Understanding The Types Of Acne — Whitehead, Blackhead, Papule, Pustule, Cyst, Nodule | Acne Tips

There are many different types of acne ranging in severity from mild to severe. So in order to treat your acne, you must first identify the zit that you are dealing with.

Credit: I do not own the picture of nodule. I found it on google. But the rest are mine!

So, What Are Acne?
"Acne Vulgaris", commonly known as pimples, occur when facial oil, also called sebum, and dead skin cells clog the skin's pores. Once the pores are clogged, pimples start forming and attract bacteria, leading to inflammation.

The Types Of Acne:
The most common types of acne are whitehead, blackhead, papule, pustule and cyst. Nodule is less common; it is similar to a cyst, but is more painful and larger in size. I will explain more on nodule later. Let's start from whitehead.

- Whitehead (mild)
Whitehead appears as a flesh-colored, white tiny bump on the surface of the skin. It is simply a clogged pore form underneath the skin and is usually not red or sore (not inflamed). Good news is it's mild and easy to treat! Exfoliation can help to treat and keep it at bay.

- Blackhead (mild)
A blackhead is similar to a whitehead, but the top is exposed to the air which causes the sebum to oxidize and changes from white to black. Treat and prevent it by exfoliating with an exfoliator. You can have it professionally extracted as well.

- Papule (moderate)
A papule appears as a small, red-pink inflamed bump on the skin with no "head" and can be tender to the touch. It occurs when a closed comedone (whitehead) is infected by bacteria, leading to inflammation. It can get irritated easily, so avoid squeezing it. Anyway, it will progress and grow into a pustule.

- Pustule (moderate)
A pustule is an inflamed, nasty bump appears as a red spot with a white or yellow centre filled with pus. It is generally painless and occurs when a mixture of oil, dead skin cells and bacteria rising to the surface. If you have to pop it, you have to make sure that you do it properly because if you do it in the wrong way, it may cause damage to your skin and may lead to permanent scarring.

- Cyst (moderate-severe)
A cyst is similar to a nodule but they are NOT technically one and the same. A cyst is a red, painful, pus-filled lesion occurs under the skin and is usually triggered by hormones spikes. It can remain on the skin for weeks.

- Nodule (severe)
The most severe types of acne and the toughest to treat. A nodule is a very painful, large, solid acne lesion that is lodge deep beneath the skin. The infection happens deeper beneath the skin's surface, so a topical spot treatment might not be useful as it only dry out the skin's top surface. As a result, it is hard to treat and may persist for weeks or even months.

Most of the acne (mild to moderate-severe) can be treated with over-the-counter products that contain active acne ingredient such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or tea tree oil. By identifying and understanding the type of your acne, you can determine the most suitable treatments to deal with them.

Read Understanding The Acne Fighters — Salicylic Acid .vs. Benzoyl Peroxide .vs. Tea Tree Oil to find out more on these acne ingredients and how they work on different types of acne. Also, check out my 5 Acne Spot Treatments Recommendations that I find work best to zap blemishes.

However, if you are plagued by many inflamed cystic and/or nodular acne (severe), I strongly advise you to seek medical advice. Understanding The Types Of Acne

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Clear Acne From The Inside Out + The Rules! | Acne Tips

Check out my personal experience with acne — "My Acne Story".

A pimple outbreak can be caused by internal and external factors, and the key to clear complexion is to take steps both internally and externally. Here are some rules that I abide by which helped me in getting rid of my acne.

Rule 1: A Good Skin Care Routine For Day and Night (external)
Clear skin starts from clean skin; and having a good skin care routine is an important step in achieving clear and clean skin.

A good skin care routine for acne skin doesn't require many products. A 3-4 step routine, consisting of *cleanser, toner [optional], moisturizer, spot treatment, for day and night is sufficient to treat acne.

*Side information:
- Cleanser removes the grime collected on your face, preventing the grime from clogging your pores; thus, prevents existing pimples from getting worse and keep breakouts at bay.

- Toner helps to clean off left over grime that has not been washed off by the cleanser. It also helps to restore the skin's natural pH level.

- Moisturizer hydrates the skin. Each time you cleanse your face, it strips skin of its natural oils. So by applying a moisturizer helps to replenish the loss. Always remember that a well-hydrated skin helps to slow down the rate of oil production and keep skin problems away.

- Zit zapper helps to soothe and speed up the healing process of a pimple, and a scar topical treatment helps to lighten post acne marks/scars. Check out my "5 Acne Spot Treatments Recommendations".

