Hello Darlings,
Like most aspects of my life, I prefer to keep my skin care routine simple. Except for one HUGE exception, being my dermatologist! I would see him every week if possible 
During my teen years I was genetically blessed with pimple-free skin, believing that nature took mercy on me and skipped my turn. Well not so true…
It turns out that nature played a cruel joke on me and blessed me with zits only starting at age 20! Ooh that big 20 came with a zit! In complete shock, I right away went on a search for a good doctor. I pursued this hunt with the same amount of effort as my shopping, completely unwilling to fail. And I succeeded in finding a “magic cure”!!!
Magic is not what I would call it, as it required lots of pain and dedication. I see my dermatologist 2 -3 times a month and he gets rid of those suckers with his little scalpel. What he does I have no idea nor do I want to find out but the zit or any sign of a zit disappears within an hour or two. So there really is no “magic cure” to having the so- called clear skin, as it does take lots of tennis ball squeezing (to distract from pain) and lots of visits. I’ve tried creams and all of the esthetician services, and all they do is just burn a hole in your wallet. My suggestion is simple, see a dermatologist and follow his suggestions. I am probably a bit too paranoid of getting acne at this age, so I visit him religiously. It is better to be safe than sorry.
I am also HUGE on sun block!!! Here are some facts to discourage your from overindulging in the sun ( from Dr. Brant’s book):
1. Four out of five wrinkles are caused by sun damage.
2. There’s no such thing as a healthy tan. Tans are not proof of glowing health, but visible evidence of DNA damage on a cellular level as well as shredded collagen and elastin.
3. Photo-aging is a term that describe how aging is accelerated by sun exposure
4. One word: MELANOMA!
Based on my dermatologist’s advice, I have a simple system of five magic steps:
♥ Cleanse my face twice a day.
♥ Wear SPF 40 with UVA and UVB every day.
♥ Moisturize before bed.
♥ Apply a tiny bit of Vaseline under my eye if they feel dry.
♥ Visit my dermatologist regularly.
It has been an effective strategy. Personally, I do not believe that any skin care / beauty product can make a drastic difference on skin. However, I do believe that a professional can. Also, I think that when it comes to skin care the less you pile on, the better. If you would like to learn more about your skin and proper skin care check out 10 Minutes/ 10 Years: definiteness guide to beautiful and youthful appearance by Dr. Fredric Brandt. I love this book, it is very useful.
WHAT ARE YOUR SKIN CARE SECRETS???
With Love…
Marta
Source: google images; fashion spot
♥.
25 Responses to No Pain, No Gain… Skin Care!
Leave a Reply
I’m blesses with flawless, but dry skin. So I try to moisturize as much as I can. I should drink more water too.
Great post! I have never tried Vaseline under the eyes, but I think I will =) I am with you on the tanning. I have never been in a tanning bed in my life. xo
http://www.fashionsnag.com
Great post Marta! I used to be so cavalier about sunscreen but as I have gotten older, I have become so much more aware of the risks of sun exposure and I am much more careful about sunscreen application. I’m on the hunt for a good sunscreen for my face so I’ll be sure to check out the super city block!
xo alittlereverie.blogspot.com
Simple, but lovely and helpful tips! The sad thing is, I do put on sunscreen in the summer and I still brown over like a pancake on a frying pan!
I use Diorsnow spf 50 UVA and UVB, and its been great so far. Only thing is that one needs to apply a sunscreen every hour ish (at least I do). Great post.
Hi Hikari,
I’m not sure if you have to apply sunscreen every hour unless you’re going to be swimming or sweating a lot. That’s what my dermatologist told me. I apply me sunscreen in the morning and that’s all. During summer time, I reapply every 4-5 hours.
I’ve been meaning to try that sunscreen, is is oil? does it absorb well?
Thanks
Honestly, this is one of your greatest post
Nobody should advertise a product in which doesn’t believe or doesn’t work for yourself, and if the truth is that you follow religously your dermatologist’s instructions this is what you have to say!
I was blessed with a not pretty acne while my teen years (properly “teen years”, I mean, I’m 19 but I don’t think about myself as a teenager). Yeah, so there wasn’t a product that worked for me and then I found my amazing dermatologist. We planned a routine and a year later it was gone! Now I have a simple routine based on drinking a lots of water, eating brewer’s yeast (it really really works, if I skip it a couple days zits reappear!) and I moisturize my skin a lot as well.
By the way, I hate those ads that show free-zits-smiling-faces saying that have bad luck because they have a date and a zip has popped. Then they apply some kind of product and the ad ends up with those faces laughing. Seriously?? They make me lose my nerves lol
See you in your next post! xx
Hi Anna,
I am very confident in this system as it works for me, but it is not exactly very conventional and pretty such stands against today’s product-driven skin care. I have never tried brewer’s yeast but I will ask my dermatologist about it… Does it come in a form of a supplement and something I can get in a drug store?
