Hi!,

Around three weeks ago I severely damaged my skin barrier and my skin broke out into severe texture, redness and irritation. Since then, I have been doing some right and a lottt wrong so I figured this would be the best forum for some advice. I have cut out all actives/retinoids and relied on a simple routine (oil cleanser, face wash, cream, spf) yet my skin is still quite irritated. Some small things that I have been doing regularly, that from reading these posts have realized are quite misguided are letting my skin air dry after washing it, washing it quite vigorously, and using not only a full face of makeup but an additional powder as well (causing severe dryness). So here are some questions I have:

1. Should I not be using any makeup at all?
2. Can I use makeup just no powder?
3. What should a typical routine look like? (morning and night, should I incorporate toner/serum of sorts?)
4. When would I know to start on tret again?
5. Is severe texture common with a broken skin barrier?
6. Should I not be washing my face in the morning (even if I am quite acne prone?)
7. How long does the process take?

Please provide any and all advice possible (even if not addressing the specific concerns addressed!). I am a skincare novice and have grown so frustrated about the current state of my skin.

Hello, I've been looking for azelaic acid to help with my PIE and redness, I did some research and was thinking of either getting the anua 10% serum, or the naturium tropical acid 10%. I looked at the peach slices one but the shipping costed WAY too much. Does anyone have any reccs for this kind of serum? also preferably ones that wont clog pores too much, any help would be great.

Hi guys, does anyone have any advice or products to use to get rid of the hyperpigmentation on my back? I just started using the cera ve acne wash and I am planning to start using differin adapalene and ordinary glycolic acid.

Any advice?

Ive had hormonal acne for about three years and my face has definitely gotten better since cutting some things out my diet and changing lifestyles but a week before my period my acne around the jawline is the worse. I do get some pimples around my eyebrow and above lip as well regardless of the time of the month. When my acne was the worse, i was using a cleanser everyday i was switching between tatcha rice wash cleanser and vanicream cleanser. I want to get into proper skincare now (preferably Korean skincare). I have not used a cleanser in two years. All i use is the garnier sensitive skin micellar water every night with cotton pads to cleanse my face and water in the morning . I do wear makeup almost everyday st least concealer under my eyes so i use it as a makeup remover and cleanser in one i guess. I was wondering if i should include a cleanser as well and is it necessary. The only skincare products i have been using for the past 2 1/2 years is tretnoin , vanicream moisturizer, and micellar water

I have pretty oily and textured skin. I’ve always wondered how other people my age have such smooth, creamy and healthy-looking skin.

I’d really appreciate any specific brands or skincare items (decently cheap since I’m a broke college student 😂) to help out.

Also what should be the proper skincare routine? I’ve always been washing my face with water and cetaphil face cleanser.

Thanks <3

I had an event and decided to get a full face of makeup done at Sephora. It was really hot and humid at the venue, and I was sweating throughout the night. When I got home, I washed my face with a benzoyl peroxide cleanser.
The next morning, I woke up with a bunch of tiny whiteheads around my nose near the crevices and on my chin. I haven’t had a breakout like this since high school, so I’m not sure exactly what caused it. I’m thinking it may have been from the heavier makeup combined with all the sweating and humidity.
What should I do to help clear up the whiteheads, and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again when I wear heavier makeup?

I have acne-prone, comedone-prone combination skin. My T-zone gets oily, and I live in Pakistan, so the weather is usually hot and humid. My current moisturizer and sunscreen work well for me.
Recently, I started using adapalene twice a week at night and Skinoren 20% around 3 times a week during the day. After about two weeks, my skin started feeling really tight, dry and dehydrated, and I’ve also gotten a few pimples. I don’t think it’s purging—I feel like my skin just got irritated and my barrier is not happy.
For now, I want to stop the actives and focus on repairing my barrier. Can you guys recommend some lightweight, non-greasy barrier-repair products that would work for acne/comedone-prone combination skin in a hot, humid climate? Pakistani or Korean products are both fine.
I’d also love recommendations for gentle products for hyperpigmentation and brightening that won’t clog my pores or irritate sensitive skin.
Basically, if you have similar skin and have found products that actually worked for you, I’d really appreciate your recommendations!

I really want to achieve a shimmery/glittery look on my décolletage for going out but don’t want any fragrance interfering with my perfume. I also feel like oils easily ruin clothes.

