now, hear this. I am not saying that having acne makes people ugly or worth less than someone with clear skin. This is an expression of my experience and my insecurities with my skin. We all deal very differently with the skin we’ve been given. Humans are beautiful at any rate. Our bodies are miraculous and we bare the image of a God who loves us.
Where Does New Image Fit?
Acne is complicated. How your acne is treated will likely look different from how mine was treated. It’s like a puzzle and there might be a few possible solutions that require trial and error. New Image just might be one of those solutions. One of our services could be a piece of your acne management puzzle. Here is how we can help:
Forever Clear
A laser treatment that uses a unique light-based modality that eliminates or reduces the need for medication to clear and prevent acne breakouts on the face, neck, chest, shoulders, and back. The appointments are quick (15-30 minutes) and there is no downtime post-treatment. This treatment is offered in a package of 6 treatments to help you reach your ideal skin.
Halo + Profractional Resurfacing
This combination treatment is going to resurface your skin to improve tone and texture and reduce pigmentation and scarring.
Chemical Peels
Chemical Peels give your skin a customized level of exfoliation and allow the top layers of your skin to be removed over the course of 5-7 days post-peel, often clearing away clogged pores and discoloration with regular and continued use.
HydraFacial
HydraFacials will cleanse, exfoliate, and hydrate the skin. With regular continued treatment, this can brighten skin tone and diminish breakouts.
Product
For some, good product is all that is needed to squelch acne breakouts. But in many cases, good product is what is going to help you maintain results. In your consultation, talk to us about Alastin, SkinMedica, and Colorescience and how these products can protect and improve your skin.
Our mission is that all our clients feel confident and comfortable in their skin. We are passionate about encouraging people. What we do is a means to that end. If you’re interested in talking to Roxy and Dr. Madsen about how New Image can help with your breakouts, call the office at (740) 774-7444 or schedule your consultation by contacting us online.