Things cancer has taught me; less carpe diem – more keeping it real!
Don’t worry, I’m not here to talk about inner peace or to get spiritual, because I’m not sure I’ve figured either of those things out, yet. But I thought it might be fun to might start a new series, letting you in on all the secrets that having cancer these last few years has taught me!
Today I’m here to, shockingly, inform you that skincare regimes actually do work. I know, revolutionary!
Somehow I made it to 35 years old with a basic, rudimentary skincare regime. Yes I read a thousand magazine articles about this miracle moisturiser, or that must have toner, but in all honesty, I was the girl who barely remembered to take her make up off at the end of the day, let alone cleanse, tone and moisturise……if I was lucky I’d slap on some Clinique moisturiser, the yellow one, or run a make up removing wipe across my face and be done with it.
So when people on Instagram started throwing retinoids and acids and toners and fancy potions in pretty bottles into the mix, I threw up my hands in despair. I basically didn’t understand a word being said!
And then I got cancer.
Yup. Cancer even impacts your skincare regime. In everything I read about getting cancer young, every single person talked about how much of a toll all the drugs have on your skin…….not something that you want to read at 35!
Personally, I’ve found that going through treatment does all sorts of crazy things to my skin. The steroids make my face all fat and round (well, it’s either that or the carbs I’m stuffing in my mouth), but they also make it really clear. Then the anti sickness stuff they give me makes my cheeks bright red, and then once that has subsided the chemo makes me look a bit grey- all within a couple of days of having it. It also makes my arms and legs feel really dry too!
And so now I have shelves of oils, and moisturisers and serums and well, an actual skincare regime!
I mean, it’s not one I follow daily – cancer doesn’t work miracles, but it’s one I follow almost daily…..and something crazy has happened – people keep telling me how good my skin looks.
Which can only be attributed to the fact I’m not sleeping in my CC cream on a daily basis and maybe that the crazily expensive brightening stuff I use, or the rose petal plumping oil that came in my advent, or the retinoid I put on without understanding what a retinoid actually is, or the face cream that’s meant to make me look like I had eight hours sleep even when I haven’t – ACTUALLY WORK!
Because I am certainly not getting younger, in fact blasting my body with two rounds of poison will not make me look like a 20year old, of that, I’m pretty certain! But I’ll take not looking 37 at a point in my life where I’m supposed to be aging before my time! And I can’t remember a time when people have ever commented on my skin before….
Or maybe it’s the fact that everyone you see on TV with cancer looks so close to death that when I leave the house with makeup on everyone is so shocked that I don’t look how they expect they compliment me for it.
To be honest, I’ve spent so much on my shelves of lotions and potions, I’ve put it down to their magical properties!