My Journey to Achieve Perfectly Balanced Skin

My face had a "meltdown" in 1996 while I was in Austria.  You say, meltdown?  That's right, suddenly hundreds of tiny red bumps, kind of like prickly heat, appeared on my checks, nose and chin.  Well, that in itself was awful enough, being on vacation and everyone asking what was wrong with my face; but the worst part was that these things burned and itched like wasp stings.

Fast forward, I'm back in the states and my dermatologist can't figure it out so he sends me to a university medical center.  Months later, the university team of docs declared that I had "steroid induced rosacea," a condition they pointed out that they had heard of but had never seen a case of.  Thus began my journey to achieve perfectly balanced skin, free of all maladies.

GUINOT to the Rescue

During this time I came across an article in Vogue magazine about sensitive skin.  It described sensitive skin as having a burning sensation and being red.  By now my face was as red as a tomato,  and I was still suffering from burning and itching skin - no, make that SUFFERING!  Here's where it gets good,  they recommended GUINOT Anti-Redness Treatment as being one of the best products for sensitive skin, and I was so red. I was thinking "GUINOT," why is that familiar, and then I flipped back a few pages and saw a black and white ad for GUINOT which featured a woman with beautiful skin.  That black and white ad in a sea of colorful ads had caught my attention.

Change Your Diet Change Your Skin!

After calling GUINOT'S 800 number, they put me in touch with a GUINOT aesthetician named Ruska, who was based in Beverly Hills, CA.  She asked me to describe my skin, and then she asked me to describe my diet.  I knew I was on the right track because none of the dermatologists asked me about my diet. In fact, they said my diet had nothing to do with my condition.  I described my diet to Ruska and she said I was on the S.A.D. - standard American diet. 

I laughed even though it wasn't funny; it was sooo true!  Ruska put me on a real skin care regime of cleansing, toning, moisturizing and masking, plus a very strict diet of no caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, dairy and sugar - not even orange juice! Too much sugar in it she said.  I asked her what I was supposed to eat!?!?!  She said, "Margo, eat organic vegetables and whole grains."  I asked her if she meant something like Uncle Ben's Wild Rice?  Boy did she laugh, then she recommended that I go to a health food store and get some brown rice and told me how to prepare it. You probably won’t need such an extreme measure to improve your skin (remember I was in crisis).  Check out my future blog for easy nutrition tips that your skin will thank you for.

Skin Crisis

Meanwhile, back at the hospital my case was being studied. The conclusion was that the Retin A my dermatologist had me using for nearly seventeen years was obviously too harsh for my skin.   In the early uses of the drug my skin had become very sensitive and was peeling.  I was essentially doing a chemical peel on my face twice a day for years! (With disastrous results). It was at this point that my dermatologist, who was actually well renown in dermatology, got the bright idea to prescribe a topical steroid to calm the skin.   I questioned this move and he said I'd be fine because it was only a topical.

Here I was nearly 17 years later and using Retin A and up to the strongest topical steroid made.   In addition to the red bumps, I now had purple welts on my cheeks and the steroids had thinned the skin to the point my chin was bleeding.  The university docs said I would probably be scarred for life, and they weren't sure if I would ever be able to wean off the steroids! Of course I freaked out, and became more determined than ever to listen to Ruska.

In Time People Began Telling Me How Beautiful My Skin Was!

I did wean off the steroids. GUINOT was the only product I could use on my raw skin that didn't burn, and I stuck to Ruska's dietary recommendations like glue.  A few years later my face was free of red bumps, purple welts and burning sensations.  The redness disappeared and I was left with some "broken capillaries."  On occasion I experience flushing from alcohol or spicy foods.  In time people began telling me how beautiful my skin was! To this day I continue to use GUINOT Anti-Redness Treatment once or twice a day in addition to GUINOT'S Firming line.

After my experience, I decided to start my skin care business to help others achieve beautiful, perfectly balanced skin, especially those with so called “non-curable" rosacea.  Over the years I have tried many other salon quality skin care products and have yet to find a better line than GUINOT!  If I do, I'll switch, but until then I'm sticking with the tried and true.

Let me help guide you as you begin your GUINOT journey to perfectly balanced skin. 

Sincerely,

Margo