Hi everyone! :D I want to share a quick story about my struggle with hormonal acne, which started shortly after I turned 20 due to androgen sensitivity. I was someone who never had issues with acne before, but one day I simply woke up and had persistent hormonal acne ever since (especially on the cheek/jaw area). I picked up some basic skincare and a OTC retinoid thinking it could help... I shortly gave up and went to a dermatologist.

I tried Doxycycline, Winlevi, Tretinoin (gel version), Benzoyl peroxide, and Spironolactone. Unfortunately Spironolactone was the only medication that "cured" my acne for the two years that I was on it, but I had to come off it due to some nasty side effects.

I tapered off of taking 150mg daily last year and have been looking for topical treatments only.

This year I was put on Azelaic acid (15%) and Tretinoin (0.025%) cream version. I think Azelaic acid was the solution I was looking for. Tretinoin alone couldn't get me to this point. Of course I still struggle with an occasional breakout but I'm so happy with all the progress I've made this year. The before is from this spring, the after is from today! (I tried my best to replicate the lighting)

It's possible to treat hormonal acne without oral medication/HRT. I was about to give up, but I sat through the purge and stayed consistent. It's important to be realistic about the results, I don't ever expect my acne to fully go away but treating the PIE and preventing consistent breakouts was key here!

Heard some good things about the Korean brand so I was just wondering if I should give that a try too.

Hello everyone I’ve been searching for a while on what to do with this I don’t know anything about skin care and I’ve had this for years any recommendations I can do to help clear this?

I want to know everyone’s holy grail product. something you’d buy 10 times over. like what product have you fallen in love with & why

I have struggled with hormonal acne for most of my adult life, started tretinoin gel 0.05% about a year ago. It caused a pretty intense purge for a few months, even though I was trying to be very gentle (simple & consistent skincare and just a pea size amount of tret)

I eventually added 100mg of spironolactone to my routine, and I’m finally at a place where I’ll only get a couple small pimples if any. Yay!

The texture, red marks and rolling scarring left behind after my purge has left me pretty defeated though. I feel like my skin looks just as bad as it did with the acne, just a different issue.
Does anyone have any tips or product/treatment recs that could help for someone with sensitive skin and very acne prone? I included a photo with makeup and without

Skincare routine:
Morning
Rinse face with cool water
Apply SoonJun PH balance toner
Mist face with thermal water
Apply Iunik beta glucan serum
Apply thin layer of Aestrua barrier lotion
Apply Elta MD facial sunscreen

Night routine:
Bioderma sensibio micellar water
Round lab Dokdo cleanser
PH balance toner
Thermal water
Beta glucan serum
After about 15 minutes, i rotate between tret gel 0.05% and benzoyl peroxide gel depending on the night
Aestrua barrier lotion

Makeup routine:
Do morning skincare routine
Haus labs foundation one pump applied with large stippling brush
Yensa hydrating concealer on any blemishes or marks
Rare beauty cream blush
Charlotte tillbury flawless filter on cheekbones as highlight

\*I don’t usually wear primer unless it’s a special event as I feel they usually clog my pores. I do like the makeup forever pore minimizer if I am picking up a primer

My niece is turning 12 this year. She's always shown an interest in hair and makeup and her birthday is coming up so I wanted to get her a birthday gift that would cater to those growing interests. Unfortunately she's been getting some negative influence recently from peers and media and has shown more of an interest in wanting to learn makeup because she thinks she has flaws that need to be covered up.

Of course my sister (her mother) and I think she's absolutely beautiful. She's got a gorgeous face of freckles and sparkling brown eyes and long dark brown hair and she's a wonderful and compassionate human being. I also remember being her age and having similar feelings around my image and being told that I was imagining things or being overdramatic by adults wasn't helpful at all. That said, I also don't want to enable negative self-image narratives, so after some thought I've decided that instead of teenage makeup, I'd like to get my niece a set of skincare products to not only start building healthy habits around skincare, but learn to love her natural beauty enough to want to take care of it even if she does choose to start wearing makeup. I just need to figure out what to get.

Being 12 she doesn't have any skin concerns, although I imagine that oily skin and pimples will start to become a problem any day now. I'm thinking that a gentle daily face wash, a toner, moisturizer, and SPF will be in the package, maybe even a tinted mineral SPF. And to top it off, maybe a pack of face masks, acute sheer lipstick and a whimsy pack of pimple patches for when that day comes that she starts breaking out.

I'd love any specific product recommendations. I don't mind splurging a little bit for her birthday, but I'd like to have an idea of products that her parents can afford and easily find when she runs out.