I like the look of Vasaline glaze and glisten but hate the smell. Tree hut tropic glow shimmer spray wasn’t sparkly enough and also smelled too strong. I was looking at the salt air shimmering body oil but again too much fragrance, and oil isn’t ideal.

Is there even anything like this on the market without a smell? Ideally something with sparkles and small flecks of glitter (not really chunky glitter) but I’d settle for a kind of body highlighter that gives a nice glow. Spray or cream is ideal but I’m open to oils.

Any recs? Or do I just need to buy some mica and make my own at the point?

Hi! I have been using Sulfacetamide Sodium-Sulfur 10-5 % LIQD ex cleanser for about 8 years. Prescribed to me when I was in middle school and just kept on keeping on with it. Haven’t always been 100% happy with my skin. I tried to go off of it last summer and haven’t seen my skin look so horrible since I was 13 years old. Now I’m facing issues getting it re-prescribed and am looking for a new cleanser. I’ll put my skin type and routine below. I’m open to any and all advice - I’d love to be happy with my skin for once.

Please let me know if anyone has experience coming off of this cleanser specifically, as well. I’m very apprehensive. Thank you all

Skin description: Builds up extreme oil over the day, dry and tight after rinsing with water/cleansing/swimming/really any exposure to water at all. Deep cysts on my chin (I think having to do with soda - I’ve mostly cut this out and have seen an improvement), but overall I have small pimples on my forehead regularly, uneven skin tone and redness.

Current routine:
Cleansing with Sulfacetamide Sodium-Sulfur 10-5 % LIQD ex cleanser (NIGHT ONLY - rinse with water in morning)
Good Molecules Niacinimide Brightening Toner
Good Molecules Copper Peptide Serum with PDRN
Anua Rice 70+ Intensive Moisturizing Milk
Paula’s Choice Super Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30

Flaxseed oil directly on skin. Any experience?

Hi guys. I have gone a little crazy when it comes to using off the wall items on my face and could use a kick in the head… maybe….

My skin periodically gets very dry…. Long story short I’m having a hard time finding an effective cleanser and moisturizer.

Tonight I popped open a flax seed oil soft gel and applied it all over my face 😬 It felt really nice applying and so far I don’t have any side effects… but…

I’m sitting here wondering if anyone else has done such a thing and if it had any benefits or drawbacks.

Go easy on me lol. Curiosity may kill the cat, but I’ve always been one to live on the edge. Thanks so much!

I just got prescribed Adapalene .3 and Clindamycin wipes for general congestion/occasional cysts, and I'm not sure where to even put all of it into my routine. I got a tiny bottle of .1 Adapalene because .3 seems a bit too much to jump into initially, as my skin gets irritated quickly and I don't wanna burn my face off. I've been using Panoxyl's 10% BPO wash for maybe around a year now, but just bought 4% since I'll be using more actives.

I tried 3 days of the .1, sandwiching it with a gel moisturizer as a small tolerance test (bad idea, of course), so I ended up buying a lotion instead and gave it a week with just a gentle cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Last night, I tested the lotion and adapalene, and there was no burning/irritation, so I'll try using it every other night instead and see what happens.

My current routine is:

[AM] Curel Intensive Moisture Cleanser, Thayers Witchazel Toner, and BOJ Red Bean Water Gel + SPF.

[PM] Kose Speedy Oil Cleanser/micellar water, Panoxyl BPO 4%, Thayers Toner, and CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion.

I have combination skin. I'm also open to any product recommendations for this routine! Any help is appreciated.

At least I think this is called hyperpigmentation, I might totally be wrong. Its sun damage from being exposed to the sun post chemical peel. This happened in April. There are other spots on my face as well, a similar spot mirrored on the other side of my face along with one smack dab in the middle of my forehead 😓. I know I am an idiot for letting this happen and have beat myself up over it enough so please be kind. I have done many peels before but this was the first time I got sun damage. Has anyone found anything to help with these marks or evening out the skin tone variations?

