The Truth About Adult Acne

The first thing you should notice about someone is their energy. Is there a way they make a room feel when they enter it? Or better yet, when they exit the space did they leave it a little brighter than before? The Dolls believe that true beauty comes from within, but oddly enough, it’s our outward appearances that greet the world. Sometimes we go through life changes that alter the balance between your inside beauty and your outside appearance.  Keep reading for the truth about adult acne.

Acne is painful at any stage of life, but as an adult it can be extremely frustrating -especially trying to figure out why it’s happening and how to cure it… It’s painful to look at and it’s even more painful to have. 

This is speaking from experience. Dani Doll here – and I’m going to share everything I have researched, learned and tested during my journey to overcome adult acne.

I took birth control for 15 years and stopped taking it just over a year ago after discovering issues that were developing from its long term use. I was not prepared for what was next… Along with some minor side effects, came a hormonal imbalance and the worst cystic acne I have ever experienced. I was so upset,  and there were times during a bad breakout that I struggled to leave the house or be in front of a camera… kind of a crippling factor in our line of work!

But I knew I was not alone. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 50 million Americans suffer from acne annually. When unfortunate skin ailments (and overall unfavorable life situations) happen to you, you get two choices – You can fall victim and feel sorry for yourself or you can act on it. Like any good best friend, Cait was by my side as I began to grapple with these skin issues. We both allow ourselves to feel the instant reactions that are “normal” but encourage one another act on the life events that they feel they may have some control over.

We like to treat most of their health issues by the marriage of eastern and western medicine concepts. 

Natural Contributing Factors to Clear Skin:

• Check Your Nutrition – The journey to cystic-acne-free skin starts with changes to diet, so the Dolls started eating less processed foods by adding more organic fruits and veggies, eating more free range/grass fed meats, and choosing more gluten free options.
• Drink Water- Another big factor for clear skin is water, cold water. Both Dolls drink half their body weight in ounces daily.
• Enjoy Tea – With the advice of the Medical Medium, Dani Doll also switched from black coffee to tea. Specifically sipping lemon balm tea, green tea, chamomile tea with lavender and wild thyme tea, throughout the day.
• Meditate – This practice has really assisted me to stay calm and limit my reactions to stress.
• Practice Yoga – Yoga is such a healing movement, and can even help rid yourself of toxins in your body.
• Work Out – We get our sweat on 3 days a week at OTG Bootcamp which helps create their healthy, strong and toned bodies.
• Investigate Your Gut Health –  Dani Doll has been working with her gynecologist to monitor the progress of her healing after birth control, she has been taking Diflucan to help with candida overgrowth in her gut – accompanied by Designs for Health Probiotics.
• Get a Good Night’s Rest – Each night before bed Dani listens to Yoga Nidra meditations on Spotify, this sends her into an uninterrupted slumber.

Now for some fun at the Med Spa…

We frequented Catara Med Spa and ElevareMD, two of their favorite med spas in Chicago for different services. Treating your skin from the outside, is just as important as treating it from the inside.

Catara is located in the Gold Coast, Caitlin and Danielle have worked closely with Hannah over the past year, whom we affectionately refer to as our Face Guru. Hannah creates custom monthly skin regimens for both Dolls. Caitlin enjoys hydrafacials and gentle hydrating peels. While Dani enjoys hydrafacials, her skin calls for a more aggressive peel, known as the Lotus Jessner peel. This medium strength peel sparks trauma and healing to the skin.

The Lotus Jessner peel dries and removes the acne and scarring to reveal soft and clear skin. Right now is the best time to book these types of services because the winter time allows for the down time needed to help the peel work its magic. The entire process can take between 3-7 days – this means no sun and no makeup for the best results… and yes, your top layer of skin will literally peal off.

The other med spa we frequent is ElevareMD for the Vivace Microneedling distributed by Cartessa. This procedure firms and tones the face by tilling the skin for a fast cell turnover response. Vivace is a system that helps with overall improvement of your skin by using radio frequency (RF) microneedling… to be exact, 36 gold tip needles in each puncture!

This one-of-a-kind machine is distributed by Cartessa, a boutique style firm that really cares about their customers’ skin. Unlike other needle facials you have seen online or experienced, the Vivace RF Microneedling is basically painless and you have zero downtime. The Vivace RF treatment tightens skin, removes discoloration and scarring.

We LOVE working with Kelly at Elevare MD. She is an advanced practice nurse in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with a special interest in non-invasive aesthetic care – which is exactly what the Vivace Treatment is… in fact you can even have this procedure done if yu . are breast feeding. Call Elevare MD to book your appointment and mention “DOLLHOUSE” for special pricing.

In creating the skin we want to live in, there is a skincare line the neither of us could live without, Epionce. the Dolls have used many products and have found this brand to be the best. We love Epionce because it really is rooted in hard science that integrates over 20 years of clinical skin research. Both Dolls have used this product for about a year now and can’t reorder it fast enough. Epionce just keeps getting better and better over time, it’s one of the only skin care regimes that actually heals your skin.

Dani’s Pick’s for Adult Acne:

• Purifying Wash + Purifying Spot Gel: The latest innovation from Epionce is the powerful acne-fighting duo: Purifying Wash and Purifying Spot Gel. The Purifying Wash incorporates new therapeutic botanicals with salicylic acid to help clear acne blemishes without overdrying the skin. Purifying Spot Gel utilizes innovative new moieties of traditional acne ingredients and combines them with new therapeutic botanical ingredients to provide better and faster results than leading prescription products − without irritation. This powerful duo is a new generation of acne products formulated with adult acne in mind.
• Lytic Plus Tx : The Lytic products are a core part of the Epionce product line. All of the Lytic products incorporate two of the Epionce ingredient technologies: Anti-Inflammatory Technology and Keratolytic Technology. The Lytics help prevent the action and formation of damaging chronic inflammatory factors, the common cause underlying many skin conditions and diseases. They combine a powerful botanical formulation with a unique delivery system to optimally clean out pores, remove blackheads, whiteheads and other mild to moderate acne lesions. Lytics gently remove dead skin cells at the skin surface without aggravating inflammatory skin conditions affected by barrier disrup-tion or vigorous exfoliating formulas.
• Intensive Nourishing Cream: Highly emollient Intensive Nourishing Cream contains maximum levels of key complexes to help reduce the visible appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. An ultra-rich cream, Intensive Nourishing Cream provides superior moisturization for photoaged skin on the face, neck and décolleté. Use as a night cream for superior rejuvenation.

There are two ways to get your hands on some Epionce, either head to Catara at 67 E. Oak St and have Hannah guide you to the best products for you or use this link to order online using the Doll’s Pick’s: epionce.com – Make sure at the check out you use EXPERT CODE for CATARA MED SPA:  20171021

We all go through different things for different reasons. Dani has learned to never take clear skin for granted. How will you put your best face forward in 2019? Tell us in the comments!