Normalising Normal Skin
Those of you that follow @Kyushi_Skincare over on instagram will have seen me starting to document my skin healing journey from a perioral dermatitis flare up. Through this process Ive learnt a few things about myself and society as a whole. We seem to have found ourselves in a world of filters. When I was growing up we of course had the experience of heavily photoshopped models on the covers of our magazines but the focus really was on photoshopped bodies rather than skin at the time from my perspective anyway. Now I wonder how my younger self would have coped in this new world where “normal” people have the ability to alter their appearance to an almost unrecognisable state, giving us all an altered perspective on what we should look like and how we should feel.
I was reluctant to bare my skin, makeup free on social media and feeling really vulnerable about it. Showing up less than perfect felt really uncomfortable. I did a little digging around for hastags that would fill my feed with skin in all of its wonderful glory, and people feeling great and positive in the skin they are in. I stumbled upon the hashtag #filterdrop created by makeup artist and model Sasha Pallari in the hope it will expose the dangers of filter use, whilst those of us who have been around a bit longer have a tiny bit (not much) more understanding of the psychology behind it I do wonder the effect its having on teenage boys and girls who are in the cusps of finding their identity. This unachievable perfectionism can only be adding to the stress load of not only our generation but out future generation.
Another hashtag I came across was #poresnotflaws which I love, we all have pores, we need our pores they are crucial for the health of our skin. Normal skin is not blurred and smooth, it has pores, bumps, hairs, wrinkles its a living breathing thing that really is a reflection of our environment both internally and externally. When I was studying Dien Chan Zone Facial Reflexology, I was taught something that shifted my whole perspective on skin. We were taught to see a disturbance in the skin, be it redness, a breakout or dryness as simply a communication. Not something to be angry about or fight against, but kindly and gently enter into a rebalancing time with your body and listen to its needs. Since this time, I have tried (i’m not always successful) to approach my skin this way. It’s not easy and patience really is a virtue but this simple shift in thinking really does help to remove some of the self induced suffering from the situation.
All that being said, here I am showing up imperfectly with you, meeting you where you may be at. For anyone suffering with perioral dermatitis you’ll know its like being on a carousel. Your skin can be top notch for years then bam life happens and you get a flare up and boy is it stubborn, the only blessing is it makes you assess every single area of your life, from your products to your diet to your stress levels. It forces you to reassess and make changes its a very strong signal from the body to stop and listen. Head over to instagram to watch my IGTVs all about the things i’m doing to heal my skin, body & mind. If your tired of seeing filtered skin and want to fill your feed with inspirational honest skin have a look at the hashtags i’ve mentioned along with #acnepositivity I urge you to post without filters, you can ease yourself into it there’s #filterfreefridays too, tag me and il show up with you and support you.
Heres to a filter free future
Sending Love
Alice