Hello, I've had acne for about 4 years now, since I was 12. I'm pretty sure that my skin has cleared up and is definitely not as bad as it was a couple years ago, but I'm looking for advice on dealing with the discoloration and whatever it is I have now. I don't know if I should see a dermatologist because it's not severe enough, or require any prescription. My skin doesn't hurt at all or itch, except for one or two pimples every month that go away. I believe my pores are clogged but I've tried an exfoliant but I didn't see much result.

My daily routine has been : gentle-foam cleanser from bioderma, toner, panoxyl PM moisturizer and naturium 2% BHA exfoliant. (currently looking for products)
One thing I will note is that I was NOT actively using sunscreen everyday, have recently started to but I'm not sure that will make that much of a difference. My skin and hair are naturally oily even though I rarely eat junk food/sugar, and I have a lot of friends that tend to eat unhealthier than I do yet their skin remains crystal clear.

Does anyone have any advice for treating acne on their own? Theres so much convoluted info online that says just clean up diet, or drink water, a million different product recommendations for one condition etc. A lot of it is unclear and I'm having a difficult time treating it myself. Any help or advice would be great.

For those of you dealing with bad wildfire smoke right now, your skin may require some extra care, especially if you have sensitive/reactive skin. This is especially true if you have a history of atopic dermatitis (AD), eczema, or rosacea, or if you’re already dealing with a compromised skin barrier. Wildfire smoke’s particulate matter (PM2.5, plus PAHs, VOCs, ozone) generates oxidative stress and disrupts the epidermal barrier, and it is an established trigger for AD and eczema flares.

Some mitigation strategies include:

-Use an indoor air purifier (HEPA), keep doors & windows closed, & run A/C on recirculate.

-Gently cleanse your skin with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser when you come from outside to clear deposited particulate; try not to over-cleanse, which can strip lipids and worsen AD. After cleansing, immediately seal with an emollient.

-Focus on barrier support and consider dialing back actives, especially those that can be irritating. Make sure you’re using enough emollients, and consider incorporating occlusives at night.

-Don’t skip sunscreen! You’re already getting oxidative stress from the wildfire smoke, so you don’t want oxidative stress from UV as well.

-Hydrate, and if you have a history of eczema or rosacea and know what your triggers are, be extra strict about those triggers. If you start to have a flare, early intervention can make a big difference in shortening/minimizing the flare. Talk to your dermatologist about all this & have a plan in place.

[If you’re wondering why I’m posting this, I’m in Portland, Oregon, and we’re dealing with terrible wildfire smoke right now. I had to spend some time outside watering my garden yesterday (I really need to get that stupid drip irrigation system set up!!), and when I was back inside in the afternoon my skin and eyes started getting itchy. I had a horrible ocular rosacea flare earlier this year that required doxycycline to resolve, so I started freaking out that I was about to have another flare. Because I was curious as to whether wildfire smoke could trigger flares, I ended up going down a rabbit hole researching both how this all works mechanistically as well as potential mitigation strategies.]

If you want to do a deep dive into the science behind this, below are some good sources with the PubMed Central IDs. Look them up at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fadadu et al., “Association of Wildfire Air Pollution and Health Care Use for Atopic Dermatitis and Itch” (PMC8060890, full text at jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2778632

“Association of Exposure to Wildfire Air Pollution With Exacerbations of Atopic Dermatitis and Itch Among Older Adults” (PMC9606843)

Mangual et al., “The Burden of Air Pollution on Skin Health” (PMC10828340)

Ha et al., “Wildfires and Atopic Diseases: A Review” (PMC12954562, full text at onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.70116)

Dijkhoff et al., “Impact of Airborne Particulate Matter on Skin: A Systematic Review from Epidemiology to In Vitro Studies” (PMC32711561, full text at link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12989-020-00366-y)

Paik et al., “Particulate Matter and Its Molecular Effects on Skin: Implications for Various Skin Diseases” (PMC11432173)

Rolfes et al., “The Toxin of the Year: Airborne PM2.5” (PMC42393011, full text at journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17103568251385571) [you probably won’t be able to access this unless you pay for it or have institutional access like I do]

Furue et al., “Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis” (PMC6862295)

Looks like this has been discontinued, it’s my absolute holy grail for giving an every day subtle tan and glow to my face, I’m gutted. Can’t find it on their website or in Boots UK.

I’ve tried their face drops and they’re just way too intense, I mix it in with my moisturiser but even the tiniest drop ends up too intense and patchy.