Make sure you choose products that are made specially for acne skin/problems. These usually contain ingredient like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or tea tree oil that fight acne and keep them at bay. Check out more information on the active acne ingredients: "Understanding The Acne Fighters — Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Tea Tree oil".

Rule 2: Stick To A Fixed Bedtime Schedule; Beauty Sleep~ (internal)
DO NOT mess with your natural sleeping schedule! Sleeping late or getting not enough sleep affects your hormone production and immune system, which can lead to an acne outbreak. You need to get 8 hours of sleep each night as your immune system requires energy to expel toxins built up in your body. Take note that your body "recharges" itself and dispels toxins, and your skin heals while you are asleep. So for the sake of a good and clear complexion, avoid being a night owl! Go to bed before 11pm everyday and get enough rest!

Rule 3: Watch Your Diet (internal)
Believe it or not, certain types of food may trigger acne! From my personal experience, I get breakout when I consume dairy products, seafoods (that are high in iodine: shellfish, shrimps, squids) or oily and spicy foods. These foods increase oil and hormone production, heat and toxic in the body, which can lead to breakout. You may want to stay away from these foods or cut down the intake.

P.S: I recommend to observe your diet and monitor your skin (acne) condition. This way it can help you uncover if a certain food is constantly causing you to breakout.

Rule 4: Drink, Drink, Drink! (internal)
Water works wonders for your skin. It helps to cool you down, transport nutrients and expel waste products. To flush the toxic substances from your body and maintain your skin's beauty, drink at least 8 glasses of fluids a day.

Rule 5: Pop Your Zits PROPERLY (external)
I have warned you readers many times not to pop your zits because if you do it in the wrong way, it may cause further damage to your skin, and may even lead to permanent scarring. But I know, it is hard to resist the temptation to pop them. So if you want to pop them, at least do it properly!

So, how to pop a pimple in the right way? This is my way of doing it~ :
Take action only if your pimple has come to a head at the tip. You can use a pimple extractor tool to pop the zit, but if you don't own one, you can use your fingertips (not fingernails).

Before you start popping your pimple, make sure your face and hands are clean. Wrap both of your index fingers with clean tissues and gently apply pressure on the edges of the pimple. Note: Avoid popping the pimple using your fingernails as it can cause skin injury! Once the head and excess pus pop out, clean it off with a tissue. Stop the squeezing once you see blood!

Next, paste a Nexcare Acne Patch over the open wound.

↑ This patch helps to absorb all the remaining pus embedded deep inside the pimple and prevents the pimple from reappearing.

Replace a new patch when the patch turns white (covered with pus). Keep using the patch until there is no sign of pus residue on the patch — that means the pus has been fully cleared up. I highly recommend to use the Nexcare Acne Patch instead of continue to squeeze the zit using your fingers because the patch is less damaging to the skin, yet it does an excellent job in drawing out the pus and clearing pimple!

P.S: Always make sure all the pus has come out, otherwise the zit might reappear.

So that's all for the rules! Start healing your acne from the inside out today! Do let me know if my tips work for you, yeah? Acne sufferers, press on, fighting~!♥

Any questions ask me at http://ask.fm/bitsdiaries. Shhh...I'm planning a live chat with you readers~ Stay tuned for that. 

Check out my other articles:

- "The DOs and DON'T For Acne Prone Skin".

- "5 Common Acne Treatment Mistakes + The Solutions"
- "5 Suspects Causing You To Break Out"

Clear Acne From The Inside Out

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Dealing With Back Acne (PART 2): The DOs and DON'T

Dealing With Back Acne Acne is a very common skin problem faced by many people and it occurs when the pores in the skin become clogged by dead skin cells, oil and dirt. It does not only appears on your face, it can grow on your body as well.

Today, let's continue our talk on...

...

"BACK ACNE"

Before I share about the DOs and DON'T, let's continue from where we ended off..... Previously, I have shared about my friend's true (success) story on back acne. If you haven't read it, check it out by clicking the following picture:

P.S.: Some part of this post will be linking to the previous article, so be sure to read that before proceeding.

So... how do I help my friend to heal her back acne? Let me explain...

First, my friend told me the "history" of her skin care routine and skin condition before and during the breakouts period.

