Hi & welcome back to my blog.

A lot of you know me as HERBLANKCANVAS or withlovemona, but to everyone else I’m known as Mona.

Let me give you a bit of a background story on my skin and the issues I’ve had with it.

I suffered from Acne, yes acne, the dreaded word that has been in my life for the last god knows how many years. My skin was bad, BAD.

I suffered from acne at the tender age of 11/12 or 13? I can’t really remember but all I remember is literally waking up one day with a forehead full of spots and blackheads (mainly blackheads). Which then travelled down my cheeks and the rest, well you know what happens when you suffer with acne.

I was told all sorts, drink water, change my diet, quite bluntly, nothing helped. I caked my face with makeup everyday in the hope it would disappear (it didn’t lol). I then decided I NEED to get rid of this so I started Accutane, a lot of people don’t know what it is or why it was created in the first place so let me add a little bit of info below about the drug and what it was made for and how it helps.

Isotretinoin, also known as 13-cis-retinoic acidand sold under the brand name Accutane among others, is a medication primarily used to treat severe acne. It is also used to prevent certain skin cancers (squamous-cell carcinoma), and in the treatment of other cancers. It is used to treat harlequin-type ichthyosis, a usually lethal skin disease, and lamellar ichthyosis. It is a retinoid, meaning it is related to vitamin A, and is found in small quantities naturally in the body. Its isomer, tretinoin, is also an acne drug.

So yeah,

That basically sums up the drug, I was put on accutane (mild doses) for 6 months in total, you can read my other blog posts about that.

After that, Alhamdullilah by the will of Allah, my skin was cleared. I was left with acne scarring (specifically pitting/ice pick scars). I then had 6 sessions of skin resurfacing treatment (helped me MASSIVELY) with my acne scarring. But due to the severity of my acne (I never had huge spots or purging) but I always had lots of small spots all over my face and chest.

So after my acne scarring treatment, which was amazing btw but I do recommend A LOT of sun protection throughout your treatment.

I was then left with pigmentation on one side of my face (bizarre I know). But I realised that it was due to having more exposure on that side of my face, during car rides and other things, which eventually made my pigmentation worse during the time my skin was exposed to the sun and many other factors.

I decided I needed to do something about my pigmentation, it was getting worse and worse, I had freckles, dark spots, pigmentation and skin damage all over one side of my face (left side) I had a lot of pigmentation under my eyes and in the corner of my eyes, this was getting increasingly worse for me and I really wanted to do something about it. I came across Dr Aminas Instagram [ draminabradford] and I saw some of her work, I had previously heard about her and seen her on the gram, so I felt instantly comfortable in approaching her. We discussed my skin problems and eventually had a skin consultation, now I’ll be honest, everyone around me kept saying “your skin isn’t that bad, you don’t really need any treatment” your skin is fine, but now I look back at my pictures, before and afters I’ve realised JUST how bad it was getting. My skin was dark, dull, due to suffering with anaemia and other health conditions, I’ve always had pale yellow skin, I’ve always been “olive” under-toned too. Something that has dramatically changed since starting my treatment.

So I was put on the Obagi treatment, now I’ll be honest it’s pricey, but it’s something you can most definitely save up for, afterall, I’ve learnt the hard way, your skin is an investment, your skin isn’t borrowed, your skin isn’t something you can easily replace, look after it, spend money on it. It’s the only thing you’ll take to your grave with you, LITERALLY.

If you’re able to save up the money and look after your skin, it’s 100% worth it, trust me, I’m not “rich” but putting my skin first has always been a priority for me ever since I’ve started my skin journey and I regret not doing it sooner. I’m at the age of 26, I’ve had 6 months of accutane, 6 sessions of skin resurfacing treatment and now 7 weeks of my latest skin treatment, to some that may not seem like a lot but in hindsight it literally is, but it’s ok, I’m enjoying this process and I’m loving the journey I’m on to get my skin to WHERE I want it to be.

I hated looking tired, gaunt and pale and yellow, I wanted to do something about it, so I was put on the Obagi nuderm skin system

I am now nearly 8 weeks into my system, so a lot of you are probably wondering what it is and how it works, so everyone’s put on their own personalised skin routine, I’ll tell you what mine is and I think you’ll all be shocked at how simple it actually is.

1)Cleanser

2)Toner

3)Cream 1, 4)exfoliator cream, 5) creams 5 mixed with a skin brightening cream (prescribed by doctors/dermatologist/skin specialist only.) you cannot get this over the counter and I would never recommend for you to either. Go to a skin specialist who specialises in skincare, someone you trust, for me that is DrAminaBradford on Instagram.

So I was put on a skincare plan and was told to do a skincare routine every morning and night, I’ve been doing this for the last nearly 8 weeks, every single day. Morning and night and the difference in my skin in insane, I will add pictures of my before and afters.

25th January 2021 (four days into my skincare treatment)

So a lot of people were wondering what the side effects were for me and still are.

Peeling of the skin

Tightness of the skin

Soreness, redness, i have not worn makeup for the last 8 weeks.

Itchiness of the skin

Dryness

12th March 2021.

Nearly 8 weeks into my skin system.

I have still got a long way to go, but the results speak for themselves.

My pigmentation was solely around my eyes, near my lips, alongside the left side of my face, above my Cupid’s bow, between my brows and the corner of my eyes near my nose.

The Nu-Derm System helps to transform skin by addressing hyperpigmentation and improving visible signs of skin aging. Prescription required.

Nu-Derm is ideal for:

• Hyperpigmentation, melasma, sun spots
• Rough, uneven skin
• Appearance of skin laxity

Do I think this system/treatment is worth it? 100000% million percent yes. It’s definitely worth it, like I said it’s pricey but my results speak for themselves and quite honestly, I’d pay thousands if I had to, to get the results I have today, Alhamdullilah.

I will do another blog post soon on this, remember Obagi Nu derm can only be prescribed by a doctor, I highly recommend Dr Amina Bradford on Instagram.

Why is this treatment better?

You do it in the comfort of your own home, you don’t have to go anywhere to get it “done”. Especially during the last year or so and this pandemic, safety ALWAYS comes first so that was a big must for me, as I’ve spent the majority of the last year shielding due to being high risk of catching COVID-19.

The pros and cons of this treatment –

If you’re like me and love your makeup, say goodbye to wearing makeup every day because with this treatment, your skin sheds, it will be sore but the end results are worth IT!

If you want good skin, you have to make sacrifices for it too, so no makeup is a must, eventually you will become more comfortable in your skin as this treatment evens out your complexion and genuinely helps you a lot.

Your skin will shed, peel and feel tight for many weeks, but again, the results are worth it all.

The cons, your skin sheds, your skin will peel, you will feel a bit urgh at the beginning when you start the treatment because you will feel like your skin is getting worse before it gets better.

Ideally you should not use any masks or anything else on your skin during the duration of this system treatment. It’s highly recommended to only use the products given.

Sunscreen is a must, you have townear it all the time during daylight hours

Results are not overnight, it takes a lot of patience and time to see the end results, but hey, look at me, I’m 8 weeks into this and my results so far are insane?!

If you have any more questions, you’re more than welcome to direct message on Instagram or you can message DrAminaBradford on Instagram for a skin consultation!

@WITHLOVEMONA @HERBLANKCANVAS

Lots of love and du’aas

MONA xo