My New Love Affair with Aloe Vera Gel

I suffer terribly with adult acne, which in my case causes blackheads & whiteheads. Every time I remove one, I'm left with scarring, bruising, and damaged skin ( irritation, peeling, & redness). I have very sensitive, oily, & acne prone skin. I had sought the advice of a dermatologist 11 months ago, I was prescribed all sorts of topical creams including bleaching creams to fade the dark marks, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide cream ( which cause severe drying, and peeling), Biotin, Prenatal Vitamins, Cetphil Face Wash, Cetphil facial moisturizer-in which none of them worked. Actually- my skin WORSENED *yikes*

The dark mark in the center of my forehead started my affair with products to lighten the dark spot and stop the peeling & dryness.

In recent months,I've become a slave to Dermablend. I inquired on Twitter about concealers and everyone responded to forget concealers- go for the Dermablend. I ran out, purchased the Dermablend and thought I have found the solution to my problems. Well- sorta... I've never been that chick to wake up and apply mounds of make up because of insecurities. My face had broken out so badly that I was embarrassed of my naked face. My nose was RED like Rudolph the red nose reindeer, I have hyper pigmentation all over my nose, and checks, and bottom line- I wasn't happy looking at myself with a bare face. If any of you are familiar with Dermablend- you know that its a full coverage face cream & very HEAVY. For me personally- I cant do Dermablend in this heat- I sweat+ its runs=NotAGoodLook.com

A picture of me in full make up wearing Dermablend

**Note.. When I had loc's I normally wore my hair away from my face- with my fro, hair typically touches my face- will start wearing my hair awayf from my face to aid in clearing up my skin**

I was discussing the situation with a girlfriend yesterday, she had never seen me without makeup and couldn't imagine what I was talking about. So I sent her a pic of my "naked" face. She instantly replied and said it wasn't as bad as I had made it sound and all I needed was aloe vera gel. O_o ( Bubbled Eyed GAS FACE)- Did you just say Aloe Vera Gel? The same stuff that I apply to my hair almost daily??? She said YES- it will soothe your skin and stop the peeling. ummmmmm ... OK, I've tried EVERYTHING else under the sun- WHY NOT..

** pic of nose-most troubled area-no makeup**
**naked face- no make up**

I went to my local CVS and purchased the CVS brand aloe -the brand I always use. When I picked up the bottle the first thing I saw was a quote that said " Cools and soothes minor skin irritations, abrasions and sunburns. Helps restore moisture to damaged skin and helps prevent drying and peeling." SAY WORD!!!!

As I strolled through the aisles I notice this weird looking tool. Its a blackhead/whitehead remover- wait- this is the same tool that the esthetician used on my face when I went to get a facial a few months ago? I sat in the aisle- went to you tube on my phone to see if there were any videos on how to properly use the tool- yep- there were videos with all the necessary instruction- so I purchased the tool as well.

When I got home, I watched additional videos on how to use the tool. In the videos , it was also suggested that you do a gentle scrub- which the dermatologist had instructed me NOT to do. Obviously what she instructed me to do wasn't working so- I went for it..




Step One
I steamed my face to open pores

Applied CVS Apricot Scrub with my finger tips and massaged it into my skin ( for 30-45 seconds)

Rinse face to remove all traces of the scrub

Step Two
I rolled the wire loop of the Blackhead Extractor across my face, applying light pressure ( I started with my nose), be sure to have a tissue or something handy to wipe away the secretions that's clogging your pores or white/black heads. ** this is not for those with a weak stomach- very disgusting**


Step Three
Apply Toner to face ( I use Rosewater and Lemon Juice mix)

Step Four
Apply Aloe Vera Gel generously all over my face. ** I paid special attention to my nose- since that is the area this is peeling, bruised, and red.**

Let me tell you- today is the FIRST day in 11 months that my nose isn't peeling, and my skin isn't feeling greasy or looking like an oil slick!!!!! The Aloe Vera did the TRICK!!!!!! Let me find out that I've spent hundreds of dollars over the past 11 months and all I needed was aloe vera to stop the peeling on my nose. Normally, I wake up to cracked dry patches on my nose, followed by peeling after I wash my face or exit the shower ( just scabs of skin hanging there like a booger-disgusting). This morning, I washed my face with plain water ( no face wash, creams, or cleansers), I then applied a small amount of my rosewater toner all over ( with a cotton pad) and more aloe vera gel ( as a moisturizer). Today, my nose feels smooth-and its not as red. I'm feeling like I have hope and I'm on my way to skin recovery and healing. If Im seeing results like this after 1 application, Im excited to see whats ahead in 2 weeks, 6 months, this time next year!!!!!

DISCLAIMER: I am neither a doctor nor a licensed esthetician. Use at your own risk! Remember that my experience should not take the place of professional advice.