Here's a brief summary on the "history" of her skin....blah...blahh...blahhhh... :

                                                                                                                                                                                            She has very oily and acne prone facial skin, so all along she thought her body has the same skin type as her face. Hence, all the products she tried were designed for oily and acne prone skin; apparently none has worked out. Not to mention she used 100% tea tree oil, as a spot treatment after taking a shower, which also did not work out well. Alongside, she experienced rashes and itching that comes and goes each day. 

Then, I analyzed her skin using the moisture analyzer device, commonly seen in my reviews, and found out that her skin type was not what she thought it would be. At that point, her skin wasn't very oily in fact, it was super dry!

From what she told me, I started piecing up all the factors together and came to my conclusion [...] — The cause of her acne was definitely due to clogged pores (dead skin cells, oil, dirt). But what made her breakouts progressively worse was because of using the wrong products and treating methods, which irritate and constantly drying up her skin. Also, the continual use of the wrong products caused her skin to become sensitive.

At that time, her skin condition was partially infested with inflamed pimples, super dry and gets irritated easily. As a result, it wasn't easy to find a product that suits her (then) skin. After some trial and error, we finally found a product that works.

The product is called "Natural Real Mild Body Wash" and it's from Happy Bath.

In case you haven't heard of the brand "Happy Bath", here's an introduction I copied from YesStyle (lol):

                                                                                                                                                                                            Happy Bath infuses all-natural ingredients into its range of body care products for a truly pleasurable and refreshing bathing experience. Established in 2000, the brand carries an assortment of bath essentials ranging from facial cleansers to hand creams. Happy Bath manufactures all its products in South Korea and belongs to the AMOREPACIFIC group of brands alongside Laniege, Innisfree, Etude House and others.

Happy Bath carries many different types of body washes that are made of natural ingredients, so they aren't too harsh to use on the skin. I chose the Mild one because I believe it is the most gentlest to use on my friend's (then) skin.

Besides body wash, she also needs a gentle spot treatment to tackle her existing pimples. As I have always had good experiences with Etude House products, I suggested to her to give Etude House's "OMG! Trouble Break Mist (Spray)" a try.

She did, and the two products really worked out positively for her.

Note: Our skins are different and react differently to product, so what worked for my friend might not work out for you.

Overall conclusion, you don't really need harsh chemicals and a lot of products to treat acne. As long as you treat your acne with the right products and methods that suit your skin type, you would most likely achieve positive results.

So how to find the right products for your skin? and how to treat your back acne?

Read on...

- Moving onto the topic of the day! -

"The DOs and DON'T"

 when dealing with body-back acne...

The DOs:

Find Out The Root Cause

Knowing the cause of your breakouts is the first step in knowing how to clear up back acne. So question yourself~! Following are some example questions to start with... :

1. When did the breakouts started?

2. Did you modify your skin care routine prior to your breakouts? (e.g. change or add-in new products). If yes, do you have any idea what product triggered the breakouts? If yes, stop using that product immediately.

3. Have you made any diet changes prior to your breakouts? (e.g. increasing intake of dairy products, consuming more oily, spicy and junk foods)

4. Have you made any lifestyle changes prior to your breakouts? (e.g. exercising, sun-tanning)

5. Do you have good hygiene practice? (e.g. shower, regular changing of clothes and bedsheet [if you sleep topless] )

Understanding Your Skin Type (acne-prone, dry, normal, oily, sensitive) & Finding the Right Body Care Product
A critically important step in treating acne in the right way is to determine your skin type. All body care products available in the market are designed for different skin types and concerns. Therefore, in order to find the right product to treat your skin, you have to know your skin first.

For your information, facial skin and body skin are different. Hence, although the causes of body acne are the same as facial acne, the treatment is different. So don't treat them the same! 

TIPS: Look for products that aren't too harsh or too drying because treating acne doesn't need aggressive treatment, gently does it!

Apply Topical Treatment

Opt for a spot zapper that is strong enough to combat zits but is gentle to the skin. As the zits on the back area are hard-to-reach, I recommend using product that comes in a spray pump. 

Recommendation: Product that contains Salicylic Acid such as Etude House OMG! Trouble Break Mist — a body-acne care product formulated with Salicylic Acid and other healing properties for breakouts. With built-in 360-degree pump, it sprays from any angle, even upside down to treat hard-to-reach areas like the back and shoulders.

Practice Good Hygiene

For example, taking showers daily, regular changing of clothes, bed sheets ...

