#Curology Update | 18 Weeks

Hello, 2016! Where did the last year go? We're nearly half way through January of the new year and I figured now would be a good time to finally give another update on how my skin is coping with Curology.

What is Curology?
Due to it's success and growth, Pocketderm has renamed itself as of 9/30/2015 to Curology to represent it's caring, curing, and healing it provides for its' patients. Curology is a tele-dermatology site that allows you to receive a prescription topical cream with three active ingredients to help you with your skin. You simply submit photos of your skin when you sign up, along with any additional information you think your dermatologist should know (and yes, the people helping you really are doctors!) and they review your photos and info to diagnosis your skin issues. Curology will curate a personalized cream for you with three out of the six active ingredients they have to offer for just $19.95 per month. You will automatically receive a new shipment of your prescription every 3 months, but if you need one sooner, you can request one from your provider. Your monthly fee for Curology not only covers your prescription, but also unlimited consultations with your provider. If you sign up using my referral link, you will receive your first month completely free!

In my first post about Curology I showed my face after neglecting it for most of the summer while struggling with depression, and how drastic of a change it made in my face after just 3 days.
My second post about Curology showed a two week update, where I noticed my cystic acne was improving and my scarring and hyper-pigmentation had greatly improved.
My last post about Curology was an eight week update, where I noticed my skin had mostly cleared up and I was only experiencing one or two cysts during my monthly time. At this time I also shared that my script was being changed to include Tretinoin.

I've been using Curology for almost 18 weeks total now, and my current Tretinoin script for 10 weeks.

I was warned by my derm (and the internet) that I would more than likely experience dryness, flaking, and purging. I must say that after two months my skin is still just as oily as ever, but I'm able to manage it with other skincare. My skin is already dehydrated, but I didn't find this dose of tret to be drying. Flakiness? No - I have one tiny spot (smaller than a dime) that peels a little every morning, but it's also an area that I have always gotten irritation, I think it's from my toothpaste and drooling at night. Purging? A little - I stopped using my acids when I started tret, and after a month of adjustment I reincorporated both my aha and bha, and that seemed to give the tret a running start once I applied afterwards, and everything working together seemed to help the remaining problems with my skin purge. My closed comedones have been merging and coming to a head and some cysts have been forming but healing rather quickly. My skin looks a little rough, but the texture is better, and my jawline is really improving.

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

My Skin After 8 Weeks On #Curology [Skin Update 4] #Pocketderm

This week marks my eighth week of using Curology on my face as a daily step in my evening skincare routine. I initially signed up with Curology to help cure my acne, but starting this week I am receiving a new prescription, which will probably open up some further changes with my skin. I'll go into details about that further in this post.

What is Curology?
Due to it's success and growth, Pocketderm has renamed itself as of 9/30/2015 to Curology to represent it's caring, curing, and healing it provides for its' patients. Curology is a tele-dermatology site that allows you to receive a prescription topical cream with three active ingredients to help you with your skin. You simply submit photos of your skin when you sign up, along with any additional information you think your dermatologist should know (and yes, the people helping you really are doctors!) and they review your photos and info to diagnosis your skin issues. Curology will curate a personalized cream for you with three out of the six active ingredients they have to offer for just $19.95 per month. You will automatically receive a new shipment of your prescription every 3 months, but if you need one sooner, you can request one from your provider. Your monthly fee for Curology not only covers your prescription, but also unlimited consultations with your provider.
If you sign up using my referral link, you will receive your first month completely free!

When I first started using Curology on 9/15 I started noticing a difference after just three days of use - you can see my first initial results in my first Curology post. Right now, my acne is mostly clear. Instead of having new cystic acne forming on a daily basis, I only get a few cysts around my "time of the month" and they are not nearly as bad as they used to be.

My skin is brighter, my PIH (post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation) is nearly gone, and with the exception of some stubborn purging from my prescription along my jawline, I don't have any real acne to speak of. 

Because my complexion has improved so much, my dermatologist at Curology has altered my prescription. I previously was applying 4% Niacinamide, 1% Clindamycin, & 4% Azeliac Acid. My new prescription will be 1% Clindamycin, 8% Azeliac Acid, & 0.009% Tretonoin.

I have been warned that with the addition of Tret, my skin may get dry and flaky, and I may experience further purging because it is a stronger prescription. I am hoping that it will help the stubborn purging along my jawline finish coming to a head and finally clear up completely, and possibly even prevent my cystic acne that pops up at my TOM. We shall see! I'll be sure to update once I start using my new prescription and let you know how the Tret is working for me!

