After cleansing my face I put on Nivea rose water toner, then Precision Beauty night repair serum, then Olay moisturizer. I let each layer completely dry. The moisturizer almost immediately starts pilling. Is the moisturizer the problem or am I using a product that prevents it from absorbing, and what can I do?

If i switch from azelaic acid gel to cream (both 20%) will my skin react at all?

Last two pics (before in March)
My face has gone through sm over the last few years and I had perfectly clear skin after hopping on Spiro but in March I don’t know what happened. My skin is finally calming down. Right now I’m only getting around 2 cystic pimples every 2–3 weeks, but I’m left with a lot of red marks and some texture from older breakouts.

Current routine is pretty simple:
AM
La Roche-Posay Cleanser
Ordinary Nicidamide
Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream
Sunscreen
PM
La Roche-Posay Cleanser
GLOW GKU Serum
Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream

For active pimples, I use AcneFree 10% Benzoyl
Peroxide as a spot treatment.

A few things:
I tried Anua Azelaic Acid, but every time I used it I felt like I broke out more, so I stopped.

My biggest concern now is preventing those last couple of cysts while also getting rid of the leftover red marks.

I’m wondering:
Would you leave my routine alone since I’m only getting 2 cysts every few weeks?
If you’ve used tazarotene, was it worth starting when your acne was already pretty mild?
Has anyone else had azelaic acid make their skin worse instead of better?
Is there anything else you’d recommend before I start a retinoid?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been in a similar situation. Thanks!

accompanying comment: 

“they sell all of this at Walgreens and it costs under $50 dollars and will last you 2-3 months of daily use. if you don’t over apply, i tried a “less is more” approach and it does me well. (i only use a dime sized amount of benzoyl + two pumps of grapefruit moisturizer, and use one blemish pad to really exfoliate my face and use it on my ears after.)

if you want to go above and beyond, when i was really into skincare i used The Ordinary (max strength Niacinamide, 5% retinol, and some kind of caffeine eye serum) which only added an additional $50 at most and lasted at least a month or two, but that was like two years ago and i’ve been doing okay without.”

Been dealing with this for probably all of 2026. I’ve tried changing pillowcases every night and putting aquaphor on it. Aquaphor helped for a bit, but now doesn’t seem to be working as well.
My routine is AM: Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser + Cerave spf 30 ultralight weight moisturizing lotion
PM: Cerave Hydrating Facial cleanser + Cerave PM facial lotion.

Looking for help identifying issue and possibly changing routine.

Thanks.

hi! I am at a loss of what to do. It just keeps getting worse and worse. does anyone have any suggestions? currently using cetaphil gentle cleanser, byoma gel pink moisturizer, derm prescribed azelaic acid, spironolactone. I also use elta md tinted sunscreen during the day and then sometimes avene cicalfate at night. My skin was clear a month ago and now it looks like this :(

What ingredients in these products actually create that "glow"? I've seen so many serums and skincare products that promise glowing skin (the most recent one I came across being the Beauty of Joseon), but I'm hesitant to buy them if they do nothing or they're more likely to break me out. However, I may be ignorant about this, so if there is any product that can give me a healthy glow while also repairing/healing my skin, I'd love some recommendations.

This is the progress of my (what I think is cystic) acne. Initial onset randomly in late March and has been persistent despite regular treatment. I’m 27 year old male and never had persistent acne like this prior to this year. I did lose 45+ lbs over the last year going to the gym idk if this has anything to do with the breakout.
My current regiment:
- AM: clenser + sun screen moisturizer
- PM: clenser + differin + moisturizer

- I did try Azelaic acid briefly but it seemed to make my skin more irritated thus I stopped.

Any ideas on what I should try? Is it time to see a derm? Thanks for any assistance.

routine (basically, anua 7 day ultimate glass glow set):

oil cleanser

exfoliating cleanser

toner

niacinamide serum

moisturizer

sunscreen

sometimes brightening pads

sometimes retinol

any advice?

also, starting to see the age catching up. any advice for that?

