Acne Diary - Entry 1: Nurture vs Nature

Now, let's get to the serious acne talk that i had been talking about before. I'm sure by now that you have read my post about how I broke the breakout cycle & would want to know more about how to fight off acne. Now let's discuss the nitty gritty details about the idea behind it.

I'm actually a part of a blogging campaign whose main objective is to clarify common misconceptions about acne & skincare. It's called Truth Seeker. Since this is a mini series, expect more acne-related posts for the next couple of weeks, specifically every Saturday as i try to go over some of it.

Let's start first with analyzing & working with the type of skin that you have.
Have you actually asked yourself if your parents were acne-prone too? Did they had acne when they were at your age? I'll tell you later about what i found out when i asked my mum about it.

I made a little research about it & has read an article saying that based on some studies, genes could actually play a role in acne too. So if you want to blame someone blame it on the moon (lol!maiba lang-just to be different). I don't think there's no one to blame, really. I think we all know that teen acne is common. Most of my readers who email me are actually teenagers.

Teenage years, this is when hormones wreak havoc in our body. These hormones increases oil production. Over-production of oil will lead to clogged pores resulting to pimples. Severe pimples would already be classified as acne & among the different types of acne, Acne Vulgaris is something that im sure most teenagers are suffering from.

For those who doesn't have an idea how pimples happen, you can watch this short video that i found on youtube.

So, now that we got that out of the way, it's time for me to get personal...
*inserts the song 'it is well in my heart'*
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I know how most people like how i go to details because i really give pictures & don't worry, i won't crimp on this post. If pictures are what you want, then pictures you'll get! Of course, this is an acne diary! Good thing my mom agreed on me looking over her pictures & posting it.hehehe. So let me give you a peek about my parents & me.

Uy, masyado na tayong close ha! hehehe (We are already too close to each other)

Anyway,let's get on from the start so it would be my parent's first before me.
On to mi papa first...
Mi papa, according to mi mama (haha!just thought trying to be funny. lol), had suffered acne early on & that had left scarring on his cheeks & especially on his nose area but it stopped i guessed when he reached his early 20's.

I'm sorry but i can't find any teen pictures of my dad & this is the only picture that was left amongst the bunch. It may not be obvious here, but there are some scars on his nose area. Even i can't see it that clearly unless you have the picture in your hand & can scrutinize it but just believe me in on this,ok? hehehe

I've read tons of articles prior to this post about acne in general & had found out that acne in males usually happen during puberty years & mostly, if not disappears, calms down once they are past this age. Of course, this is not applicable to everyone. Women are more prone to adult acne then men.

Since my dad's acne had calmed down the time when he reached his adulthood, he was spared from too much scarring unlike my brother now (that's a whole new different story, i'll tell you about my brother's skin condition some other time as a part of this series so stayed tuned,ok?). Nothing much to tell since i don't have any pictures for comparison but that was according to my mum.

My dad is one of the typical vain guys who likes to have profile pictures taken like so as well. hehehe
At around the time that this picture was taken, his skin is pretty much ok.

Now, let's get to my mum.
My mum said that she suffered mild pimple attack before, a few zits here & there but nothing too alarming. Take note, im just using the word 'pimple attack' because my mum had clear skin ever since she was a teenager. Proof of this would be this picture...

Shoot, i forgot to ask my mum what was this coronation about but i think she said that she was chosen as like the muse in their barrio before. Doesn't she look pretty? (Yes, she does! She's my mum!)

Here is she dancing together with my uncle (her older brother). On a closer inspection, you might see a bump or two on her cheek area but she said that it was just one of the occasional zits that pops in every now & then.

Even on her wedding day, when a woman would mostly have a few zits because of being overly anxious because of the big day, she still had clear skin.

Way to go, momma!
That's my grandma right there...

Now, the only time that she had skin trouble was the time that she got pregnant.

As i'm sure you're aware of, a woman's body goes under tremendous hormone upheaval during these times. The sides of her face already has blemishes & a few on her cheeks too. I guess this was also the time when she developed sun spots.

Ahhhh... i think this post would be one of my favorites ever!
I can just imagine how i would look & feel like every time i will go over my blog just to reminisce & would see these pictures. This is the main reason why i want to keep my blog as personal as possible because this is my personal space. hihihi

As for my skin, i had clear skin when i was a teenager to early 20's like my mom.
Here's the proof...

I can't really remember how old (or young!) i was in this picture but i think i was somewhere between 12-14.
I didn't even know the word pimple back then!
Fast forward to my college years since that's the time when stress & everything usually catches up to a teenage's life...

I guess i'm just not pressured at all in my studies... or rather we were not pressured at all if our smiles would serve as indication. lol! Well, i wasn't even into make-up back then... not even baby powder.

I didn't know acne until i was already staring at it right smack in my face because i've had clear skin all through my teenage years & early 20's... see?

And even in my early blogging months...

My acne just started when i really got into make-up application.
I was so into it that i don't even have any idea if the products that im using are meant for my skin or what. Or maybe i was just too lazy in stripping ALL the make-up off of my skin after every application?
*sigh*

Regret really comes at the end,no?
but then... "Failure is the stepping stone to success" as what the saying goes so what i consider as a failure is something that worked good for me because i got so familiar & in tune with my skin that now i am finally able to say "been there,done that!".

So after that little peek into my & my parent's teenage years, i guess you can say that i was spared from the "hereditary acne", though that's not in my brother's case.

Even if acne is hereditary or not, we just simply need to find a way on how we can work that out. I found my own way after getting to know my skin. I listened to what my skin tells me & had acted on it. What my mom may have done during her adolescent years is most likely different with what i did. Ask your parents first how they addressed their problems. It's worth looking into what worked for them. There's no guarantee that that could really work with you but it's something that you have to reconsider.

The gist is this... Your skin is your own. Do not be fooled with what everybody is telling you to do. You need to work with what you have. Again, i stand with what i believed in. I did not follow any of those "SOP" that people had been telling me that i ought to do. I did what i think is best for me, not saying that im a pro or what,ok? I'm just working with what God has given me.

Things are very different from years ago.. our diet, activities, environment, etc. all contributes to what we are.These are some factors that you have to consider.

Ask yourself these questions to help you analyze what are the things that could be affecting your acne.
1.What kind of lifestyle do i actually have?
2.How about my diet?Am i eating healthy food?
3.Do i effectively manage stress? Am i getting enough sleep?
4.As to hygiene talk, am i able to make it a point to keep everything that touches my face clean?
5.What products do i use?
These are just some sample questions that you have to ask yourself in order to know what kind of skin you have, what factors that contributes to your acne & how you could find a possible solution to it... what things agree with you or not, not with the things that you "YES" for but your skin says "NO".

As what the saying goes, if there's smoke,there's fire. I guess that's also the same with acne, if there's acne, there's a cause. Find out all the possible factor, then act on it. You can bust acne with proper knowledge. I did it, so can you!

On my next post, i'll be talking more about the "acting" part.
For now, what i want you to do is to think about what i said. Start your journey as i go along this blog campaign. Don't forget to check my next entry on my acne diary this coming saturday.

Have a blessed Saturday!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
I didn't deliberately watermarked my pictures because i don't want anything marring my/their memories through these pictures. I don't think that someone would have the guts to actually use my own pictures for their personal use.

I'm gonna end this post with a picture of my parents earlier on.

And a little note to myself a few years from now...
Remember how happy they are in this picture, im sure you will be able to find happiness as well in every step of the way together with the person that you chose to be.
^_^