I Just Wrote My First Testimonial

For face cream.

Since my late thirties, through to my now earlyish forties, I have been plagued with problem skin. I started to develop a skin problem known as Rosacea in about 2001. What was originally a patch of dry, red, itchy and sensitive skin near my nose became a number similar patches elsewhere. It was misdiagnosed for a couple of years as exzema or dermatitis, and I was even given steroid based creams for it that I have since read only make it worse.

Great.

I'm really fair skinned, and people with my sort of colouring are prone to this condition. Eventually it can coarsen the skin and it sort of inflames and brings the red capillaries closer to the surface, making the skin red. WC Fields big red nose? Yup, that's extreme Rosacea. The other thing about Rosacea, and how I originally realised what I had, is that it's inflamed by alcohol or anything that causes you to blush. Hence the Gin Blossoms nose of WC Fields.

Anyhoo. My skin overall is now frequently quite pink and tender to the touch. Like a very, very mild case of sunburn. I have a few spots, like those near my temples, that are quite red most of the time. So, it's a pain in my ass and can dent the self esteem a bit when I'm having a bit of a breakout. Most of the time it looks ok, just like I've caught a bit of sun. I have a medicated cream for when it's bad, but I've also been looking for sensitive skin skincare that I can use as my skin is generally quite dry most of the time now.

Anyway, enough back story.

I bought a new skin cream the other day and in only about 4 days the change has been remarkable! The appearance of my skin has improved, but the change in how it feels has been incredible. It doesn't feel tender, itchy or dry any more. Now I used to be a cosmetics and fragrance buyer in retail and with that background I'm always interested in the science (or psuedoscience) of skincare. I must admit a bias towards technical fancy sounding skincare. Poly this. Co-enzyme that. Active, Pro-active, Dermo the other. Consequently I always felt like 'natural' skincare was probably less effective. Nice smelling, not harmful, but probably not doing all that much other than putting a moisture barrier on the skin.

I had however read glowing reviews of the Aussie brand [A'kin]. That the products were very rich in active ingredients, heavily researched and free of many of the nasties (ie parabens ansd sulphates) found in many other brands. So I bought a special boxed duo of their two step treatment for really dry and sensitive skins, this oil followed by this cream. The oil seems to just disappear into the skin, and then the cream goes on over. I was worried about looking greasy, because the cream is quite rich, and it does give a bit of a shine yet without looking oily. I'm a convert. I was hoping for an improvement but was astounded at how even within 24 my skin felt so much better. As I run out of my cleanser and eye cream I'm going to convert over to try the other products in this brand.

So I logged on to their contact section and wrote a testimonial. The gospel must be spread! Sorry this is such a long entry that reads like an advertorial, but seriously the change was so dramatic. If you've ever been plagued by bad skin you'll know where I'm coming from...