Dirt, oil and sweat accumulate on your skin throughout the day can clog up the pores and cause acne. So taking a shower helps to keep your skin clean; free from bacteria and impurities, preventing acne occurrences and/or from worsening!

Clothes are made of fabric and it absorb sweat and oil. Hence, changing clothes daily is a must, especially after sweating. You wouldn't want to rub those dirts back onto your skin, right? And for the ladies, lingeries will also soak up sweat and oil, so make sure you change it and wear a clean piece.

Similar to the clothes, bed sheets are also made of fabric and will trap dirt, sweat and oil. If you have a habit to sleep topless, remember to change and wash your bed sheet weekly.

Wear Breathable Clothing To Keep Your Skin Dry
Unbreathable clothing holds moisture and stays damp, which can create a breeding ground for bacteria that may trigger and/or worsen existing acne. Thus, it is recommended to wear high-tech, breathable fabric that have wicking properties as it helps to admit air to the skin, allowing moisture and sweat to evaporate.

Keep Your (Long) Hair Away From Your Back

Hair traps oil, dirt and dust easily, which may trigger breakouts and/or make acne worse. So if you have long hair, try to keep it away from your back. Not to mention the hair care products, such as serums, styling gels and creams, that we often use on our hair may clog the pores and trigger breakouts as well. So make sure your hair doesn't touch your back acne.

The Don't:

Scratching or Popping The Zits!

Scratching or popping the zits may cause further injury to the skin, resulting in scarrings that tend to leave a hole appearance, like what my friend has now:

Therefore, if you want your acne to heal flawlessly, avoid picking at your pimples!

Exfoliating or Scrubbing

Exfoliation buffs away dead skin cells and unclogs the pores, which helps to reduce the growth of acne and recurrence. But if you have lots of red inflamed pimples, it's best to avoid exfoliating or scrubbing as this action may further aggravate the zits and cause them to get more inflamed. Only exfoliate when you don't have much inflamed pimples.

Wearing Tight Clothing

Wearing tight clothing rubs against skin, causing friction that may aggravate your acne and lead to excessive sweating. Thus, it's best to wear loose clothing.

Covering Up Acne With Makeup

The skin on your body is thicker and has larger pores than the skin on your face, making it more prone to getting clogged. Plus, the back area is hard to reach and visualize, you may not remove the makeup thoroughly during cleansing. So I don't recommend to apply makeup on your back at all!

That's all the DOs and DON'T I gave to my friend, which "played" a part in healing her back acne. Hopefully, what I have shared would be helpful for people who are facing the same problem. Acne sufferers, press on and keep fighting!♥

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Dealing With Back Acne (PART 1): TRUE STORY

Are you struggling with back acne?

Feeling depressed? 

Thinking of giving up on fighting acne? 

...

Well, you gotta read on...

Dealing With Back Acne

I know dealing with back acne is not an easy task. It can be very frustrating because it is hard to reach and is also difficult to visualize the condition. Despite that, it is still possible to heal it. Trust me, back acne CAN get healed! Let me briefly share with you my friend's story...

My friend had been suffering from moderate back acne for over a year. Here are the BEFORE pictures on how her back acne looks:

Close-Up Shot: The zits even grew up to the back of her neck.

Close-Up Shot: And you can tell, they were all red and inflamed.

She had tried various methods to treat her back acne but to no success. Instead, it became worse. Being a lady who likes to wear semi-revealing outfits (but nothing promiscuous), she was dejected as she had to avoid wearing backless, low-back outfit, let alone bikini/swimsuit, because she was well aware that flaunting a pimple-ridden back in such outfit in public can be very embarrassing and hideous, and people may even start to talk about her. It really affected her self-esteem for sure.

So ten and a half months ago, she approached me for help in that state. To tell the truth, initially, I didn't want to help her because I am not a skin care expert. There is a possibility that I might make her acne worse instead of healing it. But she said that she will not put the blame on me if her acne got worse because it was her idea and she was the one who approached me. Since she said that, I agreed to help however, I made no promises on the results. I even told her to be prepared for negative results. From then on, she became my experiment subject. LOL.

It was quite difficult to find the ideal body care products for her skin because she has really sensitive body skin, but we did not give up. It took some trial and error finding the suitable products and at the end of the long journey, our patience was rewarded — the results turned out positively.

Healing in progress — zits drying-up... :

Healing in progress — getting better... :

Here are the AFTER pictures on how her back acne looks now:

Close-Up Shot: The back of her neck

Well, you can tell that there are still plenty of imperfections — scarrings resulted from popping and scratching the zits (her bad habit), which are out of my capability. [...] On the bright side, the overall appearance of her back has definitely improved.

