"What’s with this bumpiness on my arms, and why do I break out on my butt all the time?!" I get asked these questions a lot.  The bumpiness and breakouts are caused by a condition called Keratosis Pilaris, or as its commonly referred to, "KP". What exactly is KP? During the lifetime of normally functioning skin cells, they're born, live for a while at the bottom of the outermost layer of our skin, and just when more new cells now start to push older cells up and out of the way to form the next layer, these cells slowly start to produce and accumulate keratin protein ..read more

I speak extensively about facial acne on this blog, but in addition to tweaking skincare and make-up habits, people who suffer from Adult Acne also sometimes have to deal with acne on various parts of the body. These breakouts on the thighs, back or chest, are caused not only by excess oil, but warmth from sitting, salt from sweat, and friction caused by the many layers worn during colder months bothering pore linings.  Friction is especially a factor in cases where exercise is not followed immediately by a shower.  Adding to the mix is one of the biggest issues of all ..read more

In my previous post, "Do You Have Adult Acne? ...Or Is It Really Rosacea?" I went over the differences between adult acne and rosacea and how to tell exactly what kind of breakouts you're experiencing.  I also mentioned lifestyle changes that could help to manage rosacea flare-ups. Of course, not everyone with redness issues has rosacea.  Rosacea is a vascular disorder, usually inherited, usually shows up around the age of 30, and is marked by a chronic redness that gets worse with age when left untreated ..read more

While I regard myself mostly as a specialist in adult acne, I also specialize in rosacea, as well as in general sensitivity.  And, as someone who actually has rosacea herself, I can understand the frustrations that come along with not knowing how to properly manage the condition.  This can be especially frustrating when you believe you have rosacea and it turns out it's really acne, and vise versa.  I once had a client who’d been trying all sorts of topical and internal antibiotics and other medications, even birth control (though she was in her late 40s), and no ..read more

Did you know that only 10% of the world's population has truly dry skin?  As in, genetically does not produce enough oil to maintain its acid mantle, aka natrual barrier.  We call this skin type "Oil-Dry" because it doesn't produce enough of the natural oils skin needs to function properly.  10% of the world's population has skin that produces so much oil, their pores are so large and free-flowing, the skin actually never experiences acne.  The rest of us have combination skin, with oil production occuring along a spectrum.   This is why I ..read more

Have you ever had an acne breakout as an adult that you didn't try to explain yourself?  In my experience, people who break out pretty regularly have read and watched enough on social media to have quite a few ideas on what's causing their problem.  Sometimes they're right.   But many, many adult acne sufferers don't have that kind of experience.  To them, their breakouts are just baffling.  They have no idea what's causing them. Shockingly, at least 60% of my adult acne clientele never had acne as teens! My job as a sp ..read more

New Year, New Beginnings, New Products! I am determined to make 2021 a better year, personally and professionally.  Ok, every year starts like that, and this year it's especially poignant for everyone, but in my case, I let this year get to me a little too much, and there are some things I just need to correct.  Uh... like everyone else!  lol   Professionally, restarting this blog is one of the ways I'm correcting a long-term wrong.  I'm super excited to reconnect with old readers and connect with new!   I've also been using facial-lock ..read more