Pinkoolaid

To my wonderful girl

angelfeliciano17@gmail.com (Angel ) — Thu, 23 May 2024 15:56:00 +0800

02/07/23 I am sitting up in bed with my feet raised up. My feet and ankles are slightly swollen. This is my first brush with pregnancy bloat.

I just finished watching the Pamela Anderson documentary on Netflix while your dad is watching his usual Nazi documentaries in the living room.

Feeling sorry for myself and also a bit worried and paranoid about my bloated feet. I hope it's nothing serious. I hope you are ok inside me. I hope to God I didn't mess anything up.

I wanted to write to you incase anything were to happen to me and we never get to meet in this lifetime.

I want you to know how much I love you. I hope you grow up to be a happy and loving person who sees the goodness in others and becomes a light and blessing to others. I want so many good things for you but most of all I hope you live a life of your own choosing, no matter what that may be. I hope you will be brave enough to never give up on your dreams and to live true and honest to your soul.

May you never hide yourself and dull your shine to please other people. Listen to your inner self and have courage to follow your own convictions and live an honest and honorable life.

You are wanted, needed and unconditionally loved. I am so happy and blessed to be your mom and I cannot wait to meet you and hold you in my arms.

Love <3

Mom

Skin Problems

angelfeliciano17@gmail.com (Angel ) — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 10:07:00 +0800

Are you experiencing unwanted discoloration of the skin? Do you want to get rid of discoloration of the skin? If yes, you are at the right place. According to a report, about 5 million people are affected with discoloration of skin such as melasma. Another report showed that skin discoloration is more common in the Asian region. But don't worry these skin disorders are curable.

Actually, people usually misunderstand that melasma, dark spots, wrinkles are the same skin problems. But no, these terms are different from each other due to their causes and symptoms. Before treating these skin problems, people should know what the actual issue is and what is the reason behind this.

In this article, we will help you to differentiate between these skin problems and suggest their treatment options.

Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation is the most common skin condition in which a few skin areas become more prominent and darker than the original tone. There are various types of hyperpigmentation. The cause of hyperpigmentation is different in each type

● Melasma

Melasma is a skin condition in which dark-colored patches appear on the skin. Melasma mainly occurs in females mostly during pregnancy. That's why it is known as the mask of pregnancy. These patches usually appear on the face on different parts of the face, such as cheeks, chin, bridge of the nose, and forehead. These patches are darker than your skin tone. The shade of these patches is usually brownish.

The American Academy of Dermatology study claims that melasma affects 90 percent of women and only 10 percent of men. According to dermatologists, the primary cause of melasma is hormonal changes. There are numerous other reasons for melasma, like using birth control pills, thyroid problems, sun exposure, and stress.

Treatment

Various treatment options are available for melasma, such as creams, medicines, and laser treatment. Another highly effective and non-invasive treatment is the usage of Pynocare oral supplements. Recent studies showed that Pynocare is a fantastic product that helps to get rid of melasma. Pynocare is used to heal skin inflammation and help lower the intensity and size of irregular skin pigments while also improving skin smoothness and elasticity. It also helps to protect the skin from the sun and other pollutants.

● Dark spot

Having dark spots on skin is common; these spots occur due to excessive accumulation of melanin. The color of the dark spot varies due to different types of melanin, such as light brown to dark brown, and black spots. These dark spots mostly appear on the face, neck, hands, shoulder, and arms.

People get dark spots on their skin because of other issues such as pimples, wounds, diabetes, and other skin infections in other conditions.

Treatment

The dark spots may fade with time, but if you want to remove these spots, use fade up creams. Some home remedies are also effective for dark spots.

● Freckles

Freckles are a common skin problem in which small-sized spots appear on the skin.

In this condition, small brownish irregular spots appear on the face, arms and chest. It usually occurs due to sun exposure and genetics. It is different from other skin pigmentation problems because it can appear at an early age, like 2-3-year-old.