In conclusion, it is POSSIBLE to clear up back acne as long as you treat it in the correct way. Therefore, if you have back acne, DO NOT GIVE UP FIGHTING!

Side information: My friend is very happy and willing to share her story, so she granted me the permission to share her story and pictures publicly on my blog. She hopes her experience and success story would be able to give you, whoever is in the same boat, a glimpse of hope and motivation to continue battling! So keep fighting!

From this "experiment", I have learned a few things on treating back acne and I will share them, for example tips on what to do and not to do etc., on my blog soon... Of course, I will also be sharing the products she used to treat her back acne. So be sure to stay tuned to my blog for PART 2. :)

(Update on 11th August 2015): If you would like to find out what products she used and the tips, check out PART 2 — "Dealing With Back Acne: The DOs and DON'T"!

If you would like to know more about facial acne, check out "My Acne Story" page. I have shared my own acne story as well as a list of links related to acne (written by me) that might be of interest to you. There is more to come, so stay tuned! :D

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Understanding The Acne Fighters — Salicylic Acid .vs. Benzoyl Peroxide .vs. Tea Tree Oil

Salicylic Acid vs Benzoyl Peroxide vs Tea Tree Oil Note: All information written and shared in this article are based on my knowledge and experience.

Acne products are formulated with different types of active acne ingredients (= the fighters) and they work differently to fight acne. Therefore, when it comes to choosing an acne fighter for your skin, it is very important to know what each of them does.

The most frequently used active acne ingredients in over-the-counter acne products are Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide and Tea Tree Oil.

Salicylic Acid is a chemical that has anti-inflammatory properties, which helps to calm and reduce inflammation. It slows down the shedding of skin cells inside the follicles to reduce the incidence of clogged pores. It may also breakdown whiteheads and blackheads.

The concentration of Salicylic Acid found in over-the-counter products is pretty much in a low and safe level, so it's less likely to cause irritation or peeling.

In my opinion, it is effective in treating non-inflamed and inflamed pimples, but it may take a longer time to heal big, painful cystic acne and it may not be very effective against severe acne like nodules.

Benzoyl Peroxide (B.P) zaps (P. acnes) bacteria, dries excess oil and remove dead skin cells clogging pores. It is also a chemical but is stronger than Salicylic Acid. Ideal for inflamed pimples.

Generally, Benzoyl Peroxide comes in 2.5%, 5% and 10%. People with sensitive skin have to be cautious with the level of concentration because the higher the concentration, the more it may irritate your skin.

Symptoms of irritation: Redness, itching, dryness

In my opinion, Benzoyl Peroxide treats pimples (including cystic acne) quicker than Salicylic Acid. On the downside, it may cause mild to severe dryness and some peeling.

Tea Tree Oil (TTO) is a natural, powerful antibacterial ingredient that kills a broad spectrum of bacteria. It penetrates into the skin and dries out all kinds of pimples quickly.

Tea Tree Oil is often found in varying concentrations. I think the lowest concentration of Tea Tree Oil found in over-the-counter products is 2% or 5%. Again, people with sensitive skin have to be cautious with the level of concentration because the higher the concentration, the more it may irritate your skin. The highest concentration of Tea Tree Oil I have seen is 100% — my brother is using 100% pure TTO and it works amazingly for him.

In my opinion, TTO is the most effective acne fighter and as it is a natural ingredient, it may be less irritating than B.P. Despite that, you still have to be cautious with TTO as it may cause an allergic reaction.

Symptoms of allergic reaction to TTO: Redness, itching, dryness, raw and bumpy patches/rashes.

For your reference, here's a picture of my allergic reaction to TTO back in Year 2013:

P.S: pardon the out-of-focus shot

FYI, I have been using Salicylic Acid -based products over the years, ever since I suffered from bad acne (refer to "My Acne Story"). So far, it hasn't caused any issues to my sensitive skin.

Anyway, my advice is to start from the mildest active acne ingredient with the smallest concentration. If your skin doesn't respond, then work your way up to stronger ingredient. By doing so, you will find out your skin's tolerance as well as reduce the chance of getting skin irritation.

I hope what I've shared can help you in choosing the right fighter for your acne. :)

Check out my article on "5 Acne Spot Treatments Recommendations" and "Understanding The Types Of Acne — Whitehead, Blackhead, Papule, Pustule, Cyst, Nodule".

