Twenty Eight Days

It takes between twenty eight and thirty two days for new, plump skin cells to make their way to the top surface of the skin. As their journey progresses they lose moisture and begin to flatten out. By the time they reach the top layer they are dead and form a protective layer until they are sloughed off and new cells begin to surface.
I am an educator for Dr. Hauschka skincare and while I was out of town for a training I took one picture a day for twenty eight days to see how my skin care regimen would improve my skin. It was nothing new to me, I was just committing to being consistent.
I learned so much about my skin during that month. I am an esthetician and it is very easy for me to analyze the skin of others. It's much harder for me to do the same to my own. I have used the wrong products on both my hair and skin for years, due to my desire to change them into what I'd rather have and also just lack of self-awareness. That's where my digital camera comes in. With the first picture I took I realized that my skin was irritated and completely out of balance. I had been very stressed out and it had taken it's toll on my skin. I was upset so late one night I decided to do an aspirin mask. I ground up six aspirin tablets with a mortar and pestle and made a paste. This really goes against my philosophy of skincare but I was feeling desperate. I mixed the aspirin with rhythmic night conditioner, facial toner and jojoba oil thinking that would somehow make it ok.
My skin immediately felt smoother, you know without it's acid mantle. So I thought everything was fine. When I took that first picture I realized what I had done to my skin. Instead of treating it gently and compassionately I waged war and took out all of my stress on my poor face. The skin I photographed the first evening was extremely irritated not only along my naso-labial folds but I also had a rash on my neck. Every day brought healthier and more beautiful skin.
It goes along with something I've heard said before: "beautiful skin is not always healthy, but healthy skin is always beautiful." Meaning genetics can bless people with lovely skin but it could be horribly neglected but once you take the time to properly care for your skin it will be healthy and radiant.
I also realized how much makeup I normally wear. As the days went by I found myself needing less and not missing it. All I needed to look "pretty" was lipstick and well-groomed eyebrows. I vowed to keep wearing less once I got back home.
As I took my photos I saw what my skin goes through. I co-sleep with my two year old twin boys and the rest their little heads right against my cheeks. Immediately I developed small clusters of blemishes there. As my period week loomed closer my hormones brought hard, painful breakouts on my chin and increased blackheads and redness. I wore more makeup to cover it up and woke up with traces of eyeliner around my eyes.
One of the questions we ask clients who come to discuss Dr. Hauschka products with us is: "does your skin feel healthy?" This throws people because they don't really think of their skin as 'feeling' anything. It's mostly visual, how does it look? And if they decide that it looks unsatisfactory usually the course of action is swift, drastic and often irritating. (as I myself am clearly guilty of at times) Right now I'd have to say my skin does not feel it's healthiest. I am faithfully following the Dr. Hauschka skincare regimen in the a.m and p.m. So what is the problem? My lifestyle. I choose to sleep with my boys every night knowing that the bacteria and sebum from their scalps will clog my pores. I sometimes don't drink enough water. I eat too much sugar and not enough greens. I get stressed out and stare at my computer. I need more fresh air and exercise. I know that I will not choose to end co-sleeping yet. So I will have those little breakouts for a while longer and that's ok with me. But I can work on improving my overall health and diet and manage my stress better. And this, coupled with a good skincare routine and excellent products will drastically improve the health and appearance of my skin.