Feeling down about my high maintenance body

[Mymothersdaughter]

Looking for some sympathy... and/or tips to help me out.

My body is really high maintenance-
I have acne and dry, flaky skin
I'm super hairy (think man legs) need to shave all the bloody time not to mention waxing moustache/ regular eyebrow sorting
I've got eczema and some fungal thing which leaves marks all over my torso and hands
My body weight is impossible to maintain, if I don't eat enough I look emaciated and if I eat too much I get pockets of flab around my middle

Then there's all the usual, hair maintenance, nails etc

I'm dreading summer time when I've got to wear less clothing and all my acne, fungus ridden, hairy, scarred body will be on display

How do people keep on top of body maintenance??

expat
"When you have PCOS, but blanket bans on dairy or the like when you don't have an underlying condition isn't medically prescribed treatment for hormonal acne"
I am not sure about dairy and hormones/PCOS (though some people to find dairy causes them to get acne) but hormones and are often affected by carbohydrates/sugar.

Quoted from this.
www.womenshealthnetwork.com/hormonalimbalance/hormonal-imbalance-caused-by-sugar.aspx
Sugar’s effect on your hormones
Sugar not only provides major highs and lows in mood and energy, it can also disrupt one of the most powerful hormones in the body: insulin. And insulin is closely connected to all of the other hormones in your body, including estrogen and testosterone*.

Sugar will definitely affect someone with PCOS. I've been tested for it, don't have it. Have tried all sorts of elimination diets (I cannot tolerate dairy at all, FWIW, and haven't been able to for the whole of my life) and they have made no difference to my acne. I am known, however, to be in perimenopause. My acne is hormonal. The only thing that will affect that is HRT/combined birth control pill or Roaccutane.

Ooh thank you ahamsternest ! That's gold

May I ask, do you wear make up? I always wear full make up; would the micellar cleanser in the eve take all that off?

I hope some of it works for you! I don't always wear make-up apart from mascara, but it removes that easily. If I put BB cream (urban decay) stuff on, that comes off with it as well. There are a few brands of micellar water you can try as well :)

Oh also, OP! If you're trying new stuff, introduce one product at a time for a week or so and assess the difference. Otherwise you might end up paying for 5 products when only 1 or 2 work.

Sorry if that's patronising - it was advice that someone gave to me. I am the kind of person to put it all on at once and want an overnight transformation but I'm glad I took it more slowly!

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone, I didn't get a chance to check my phone yesterday so just seen this now.

I'm pretty sure I don't have PCOS- nothing came up when I had a blood test for it a while back but the doc said I'd need an ultrasound to be sure. But my periods are v regular, usually only a few days variation each month so im guessing I'm ok.

Diet is a good point some of you have made- my diet is not the best but not the worse, I have generally healthy dinners and I don't really snack but lunch is always out of a packet at work (biscuits, crisps etc) I have been experimenting recently with making my own sandwiches to try and be healthier and put a bit of weight on but probably need to exercise more to sort out the flabby bits, I'm kind of skinny fat, look fine with the right clothes on but anything wrong for my body shape shows my lumps :-/

I was really thinking about trying the lumea but seen really mixed reviews, I do epilate on occasion but impossible to get every hair as even missing the tiniest patch it shows up. I've just got a bath which makes it easier to shave so I need to get into a good bath and shave routine.

I will try some of the things you've all suggested! I've been trying some cream for the fungus thing but thought it was eczema for ages so only just realised I need special cream- trying OTC first then I'll try the docs if that doesn't work.

But you have all inspired me to try a little harder to keep on top of this stuff and I am very reassured that I'm not the only one who feels like this

OP hello

I feel your pain too

I LOATHE summer with a passion, I am whiter than whiter, I burn within five minutes, I am also pretty hairy and - my worst bugbear of all - I have loads of tiny moles (not an attractive scattering of freckls like a redhead, but very small individual moles) and loads of cherry haemangioma (weird random bright red dots) all over... I hate showing my skin because of them. Even if I am in good shape (rare these days) I would never wear a bikini because my stomach and back are the most covered in them. I also hate wearing anything too V-neck or showing too much skin on my chest as the moles are really bad there too.

Hair-wise, what changed my life last summer was to finally get laser on my legs. I got a course half-price but it was still around 500ish. But worth every penny. I could never ever wear shorts/skirts before because my legs would either be bristly or, even worse, covered in ugly red bumps from ingrown hairs. I have curly hair so shaving did NOT suit, and waxing only ever gave me about a week before bristles came back. Laser was my saviour. I still have to contend with milk-bottle legs and have never yet found a fake tan I can handle, but still, last summer I was finally able to wear cool shorts and sundresses without being too sel-f-conscious.

Is that something you could consider at all? I am VERY hairy and tbh even I only needed about 4 sessions (had paid for 6) to almost completley wipe out the hairs on my legs. Those that grow back now are so sparse I can do a very veyr light shave every week or so, which doesn't bring up the ingrowns, and it's only on my thighs (which are never on display!!!) Calves are totally clear.

But I bascially just just long for winter, and boots, and big coats. I look ace in winter (!) and like a melting, shiny, disaster-zone in spring/summer. My body doesn't really suit summer clothes either, but that's a whole other thread which I may now start myself...!!

Are you sure it's a fungal thing? Have a look at lichen planus - I have this and marks can flare up but strong steroid cream clears it quite quickly

Jessie thanks for that- I think I could get it done professionally, I'd have to save up but it sounds great it's worked for you- my hairs curly too so I get the red bumps. It would be bliss to just put a skirt on in the summer without planning it weeks in advance, I wear thick black tights even on the hottest of days. *

Queribus* I've had a Google- i think it is just fungal as it doesn't itch at all, just random patches and worse around my bra lines which I guess is due to more moisture there

OP - that sounds like what I had, tinea versicolour? It started around bra line and eventually spread all across torso, arms and up onto neck! I didn't mind it really but GP gave me tablets and after a couple of months it disappeared and hasn't been back.

Completely sympathise on everything else, I too am hairy, spotty, pale. Summer is hard work!