Treatment

Fading creams, retinoid creams, chemical peel-off, layer treatment are good options for freckles. Additionally, using sunscreen or sunblock helps you to avoid freckles.

	Freckles	Melasma	Dark spots
Appearance	Flat spots appear in the cluster	Symmetrical patches	Small-sized, usually round or oval-shaped
Cause	Genetic or prolonged sun exposure	Overproduction of melanin	Overproduction melanin, wound, acne, diabetes, etc.
Devilment Period	childhood	Above 18 years	At any age
Color	Yellow and brown	Light brown to dark brown	Dark brown, black
Targeted area	Face, arms, and chest	Cheeks, under eyes, nose, forehead	Face, back, hands shoulders

Take care! xx

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What is Melasma?

angelfeliciano17@gmail.com (Angel ) — Mon, 2 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0800

Melasma is a skin condition that is more common than you think especially if you live in a tropical country like the Philippines. Melasma shows up as brown or dark patches on the skin. This is a condition relatively common in females. The grayish-blue or brownish patches commonly appear on the face mostly near the lips and cheeks.

Sometimes neck patches also appear in this condition. They may appear as a single mega patch or a cluster of mini patches. This condition is relatively common for pregnant women, that is why it is sometimes referred to as a ‘Pregnancy Mask’.

Sometimes the severity of this condition fluctuates with respect to the seasonal conditions and mostly fades during winter or cold season. Study shows that the part of skin most likely to be exposed to the sun can have melasma, mostly the face (but may appear on forearms and neck too).

Types of Melasma:

Usually, it is divided into 3 types depending upon the depth of pigments and the color shades. This is diagnosed by a special device emitting UV light (blacklight) that is used to examine the skin under it.

Mixed Melasma: Most cases of melasma are of this type, in this type the patches of brown and bluish shade both appear and spread on the skin. This type doesn’t appear to be very intense in manner but shows up quite mildly.

Epidermal Melasma: This type is less common and most have dark brown spots in freckles formation with a usually solid border and not very serious in most cases (can fade away).

Dermal Melasma: This type has patches but with a shady or unclear boundary and can be easily distinguished under UV light.

Causes of Melasma:

Though it is not fully clear what actually causes this condition, experts have agreed upon a few facts about melasma.

This condition erupts when the melanocytes (color-causing cells) in the skin are more active due to some potential triggers. People with more pigmentation or darker colored skin are more likely to face this condition as compared to people with lighter skin tones.

Some potential triggers are cosmetic products, hormonal imbalance, and excessive exposure to sunlight.

Hyperpigmentation:

It is a medical condition usually in adults where dark patches of brown color appear on the skin and makes deposits in the skin cells. In this case, the color cell of the skin becomes hyperactive to form a particular color in excess, usually, it’s harmless.

It can exist on any part of the body (entire body). People with darker skin tones are more prone to this condition.

Difference between Hyperpigmentation and Melasma:

Mostly there is a loose comprehension regarding the relation of both of these conditions, so we are discussing some important points to distinguish them.

1. Hyperpigmentation can exist on any part of the body while Melasma is mostly on the face and neck.

2. Hyperpigmentation can occur in men and women, while melasma 90% occurs in females (mostly pregnant).

3. Both of them are triggered by sunlight exposure (mostly).

4. Melasma is a sub-category of Hyperpigmentation.

Melasma Treatment:

As for now, there is no permanent cure for this but there are now treatments used to reduce the spots and make them lighter so it is not noticeable or almost gone.

Dermatologists use Hydroquinone method carefully to treat this. Medical prescription is seriously required for this method.

Tretinoin and corticosteroids are the two creams that are also used to lighten the tone of skin as an alternative of Hydroquinone therapy depending upon your condition.

Laser therapy is also used to remove pigmentation but this can be costly.