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5 Common Acne Treatment Mistakes + The Solutions

Common Acne Treatment Mistakes Here are the FIVE common acne treatment mistakes that are making your acne worse and FIVE solutions to correct them.

Mistake 1: Popping Zits
Yikes! There's a pimple on your chin! What should you do? Pop it? Tempting huh? But noooooooo~! Popping pimples actually pushes the infection further into your skin, causing more redness, swelling and scarring (more prone to indented scars).

The Solution:
Instead of popping the pimple, apply spot treatment formulated with active acne ingredient on the zit and let it dry naturally by itself. If you pop a pimple by accident, I recommend to stick a Nexcare Acne Patch over the zit. This acne patch helps to absorb all the pus embedded in the pimple, without needing to squeeze with your fingers, thereby reducing the damage done to your skin.

Mistake 2: Over-Cleansing Your Face
Cleansing your face several times a day does not cure your acne. In fact, you are ruining your skin and inviting acne. When you over-cleanse your skin, you are over-stripping away the skin oil that acts as a function to keep skin moisturized and balanced. Deep down, your skin naturally pumps out oil to the surface to keep it moisturized so if your skin is too dry, it will produce even more oil to compensate for the dryness. This could lead to excess oil production, causing more congestion along with possibly dryness and irritation.

Mistake 3: Skipping Moisturizer
So now you know each time you cleanse your face, you are not only removing excess sebum, but also stripping skin of its natural oils hence, we need moisturizer to replenish the loss.

The Solutions for 2 & 3:
Wash your face twice a day is sufficient. Don't forget to apply moisturizer afterwards. Use a cleanser and moisturizer that is made specifically for acne skin. These usually contain active acne ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or tea tree oil. Remember that a well-hydrated skin helps to slow down the rate of oil production.

Mistake 4: Exfoliating
Yes, buffing away dead skin cells is beneficial to the skin. It helps to prevent clogged pores, keeping pimples from forming. It is okay to exfoliate if you have very mild acne issues (non-inflamed whiteheads, flesh color bumps or blackheads). But it is not okay to exfoliate if your skin is flooded with red, inflamed pimples as it may further aggravate them and make them worse.

The Solution:
It's best to avoid exfoliating your skin if you have lots of inflamed pimples. As I've said, it may further aggravate them.

Mistake 5: Skin Itches Is A Sign Of Healing
Well, I do agree that itching is a sign of healing, but this applies to an injury, a wound. This does not apply to facial skin. Itching is certainly NOT a sign that your acne is healing! When your facial skin itches, it is an indication that your skin is dry. It can also be a sign of skin allergy/irritation. Therefore, do not ignore the itching issues! Take action quickly, otherwise your acne may get worse.

The Solution:
All you have to do is to moisturize your skin! Once your skin is well hydrated, the itching sensation will stop. If the itching is caused by an allergic reaction with visible redness, you have to find out what causes it and stop using that product immediately.

The reason why I'm sharing this topic is because these are the mistakes I have made in the past which resulted my bad acne (refer to "My Acne Story"). The solutions provided have helped me to solve the problems, so hopefully these bits of advice can help you as well. Keep fighting acne! :)

"Bear in mind that treating acne doesn't need aggressive treatments.
Gently does it!"

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UPDATE on "MY ACNE STORY" page

MY ACNE STORY Notice: Readers who have dropped me an email, I promise I will reply to your email but not any time soon... I'm really sorry for not being able to respond to your email sooner... If possible, would you mind dropping your enquiries in ask.fm/bitsdiaries instead? It is actually much easier for me to reply there because there is an app on mobile devices. I know there is word limit for each question entry but I don't mind if you send in multiple entries. :x I sincerely apologize for the late reply and inconvenience caused. :x

Anyway, as per request, I have updated and re-published My (past) Acne Story with more details and pictures.

Check it out at "My Acne Story" page!

If you are suffering from acne, stay strong, be patient...... I hope my story can motivate you to keep fighting acne. xo~!

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[Acne Story] #04: Update on My Acne Journey — "Pre-Period Breakouts!"

My Acne Journey Pre-Period BreakoutsIt's been 2 weeks since my last update on my skin condition. I did not update last week cause I was away... Here goes the long awaited PART 4~:

If you have yet to read the previous parts, you can check them out here:
[Part 1], [Part 2], [Part 3].