Thank you, everything that I talk about on this blog has been tried and testes by me
Thanks!
Great advice. It is so important to look after your skin. I will definitely be trying out putting vaseline under my eyes.
Your skin care routine is really all that anyone needs whether their face is dry, sensetive, or oily. I myself am oily. NOTHING on the planet cleans my face better than that simple Dove bar. I then slather on SPF 30 (the higher spfs appear very chalky on my darker skin) and call it a day. At night I put on a 2% acne solution and a light moisturizer. Twice a week I exfoliate with the men’s scrub (it’s got smaller grains!)That’s it. My formerly congested skin is butter soft.
I take care of my eyes by getting plenty of sleep.
In rare emergencies I use the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask. Cheap and super effective. One day I’ll splurge on the DDF Sulfur Mask which is basically a ramped up version of the Mint Julep- just to try it out.
I really think that people over-complicate skin issues by bombarding their skin with every trendy main ingredient they’ve ever heard of. Once I got frustrated with burning a whole in my wallet too I went back to basics, and it really worked out for me.
Hi Doutzen,
I am with you on this one, less is definitely more when it comes to skin care. I have been through so many products from drug store brands to Chanel, and nothing has worked as well for me as this system plus the dermatologist
1. I love this post! I want to be a dermatologist, so you’ve just enforced my desire to full-fill my dream! Wooohoo dermatologists!
2. I dropped the course. Too much stress. And I was taking 6 courses. So unnecessary, since I’ve decided to do a masters before I apply to medical school.
3. Did I mention I love this post?
4. http://www.alicemccall.com/index.html Alice Mccall sells her clothes online, but I don’t know how shipping works.
5. I hope your two weeks of hell are going well! Bonne Chance!
I always walk from class to class and go outside so to take extra precaution I always like to reapply my sunscreen (but I will def ask my derm if thats even necessary…thanks for the advice). Also Diorsnow has been well tolerated by my sensitive skin because it has natural sunscreen ingredient like zinc or titanium dioxide therefore more suitable for me. Its not oily at all, just dries with a smooth matte finish, but be sure to use the reccommed amount, sometimes if you apply too much it leaves a white cast, but not too noticible.
Sounds awesome, I will give it a try once I am done with mine
Thanks for the suggestion!
great tips Marta! I definately agree about the sunscreen and am going to have to try the vaseline under my eyes.
Kisses,
Stephanie
I have such dry skin, that is so overly sensative! Thanks for the great tips! I am trying out a new
product from Paris — it’s supposed to arrive very soon. For now, I am using Shiseido’s line…
I hear that Goldie Hawn has always dabbed pure olive oil on her skin, each night, for her lovely,
youthful complexion.
Wishing you a lovely week, Marta! I’ve been enjoying your posts so much, as well as those on
Liv
i love your headband
i use this product called claudine…from sephora. its been pretty good so far!
but you can never go wrong with some dove!
Hi Marta!! I’m from Ottawa and I read your blog daily!! I too have a dermatologist but I only get to see her every 6 months!! And even though she says I have cystic acne she doesn’t do much for me
Hi Michelle,
Aww…I am sorry, in that case I would look for a different dermatologist. Cystin acnce is needs a regular and serious treatment and your dermatologist need to take care of it to her/his best abilities.
Thank you for the help.
And by the way, you look like a high school student ( NO OFFENSE) in that photo, and i love how the flowers.
Hi Cinthia,
None taken…I’ll take it as a compliment
Hi Marta,
I’m a big fan of your blog and have been following it for a while now. You’re lovely as well as your outfits and everything about your blog!
The reason I’m leaving a comment on this post is because I love the picture of the model with her shirt off with the glistening ocean in the background. I can’t save the picture and it’s impossible to find it on my own, would you be able to tell me what the picture is of (which magazine spread, or which model etc.) so I can save it onto my desktop? Random, I know. But I’d really appreciate it!
Thanks!
Michelle from NYC
Hi Michelle,
Thank you so much that means a lot to me
As for the photo, I have no idea where you can find it as I’ve had it forever. But here’s the link to it and other images from the same shoot:
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/withlovegabrielle/Blog%20Files/lonneke14.jpg
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/withlovegabrielle/Blog%20Files/lonneke13.jpg
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/withlovegabrielle/Blog%20Files/lonneke11.jpg
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/withlovegabrielle/Blog%20Files/lonneke8.jpg
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/withlovegabrielle/Blog%20Files/lonneke3.jpg
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee350/withlovegabrielle/Blog%20Files/lonneke6.jpg
Enjoy!
thank you so much, i love the pictures!!
hope you’re having a great week! xoxo
You’re welcome
Wishing you a wonderful week as well!