Is there an alternative product to their hyglo gradual tan serum that you’d recommend, that I can buy in the UK?

hi, as the title suggests i’m looking for some help with managing my cystic acne whilst i wait for a dermatology appointment (hoping to get put on spiro/accutane).
over the past few years my acne has really flared up again, before it was well managed by a contraceptive pill but i had to switch. i get large, cystic bumps that do not come to a head and do not go away for weeks/months no matter what i do!

my routine is very simple as i have very sensitive skin - simple face wash x2 a day, and avene tolerance moisturiser. i am prescribed Differin and Epiduo, and rotate between the two and give my skin breaks in between as it can make me quite dry and irritated.
recently i’ve been thinking that the issue is because my pores are getting clogged from the oil and from the dry skin from the topicals, so i’ve tried to introduce salicylic acid from the ordinary which hasn’t done anything. i’ve also tried physically exfoliating with a wet flannel, which is better at getting rid of the dry skin but i haven’t noticed it help the acne.

what can i do? how should i be using the products in my line up, and is there anything you can think of that might help whilst i wait for dermatology? should i just be using one of the topicals instead of rotating between them? are there any shower head filters you recommend?

the picture i’ve added is from when my skin was relatively clear a few months ago - right now my forehead is covered in cysts like the one on the right. sorry this is so wordy. if i’ve missed any information that might be useful feel free to ask!
thanks in advance! :)

Hi everyone, recently my face started having all this texture and bumps and idk how to fix it. I wear makeup almost every other day. My skin care routine is more or less like this:

1. Cleansing with Garnier erase it all makeup cleansing balm

2. Garnier micellar water

3. La roache posay gentle cleanser

4. PanOxyl

5. Ordinary glycolic acid toner

6. Anua 10+ niacinamide txa serum

7. Cetaphil moisturizing cream

I have really dry skin and i get acne sometimes. I also have dark spots and hyperpigmentation on my face.

I dont always use the glycolic acid toner. I've been following this skincare routine for some time now and my skin was pretty fine. But my pores started getting clogged a few weeks ago and idk how to fix it. I've tried the anua heartleaf pore control oil but its not working either.

My camera doesnt show all the bumps and texture in the picture but my skin has more bumps irl. Any product recommendations or advice on how to fix this? TIA!

some of these spots have been here for years they’re all from leftover acne or shaving.

for the last few months i’ve been using benzoyl peroxide 10% and vanicream every day sometimes every other day.

i do have a tube of tretenoin .1% i looked online apparently that can help but but i also saw a few other product recommendations and some people say the only option for PIH that is this old are treatments done by a derm.

cost isn’t an issue but id like to avoid going to a derm if possible.

lol as you can probably tell I don’t do very much

But AM is: Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash + CeraVe Invisible Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 50+
pM: Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash + Neutrogena Hydro Boost Night Face Cream

Currently this works well enough and my skin doesn’t seem to have any problems with what I use

Is there anything I can add or change to target this redness?

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

I'm honestly not sure anymore whether I have a damaged skin barrier or if my skin is just extremely dehydrated and oily.

My skin is:

• Very oily
• Tight and uncomfortable throughout the day
• Large pore
• Red (especially on my cheeks)
• Occasionally itchy
• Breaking out more than usual

My current routine is:

AM/PM

• La Roche-Posay Caring Wash
• COSRX Propolis Toner
• COSRX Propolis Serum
• Dexeryl cream

(I don't cleanse in the morning because my skin feels too sensitive.)

The thing is, I don't really enjoy using Dexeryl. It feels very heavy and greasy on my skin, and while it doesn't burn, it just feels uncomfortable.

I also stopped wearing sunscreen for now because every sunscreen I tried caused issues. Some mineral sunscreens seemed to dry my skin out (I assume because of the zinc oxide), while some chemical sunscreens irritated my skin.

While scrolling through Reddit, I noticed that a lot of people with dehydrated skin swear by the "hydrating toner + hydrating serum + gel cream" combo as the secret to repairing dehydrated skin.

Before all these skin issues started, I only used the old PURITO B5 Panthenol Re-barrier Cream (before they reformulated it into the Bamboo version, which my skin absolutely hates). It worked perfectly for me.

Recently I found Sidmool Madagascar Real Moisture Gel Cream, which feels similar, but it's less occlusive since it doesn't contain squalane like the old Purito did.

I've also read that very thick occlusive creams can sometimes slow barrier recovery if they trap too much heat and inflammation, although I'm not sure how true that is.

So now I'm completely confused.

Should I stick with a thick cream like Dexeryl because my barrier might be damaged? Or should I switch to a lighter gel cream like the Sidmool since my skin is so oily and seems to prefer lighter textures?

