It’s time for a skin check-in!
Hard to believe, but it’s been almost 2 years since I last started my “skin fix” and talked about my issues with acne and eczema. 22 months!? And what a difference those months have made.
I started writing this review 3 months after the initial skin post, and then life got busy.
In the first 3 months, making the change to my diet made all the difference. Anyone who says differently is on something. I mean, everyone always says diet and exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle, so why wouldn’t your skin be any different? Your skin is probably the biggest indicator of what’s really going on with your body, even if you don’t know how to read the signs.
I did a fitness log for almost 2 months – the summer made it harder when I would go up to the cottage. But I’m planning on picking it back up again now that the cottage season is pretty much over. Paring down on certain foods and making sure that I cook healthier is pretty key. I found that if I ate properly when I skip washing my face in the morning because I’m rushing doesn’t seem to make a huge difference.
But if I start to slip on the meals and healthy eating, boy, my skin slips just as fast. Do I still have bad skin days? Sure. My skin still fluctuates with my hormones, especially since they aren’t regulated with birth control.
I have to say – just eating better makes me feel so much better. Mind, body and soul – better. Cutting out the “crap” in my diet let me feel how other foods made me feel, and that’s led to a couple more foods being cut out (almost) completely from my diet. If I’m out I’m not such a stickler, but I’ve mainly cut out pork and dairy. I’ve switched pretty much all over to soy milk, and only occasionally have pork (if I absolutely can’t avoid it).
There are still many things that I need to incorporate into this routine (like more consistent exercise) and car treatment, but it’s definitely coming along. These past couple weeks I’ve increased my water intake as well, so I think I’m finally getting hydrated enough. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have any pictures of the 3 month period afterwards.
And then I got pregnant.
My skin decided to do another crazy change. In the first month, I didn’t even really know that I was pregnant. I was also on vacation, and eating and drinking way more than I usually did. Spending 3 weeks in a car doesn’t make for the best food choices. Bring on the chips! I think that was also the first sign – I was eating like crazy! I was able to eat so much more than I normally do but didn’t think anything of it. [I also partied hard for the bachelorette and actually felt like I would be sick… which isn’t like me at all either].
Anyways, during the first trimester, my skin decided that it hated every single product that I was currently using. Body wash? Rash. Face wash? Rash. Cream? Rash. Dry skin. Itchy. Skin, you’re such a joy. I was also starting to break out a little bit more again, mainly because I was having reactions to everything.
I stopped using everything, stripped back and got some Aveeno body wash and a super duty Cerave thick cream, and my skin perked itself up. Phew. I’ve slowly been incorporating some more products back into my daily routine, but very slowly.
And now?
I’m not pregnant anymore (obviously) and it’s been 10 months since I had Kaiden (crazy) and I can say damn my skin looks so damn good. Especially in comparison to May 2016 (although, anything would be better. I forgot how bad my skin was). I’m just starting to notice that my skin is going back to being a bit more oily and dry at the same time (joyous combination skin) and that I should actually start taking care of it again.
Although, in all honesty, drinking even just a cup of water a day would probably save my skin. It’s probably just dehydrated AF.
What do you think of the difference in my skin?
J x
