#trustyourself

I wouldn’t usually post something like this but I felt like this was a story – a moral – worth sharing with our readers.

Last week Sunday, while getting my nails done, the therapist happened to mention that facials would be 50% off the following Sunday. Great, I thought. I need one, Sunday is the best day for me to get a facial done and bonus: half price. This same therapist had recently suggested I try a Comfort Zone hydrating moisturizer – which has been immensely welcomed by my dehydrated skin – so I was happy to entrust her to my skin. She gave me a sample of  the QMS moisturizer to test out during the week and I booked a QMS facial on her recommendation.

I have incredibly sensitive skin, coupled with a mild case of rosacea (under control) and currently pregnant so even the mild QMS moisturizer (with collagen) resulted in some sensitivity. Immediately after noticing the faint break out, I stopped using the product and yesterday telephoned the salon ahead of the appointment to request a different facial.

Because all I wanted was a good exfoliation, extraction and quite honestly, skin pamper. I mentioned this again upon arriving at the salon. The therapist suggested we rather go for a RegimeA facial coupled with a light peel. At this point, I felt uncomfortable because RegimeA is an active product and I have never tried it. But one trusts the “professional” in such cases and agreed despite my uneasiness.

Now I am not a skin care professional but I am an expert in my own skin. As a child I suffered from extreme skin sensitivities – sun cream being the main perpetrator behind these – and any person who has ever met will know I am pedantic about my skin and routine. So I should have pushed back when an unknown product was “upsold” to me and my skin was not properly assessed before the start of facial.

Before – last week Monday

What followed was a highly concentrated peel being applied to my sensitive skin and the subsequent allergic reaction that was so severe that my entire face was red and burnt. It has “settled down” to red, angry bumps across my chin, side of nose, upper cheek bones and between my eyes.

Directly after treatment – yesterday

A few hours after the treatment

A day later – today

It has been (not to be overly dramatic) a fairly traumatic experience not in the least because today is a work day and for the first time in my working life a day without make up on. I work in an investment bank and often find myself the only female around a boardroom table. I need to command respect, and today, my red face provides a distraction to part of image that I have projected over the past few years.

The moral behind this story is really quite simple – trust yourself.

Had I found the courage to speak up against something I did not feel comfortable with, I might have saved my skin from being torched yesterday and the intense pricking pain I have experienced since yesterday afternoon. Never underestimate your instinct – may this little story serve as a reminder to both me and you, you always know what is right deep in your gut.