“Let’s put a SMILE on that face.” -The Joker

If we met in life, you’d probably think that I’m one of the weirdest guys ever. I enjoy having conversations with myself and I make A-Beautiful-Mind-esque movements when doing so. I also eat grass.

No, I’m just kidding about that last one. But really, I’m quite eccentric, so thankfully, I get to engineer my personality and present it in a positive light to my readers abroad. Again, kidding.

Okay, so I’m quite unforgiving when it comes to inaccuracies, both for myself and for others, which means that if I see something wrong, I won’t hesitate to correct it, even if it might cause offense. But that doesn’t mean that I’m unkind. To the best of my ability, I will go out of my way to respond to every single comment and make sure that the answer is completely satisfactory because that’s one of the chief reasons why I’m doing this: to answer and provide unbiased, meaningful, and hopefully insightful information.

As to how and why I became a skin care fiend and aspiring dermatologist?

The answer is quite simple: I find sheer fulfillment making people beautiful; so it’s a purely selfish endeavor. Since the age of twelve, I have had terribly bad cystic acne, along with blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules… the works. And I never sought professional medical help, or any help for that matter. For whatever reason, probably my naiveté and idiocy at that age, I believed my mom’s adages about how my acne would disappear with age if I left it alone; how if I prayed harder, my acne would lessen; how I wasn’t washing my face enough, and so on. Then finally at the age of twenty, I was tired of waiting and began practicing an actual skin care routine. And, after six months of research and product tailoring, my skin was clear. I was shocked to actually see healthy skin after almost a decade of acne, and angry at myself for believing my mother and her “advice.”

That’s how this idea of fulfillment was born. I wanted to, no, needed to let other people know about my discoveries because I knew that there was bound to be someone out there like me, plodding along, waiting for answers that would never come. That’s when I started to comment extensively on all the skin care posts made on Temptalia.com. And to my surprise, the Temptalia community reciprocated with esteem and gratitude. It’s cliché, but every “thank you” bolstered and uplifted my essential emotional fabric that I just had to keep doing it as an obligation to the readers, and of course, to keep replenishing my cache of fulfillment. I’d say that in this particular aspect, I’m a compelling example of Classical/Pavlovian Conditioning. And with that in mind, I’m not being completely selfish. Instead, I’ve found a way to be selflessly selfish. I guess that says a lot about my character, doesn’t it?

When I was selected to join as an Official Contributor on Temptalia, I brainstormed many ideas that I wanted to incorporate into the website so that it could be more comprehensive when it came to skin care. However, due to time constraints and incompatible website languages, that was not an option. Although I had considered creating my own website before, it was this disappointment or undesirable outcome that spurred me to take action—to initiate, to inaugurate my own domain where I had complete control both administratively and creatively.

In the “Come Out! (With Your Skin Care)” series, readers who wanted me to review their skin care regimen must first complete a thorough questionnaire and attach optional photos depicting their naked faces. Though they came to me asking for my honest opinion in an attempt to aid their afflictions, it was the readers’ honesty that unwittingly aided me. By entrusting me with their many intimacies that are offered up so freely and, thereby, coming to terms with their skin problems and showing potentially the world, that they are not afraid and will not be beaten down by their “family” and “friends,” my readers inspired me to emulate their courage. And though their lack of knowledge gives me power over them, their helplessness keeps my motivations uncorrupted and pure because they remind me of who I once was, and I never want anyone in that position to be taken advantage of.

Being a dermatologist will fulfill and satiate my need to feel worthy of trust: my future patients will benefit from the strictest confidentiality possible. It will give me a sense of control and mastery: opening up a private practice and molding it so that it feels inviting and comforting. It will grant me access to knowledge that lies on the very perimeters of human observation, which will empower me to give patients the latest information and techniques about how to solve their concerns. Who knows? I may use this information to find out how to balance telomerase activity to maximally enhance cellular longevity, without inducing cancer.

