INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Solutions with higher than 20% are not advised for home use, and it’s best to start off with a mild concentration for your first time to see how your skin reacts. The product’s concentration should be listed on its label. Glycolic acid can be helpful for a variety of skin issues, including ingrown hairs, aging, and acne. You’ll get the best results if you look for a product that is tailored to your needs. Applying the acid in the evening will give your skin time to recover overnight. If you can't do it in the evening, make sure you wear a light-weight moisturizer with sunscreen in it if you're going to be outside at all. While the procedure for applying glycolic acid peels shouldn’t vary too much from one to the next, you should still read the instructions that come with your product thoroughly. Read them before you begin the process so you can be completely prepared. Wash your face with a mild cleanser to get rid of any grease, oils or dead skin. If you have any open cuts or cold sores on your face, you should put the treatment off until these are healed. This will help keep the glycolic acid solution from getting to the more sensitive parts of your face. Be careful not to get petroleum jelly in your eyes when applying. You can also make the water into a basic solution by adding ammonium salts, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), or sodium hydroxide. Occasionally small crystals will form in the glycolic acid solution, and you want to avoid applying these to your skin, since they are more concentrated. Pouring the solution into a glass first will help you see and avoid any crystals that might be present. Make sure you aren’t getting too much solution on the swab or brush so that it doesn’t drip. Apply the solution gently and as evenly as possible, working from the forehead to the left cheek to the chin to the right cheek. Avoid your eyes, the corners of your nose, and your lips. If the glycolic acid solution does enter your eyes, flood the affected eye with regular saline solution. Watch your skin in the mirror after applying the solution. After about 3 minutes, the treated skin should be a fairly uniform reddish color. However, if the skin seems to be consistently red before 3 minutes, or you’re experiencing a lot of pain or stinging, you can apply the neutralizing solution sooner. Set up a fan so it's blowing in your face to help alleviate any itching or burning. Using a cotton ball or soft cloth, gently dab your face with the water or basic solution you set aside earlier for neutralizing. Be careful not to let the solution run, as it may run into your eyes, nose or mouth. Neutralize the treated skin thoroughly, using several cotton balls or cloths if necessary. After 4-6 months, you should start to see changes in your skin. If you're not getting the results you hoped for, you may want to reach out to a professional dermatologist to get a stronger glycolic acid peel.

SUMMARY: Start with a glycolic acid product with 10% concentration or less. Use a product designed for what you want to treat. Use the glycolic acid in the evening if possible. Read any instructions carefully before starting. Make sure your face is clean and not greasy. Apply a little petroleum jelly around your eyes, mouth and nostrils. Fill a bowl with water for neutralizing the glycolic acid when you’re done. Pour some glycolic acid solution into a glass cup to check for crystals. Apply the glycolic acid solution with a cotton swab or brush. Wait 3-5 minutes or until the treated area turns red. Rinse the treated area with water or a neutralizing solution. Repeat every 2 weeks for 4-6 months.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Figuring out why you lack confidence can help you target those feelings.  Start writing a "self-esteem" journal, where you note when you feel more and less confident about the way you look. After a week or two, look back at your notes and try to find patterns to the way you feel.  Were you more confident in any of the following situations: after spending more time grooming or getting ready, if you dressed a certain way, spending time in smaller groups, spending time away from certain individuals, or spending less time on social media or looking at celebrity media?  Are there any "bigger" issues, such as your employment status or personal troubles that seem to trigger your feelings of low confidence? Some people turn this type of anxiety towards their self-perception, which may seem easier to deal with than the “bigger” problem of job security or personal problems.  If you don't see any patterns or you're still not sure what is causing your lack of confidence, you may want to try a number of different tips to find what seems to help the most. Dr. Vivian Diller has a number of different cognitive-behavioral techniques for improving your confidence in your looks, which she calls “beauty self-esteem.” These techniques focus on evaluating the source of your self-esteem, questioning your negative opinion of your looks, and thinking about ways to think about your looks more positively. Focus on sitting up straight with your chest pushed out while doing the following steps for maximum confidence. Write the 3 things about your looks and the 3 things about your personality that you like the most. Place all 6 items in order of importance and write 1 sentence about each. For example, “I help others. I volunteer every week for a local charity and always call my friends back right away when they need to talk.” Notice where the physical features ranked relative to your personality features; most people rank personality features above physical features, which emphasizes not only that our self-esteem is influenced more about how we feel about our personality but also that others’ opinion of us is likely more influenced about personality too. Write down the 3 physical features that you think are most appealing to you, using a sentence to describe each one. For example, “My long curly hair - especially just after I leave the hair salon and looks so full and bouncy” or “My broad shoulders, especially when my girlfriend puts her head on my shoulder for comfort.” This exercise shows that everyone has features they can be proud of.  These features can be accentuated by clothing choice. Look at yourself in the mirror and see what thoughts come into your head. Whose words are they: your own or someone else’s? Whose words do they remind you of: a bully’s, a parent’s or a friend’s?  Question the accuracy of the words in your head: Are your muscles really smaller than most people’s? Are your hips really that big? Are you really that much taller than other people? Do any of those things really matter? Think about how you would talk to a friend. How is it different than your self-talk, and how can you get yourself to think positively about yourself instead of using the critical or negative tone you likely used to begin with? Find what you like about yourself in the mirror and from now on, whenever you look in the mirror, look at this attribute rather any perceived negative attributes you normally focus on. Remember that the media portrayal of the body is designed to make you feel bad about yourself because that is what gets you to buy products and new clothes. Not only are the body images portrayed not average, they are often helped by digital enhancement using software like Adobe Photoshop. People who recognize this and are more media savvy often have better self-perceptions. If you find yourself having negative thoughts about the way you look, stop yourself and re-frame it as something positive.  For example, if you think your nose is too big, stop and remind yourself that you have a strong, unique profile.  If you think you are overweight, think about your awesome curves and plan what lifestyle changes you can make. Every night before you go to sleep, write down 3 positive things about yourself.  Then in the morning, read them and add two more.  It's okay to repeat what you have said before.  The more positive self-thought you have, the better your overall self-esteem will become. If your negative self-perception persists, you may want to consider seeing a therapist.  Your thoughts about the way you look may be related to deeper issues that you're not fully aware of, and counselling can help you have a healthier self-esteem in general.

SUMMARY:
Identify the source of your lack of confidence. Address your body image perception. Write down your positive attributes. Analyze your positive attributes. List your best features. Look in the mirror. Be skeptical of the media. Work on positive re-framing. Keep a confidence journal. Seek counselling.