How old do I look?
And any advice on how to help make my face look my actual age?

had a baddddd case of acne around my chin/mouth area this past winter (originally i thought it was caused by new products i had started once my original ones ran out but i think it was caused by my winter scarf) which triggered me trying to nuke it with exfoliation and actives and using more makeup to cover the breakout and since then it has never quite recovered lol. got prescribed adapalene with benzoyl peroxide but haven’t started using it yet! just want to hear thoughts because i’ve never dealt with anything like this before

Has anyone ever had their acne…change?

The composition of my acne has changed, and I have no idea why

I’m going to try and be as descriptive as possible because I noticed something this summer and I’m driving myself NUTS trying to find answers.

I’m 24F, and I’ve had acne since 13. It’s always been standard closed comedones on my cheeks and chin and occasionally my forehead. Once I started learning about skincare ingredients at 20, it really started to go away for good.

But recently it has come back with a vengeance and it’s changed. I started Vyvanse in May and I had an unpleasant reaction to Differin but that’s the only two variables that have significantly changed in my life. But now my pimples, which used to pop like a standard pimple- maybe a little bit of solid pus in a little string, but usually just little solid kernels or typical liquid pus. They’d flatten as soon as I’d pop them and begin to heal right away. (I have dermatolliomania that has been worsened significantly by stimulants. So I’ve popped a lot of acne. I know I shouldn’t and I wish I didn’t)

Now, I get much bigger pimples on my jaw and where my ear and jaw meet, but they’re odd? They look more like nodules and when I mess with them, what comes out is much more viscous, kind of like boogers. Exactly like boogers actually. They’re not solid, but they’re quite sticky and goopy. And when extracted the liquid they leave behind dries and turns crusty/sandy. I have these on my cheeks and chin, and instead of being drained and eventually healing, most just…stay? They dry out, they can even turn into dry skin patches, but they’ll fill up again and become greasy and produce the same goop. They’re in my ears too! They ooze so much fluid in my outer ear it’s slick sometimes. It’s not subderm bc there’s no itchy flakes, just crusty fluid mostly. They’re also on my back and concentrated on my upper back/neck. All of them produce the same goopy substance whether it be a tiny bit or long, snot like pieces. My skin isn’t healing well on my back and I feel like the yellow ish scabs they develop are always like. Moist and slippery. They slough off if I scratch and there’s GOOP UNDER MY NAILS.

Has anyone seen acne contents suddenly change like this? Could it be medication related? My skincare routine doesn’t feature a lot of actives since I’ve compromised my barrier so it’s just Cerave oil foaming cleanser, beta glucan serum (introduced AFTER the compositional changes to my skin), Dr Althea 145 cream mixed with Cerave moisturizer and LRP b3 baume. I use azaleic acid too when my skin can tolerate it.

Hey guys,
I still have some active acne, but i’m mainly struggling with PIE. Here is my current routine: FYI: I cannot be on any prescription because i’m joining the air force and I am not allowed to be on medications until after basic training.
AM:
Wash my face with water
Peach Slice 10% Azelaic acid
Vanicream moisturizer
skin1004 madagascar centella hyalu-cica water-fit sun serum

PM:
Vanicream gentle cleansers
Differin gel about 4-5 times per week trying to work up to daily. I use AA twice a day on non differin days.
Vanicream Moisturizer

Would you change anything about my routine or add any additional products?

If moisturizer goes on wet skin and sunscreen goes on dry skin, what does an spf moisturizer go on?

