My Body Chemistry Hates Me

So I have officially decided that my body chemistry has decided to change this year, and it doesn't want to be easy on me. Shoot me now!

Sorry for the delay in posting, but I have been frustrated and busy. Busy with work, church, friends and family. Frustrated with my face and it's obvious rebellion from my normal life. I'm sure I'm confusing you, so I'll show you pics to prove my annoyance and I expect full sympathy. :)

Well right after we went to go and visit Luke for his birthday I put this nightly cream on my face (generic of Retin A) that my dermatologist put me on...to help clear up these little white zits that are beneath layers of skin and form because I have really small pores. Which per the dermatologist, says is the kind of skin everyone would like to have, but these little baby like zits keep popping up. Now when I was a kid I had these and I used Retin A for a year or two and got rid of them for almost two decades...they are now back though and I hate them. I had relatively clear skin for years and I was starting to feel like I was going through puberty again.

Anyways, I've been using this stuff randomly for around 6 months or so. Not as often as the doctor told me to be using it...cause each time you apply it it peels off a layer of skin on your face so then I have to use TONS of face moisturizer so I don't look like I'm peeling all the time. So I put it on the night after our trip and for some reason on Monday through Thursday my face started to break out even worse than it ever has before. It itched, my my skin feel tight and pretty much turned into full blown hives. Sucky!

I called the dermatologist on that Thursday and they called in a perscription for me for a Hydrocortozone cream that was stronger than anything I could buy over the counter. I knew it was some kind of allergic reaction or something that was only affecting my face. Didn't make the connection to the cream as it had never done this to me before. So I was to use this hydrocortozone cream on my face for a week and wear no make up. HARD!!!

Here's a picture of my face on the worst day of the next week...when my skin finally started to peal off a bit but in splotches and the hives were still there a bit.

Pink cheeks suck!

Side view...ugh!

So after a week I finally used makeup for around 4 days. And on Tuesday night of this week I put some of the Retin A on my face again...as the doctor said to keep using it even when my face broke out but I hadn't yet as I didn't want to. But starting Tuesday night while I was sleeping my face kept itching...seriously itching.

Here's me Wednesday morning...trying not to itch...but I am wearing makeup here.

I am sucking candy here...as to why my lips are pursed a bit.

Side view.

Anyways, after lunch on Wednesday the itching was driving me crazy so I went into the bathroom at work just to see and guess what....hives were breaking out AGAIN!!! I was so mad. So I then wash off my face with some water, pat my face dry and then put on the hydrocortozone cream I just happened to still be carrying in my purse. Thank goodness!

I called my dermatologist that afternoon and I set up an appoinment on Saturday for him to look at my face and figure out what is going on. At this time I am now 90% positive it's the Retin A that is making my face itch. No way could it be my moisturizer or my makeup as it was fine for the first few days I wore makeup and the Retin A started itching immediately.

Here's my face this last Friday...layers of skin again peeling off randomly and the new skin showing up BRIGHT pink. I am seriously so sick of people staring at me funny trying to decide if I'm sun burnt, am continually embarrassed, or if I have a strawberry birthmark on my face that they never knew about.

Front view

Left side

Right side

Now to you it may not look so bad...but it still sucked. So I went to the doctor on Saturday morning and my skin is just so sensitive that I cannot use Retin A anymore...my skin is rejecting it and breaking out in rashes on the new skin...which is why it's so pink apparently. I then get perscribed what two types of moisturizer I should now use from here on out, I can wear makeup as of today...but I'm waiting one more day anyways...and I get a new cream to apply for those baby zits that were the root of all this annoyance.

I still look like I have gotten some sun, and I have now explained it to soo many people. Hopefully my self-consciousness will go away a bit. Fully sympathy appreciated. :)

Thanks for listening to my rant. My body hates me.