8/19-My Skin Story, Pt 1
Yep! That's Me-- your "Skin Therapist".
The year was 2011, and this picture was taken in the wee hours of the night at an IHOP in Columbia, South Carolina. I was a freshman in college! Long before I knew anything about a chemical peel-- heck, I didn't even wash my face and I certainly didn't wear sunscreen. I was eighteen and frankly, skincare was very low on my list of priorities!
Let's take a close look... thankfully for an HTC Hero cell phone camera (how many times will I age myself in this writing) The quality isn't great. But you can see a nice breakout on my cheekbone there, along with plenty of hyperpigmentation. Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation, to be exact. I was totally a skin picker. (Is this foreshadowing)
Why am I sharing this photo and its context with you? I have felt an increasing pull recently to remind my clients near and far that 1) We all start somewhere, and 2) Your skin health is a marathon, not a race!
Let's Skip ahead a bit, shall we? You might look at that photo and think it's beautiful. Before you ask, yes, I was absolutely teased in grade school. Through college I worked as a Starbucks Barista, and I would get unsolicited skincare advice from strangers regularly! This is so rude, ya'll. And it did not take long for the years of people I knew and people I didn't talking about my face to chip away at my self confidence. But what do I do? Don't say-- see an esthetician-- I didn't even know what that was.
What I did know, is that I was inconsistent. My skincare routine was nonexistent. I actually did not own face wash, seriously. I would "wash" my face in the shower with whatever body soap/wash I had. I'd buy the first face wash I could remember (this one) in late 2015. At that time I was a new military spouse, 21 years old, living overseas, battling anxiety and crippling depression. I used it. It was okay. I wouldn't reach for it again.
As a former theater kid, I would find love for makeup as I started working with a game show performance group in Oki (click to see)! This blossomed into me doing makeup for others as well. I would take my makeup off with micellar water and wash my face. But-- that was it. I actually would get my first facial in Okinawa (shout out to Inner Beauty Charu off HWY 58 🥲)
Eventually I decided that when I returned to the U.S., I'd pursue an Esthetician License so that I could do more with makeup! (Jokes on me)
I fell in love with Skincare. That's not a cliche'. The science of it, its functions, its health. I realized that so many people struggled with skin concerns that affected the way they saw themselves-- so they would cover up with makeup. While makeup is fun and is a complement to your beauty, be careful not to use it to hide your true beauty! After about a year as an esthetician, my skin cleared up to THIS 🤩
This is sounding a little soap-boxy-- and I'm not here to demonize makeup. I still wear it because it's fun! But this is what my skin looks like today Yes, there is still hyperpigmentation. (especially under my chin from plucking hairs but you can't see that in the photo) There is still texture and the occasional breakout-- blackheads too since I'm an oily gal. I solved the skincare woes of my 20's-- and then 30 showed up! With its own set of issues. Hormones shift, jobs and stress levels change, you'll gain and lose weight, and the body doesn't recover as quickly as it used to--and that's okay.
I want to remind you that your skin is your body's biggest protector. It takes all the hits life throws at you, head-on. The Skin Story of your 20's will not be the Skin Story of your 30's, 40's or 50's! 60+ too.
You do, however owe it to yourself to be kind to your skin, and kind to your mind. Your skin is beautiful and resilient in all its stages- even the ones you wish you could erase. So that's a little of my skin story-- I'm grateful to be part of yours. 💜