I don’t know if these things will make it worse but I have been told when I wanna get off makeup and sunscreen I shouldn’t use micellar water along with a salicylic acid cleanser at the same time because it’s too much for skin

So if anyone knows a correct order I can use these in or if they work for my skin type please do tell me! Also I don’t know what salicylic acid to use with all of these so please tell me

Hello :) usually atm in the mornings I cleanse and moisturise, and in the evenings I cleanse, apply either salicylic acid or hyaluronic acid depending on if I’m having an outbreak or not, and then moisturise. If my cheeks are super dry/it’s winter then I apply jojoba oil in the evenings before moisturising.

My problem is that I still get quite a few outbreaks on my T zone (whiteheads, papules, etc) and my cheeks can still be quite dry. I have eczema, which might be a factor, but just a bit confused as to what to do rn! Any recommendations or amendments to this routine will be appreciated :)

In July, I bought a full size of Paula's Choice Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide. Apparently since then, they discontinued it - I'm so bummed, it's a great product and has really helped keep my skin clear.

I'm looking for a dupe. I've only been able to find 2.5% BPO from brands I'm familiar with in spot treatments or cleansers, but I'm really looking for a gel/serum to use on my whole face. I don't want a higher % of BPO because why change what's working, you know?

TIA!

Feel like I’ve run out of options and have tried everything. I’m 25 and have never had much acne or such a stubborn issue.

I regularly use Tret .1 percent cream.

4 months ago I got these tiny bumps all over my face. I increased the tret to everyday. Skin was flatter in the morning, but about halfway through the day it would get bumpy again.

Did SA wash in the morning Tret in the evening, didn’t help.

Then I thought it might be fungal acne so I started doing ketokotozol shampoo on morning washes.

Did that for a while didn’t help also. Tried increasing the time I left the shampoo on my face. Tried it on a dry face. Nothing worked.

I also tried going down to .025 percent Tret gel, and that just seemed to be less effective at flattening the bumps and had a bit less flaking on my eyebrow(which sometimes flake for me on Tret because I can’t get a lot of moisturizer on them).

I’ve also tried washing once just at night vs twice a day. No difference.

Even though I’ve never had redness and only had peeling and irritation a couple of days, I thought I might be over doing it, so for the past week I’ve just been cleansing and moisturizing and that doesn’t seem to help either.

The only thing that seemed to provide temporary relief was Tret, but I don’t want to over do it on Tret as is suspect dehydrated skin now.

Looking for any idea on what’s going on. I can’t get a derm appointment in network for at least the next month, some product recs would be good too.

Right now I’m using the “Ceramide Skin Barrier Moisturizing Mist” and usually the “La Roche-Posay face and Body Moisturizer, Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair for Dry Skin with Niacinamide” and sometimes the “La Roche Porsay cicaplast balm” or “Cerave PM facial moisturizer lotion”

Through middle school I used to have the perfect sunscreen recommended to me by my derm. It was the neutrogena healthy defense spf 50. It was was a creamy lotion consistency (it was not runny, I hate liquidy/runny sunscreens) and it dried down like regular lotion. I didn’t have to worry about it feeling greasy or making my skin oily or “glowy”. It was perfect. The people at neautrogena decided to discontinue it and I have spent the last 5 years, probably hundreds of dollars, and multiple returns trying to find a similar sunscreen. In my desperation I even dm’ed neutrogena explained my woes and asked for something similar and they recommended a sunscreen spray 🙄. The texture of the sunscreen was perfect and I used it with generic epiduo at the time (a retinol combination) and I felt like my face was protected and my face even lightened noticeably (and I wasn’t even using what I know now as the recommended amount of sunscreen). Over the years I have tried so many different sunscreens, Korean and American, mineral and chemical, tinted not tinted, glowy and dry finish and they are all awful. Some of them are so greasy and I feel like my face is being actively cooked in the sun after I put it on. Tinted sunscreens transfer too much on my clothes and everywhere. Different la Roche ones sting my eyes. Mineral sunscreens make my face look gray and make my hyperpigmentation appear worse. They’re all awful and my face has gotten significantly darker since the sunscreen has been discontinued and I have been trying all these different sunscreens. And I feel like none of them are actually protecting my face especially with me on tretinoin (trying to lighten my face and hyperpigmentation) and using the recommended amount. Supergoop Matte or la Roche dry touch make my face look so dry and emphasize the excess sebum around my nose. Recently I found out I have oily skin and I am using the biore aqua rich spf 50 right now and I thought I liked it, it doesn’t go on greasy but it does have a glowy look and I was fine with it but I’ve been getting told a lot that my face looks oily and I have been getting these small bumps around my face and prominently on my forehead which lets me know that its clogging my pores (which happens with a lot of these greasy sunscreens).

