Color Me Bonita - Acne Series - Corporate Acne Part 2

Yesterday Daniela, our skincare expert, discussed why you are more stressed at work and why that gives you pimples. Today she shares with us how to fix it!

When we talk of an acne breakout being “hormonal” we usually mean breakouts that occur with PMS or emotional freaking out.  What do hormones have to do with acne?

It’s all about the male hormone, Testosterone.

Testosterone is responsible for oil production in the skin.  There are two main places this gets produced in women - the ovaries, there’s your PMS, and the adrenal glands.  Any time there’s an adrenaline rush there’s an accompanying testosterone rush.  Conflict stress can produce this rush.

If this rush of hormone is quick, increase in oil is quick, too.  If the skin is dehydrated, or clogged by skin care or makeup, the pores will not be able to accommodate the sudden oil flow.  Thus is born the "undergrounder".

These rushes of oil, especially in the presence of blackheads, create a situation that is a little different from other kinds of acne.  So, the approach to the problem has to be different.

Instead of drying and exfoliating the heck out of the skin, which is the usual way of clearing acne, the focus first has to be extreme calming.  Then, oil control happens by way of hydration, to make pores more pliable to let go of the oil.  And finally, there must be some way of boosting the immune system inside pores so they can deal with these rushes effectively.

I offer a free service called Eval by Email.  It won’t be free for long, so you’ll want to take advantage now.  Answers to questions about your skin and current routine gets you a full analysis by email, plus a free sample packet sent to your home.  Email skin911@daniela.com.  Mention Color Me Styled and get 10% off your first order of product.

Color Me Bonita - Acne Series - Corporate Acne

Skincare expert and CMS contributor Daniela is back with a 2 part article on how your job might be contributing to your acne. Unfortunately work is a part of life for most of us... those who don't work probably have flawless skin. 

My last article, “How Can I Stress Less About Work?” (Part 1 & Part 2) refers to stress that many of my clients ask me about, as the economy has produced a new kind of work force full of women under pressure.  The subject of workplace stress is especially pertinent to my business.  As a specialist in Adult Acne, I get quite a few clients seeing me because of stress caused by their jobs.

Contrary to what conventional wisdom would hold, not one person since the economy blew up in 2008 has come to me for a facial to feel better, prepare the skin to look better for an interview, nor has anyone named worry about being out of work as a reason for coming in.  Everyone who has come to me for help with Adult Acne is working.  So why did my business as an Acne Specialist boom after the economy blew up in 2008?

What makes this recession different from all others are the layoffs that created a smaller workforce doing double to triple the work.  This is the average client that has come through my door in the last 4 years.  As middle management with MBA’s were laid off, those working under them got promoted from within, at very little above their previous underling salary.  Having no real experience in leadership or management, these (usually) women are under tremendous pressure to turn out numbers like their MBA predecessors while supervising former colleagues.

The result?  Days on end of terrified supervisors behaving badly, creating an environment where if someone willing and able to do the work of more than one person wants to keep her job, she’d better keep her mouth shut.  She may be more valuable than the supervisor, but she’s not irreplaceable.  She wants to flee, she wants to fight, but she can’t.  As valuable as she is, she can still lose her job.  And with companies enjoying this new found money-saving work force doing double or triple the work, why should they hire anyone else?  No wonder there are no job openings.  So she has to keep her fight or flight response inside, taking that stress home with her.

Stress is the obvious result of doing the work of more than one person while under the supervision of an often under-qualified VP produces many situations where you want to flee and/or fight but you can’t for fear of losing your job, even though, arguably, you’re more valuable to the company you work for than said VP.

This “conflict stress” is different than “worry stress” or even “gotta get it done stress”.  Why?  Because fight or flight stress produces regular adrenaline rushes, where in men there’s no skin issue – but in women, since we produce testosterone in our adrenal glands, every time we have a rush of adrenaline, we have a rush of testosterone.  Testosterone is responsible for oil in the skin.  Every time you have an adrenaline rush, you get an oil rush.

If a skin care and/or makeup routine is dehydrating or clogging in any way, this excess oil will get stuck, creating inflammation inside pores, leading to swelling, redness, pain, and if left long enough, infection.

Since the pores are getting irritated in a completely different way, the acne has to be treated in a completely different way.

How? 

Deep breaths... tomorrow we’ll share Part 2.

Color Me Bonita - Acne Series - Work Stress Part 2

Daniela is back today with her Part 2 of the Acne Series - How can I stress less about work? Yesterday she shared her background and her experiences as a small business owner... today, how to battle some of that stress!

How can I stress less about work ?  Part 2

When I was in beauty school, we were told, “Treat the salon you’re working for as though it were your own.”  I’m not the only one who got bit in the b-hind for following that advice.  Treating the business you work for, that doesn’t belong to you, as though it were your own is a recipe for two disasters; arguments with owners and managers who don’t know as much as you, and stress you end up wearing because you simply care too much.

The sad fact of today’s economy is that the 90%-, 100%- and 110%-giving employees cost the same in salary.  Given the job market, the 110% giving employee will be given the work of a just laid off 90% giving employee with no additional salary, while another 90% giving employee gets a promotion and becomes a VP.  What happens when you try to prove yourself to an under-qualified VP?

Here is what I tell my clients: You must give 100%.  No more, no less.  Always remember, the company doesn’t belong to you.  There’s simply no need to care that much when it’s not your name above the front door.  It’s great that you want to give your all, prove yourself, care a great deal about the work that has your name stamped on it.  But when all is said and done - it’s just a paycheck.  It’s that simple. 

There should only be two reasons for working your butt off.  1) compensatory salary and 2) augmentation of your resume.  If you don’t benefit from your hard work by salary or resume, it’s time to either move on, or emotionally distance yourself from the company you work for entirely.

Next – Corporate Acne?

Color Me Bonita - Acne And the Economy Series #1

Daniela, our skin care expert has developed a new series for us called "Acne and the Economy" so not only can we blame our acne on hormones and that weird product they swiped on at the department store, we now have another scapegoat! This is a five part series that will be posting over the next 5 weeks. Also coming up we've got Gift Ideas, Holiday Party Planning, Holiday Decorating and Holiday Travel Tips! Plus whatever news comes out of GB with HRH Kate and HRH Baby!

How can I stress less about work ?  Part 1

As an independent woman in business, many of my clients ask me about how to become less stressed out about work.   Generally my clientele work in the corporate world in positions of sales, advertising, consulting, marketing and PR, among a few other professions.  They see me as not only independent, but also calm and serene so much of the time.  Clearly I love what I do, I’m an enthusiastic expert in my chosen field, and I don’t have to follow anyone else’s orders, since I’m self employed.  Not only do they want to know how I do it all, but how I stay so calm.

The problem I’ve observed over the years seems to be that people feel they are putting in their 110% and getting nothing in return.  I think there’s a reality in the workplace today that’s vastly different from how many of us were raised, the idea that you must put in 110% to be noticed, praised, promoted or given a raise.  Our grandparents’ generation believed this to be ethical in addition to being a guarantee of job security.  Our parents’ generation believed this to be the way to get ahead.  The perception of our generation and this economy? It’s the way you keep your job.

So, wanting to have pride in the work you put forth every day, and naturally wanting not only acknowledgment, but some kind of appreciable benefit you can see right in front of you, you start to care so much, if you get scolded, ignored, pressured, blamed, or taken advantage of, you end up wearing that stress as a personal garment.

The solution ?  See Part 2.

We won't keep you waiting long... Part 2 will be up tomorrow so make sure you come back for Daniela's advice!