Nowadays there are also oral supplements that can help lessen melanin production and significantly improve melasma. One of these is Pynocare. Pynocare contains a potent blend of ingredients that combats Melasma at its roots by fighting free radicals which damage the skin and by controlling the production of melanin which causes darkening and pigmentation. It contains Procyanidin (French Maritime Pine Bark Extract) which is a flavonoid, a super-antioxidant, and it has been found to protect the skin against Solar UV damage, Vitamin C, Beta Carotene, and Natural Vitamin E in a unique ActisomeTM complex formulation which ensures enhanced absorption of the active ingredients.

Before taking any treatments or supplements, consult with your physician first so they can tell you which direction is going to be the most effective for your level of melasma.

Take care! xx

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Birthday musings

angelfeliciano17@gmail.com (Angel ) — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 16:33:00 +0800

I remember the fear I felt the first time I rode on the back of a motorcycle. l had always been the girl who played it safe. I held on for dear life, knowing I could fall at any minute.

I also remember the feeling of ease when I finally realized that it was ok to trust and let go. I felt the wind in my hair and smelled the salty ocean breeze. I FELT FREE and in that moment I knew, whatever pain or heartache I might encounter in the future did not matter, because everyone deserves a shot at happiness and this was worth it.

One year taught me so much about the strength and ferocity of love, heartbreak, and the shackles that bind us from the person we are meant to become.

A year taught me so much about how love freely given is never lost. It comes back to us in a multitude of ways: the comfort of prayer, the warmth of a hug, the smile of a random stranger, and even in the most simple and mundane gestures like a brother waking you up for meal times and driving you to places you need to go.

I have learned how to be kinder to myself, to embrace all my flaws and weaknesses, and to also do the same for others.

I have learned that I am capable of unconditional love but that I also deserve to receive the same measure of love that I so freely give to others.

I have learned that people come and go and that those who are meant to stay will always find a way to do so.

I have learned that healing is a process and protecting my inner space is of utmost importance.

I am loved, I am healing and I am moving on in faith.

Thank you for being a part of my journey.

Destination Unknown

angelfeliciano17@gmail.com (Angel ) — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 11:56:00 +0800

What if I told you that another kind of life was possible? That it is possible to break away from your 9 to 5 and all it takes is the courage to take the risk?

A year ago I was coping after a breakup. I was broke, starting over and figuring out who I was again and where I wanted to go. Life was full of possibilities and I was excited and anxious knowing that every step and decision I make at that point will be crucial to the life and future I was building.

To be honest I was perfectly happy with my career. Working in the beauty industry and one of the top beauty companies in the Philippines had its perks. I was living every beauty junkie's dream and it was my dream come true for the longest time until it wasn't anymore.

Life has a funny way of showing you that there are better ways to live than just meeting deadliness, KPI's and the endless struggle of trying to reach one sales target after another. I remember crying and talking to my mom after one point feeling despondent because I felt like after everything me and my team did, it was never enough and it was starting to take its toll on my self-esteem and mental health.

All it takes is just one person to believe in you and show you another way of living and I am forever grateful that when the time came for me to take the risk, I was ready.

I only had one freelance client then but I figured it was enough for me to live on if I learned to live simply. One great gift about this experience is realizing you don't really need much to be happy. So I took the risk. I left the comforts of a steady paycheck and health insurance in search of a better way to live, to open up my life to new places, new friends and search for that one place I can finally call home.

So I guess this is my life right now, living on a suitcase- chasing one adventure after another. A far cry from the pallid couch potato I used to be, swimming with the fishes, diving into sunken wrecks and sailing after one beautiful sunset after another.

It's not always easy to be honest... I do miss the comforts of urban life sometimes and especially my friends but what's great about distance is that it doesn't really diminish the solid ties that bind you to the people you love. It only makes it stronger. You learn to cherish them more.

If you told me I'd be living this way a year ago I would never have believed you but here I am, sun-kissed and free, living proof that it is never too late to start again and go after the life you want.

Take care! xx

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