Copa

My boyfriend has been complaining about dry skin this winter. Mine feels less dry in our new place, but I guess his is worse. I bought him some Kiehl’s products as a gift, slapped a bow on, and left them in the bathroom instead of his stocking. He’s been using some of my skincare items, which is fine, and even though skin is skin, he was so happy to find I’d bought him some “for men” items. I thought it was cute.

@TheLadyE I’m very sorry. That’s frustrating. I always wonder how many people need to die for the people who deny the severity of COVID to take it seriously. Like, what is their threshold? Is it when we can say that the death toll is the same as an entire state’s population being wiped out? I dunno. I’m glad to live where I do, where people take it seriously and wear masks.

The people I know getting COVID right now are the ones who were the conservatives “just living their lives.” My cousin and her family are one example. My boyfriend’s mom and stepdad live in the suburbs here and are conservative. Both are older, and his stepdad has lingering health issues from cancer and is higher risk. They only recently got nervous enough stay the fuck home. They, luckily, are fine. They canceled their Thanksgiving plans in South Carolina, where Boyfriend’s sister, BIL, and kids live (again, conservative). And BIL has COVID because they insisted on Thanksgiving with friends when the rest of the family bailed. (My boyfriend and I were the only two to NOPE on out from the get-go, the rest of the family bailed the week of, even his very liberal brother and SIL, which I thought was odd…) Boyfriend’s sister has severe asthma from what I’m told, and I think they’re morons for all of this, but hoping everyone gets through it okay. Here in Illinois, Boyfriend’s cousin had a VERY premature baby earlier this year that still has some issues and the cousin’s husband also just wanted to live his life. (Another conservative fam.) He now has COVID. Anyway, these are more outer rings of my circle and it’s still just annoying to hear about because literally all of these people could’ve just stayed home instead of doing that thing that got them sick and exposed their families and who knows who else. I can’t even imagine how frustrated I’d be if these people were closer to me.

So I did have to take it twice. The first time, I was 18. I spent most of my teenage years until then really frustrated about acne. Mine wasn’t terrible or severe, but it was never a few small pimples. It was cystic, it was persistent. I was PUMPED to finally be allowed to take it because I’d tried so many treatments with limited results. My skin was flawless within a couple months, well before I’d finished my treatment.

I seldom had break-outs after that, and if I did it was a pimple (singular). I did start experiencing acne issues again around 26. I’m pretty convinced I have PCOS, which is why I think mine came back. Went back on it at 27.

Anyway, neither of my experiences were bad. My skin was dry, but it was nothing a good moisturizing routine couldn’t fix. On rare occasions that dryness would make my contact lenses uncomfortable. My hair never got greasy (like, EVER), which was amazing. I never had any of the mental health issues some people report. I was careful with birth control because you cannot get pregnant while on it.

The second time I took it, the FDA had rolled out the iPledge program to better warn users of potential risks and side effects. There were a few more hoops to jump through with iPledge but it was still very similar. I saw my dermatologist monthly and they’d take my blood. They’d make sure I wasn’t pregnant and I’d fill out a survey about my wellbeing/moods. I remember at 18, my lipid levels were getting a bit high so they lowered my daily dosage and slightly extended the treatment — according to that dermatologist, daily dosage was unimportant compared to cumulative dosage.

My skin is still clear seven years out from treatment. I do have the occasional blemish, but it’s not like it was before. In HS, my skin was a HUGE insecurity for me and that first treatment was life-changing. I think at 27, I could’ve taken or left the treatment — I was no longer deeply insecure — but since I knew what to expect, I went for it pretty cavalierly. I think with a doctor you trust who is careful/mindful, it’s safe. (Like, I wouldn’t trust a dermatologist who suggested it as the first line of defense.) I’m not as vain as I may sound, but if I was ever felt I needed it again, I’d do it.

I will also add, my sister also took it. She has PCOS. Her skin was always in much better shape than mine as a teenager until all the PCOS symptoms hit her hard and fast in college. She took Accutane and it cleared up. Her acne eventually came back, too, and I know it bothers her, so I asked if she’d consider Accutane again. She said no. She said she felt kinda off while she was on it, so I think it did affect her moods/mental wellbeing.

Sounds like @hfantods also was on it and may also be able to weigh in since experience seem to vary by individual.

ETA: Wow, that was long. Sorry for the wall of text.

I dunno, some of those bad dates I went on are really seared into my brain. I wish I could forget them. I have not followed this thread from the beginning, I think I joined the party somewhere around page 300, but it’s nice to see that so many of us who weren’t exactly enjoying the slog now have good partners and fulfilling relationships.

Does anyone use a sunscreen that they really love? I use an Aveeno one, but am indifferent to it. It does the job, but I wish it had less of a sunscreen smell.

Yeahhh, Drunk Elephant is not very budget conscious. I bought a few of their products to try earlier this year, the Slaii oil cleansing balm, a vitamin C serum, and marula oil (which Dr. Idriss claims is great for dry skin since it helps lock in moisture). I used to use the Josie Maran cleansing oil, but prefer Slaii. I don’t need to use a ton so I find it lasts awhile for me, so I’ll repurchase. I dislike their vitamin C serum (it was sticky/tacky and pricier than Ole Henriksen) and don’t notice a difference when I use the marula oil.

I’ve had stray white hairs for… awhile. I do notice more and more, but I don’t think it’s that bad and it doesn’t bother me. My sister is a couple years older and her whites seem to grow in clusters, so hers is more noticeable.

It’s on the pricier side, but I really like Ole Henriksen’s vitamin C serum. I have tried other brands but always go back to it. Not that you need to break the bank to take care of your skin, but since you mentioned perhaps wanting to hit the spending limit to get your status, thought I’d throw it out there as an option I keep coming back to even though it’s not as cheap as drugstore products.