Is less more?

July 1, 2002

Last time I posted, I had started using the Finevin azelaic acid

cream, and just started a low carb diet. I was pretty happy with the

early results--still a little red, but remarkably less bumpy. That,

the Plexion wash, and the Max Factor FaceFinity foundation with SPF

15 were then and are now the only things I'm using on my face, and

the Pill is the only thing I'm taking orally. When I first started

using the Finevin, I had no bumps for several days. Then I got a

few, but they'd go away in a day or two if I kept up with the Finevin.

Now let me tell you about my weekend. For three days I went camping,

in Texas mind you (90 degree temps). I was quite concerned about how

I was going to look with the sun beating down and with no makeup on,

but I really wanted to go, so I said to heck with it and went

anyway. I was fairly " noncompliant " to my usual regimen (and I drank

alcohol, too!). Of course, I took the Pill every day, and continued

to low carb (2 1/2 weeks now), but I was only able to use the Plexion

once a day instead of twice, and I forgot to bring the Finevin so I

couldn't use that at all. Foundation was useless because of the heat

and water sports, so I needed a waterproof sunscreen, and the

chemical-free Neutrogena Sensitive Skin sunscreen I'd been using on

my body wasn't waterproof. I know from experience that cinnamates

make my skin and eyes burn, but I hadn't tried any of the newer

chemical sunscreens, so for giggles I decided to try Coppertone

waterproof Sport Sunblock Gel with--GASP!--chemical sunscreens in

it. It contains avobenzone, octocrylene, octyl saliyclate and

oxybenzone (but no cinnamates). Well, I'm happy to report that I had

no irritation and got no sunburn! The only thing I didn't like about

the product was its " ultra-dry formula " that had some kind of polymer

in it that balled up when you rubbed it in...ew. But I'm glad to

discover that for me, I can use some chemical sunscreens. Just no

cinnamates.

In fact, spending the weekend using less " product " on my face appears

to have resulted in some definite improvement in my skin. Instead of

my usual one or two dozen papules, I can only find three, and one's

hidden under my bangs. I'm remarkably less red. Even my pores look

a tad smaller, which means I'm probably less swollen. I've started

my period, which usually results in a major flare, but not this time,

so the effects of the Pill and the low carb diet are probably kicking

in, too.

No, my skin doesn't look perfect...no one's does, except those

airbrushed models in magazines...but it does look, well, pretty darn

normal. Which gets me to wondering if all the products and

treatments we subject our faces to in the hopes of finding the one

thing that will make our faces look normal again aren't making things

worse for some of us. This weekend seemed to suggest that for me,

the less I use on my face, the better my skin looks. So I'm bumping

the Plexion down to once a day (bumping down...get it?) and I'm going

to use the Finevin only on my most recalcitrant spots.

I see the eye doctor in a few weeks and will let you know what he

says about my ocular rosacea.

July 1, 2002