Skincare is a Lie
The Korean 10-Step skincare routine has been popular since several years ago, as it was advertised with promises of plump and flawless-looking skin. When hormonal acne began to hit me during my first two years of college, of course, I went out to find the best ten products that could help me. But to not much avail, I ended up breaking out where I never thought I could break out before (i.e. my cheeks and chin area). Since then, my skin has been through it all. I've experienced months of incredibly dry and flaky skin, weeks of oily "pizza-face", and almost a year of struggling with painful cystic acne everywhere. So, when I decided to work with a "simple is key" method by reducing the number of products used and went plant-based / completely dairy-free--something I once believed to be the "be-all-end-all" for acne--my skin dramatically changed for the better and breakouts were no more! After some time, even my dark spots began to fade. I thought that I had finally overcome the bad skin phase of my young life.
My skin at its worst late 2015, slowly healing early 2016, and generally clear mid-2016 (from left to right):
I was "cured" or, at least, I thought I was, until last February 2018 when I experienced another hormonal stress-induced breakout and possibly the worst month of my twenty-first year. I was going through a number of issues at the time and my skin was just another add-on to my problem-ridden life, I thought. My self-esteem plummeted and I refused to leave my house without a face full of makeup. I'm not going to go into the private details of my life, but at the time I began seeing a therapist at my school and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Eventually, after building up my self-awareness and cultivating a new found self-appreciation, my acne cleared up.
How? I believe it took time, patience, and doing the bare minimum. Therapy helped me to focus my attention on other aspects of my life and, I don't know how or when exactly, but one day I woke up and realized my skin was fine.
Now, I'm not saying that my skin is perfect. In fact, it's quite far from perfect. I naturally have sebaceous filaments AKA really deep blackheads, a pimple or two pop up once or twice a month, and hyperpigmentation acne scars. Still, I think I have generally clear skin, and I've come to accept that my skin is perfectly imperfect. I'm not saying that I'm 100% confident in my skin, and I honestly don't think I'll ever be. But pimples or sans pimples, I appreciate its elasticity to change and no longer base my self-worth on how clear my skin is.
As I was cleaning out my bathroom cabinets once filled with a plethora of barely-used products, I came to realize a simple fact.
Skincare is a business.
Looking at my parents now, I'm still amazed at how youthful their skin is as opposed to others their age. Not to brag or anything (although I totally am bragging), my parents, as well as other older relatives, have been told multiple times that they look at least five years, if not ten years, younger than their actual ages. Yet, when my parents were my age, they weren't using any age-defying products or acne treatments. Sure, they had pimples and acne scars, but the blemishes never made them feel the need to buy into any of the greatest skincare innovations at the time (let me just tell you, there wasn't much to buy into anyways during the 1970s-80s in the Philippines). My parents are not a case-study. Upon asking almost all of my friends who are Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White, their parents, regardless of their age, are still able to maintain some kind of natural glow to their skin without much effort on their parts. Maybe it's a type of lifestyle or maybe it's genetic. All I know is that it's not because of a "magic toner" or serum.
So, if skincare is a lie, how does the girl next door has such flawless skin? Doesn't she swear by the ten-step method? Correlation does not equal causation, meaning that there may be a multitude of other factors that contribute to the condition of her skin. For example, she may be lactose-intolerant or even vegan and doesn't consume dairy (a hormonal change caused by diet is a possible cause of pore-clogging excess sebum production*) or she may be exercising a lot and sweating which is also very good for decongesting pores. Or, the answer may simply be genetics and her hormones react differently in a way that the skin barrier is much more resilient and won't break out by piling on several products. As much as I hate to admit it, these individuals naturally will always have clear skin with the very occasional pimples here and there, because everyone gets pimples. Which brings me to answering why your other friend, who is completely uninformed of skincare trends and washes his/her face with only water and bar soap, if anything at all, is still able to maintain relatively clear skin. Diet, fitness (sweating naturally flushes out toxins*), and/or genetics are all contributing factors to the superficial conditions of our skin.
Am I advocating that we stop washing our faces and go vegan? Or that it's so simple to live a stress-free life? Not at all. By all means, if it makes you truly happy and satisfied to go through each step of the 10-step regimen, then go right ahead. I do believe that there are specific skincare treatments that are effective and can help speed up the process of achieving blemish-free skin but I'm not here to endorse a quick fix. It all depends on personal preferences or circumstances and, in my case, I simply feel better when I wash my face with a cleanser at the end of a busy day. The point that I'm trying to make is that I think we should each learn what works for us individually and to maybe stop literally buying into all of the skin insecurities that skincare companies try to mass communicate to consumers. At the end of the day, skin is skin. Let's remember that the actual physiological purpose of skin is to protect what matters more on the inside. 😉
I plan to elaborate more on this subject in the near future and share more of what personally works for me. Until then, with all sincerity, I hope this post gave you a different perspective on a touchy (haha) topic and maybe even some motivation to start treating your skin for you.
What are your thoughts on skin care? Let me know in the comments or feel free to drop me a message. 🤗
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