Disclaimer: The Glitter Chic blog purchased the product(s) mentioned in this post for the purpose of review and evaluation. No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The Glitter Chic is not responsible for prize delivery. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

My Skincare Allergy Revelation | AKA I Finally Figured Out Why My Face Hates Everything I Love

I've been playing around Asian beauty products and techniques for over a year now, and along the way I made some interesting discoveries about myself, and my skin. What started out last year as a realization that my alcohol allergy extended beyond ingestion, turned into a revelation about what my alcohol allergy really is, and the fact that I've had other allergies my whole life and never knew it.

In The Beginning, There Was Memebox...
It started with Memebox: those pink boxes delivered dirt-cheap Korean cosmetics to my doorstep and I couldn't wait to layer them all onto my skin fast enough. My skin would go through phases where it would be clearer than it had ever been before, then turn into the most painful, demon-ridden, slab of irritation I've ever experienced. It was about that time that I heard many people talking about sensitivity to alcohol and how it can damage and dry out skin, and even cause more acne for acne-prone/oily skin. After hearing this, it dawned on me that I was allergic to alcohol when consumed, so it was very possible that my skin could not handle absorbing it either.

I Finally Thought About It Just A Little Bit More...
It wasn't until recently that I accidentally started reviewing a cream with alcohol, and after a couple weeks I realized I didn't have a reaction to it. At first I was horrified that I had been applying it to my skin unknowingly, but then I was perplexed by the fact that my skin didn't freak out like my son after eating a candy bar. With the help of an amazing soul on the /r/asianbeauty subreddit, this revelation (as well as others) became unbelievably clear: It wasn't just alcohol that my skin was reactive to, it was the type of alcohol that caused an allergic reaction, just like consumption. Alcohols based from grains or yeast, like Ethanol and Ethyl Alcohol, are the same types of alcohol that I am allergic to internally, so it makes sense that those particular types of alcohols cause such negative reactions externally.

Not Just Alcohol, but Snails too?
This idea about alcohol really shed a whole new light on skincare for me. I'm still treading lightly with alcohols, because not all are good, and fatty alcohols (good alcohols) can also be clogging for acne-prone skin too. But allergies in general got me thinking about other products I react to.
The Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence was and still is a much raved about product, that my skin hated with a passion. Deep, painful cysts covered my face and in just a matter of two short days. I had perviously loved products with snail, so this had to be a reaction to the bee venom, right? I'm mildly allergic to bee stings (remember that for later) so this must have been a bad idea. I continued to use other products with smaller amounts of snail mucin until I came across the CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Essence, which is another highly raved about snail product, and when my skin broke out in cysts again I was left sad and frustrated.
Then I discovered that snail mucin allergies are commonly linked to dust mite allergies from what I've observed online, and dust mites and shellfish are linked allergies, AND snails are mollusks which are shellfish.
I actually am allergic to dust mites, and pollen, but shellfish you say? I actually love seafood, but when I eat it I get bad pains in my shoulder - crippling pains that usually lead me to overdosing on painkillers. It's bad, and it wasn't until recently that I realized I get these same pains when I drink alcohol. I actually am not only allergic to the same dust mites linked to snail allergies, but it appears I have a bit of a shellfish allergy as well. My dreams of bathing in a pool of snail mucin goodness are smashed to pieces.

That Bee Venom Allergy I Told You Remember, That's Helpful Here ;-)
It wasn't until I was 27 years old that I had been stung by my first bee, which didn't quite send me into anaphylactic shock, but did cause me to break out in hives and for my arm to swell at an alarming size. I loaded up on Benadryl and was ok after a couple hours, but this wasn't a very fun experience. This is what let me to think that my reaction to the Benton Snail Bee Essence was due to the bee venom, but was actually from both the bee and the snail (even more sadness).
But this allergy appears to not stop at bee venom - no, friends, it's not that simple. I tested a few products like the Shara Shara Honey Bomb Ampoule, the LJH Vita Propolis Ampoule, and the It's Skin Propolis Power 10 Formula - which resulted in similar reactions to what I experienced with the snail mucin products. Being allergic to bee venom means I'm also allergic to bee products like propolis and royal jelly - honey seems to be ok for me when eaten, but I'm still testing out external application. Another skincare dream down in the mud.