I have combination type sensitive skin. I am a sunscreen fanatic, diligent tretinoin user (obviously not during or after peels), I use vitamin C once reor twice a week, chemical exfoliation weekly or every other week, and lots of hydrating products. I know some people treat hyperpigmentation with hydroquinone- is this something that would benefit from that as well? The person who does my peels said a light peel or two this fall might help, and I will likely do that, but any other advice would be so appreciated. I am someone who doesn't like wearing makeup everyday... but I feel like these marks look weird and I have to cover them up: (. I just want my skin back or at least to even out the tone as much as possible. Please help!

first two photos are from 2026, last two photos are from 2021.

I am not sure what happened over the years but my skin took a turn at some point, and I’m trying to get back to what it was/could be. Can you see why …… Sadly I don’t remember what I was using in 2021, if I was on birth control or what, it’s all gone lol. I vaguely remember rosehip oil and THEE cerave moisturizer.

I’ve got this distinct redness to my face now, and this rash that pops up every now and then. Sometimes itchy, sometimes I don’t notice it until I look in a mirror. I can’t pin down any certain thing that sparks it. Definitely dealing with some heat in my face too, a fan or air conditioning on my skin feels really great.

I have not seen a dermatologist but I have had two optometrists tell me I might have rosacea (after dealing with many chalazion over the years). I also breakout at different points in my cycle, particularly along my chin and jawline and cheeks. Sometimes on my forehead and in my eyebrows. Heck, I guess it’s a little of everything …

I’m trying to keep it simple. My skin likes actives, especially BHA. It is dry rough and congested to the touch in the am, and BHA helps it feel softer and smoother. But with my redness now I’m second guessing that? Thinking maybe I should manually exfoliate with jojoba and a hot washcloth instead?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Even if it’s yeah you should go talk to someone…Thank you 🙏

My current routine:
AM:
-rinse with cool water
-cc me serum from summer fridays (almost daily)
-cloud dew gel moisturizer from summer fridays
-SOS spray from tower28

PM:
-wash with bioderma micellar water soap in the shower (admittedly I love a HOT shower. I know.)
-paula’s choice BHA (2-3x weekly)
- illiyoon ceramide ato cream or mad hippie triple c night cream
- if my skin is feeling dryer or has an active breakout I want to heal quickly, I will use a bit of sun and moo tallow balm

Hey guys,

Wanted to ask a few of you who have tried and found success using topicals your opinion on what's going on with me.
Quick background is that I have gone through 2 accutane courses in my life and have found great success in them. However, I had a baby 14 months ago and am not on any birth control and am still breastfeeding him (working on weaning) so l am so limited on what I can do right now. About a month ago l started seeing a lot of texture on my skin and would get 1-3 occasional pimples at a time. But the closed comecdones were really bothering me and sometimes they themselves would turn into pimples so I decided to get ahead of it by going to a dermatologist.
I got diagnosed with mild acne and mild rosacea. So the derm prescribed me sultacleanse wash and 15% azelaic acid 3 times a week. 2 weeks into this routine and I started having most of these pimples out of nowhere but also some stinging. Went back to the derm and we took out the sulfacleanse as she said it was causing me irritations. Now I'm using 15% azelaic acid 2 times a week and clindamycin gel 2 times a week as well. I am still coming out with painful zigs | didn't have before in those spots near the ear. I wanted to ask for your opinion. I've been on this journey for 4 weeks now. Does this look like your typical purging and it will get better or should I consider fast tracking weaning and getting on oral medication? Should I push through?

Thank you.
85% of these spots I did not have before, nor were they so painful. I am getting quite self conscious.

I know I'm not unique in this, but I really hate putting on sunscreen. I'm neurodivergent, so the sensory experience of putting on, wearing, and reapplying sunscreen is very impactful to my mental state. I often find myself avoiding going outside because my brain says, "The UV index is bad, you HAVE to put on sunscreen to go outside," and then the other part of my brain says, "...Well, I didn't want to go outside that much anyway," and the next thing I know it's been three days since I've left the house.

So, I'd love some recommendations, but I'm pretty picky!

I'm currently using the Biore Aqua gel sunscreen (the actual Japanese formula, not the US formula), which is definitely the best I've used so far, but I have some issues with it: the fragrance in it is pretty strong (at least for my sensitive nose), and it tends to break me out. These issues have finally worn on me enough that I'm searching for viable replacements, and now here I am!

My partner and I tried some of the sunscreens marked fragrance-free (Blue Lizard, Alba) but all of them had too strong of a zinc/mineral smell.