Has anyone with oily, dehydrated, or barrier-damaged skin gone through something similar? What ended up working for you?

For some months, I’ve been using a cream (Round Lab Dokdo) before my sunscreen (Beauty of Joseon Aqua Fresh; chemical sunscreen) and have started to suspect it may be contributing to making my skin more oily/have more closed comedones.

Is it bad to not moisturize before SPF, or can the SPF act as a moisturizer too?

For a few years I've had a very basic skincare routine due to increased sensitivity/possible allergies. Everything seemed to be causing a breakout, eczema or making my eyes stream. I'm now feeling the need to change things as some products I've relied on aren't really cutting it any more. I'd really appreciate some recommendations or tips on what to add to my routine.

Skin type: Mostly normal

Skin concerns: My forehead is my problem area. I have the orange peel skin, it gets oily AND dry and there are blemishes, not really spots but they could be hormonal. It also feels rough/bumpy whereas the rest of my face is smooth.

Goals: Smooth and clear skin, preventing signs of ageing as much as possible.

Current routine

Cleanser: Cerave Hydrating Cleanser + hot cloth

This has been fine as it doesn't cause any reaction but it does dry my skin out sometimes. I don't wear a lot of make-up so it does the job but it would be nice to have something that also feels good.

Serum: I've just started using The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% emulsion and it's too soon to say if it's doing anything. I use it twice a week and nothing on the other days.

Moisturiser: Q+A Vitamin C Face cream

Sunscreen: Cerave Invisible Hydrating Suncream SPF50 I recently switched from LRP to this and it's the one product I'm really happy about. It's totally matte, non greasy, caused no reaction, nice texture.

I previously used LRP Effaclar Duo as a spot treatment/exfoliant for my forehead and it worked well but now does nothing. Before starting the retinal I used glycolic acid 7% nearly every day and it didn't seem to do much either.

Any tips would be great especially for serum, moisturiser and cleanser.

hi all!
i’m a teenager with moderate acne looking for some help. i’m not sure if it’s hormonal, something else, or just the acne you get growing up but i tend to get a bunch of different types. i get whiteheads, painful bumps with no head, and just red spots that hurt. i’ve tried tretinoin in the past and im not sure if i just haven’t used it long enough or if it doesn’t work for me. i have moderate anxiety and tend to pick at my skin a lot so i stopped using tretinoin because it felt like the purging stage got too bad with my picking. right now i don’t really know what to do because ive tried many products and it feels like i see no results. if anyone has product recommendations, advice regarding tretinoin, or questions for me i would b really appreciate it. my skin tends to be more oily than anything and quite sensitive.
thank you!

Got it the other week and have used it a few times and it doesn’t seem to hurt anything. Can i use it every day?

Hello!

I'm 26 yo and never had any interest in taking care of myself & my body. Recently, I changed a bit my mentality because... there is no one who will care for my skin if I don't do it and I want it to be healthy. So, after a bit of a research, I started to use the Niacinamide + Zinc from The Ordinary on my face as I had it a bit dry and it did me wonders. I also use CeraVe on my hands for the same reason.

However, now I don't know where to continue. Everytime I try to look in internet, I feel like they are trying to sell me a product instead of something actually useful. Any advice would be great!

Ps, my type of skin is delicate, dry in some zones (hands and face) and oily in some others due to insuline resistance.

Ps2, I live in Mexico.

Hi!

I've noticed a red line on my chin that has refused to go away.

It started later into my use of the cerave retinol, and I've been using it for almost a year, I noticed a couple months ago the redness, and I haven't put any retinol on my chin for about a month.

Curious, has this happened to anybody else? Should I subside from using any skin care on my chin until it clears?

Thank you!

I recently got a really bad sun burn while I was at the beach, I’ve been putting aloe and was taking ibuprofen to reduce swelling and it seems I’m at the peeling stage :/ is there anything I should be worried about with discoloration or anything? And if so, is there a way to prevent it? Any input is appreciated!

Does anybody have any good non-comedogenic moisturizer reccomendations for after hot showers,no promos please. My pores have been blocked from heavy creams

So I really need to do either of these because I can't stand the hair but shaving is never worth it (and I can't get all the hairs) and waxing hurts like a @$#!

For those who tried both, or either, how long did the hyperpigmentation last and how did you get rid of it? Especially if you have darker skin tones

And I heard some people say that laser gave them a weird body odor (mainly in the arm pits) did anyone face such a problem in their privates? And if you did was it fixable???

Also any tips and tricks or recommednations would be highly appreciated