So What Did I Really Learn?
Well, I know I'm allergic to alcohol, but I learned my skin can in fact handle certain alcohols, so this is good news! The tricky part is now narrowing down alternative alcohols to that my skin isn't sensitive to. I learned that because of my dust mite allergy and mild shellfish allergy, and my breakouts from high-content snail mucin products, I am reactive to snails, but can handle mucin in small amounts. I also learned that because of my bee allergy I can't use anything with higher amounts of honey, propolis, royal jelly, or bee venom.

It's a sad day for my skincare wishlist, but it's hopefully a very happy day for my skin!

Sources:
1. Food Allergy Information
2. Shellfish Allergy Information
3. Dust Mite and Snail Cross Allergies 
4. Dust Mite and Snail Inhalant Allergies
5. Snail Anaphylaxis During Dust Mite Immunotherapy
6. Cross Reactivity Between Dust Mites and Snails (in vivo)
7. Cross Reactivity Between Dust Mites and Snails (in vitro)
8. Snail Growth Factor Allergy with Micro-needling
9. Relationship of Dust Mites and Crustacean Allergies

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The Glitter Chic is not responsible for prize delivery. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Skin Update #3 | 2 Weeks on #Pocketderm #Curology

In my Skin Update #2 I introduced Pocketderm and explained why I was going to start using it, and showed how it had started effecting my skin after just 3 days. Today has been 2 weeks since I started using Pocketderm and I thought I would take a moment to update you on how my skin is reacting to this product and what type of progress or digression my skin might have made.

What is Pocketderm Curology?
Curology is now Pocketderm! Due to it's succress and growth, Pocketderm has renamed itself as of 9/30/2015 to Curology to represent it's caring, curing, and healing it provides for its' patients.
Curology is a tele-dermatology site that allows you to receive a prescription topical cream with three active ingredients to help you with your skin. You simply submit photos of your skin when you sign up, along with any additional information you think your dermatologist should know (and yes, the people helping you really are doctors!) and they review your photos and info to diagnosis your skin issues. Curology will curate a personalized cream for you with three out of the six active ingredients they have to offer for just $19.95 per month. You will automatically receive a new shipment of your prescription every 3 months, but if you need one sooner, you can request one from your provider. Your monthly fee for Curology not only covers your prescription, but also unlimited consultations with your provider. Check out the bottom of this post to learn how to get one month free!

Right now my skin is brighter - my dark spots are fading, as are my acne scars, and my skin looks more healthy.

I'm currently experiencing hormonal acne, which was my biggest problem since I have PCOS, but it isn't anything like it used to be. I've experienced no cystic acne (which always happened this time of the month - 3 to 7 new cysts a day) and the acne I have been getting along my jawline clears up within a day or two. The acne under my nose is gone as well. I just have some bumpiness around my chin/jawline area that has slowly been surfacing has small blackheads - my guess is they were clogged pores because they were bumpy for the past couple months, and Curology is finally pushing everything out.

I'm still very impressed with my results from Curology and cannot wait to see how my skin continues to improve down the road.

I'll be updating again in a few weeks, so be sure to check back for more comparison photos!

If you're interested in trying Curology too, you can get your first month free by signing up through my link: https://curology.com/invite/IWRCKQA

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The Glitter Chic is not responsible for prize delivery. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Skin Update #2 | My start with #Pocketderm #Curology

I last updated you all with photos of my skin's progress on August 27th, and since then my face has really been on a rollercoaster. My skin started to improve, then got worse, and finally got bad enough where I started to look at other options. I've seen a lot of mention of Pocketderm over the past year, but only recently thought that it would be worthwhile for me. So I buckled down and ordered as my face progressively got worse.

Before I go further with this update, here are some photos I took of my face on September 15th. This is difficult for me, because even after not caring for my face for over a month straight, it never looked this bad. This is the day my first Pocketderm prescription arrived, I started applying it this very night after I took these photos.

In all my years of adolecense I never remembered my face being so ugly, so blemished, or so painful. So why would I share this with you? Because you would never believe how quickly my skin has turned around after starting Pocketderm. I'm skeptical at quick recoveries and magic claims, espcially when a company warns that it may take up to 8 weeks to see results, but this is something you guys need to see to believe. The next set of photos is from this morning, just 3 DAYS after starting Pocketderm.

My skin is already healing, my cystic acne is nearly gone, my skin is no longer painful, and my blackheads are continuing to disappear again. My skin has completely turned around in a matter of days!