So 2 weeks ago, I ended the post with the pictures taken on 28th March 2015 and the following pictures were taken on 29th March 2015.

Left:

Right:

Since 8th April 2015, I have been getting very mild pre-period breakouts. It's actually something I have expected it to happen because I would always get a breakout the week before my period. Thus, I wasn't taken aback on the breakouts.

As of today (12th April 2015), there are 2 humongous, angry, inflamed, pus-filled zits growing on my left jawline, which I believe they will be ready to "harvest" in a few days time. They are painful to the touch by the way. I hate this kind of pimples!  While on my right side, there are 1-2 minor zits near the top area of my cheek which the camera could not capture them well. There isn't much issue on this side though. Aside from pre-period breakouts, my post acne marks on both sides, from before, have lightened quite a bit and some have disappeared. 

So here are the pictures for today — "fresh" pictures just taken this morning.

Left:

Right:

So far so good. Nothing severe. Currently, I'm treating post acne marks/scars and pre-period breakouts. Hope the healing goes smoothly~

If you are one of the acne sufferers out there, don't give up hope. Let's fight acne together, yeah~?

x---x

Problems I am currently facing and dealing with:

- Pre-period breakouts (currently focusing on...)

- Post acne marks/scars (currently focusing on...)

- Enlarged pores (...on hold...)

Current Skin Type:

Oily/Combination + Sensitive

My Current Skin Care Routine (dated: March 2015)

Day:

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Foam Cleanser

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

- Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Night:

- Biore Aqua Jelly Make Up Remover (only if I use makeup)

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Foam Cleanser

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

- Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Lifestyle changes:

- Diet: Eat healthily~ e.g. avoid spicy, greasy, fried & junk foods, drink more water etc.

- Sleep routine: Try to sleep early but I always fail to do so. ooops~

- Exercise~: I've been working out on a routine basis starting from last monday.

If you have any question or request, feel free to ask/leave a message at ask.fm/bitsdiaries. Stay tuned for my next update. 

Read more ...

[Acne Story] #03: Update on My Acne Journey — "Clearing Up!"

My Acne Journey — Clearing Up In the previous update on my skin condition, I mentioned about my skin broke out again. If you have not read it, you can read it here: [Part 1], [Part 2]. So let's continue from where I left off, shall we?

A quick update — PART 3!

On 24th March 2015, the pimples from the previous breakouts have died down a bit. However, there were still a number of red-pink-brown post acne marks/scars being left from pimples, as shown in the following pictures. Thankfully, there wasn't any major breakout. At most, just a few whiteheads/flesh-colored bumps that were barely noticeable.

Left:

Right:

As of today (29th March 2015), the pimples are gone and the red-pink post acne marks/scars are in the process of lightening to pink-brown; some have faded significantly. Basically, I think that's a positive sign showing that my skin is healing.
Note: The following pictures were taken yesterday (28th March 2015):

Left:

Right:

So far, the healing process seems to be going well and I hope it will continue progressing smoothly~ *fingers-crossed*

x---x

Problems I am currently facing and dealing with:

- Post acne marks/scars (currently focusing on...)

- Enlarged pores (...on hold...)

P/S: As mentioned in my previous update, I prefer to treat one problem at a time. Since my acne has died down, I'm currently focusing on treating the post acne marks/scars.

Current Skin Type:

Oily/Combination + Sensitive

My Current Skin Care Routine (dated: March 2015)

Day:

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Foam Cleanser

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

- Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Night:

- Biore Aqua Jelly Make Up Remover (only if I use makeup)

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Foam Cleanser

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

- Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Lifestyle changes:

- Diet: Eat healthily~ e.g. avoid spicy, greasy, fried & junk foods, drink more water etc.

- Sleep routine: Try to sleep early but I always fail to do so. ooops~

If you have any question or request, feel free to ask/leave a message at ask.fm/bitsdiaries. Stay tuned for my next update. 

-

Update - *[ Click here to read Part 4 ]*

Read more ...

[Acne Story] #02: Update on My Acne Journey — "Breakouts"

My Acne Journey — BreakoutsIn the last update on my skin condition, I've shared on the return of my acne after ~six months of pretty clear skin and well, I am supposed to update my acne breakout weekly or bi-weekly...hmm...but I failed. lol. Here goes the update .aka. part 2~!

