Hi My dear readers,
How was your 2023? For me 2023 has gone by so fast. In a blink of an eye, it is suddenly 2024. Honestly, in 2023, my skin was not doing so well. Last year, around May 2023, a strange thing happened to my skin. I don’t know why, but my skin has suddenly become so red on the left side of my cheek. At first, I thought it was because it was very hot at that time. My skin does tend to get reddish whenever I am in hot places, then it will get better the next day. But this time, it wasn’t. The redness persists for a long time. Until more than 6 months. I was so stressed about it. Nothing is working to soothe my skin. The redness is kind of bright, and makeup cannot cover it.
This is the early redness that happened on my cheek
I went to a dermatologist to figure out what was happening to my skin. The dermatologist said that what happened to my skin was rosacea. According to Google, Rosacea is a common skin condition that causes flushing or long-term redness on your face. It also may cause enlarged blood vessels and small, pus-filled bumps. Some symptoms may flare for weeks to months and then go away for a while. Rosacea can be mistaken for acne, dermatitis, or other skin problems. It commonly happens to people above 35 years old with fair skin tone.
According to the dermatologist, the cause can be a variety of factors, such as heat, sunlight, spicy food, extreme change in weather, stress, etc. One of the treatments for it is by doing laser. It took months, and a few sessions of laser treatment to heal my skin. When it slowly gets better, something comes up.
My son was hospitalized for 5 days, and I am taking care of him at the hospital. Then it got even worse from the initial redness. It was not only redness, and tiny bumps, but also dryness, itchiness, and flaky skin. Due to the lack of sleep, tiredness, and stress, I was going through at the hospital. It was such a sad thing for me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I was feeling so desperate. I do everything I can to recover my skin. Eating healthy, minimize my skincare routine, avoid hot food and beverages, avoid light as much as I can, and keep doing the laser treatment.
After it got worse with tiny bumps and itchiness
However, the last 2 laser treatments I did at that time did not help at all. The redness, the bump, and the dryness persist. So I went to another dermatologist to get a second opinion. immedietely, He gives me a specially formulated cream for me that contains a small amount of steroids. FYI, steroid cream can help with rosacea, but only in a small percentage that doctors can prescribe and use only for a short time, not continuously. He told me to avoid washing my face with hot or warm water, eat more fruits and vegetables, and avoid direct sunlight. Within like 2 months the redness, itch, and tinny bump are gone. I am so relieved to finally see my skin looking normal again. I do get reddish whenever I exercise and be in a hot place for too long, but other than that my skin feels like my skin again.
This is how my skin looks now
After this happens to me, I feel kind of lost. I treat my skin extra carefully and gently. I have been avoiding using skincare with active ingredients like retinol, and any type of acid (lactic acid, glycolic acid, BHA, AHA, etc) for now. I minimize my skincare routine to only double cleansing, moisturizer, eye cream, acne spot treatment, and sunscreen. It is like starting to get to know my skin again from zero.
ND PASSION 