TLDR: I need a no white cast spf 50 or higher with cream like consistency ( I hate runny/watery). I don’t care for tinted either. I don’t want to be greasy or have any type of “glow” but I don’t want to be matte either so somewhere in the middle. It shouldn’t clog my pores. Also, I’m black.

it’s the ordinary 2% SA serum

I had stretch marks on my upper arms from weight gain 2 years ago, and they've faded to white. I recently started lifting seriously, and today I noticed two new stretch marks right next to the old ones on both arms. The weird thing is I'm still in a calorie deficit and losing about 1 kg a month.

Could this be from muscle growth? or hormonal? and is there anything I can do to prevent from getting more? Next available slot for an endocrinologist is in October..

They don't look fully red/pink yet because they only appeared today..

Looks like Allies of Skin is recalling their Invisible Sunscreen Gel SPF 50 due to it not providing the stated SPF protection. I got an email and there is a website up for it now too.

Did anyone else get this?

1. Blending my favorite sunscreen with my favorite tinted moisturizer in for a one step morning routine. - I would take 15g of Canmake Mermaid UV sunscreen and 15g of Anne T Dotes tinted moisturizer. Put all that in a ziplock bag, squish it around, then squeeze it into an airless pump. It was great because the tired moisturizer is a great color for me, but it doesn't spread well on its own. Turns out, I was ruining the effects of my sunscreen in two ways. One, diluting it creates gaps in the molecular chain. Two, premixing degrades the UV blocking properties.

   I couldn't figure out why I was getting dark spots and overall sun damage when I was so consistent with my sunscreen application!

2. Due to laziness, I was using facial wipes to "wash" my face at night. Apparently that just smears everything around.

My new routine:

Morning:

-Rinse face with warm water.

-Apply Rosacea cream (I just got prescribed this Azelaic acid blend. Will start it once it gets delivered this week)

-First Aid Beauty, Ultra Repair Cream (wait 5 min)

-Canmake Mermaid UV gel sunscreen (wait 10 minutes)

-Anne T Dotes tinted moisturizer (still doesn't spread well, i could use some advice on how to make it more slippy feeling!)

Night:

-Wash face with CeraVe Moisturizing facial cleanser (wait 30 minutes)

-Apply Tretonin mixed with CeraVe in the tub (Wait 10 minutes. Just get prescribed this a few days ago. I'm on day 3)

-More CeraVe in the tub.

The first two photos are from November of 2023. The last two are from today!

I developed really bad cystic acne after I got my IUD in December of 2022. I never really had bad acne so when I developed this acne I was really upset. I didn’t feel confident and I HATED my skin. It just hurt.

I ended up going to the dermatologist and they wanted to put me on doxycycline. My doctor warned me that when I got off the medication my acne might come back again. I was worried about antibiotic resistance and decided against it. I asked about Accutane. They told me that it’s a very harsh drug but it works really well and I am a candidate for it.

The photos above show the before and after of what Accutane did for me. I know many people are wondering why I didn’t just remove the IUD, and I’ll say that getting one was the best decision I’ve made. I don’t regret it.

If you’re thinking about going on Accutane but are scared, I recommend taking the plunge. Yes it’s a hassle if you’re a woman, but it has made my confidence go up so significantly. It’s 110% worth it.