That seems wasteful

As part of my daily language training, I watch plenty of Korean television. A big part of the world-popular Korean skin care routine seems to be the hydration masks. This one-time use piece of wet plastic you put over your face for about 15 minutes to add some bounce to the skin (I’m just guessing here.) Every time I see this on the tubes, however, I just think of how wasteful it is. Someone please ring up Greta Thunberg.

Think about it: if someone uses one pack per evening every single day, that’s a lot of plastic waste over the course of the year! Never mind the package the mask came in as well. Why is this okay when I have to suffer with paper straws here in San Francisco?

Wouldn’t it be quicker to simply spray the hydration onto the face directly? This is what I use. And the can is highly recyclable!

This isn’t a put-down on the whole of the Korean skin care empire. I too partake in a routine to keep my face from aging more than it already is, though I try to limit the amount of products. At some point the number of serums and toners and whatnot reach a point of diminishing returns. Besides, I don’t really want to spend 30 minutes after showering towards skincare. My showers are long enough…

My routine is simple: wash, product, then lotion. Wash is the same day and night. For daytime the product is vitamin C, then sunblock lotion. Night time the product is retinol, then regular lotion. It’s effective, and all of it can fit on one shelf in the medicine cabinet behind the sink mirror.

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Upper campus.

Return of the oil

As I approach the end of a seven months long Accutane cycle in about a week, my lone trepidation - other than the acne returning - is my previously oily skin coming back. The consensus on Reddit is… mixed. Some say the oiliness returns with a vengeance, some say the dryness remains.

I very much hope it’s the latter for me. While I am on Accutane, it’s been so lovely to be able to touch my face without leaving any hint of residue on my fingers. The sunglasses no longer keeps sliding down the nose. My hair has stopped being matted down with grease less than a day after a shampoo wash. Secondary to the acne being gone, the drying out of my face and scalp is equally life-changing.

So it’s easy to see why I am apprehensive about stopping the medication. Let’s see if I am one of the lucky ones to have continuously dry skin. If it means keeping the constantly chapped lips that Accutane is famous for, that’s a trade I am willing to do. It’s far easier to replenish dryness than to fight greasiness.

Obviously, it’s more important for the chronic acne to be gone for good. Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for people to need a second cycle some years after their first. Fingers crossed, but I would not be surprised if I’m a part of that group. I’m basing this on the fact I refuse to stop whey protein supplementation, even though I know for sure it was flaring up my acne big time.

Give up muscle gains to have clear skin? I don’t know about that…

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Iconic.

Two more months of dry

It is official: I have two more months of Accutane treatment remaining. A blinding light at the end a very dry tunnel. I cannot wait to stop applying lip balm every two hours, and regain the ability to comfortably go outside when it’s sunny. Trading seven long months of monk life for acne-free skin for (hopefully) the rest of life is a fantastic deal.

It was two months ago - month three of Accutane when I largely stopped getting new acne. After that momentous occasion, it’s just a matter of getting enough overall dosage. They use my body weight to calculate, and that’s how we determined there’s 60 more days of medication to go. My understanding is insufficient dosage can lead to relapsing.

I actually don’t mind the lengthy medication period. I am essentially getting pure cocaine-grade retinol, which is fantastic for skin rejuvenation. Those over-the-counter retinol creams might as well be snake oil when compared to isotretinoin. If the side-effects weren’t so severe (and they really warn you against getting/causing pregnant), and the fact you need a prescription, I’d probably take low dose Accutane for the rest of life.

But, normal life must go on. Soon as I am off the drug, I shall add running back to my exercise regiment (I run outside, obviously). My cardio endurance has definitely deteriorated during this Accutane period. I’d run out of breath doing heavy squats before my leg muscles give out. That’s not ideal: you always want the muscle being worked on to be the limiting factor.

Here’s to a swift next two months.

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Promenade.