
BeforeAfter↔Defined jawline
2 years | Facial massage, protein-rich eating (chewing as exercise with steak) | my own experience
Welcome to My Sanctuary. I'm Maya, curious about the untold science of skincare and health. Why? Because once I wished for a settled gut, calm skin, a quieter mind. Honestly, it's almost impossible to remember everything I try, what works, what doesn't, what I'll wish I'd written down. So I keep a library of what works for me: skin, gut, food, the clothes I wear, the habits and goals that shape how I live my lifestyle.
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A look inside the body, and how each practice supports you, step by step.
where to begin →Got a topic you'd like me to look into?
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I don't test products to prove they work. I'm curious what my body actually does with them, so I read the ingredients, ask questions, check the research, and try things myself. I pay attention to what changes, and I write it down. If I notice nothing, I stop. If I do, it earns a place on my essentials list. It's just what I noticed, in my own process.

BeforeAfter↔2 years | Facial massage, protein-rich eating (chewing as exercise with steak) | my own experience

BeforeAfter↔3 months | Consistent healthy eating routine, less skincare | my own experience

BeforeAfter↔1 year | Consistent healthy eating routine, drink water, gym, less skincare | my own experience
Thank, Helped me understand that healthy skin isn’t about more products, it’s about supporting your skin barrier.
Mary❤️
LizaThe blogs helped me understand that movement isn’t optional for your body, it’s necessary. And once I applied it consistently, I felt the difference.
ErickMy Sanctuary started because I wanted to understand and learn more about my own body.

Because I don't want to keep guessing, why a breakout appears, how my eczema responds to certain foods, what actually supports my immune system. After secondary school, if you don't choose biology or health sciences, that's often where your understanding of your own body stops. I didn't think that was enough, so I trained as a beauty therapist and worked alongside skin therapists and beauticians to learn more. I never really stopped, that's how this website came to be. Still, I'm the first to admit what training can't replace. A doctor sees me for a few minutes, a few times a year, and I'm grateful for that expertise. But you can't call your doctor every day with a question, and I live in this body every day, so I'm usually the first to notice when something changes. That doesn't mean I understand it. Noticing a pattern and understanding it are two different things, which is why I still bring what I observe to my doctor. I've just found that the more I understand my own body, the better those conversations become.
The goal is simple: to keep learning about my own body, for as long as I'm in it. Information changes, and so does my body, what I needed at twenty isn't what I need now, so the learning never really stops. That's the process: I try things, I pay attention to what changes, and I write it down instead of relying on memory. So I started keeping my own log, what I've actually been doing, year after year. Over time, that becomes a record I can actually look back on, what I tried, what I noticed, and what I think might explain it.
No. Nothing on My Sanctuary is medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and none of it should be used as a substitute for professional medical care. Everything shared here, the blogs, the essentials, the routines, the before-and-after photos, reflects my own personal experience and research. That's also why I'd ask the same of you: do your own research. Don't just take my word for it, verify it, and decide for yourself whether it fits your body and your life. I'm not doing that thinking for you, and I can't, what works for my body may not work for yours, because your lifestyle and your life are different from mine. Everyone's health, skin, and history are different. So if you're dealing with a health concern, or thinking about trying something you've read here, talk to your own doctor or a qualified healthcare professional first and look into it yourself too. You'll understand it far better than I could ever explain it to you. I'm not a medical professional, and I don't claim to be one. I'm someone who got curious about my own body and started paying attention and everything here is meant purely as inspiration. Nothing more. For full details, read the complete disclaimer below.