I've decided to keep a skin diary. Starting 10th April.

I think when you are trying to get to the root of a problem you should have your facts 100 percent straight.

I want this to be public because I want someone to read this and be inspired to do so for when they like me go and see a dermatologist in the future. I will be printing my diary off. Lucky dermatologist.

So down to the details,

I noticed today since I got this lump on my cheek about a week ago, that I was getting more irritation which either I just noticed today or had worsened. On my left cheek I have two spots which feel tender and moist, they're newly forming. They look pink and little lump at the moment but nothing noticeable from a distance. So they're quite new and it seems I shouldn't clog them because they seem open.

Now, The Lump on my right cheek has got this bright red bit to it and that was from it bleeding yesterday- so that is going to get a new layer of skin /scab and has got something already. The best thing I have decided to do is keep it hydrated anyway. It will be hard to wear makeup which I need to take my mind of things come Monday and not scare anyone at work so I need to keep that part moisturised- though I have to be careful that the lump, that has lessened quite well but still there, doesn't increase in size and I have found products can get into lumps and do that- in my case. With regards to the scare at work thing, I'm hardly the first person with skin problems and my case is mild but I've had the recoiling thing before- it's not nice for people to look at, not that I have to please them I just don't want the recoil part.

I also have noticed some irritation, whether it's a spot or just a light pink rash near but not next to one very small and non lumpish white head on the same cheek. It's this that has made me throw out a regular moisturiser I bought. I have only used that once but I can't take any risks. It is Oil of Olay but I have Clarins ones which have been very good to me- as long as they're for combination skin, in the past and I can tell the difference in the texture between them and Oil of Olay and both have spf and anti pollution properties. I'll see how my skin goes with the new Clarins moisturisers that I've had to open since my old one ran out.

I was going to give the bio oil I miss. I read that it has mineral oil and yes it is VERY oily but I think it helps reduced redness, it has helped me before, if I think about it it has caused pores to be clogged but if pores are closed and you blot excess oil with a tissue then I should be okay. I will only use it on the blood red part. Let's see how it goes. Because it's an oil it will keep my scab/new layer of currently dry skin moisturised well. I'm not going to use a q tip to apply the oil because I find I may waste too much liquid funnily enough and I don't like to even gently prod my skin. When I apply bio oil I leave it there for 10 minutes at least before applying anything else.

Everytime my hands go away from my face and I am applying a product, I will be washing my hands. I do this and keep a tissue handy too- as a result I have dry skin on my fingers and in between but hey I have Clarins hand treatment cream- which works better than the Vaseline brand for me I can even tell by the texture.

I will "plug" Clarins because they're less harsh than Clinque and have so MANY products and they are good to my sensitive skin.I really think my skin would be worse if I used a non Clarins moisturiser. My skin also heals with time, a lot of time sometimes, but it heals quite well. I think a good daily skin care regime is part of that. And that has also helped me turn my skin around from when I was at school and I had dry skin with patches (mild). My skin has always been more clear than not but when it's good, it's really good and it was never really good at school and I had breakouts then as I do now, same old story but perhaps just more time to think about it now and so I think my breakouts now are more frequent, they may not be compared to at school.

It's not a competition but nice to know that Clarins actually works. And I don't think it is that much more if any more expensive than other fancy brands and also Oil of Olay. I think my dry patches and Oil of Olay don't get along.

Alright, so this is the state of my skin today. More details I should go into are, I normally have a shower daily to wash my hair and body and don't spend more than 5 minutes in there, in fact I'm now going to spend 2 as I don't want too much heat on my skin. When I wash my face it is mostly in the sink and not shower. If in the shower I wash my hands before I put them on my face.

I use a gentle foaming cleanser, literally. I don't like the exfoliating cleanser and I only exfoliate twice a week and again I use a product that is as gentle as possible for an exfoliating product. Yup, yup again Clarins. I have been using Clarins for more than 5 years now and have consultations twice a year with them as well as specific facials designed for my type or skin and non spot/irritation problem areas. When I have irritations, I don't put on masks until after a fortnight. My skin is too sensitive sometimes and needs to left alone.

I also splash luke warmish/mildish/coldish water on my face when I step out the shower after I wash and quickly dry my hands. My face isn't hot or anything but tends to get warmer especially under any heat than other parts of my body. Funnily enough my nose is always cold. My cheek are sensitive but even in the sun- which I don't get much of- are cold. It's just touching them to apply something that makes them warm. I make sure they don't burn.

I am applying a little Savlon to the bright red part twice a day after I wash that part. But no where else. I found Savlon also clogs my pores which just must be very open.

I am not taking Ibuprofen tablets anymore. The inflammation has lessened and any other inflammation could be because of the Iburprofen- more likely to be caused by that than it taking it away. I'm always careful of the dose but for a lump/s on my face I don't think Ibuprofen targets that though it increase any irritation there.

I apply a moisturiser always with clean hands. I am also applying a serum to the scab/harder skin thing. But I blot the excess moisture from serum with a tissue. Again no q tip prodding. I am going to try and apply the moisturiser as gently as possible. I only moisturise twice a day after gentle cleansing. If I don't wear make up I only cleanse and moisturise after I wash in the morning.

I make sure I keep all products away from sunlight and clean and not more than a year old.

I clean out my make up brush every week and make sure it's super dry before applying putting it back in its cleaned out with a tissue box. I also blot my concealer with a tissue everytime I use it before and after and same for my blusher. And I sweep my make up brush across another tissue after I have used it and before. I think this obsession despite my problems has paid off.

See you tomorrow!