Skin Health Inside and Out
Check out my current "beauty" armor:My current beauty finds: Beauty Blender sponge, Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Gel Creme, K-Palette 2-way Eyebrow Pencil, Inglot Face blush, Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick, Mac Mineralize Concealer and Lactezin
Running and being part of a community of moms and moms-to-be keeps me constantly in the loop on the adventures of different stages of motherhood.
Raising children come with never ending challenges, with each stage bringing different concerns altogether. Majority of Mommy Mundo moms are younger than I am and also have younger children, so I get asked often how it is to raise teenagers so I think I’ll start writing about that more here on the blog!
One concern that came up when my boys approached the teenage years was dealing with their bodily changes such as increasing facial hair, having a deeper voice, “new” bodily odors, and the big nuisance, acne! I recently wrote about some of my tips to having healthier skin, and mentioned in that post how my sons and I dealt with the problem of acne just these past years.
With my eldest, we had to deal with acne in his face and his back, and had to work very hard to try to eliminate the root causes. Was it because of his varsity practices? His fencing mask would be in contact with his face and sweat and perspiration would accumulate on the lower parts of his face. The dermatologists we went to said that it is highly possible that the sweat clogs his pores, but they also said the breakouts could be caused by hormones (which causes extra sebum or oil production), stress or just not getting enough sleep. At another time, he started going to the gym and taking protein shakes in order to bulk up, and we noticed an even worse flare-up. The protein shakes then also became a suspect.With my second son, we noticed small pimples growing frequently on his forehead.
Again, we tried to pinpoint the cause. Was it because of his hair hitting the skin on his forehead and causing some irritation? Or could it also just be hormones, stress or “puyat”? Staying up late because he gets engrossed in YouTube videos or games could be the culprit in this case after all!It was a difficult and time consuming process for us: I've had to checking on them constantly, looking for the right doctors to consult, trying out different treatments and medications, and helping the kids deal with the problem psychologically and emotionally. As parents, we not only have to help our kids find solutions to problems that cause them distress or worry, but also help them process their feelings properly.Don't let an acne make us all want to hide under a mask...
We wouldn’t want our children to be “scarred” both physically and emotionally by a condition like acne. After all, acne is not only perfectly treatable, but it also isn’t and shouldn’t be a gauge of a person’s real value. (We all know that, of course, but at one point, I had to make sure my kids knew that too!)
Which brings me to another tip in parenting teens— you sometimes never know what is going on in their minds and hearts. Even if I consider my boys to be very open with me, I also know that being secretive and trying to find their own identity (without involving moms and dad) is a normal part of that stage of life. So I find ways and opportunities to encourage them to speak up, or pick up on context clues, or just follow my gut, or what I call my “momtuition”. Based on experience, when I sense that the kids are worried about something, they usually are. TRUST in YOUR “momtuition”.
So even if my sons did not show that their acne problem wasn't a very serious emotional issue for them, I wanted them to not have to worry about it since it is something that can be solved anyway.After numerous medical consultations, treatments and testing prescriptions, we've finally found products that have helped deal with this problem.
One of the latest we've tried is our new aid to skin health, Lactezin.
Besides our facial washes, toners and ointments, finding a solution to acne that treats from within is an awesome thing. Add to that the fact that Lactezin's 3 active ingredients Lactoferrin, Vitamin E, and Zinc, especially the last two, not only has benefits to our skin, but also has other benefits to our body beyond skin. Don't we just love multi-benefit products?Combining these three together in a breakthrough formulation like Lactezin delivers these benefits:- It can lessen oiliness and pimples- It addresses skin irritations- Helps smoothen out skin- Plus! Minimizes the appearance of pores and makes our skin glowWhat's in Lactezin? Vitamin E, Zinc and Lactoferrin.As we might already know, Vitamin E is known as a protectant against toxins, neurological diseases and even lower risk of heart disease. Zinc on the other hand maintains a healthy immune system and helps promote the proper healing of wounds and damaged tissues. Lactoferrin helps the body fight pimple causing bacteria and sebum, it is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. (This is the first time I have heard of Lactoferrin, so it's good to know that this product is the first and only drug registered Lactoferrin based product available in the Philippines which ensures us more of its efficacy.)My eldest has been taking it regularly and we've started to see results.