*[Click here to Read PART 1.]*

Before I jump into the topic, I have got bad news and good news. I will start with the bad news — I lost all the picture files taken during January to early March 2015 and I can't recover them. Hence, I can't continue and update where I left off... The good news for you guys is the condition of my breakout did not really heal smoothly. My skin broke out further so fortunately, I can still continue on the topic of my journey on healing acne but I will continue from March 2015 instead of where I left off. And I make sure to update it weekly or bi-weekly this time. (hopefully...)

So since my last update, my acne was actually healing pretty good until two weeks ago, which was the week before the "time of the month" .aka. period, my skin just suddenly broke out again. The breakouts were mainly on my left cheek and jawline and were kind of mild on my right. So here are the pictures taken on 12th March 2015.

Left:

Right:

You can see from the pictures, there were post acne marks/scars; a few newly popped-out red inflamed zits on my left jawline near my chin area and one on my right jawline.

On Monday (16th March 2015), all the zits that appeared on my face on 12th March were pretty much calmed down and healed. What's left were red-pink-brown post acne scars/marks.

However, until yesterday (22nd March 2015), which was the week after my period, I broke out further... Here are the pictures:

Left:


Right:

...again... just a few new inflamed zits on both sides of my face. As you readers know, I've gone through even worse breakouts in the past (Read My Acne Story) so in this case, no big deal. Well, I just hope it won't continue breaking out... *pray*

Problems I am currently facing and dealing with:
- Inflamed and non-inflamed pimples (currently focusing on... - priority)
- Post acne marks/scars (currently focusing on...)
- Enlarged pores (...on hold...)

P/S: I prefer to treat one problem at a time so I'm currently putting my focus on acne.

Current Skin Type:
Oily/Combination + Sensitive

My Current Skin Care Routine (dated: March 2015)

Day:

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Foam Cleanser

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

- Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Night:

- Biore Aqua Jelly Make Up Remover (only if I use makeup)

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Foam Cleanser

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

- Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

- Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot

- Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Lifestyle changes:
- Diet: Eat healthily~ e.g. avoid spicy, greasy, fried & junk foods, drink more water etc.
- Sleep routine: Try to sleep early but I always fail to do so. ooops~

Some readers asked if I had undergone any facial treatment and honestly, NO. I have never done any facial treatment before even though I have been invited(sponsorships) by some salons to try out their treatments. I rejected them all~ So rest assured, my current acne story/journey consists of 0% facial treatments and medications, unless stated otherwise. It is treated only with skin care products that are appropriate to my skin type and condition and also some lifestyle changes such as healthier diets, routine etc.. Aside from that, take note that my past acne story/journey does not involve any medication and facial treatment, too.

Just for some curious readers out there, the reason why I don't visit a dermatologist is because... I don't trust medicines. I have a friend whose acne condition is n-times worse than mine and she took medicines to control her acne. When her acne got used to the medicines, she will either increase the dosage or ask her doctor to prescribe even stronger medicines, which I don't think it's good for the body and health. Plus, the results were temporary. Once she stopped taking the medicines, her acne came back. So yeah, that's the reason why I say naaah to dermatologist. FYI, she's currently still dealing with acne but has stopped taking medicines. Side track: She's currently using Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble skin care line and it works amazingly for her. So I'm going to switch to and try out that skin care line as well after I finish my current ones. In fact, I have already bought the products~ hehe~ Stay tuned for the reviews yeah~?

Back on track...lol... as for the reason why I don't opt for facial treatments is because... I saw improvements on my skin from the use of skin care products and not to mention, they once healed my bad acne (Read My Acne Story). So I decided to keep my faith and continue to treat my acne with only skin care products. Furthermore, I think it might be helpful(e.g. give some hope) to people, who are struggling with acne and unable to afford or unwilling to undergo facial/laser treatment.

Apart from that, many readers also asked if I sell products. In the past I don't, but soon I will! I'm currently still working on the website so be sure to check back for updates. The products I'm going to sell are basically items that I have tried and/or reviewed in my blog. Some are requested items by you readers over the years and up to present.

Sneak preview on the brands I'm bringing in:
- Mizon (skincare)
- Hiruscar (skincare)
- DHC Medicated Acne range (cosmetics)
- Secret Key (cosmetics)

and more.........

Anyway, for any product request that you would like me to sell in my future store (online) and post request, drop me an email to bitsdiaries@live.com. For any question, you can ask at ask.fm/bitsdiaries.

Stay tuned for my next update. 

-

Update - *[ Click here to read Part 3 ]*

Read more ...