So am I okay with being a selflessly selfish person? Absolutely.

Anyways, just to quickly sum up the various other aspects in my life that you’d typically see in an “About Me” section: I’m 22 and I’m an aspiring dermatologist. I’m not currently in school, but I’d like to go back eventually. I enjoy singing, playing piano, hitting volleyballs, drinking (kidding), shooting people (in video games), and chatting with friends. There are many activities that I think I would really enjoy, like skydiving, mountain climbing, surfing, etc. but unfortunately the circumstances thrust upon me have thus far, not allowed me to attempt such chimerical enterprises.

Here’s an additional tidbit about how I think perception can really change your self-esteem!

DISCLAIMER

This blog is an attempt to inspire hope; to serve as a fulfillment to the wishes and prayers of those struggling with skin issues.

By no means, am I a dermatologist or any kind of medical professional. Therefore, please do not take my advice as medical advice. It should never replace a thorough consultation and examination  by a board-certified dermatologist or medical professional. Every piece of information on this site, unless otherwise noted, exists as personal gatherings and interpretations of information gleaned from various textbooks, websites, and blogs. The decisions that you make are YOUR decisions, meaning that you bear full responsibility should you decide to follow my advice.

In addition, I am not affiliated with any of the products that I mention on this site, unless otherwise noted.

Common Themes

Now that the boring legal stuff is out of the way, I will enumerate the prerequisites necessary when browsing this website, so that you can make more informed, rational decisions.

• Don’t make absolute judgements, to a degree. Unfortunately, I can only give general advice that cannot be tailored to fit every individual reader and his own personal perspective on any given topic. For example, if I say to avoid essential oils, that doesn’t mean that all essential oils are bad and should not be applied to the skin. It just means that generally, I don’t think essential oils need to be in a regular skin care routine.
• There’s no need to nitpick at small details if it doesn’t help. For example, if I say that jar packaging is not good because it causes the antioxidants in a cream to deteriorate very rapidly, there’s no need to tell me that because the antioxidants present are derived from an inherently singular source, the antioxidants have an increased stability when exposed to air and sunlight. That’s great, but the point I’m trying to get across is that jar packaging is a no-no because even if what this person says is true (which it is by the way), the antioxidants will ultimately still deteriorate significantly faster than if it were in correct, stable packing like an airless, opaque pump.
• Seek a second (third or fourth) opinion if possible. Even if you think that I’m the most brilliant and well-versed person you’ve ever met, please, PLEASE seek a second opinion. Because any additional information, either correct or incorrect, that you absorb will help you make a more informed decision. By ignoring this advice, a person will most likely fall prey to exaggerated marketing claims and money-driven sales associates. This lack of information is exactly how sales associates can sell $150 creams that are nothing more than decently formulated, highly-fragranced moisturizers in decadent (jar) packaging. I know that making the effort to accrue knowledge on a topic as complicated as skin care can be very time-consuming, but to make truly informed decisions, what doesn’t?
• Analysis vs. Knowledge. My goal for this blog is not to overload you guys with the latest technical and scientific jargon and facts, but to have analytical and logical walkthroughs of why a product, ingredient, or technique is more or less beneficial than the rest. You know how sometimes a person comes up with a solution to a problem and you’re like, wait what? How did you even come up with that? My job is to show how point A goes to B, then C, then D, which sums up to E. Or how point A goes to point D, but combined with points B and C, still becomes point E. It’s about connecting the dots, not creating them.

So to sum it all up, remember that skin care, and any topic for that matter, is about balance and moderation. Try not to make hurried or rash decisions the moment you read something that sends up a red (or green) flag in your mind. Seek additional information from other credible sources that either confirms or denies whatever advice you’re questioning, Think critically about all this information. Then, make your decision.

One more thing. Because of the ever-evolving medical beast, if any information or advice that I give becomes outdated, please let me know as soon as possible.