My skin and I still have a lot of work to get through, but this was such a massive improvement in such a short amount of time that I had to share this with you right away!

What is Pocketderm Curology?
UPDATE: Curology is now Pocketderm! Due to it's succress and growth, Pocketderm has renamed itself as of 9/30/2015 to Curology to represent it's caring, curing, and healing it provides for its' patients.
Curology is a tele-dermatology site that allows you to receive a prescription topical cream with three active ingredients to help you with your skin. You simply submit photos of your skin when you sign up, along with any additional information you think your dermatologist should know (and yes, the people helping you really are doctors!) and they review your photos and info to diagnosis your skin issues. Curology will curate a personalized cream for you with three out of the six active ingredients they have to offer for just $19.95 per month. You will automatically receive a new shipment of your prescription every 3 months, but if you need one sooner, you can request one from your provider. Your monthly fee for Curology not only covers your prescription, but also unlimited consultations with your provider. Check out the bottom of this post to learn how to get one month free!
If you're interested in trying Pocketderm too, you can get your first month free by signing up through my link: https://curology.com/invite/IWRCKQA
I'll be updating again in a few weeks, so be sure to check back for more comparison photos!

Disclaimer: The Glitter Chic blog purchasedthe product(s) mentioned in this post for the purpose of review and evaluation. No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The Glitter Chic is not responsible for prize delivery. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Skin Update #1

A little over a week ago I decided to finally share a snipet of my story with depression, but also how the way it's affected me lately has really taken a toll on how I cared for myself (or the lack of which...). I know this update seems premature, but the photos in that post are three weeks old, so I thought I would share how things are progressing.

My original pictures can be found in my Starting Over [With Skincare] post as a "Before" reference.

Today:

I have more scarring, but less active acne.

My blackheads are surfacing, and my hyperpigmentation is lightening.

My acne on my forehead has cleared up, and I just have minimal PIH.
You can see how dramatically my right side has cleared up, and how much better my left side looks as well -
I just have one larger pimple that is going down.

My skin has been going through a drastic purging stage lately. It's clearing up now, but all the gunk I allowed to clog my pores has been surfacing in the form of acne and blackheads. The acne is mostly cleared up at this point, but the blackheads are still working out of my pores. It is both disgusting and satisfying to see everyone come out of my face.

Does anyone else think my skin is starting to improve, or am I just trying too hard to be hopeful?

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The Glitter Chic is not responsible for prize delivery. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Starting Over [With Skincare] & A Peek Into What's Been Going On In MyPersonal Life

I'm sure there are others out there facing the same problem as I am, but we all re-vamp bits and pieces of our skincare routine at one point or another. We try a new product in place of an old one, we add a step, we take one away.

I've mentioned in posts over the past few weeks that I recently had a bad run-in with my depression. I was stuck on the thought that I just wasn't good enough to be a part of this world, and with the help of my online friends (most of you are even reading this blog - the amazing girls from Instagram and the "Memebox Addicts" Facebook group) and the fear of what would happen to my son if I took my own life, I was able to coax myself back into reality. It was a long month that I went on feeling like this - I barely slept or ate, and I certainly didn't care about myself or my skin. For a whole month I went as far as only rinsing my face with water when I took a shower - there was no routine, there wasn't even a face wash - I just didn't have it in me anymore.

I was blessed to have a few friends send me care packages to help me feel better, and to help me jump back into caring for my skin when I reached out for something easy to start with again. I have a "mask stash" again, that you've all been seeing in my weekly post (that has really helped keep me occupied lately too). I've also been blessed with a rather large package of exciting skincare products to try.

So what does that have to do with this post? Well, as I get back into finding a new skincare routine, I plan to start documenting my skin on my blog. My skin has taken a real beating, and it shows. The sun has been my biggest enemy, and my acne was on a rampage not too long ago as well.

My skin is still suffering from breakouts, but as my skin slowly gets better, I hope to publish a new post at least once a month with photos of my skin for comparison, along with documentation of the products I've been trying out.

For the record, this was me on my wedding day on 2/2/2015, with a light bb cushion and some eye/lip makeup:

Below are pictures of my face taken on 8/7/2015, where you will see sunburn, dark spots, cyctic acne, whiteheads, blackheads, scarring, and PIH.

I hope you'll stick around and follow my footsteps in this new journey, while I try to get my face back to how it used to be <3

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The Glitter Chic is not responsible for prize delivery. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.