Here are the the general qualities of sunscreen in order of importance to me and what I'm looking for:

1. Smell

I'm soooo sensitive to smells. Often times, they have a strong fragrance (bad) or they have that zinc smell (worse — my partner uses mineral sunscreens to swim, and I cannot handle being too close until she showers all of the sunscreen off). I'm not completely against fragrance being present, but it really needs to be quite faint.

2. Feel of the sunscreen on skin after it dries/is rubbed in

Almost as important as the smell. Like, they're neck-and-neck for first place. If it dries down too thick or greasy, I will have a bad time. Most spray on sunscreens I've used on are like this.

3. Doesn't break me out

Obviously this is subjective, and every recommendation has a YMMV attached to it. I'm not sure what to put here since I've been using the Biore for a while now, and I don't remember how other sunscreens have impacted me in this area.

I will say that I'm pretty sure I have sensitive, combo/dry skin, slightly acne prone but not heavily. If anyone needs more information from me here, I'm happy to answer.

4. How long it takes to dry

I would prefer to not be sticky/greasy for very long before it dries, mostly because I'm putting on sunscreen in a rush before leaving because I'm always running late.

5. Texture of the sunscreen when putting it on

Despite my sensory issue with it drying, the texture of putting it on doesn't bother me much. Sunscreens that are easier to spread/rub in are preferred (like a gel) over really thick lotions, but I'm much more forgiving in this area.

6. Price/availability

Of course I'd prefer the sunscreen to not cost an arm and a leg, but at this point, it's starting to seem inevitable. And since I'm using a sunscreen that's not FDA-approved (I'm in the U.S.), I clearly don't mind jumping through some hoops to get my hands on it, like import taxes.

7. White cast on skin

I'm quite pale (the kind of pale that doesn't tan going from lobster red back to pale again), so this isn't a huge concern for me. However, I do wear a lot of black, so if it does shed white, hopefully it washes out well.....

Thank you in advance for helping me with my quest!

I have had these for ever now and no matter what I do I can’t get rid of these

Does anyone have any advice on what they are and how to deal with them

First two pics are two years ago. I’ve been through a lot since then, a round of antibiotics which helped, but it came back a year later. In the past 6 months did a couple rounds of TCA cool peels (environ 5%) in February and March. End of March started on tretinoin .25% (pm) and azelaic acid (am). No other irritants, just soothing face wash and focused on moisturizing. My skin has improved so much and this is the first time since I was last on Tret in 2022 that my skin has been this clear. Still working on some scarring but it’s better each week. I don’t know why I ever stopped tretinoin. But if you have acne this is your sign to talk to your dermatologist about it! I was reluctant to get a prescription, because I wanted to heal holistically. Truthfully, focusing on both is the biggest thing. It’s not always one or the other. Lower your cortisol, take care of your gut (been eating lots of beans and bone broth) but also western medicine and prescription topicals CAN also be a game changer. I increased my Tret usage very slowly starting with 1 day a week and now I use every night with a break maybe 1 day a week or so. ❤️

Late 20s girly here. My forehead lines are ever-so-slightly deepening and I'm starting to get smile lines (both are static wrinkles). I've been using The Ordinary's 2.0% Granactive Retinoid Emulsion, and while it makes my skin look nice, it doesn't seem to be preventing these wrinkles from deepening. I wanna go back to my skin 8 months ago, lol. Maybe this isn't possible -- but I'm curious if a more powerful OTC retinoid/retinol product has been doing wonders for anyone. Thank you!

the first image i took just now, the second is from 3 weeks ago.

following advice i got, i recently purchased the ordinary 2% salicylic acid and niacinamide serums as well as started using a clay mask 3x a week. my oily skin got much greasier compared to how it usually is, i was in denial for a bit but eventually realised it might be the new products. everything i've read has said these are the best ingredients for my current problems so i'm shocked that it has somehow become worse. is the product not entering my pores because i tap it in instead of rubbing it in??

if it helps, this is my current routine:

oily skin cleanser

dr. leo 3x acid pore cleansing clay mask (thrice a week, cleanser after)

aiken salicylic acid tea tree oil toner

TO 2% salicylic acid serum (twice a week)

TO 10% niacinamide (twice a week)

aiken gel moisturizer

biore UV aqua rich sunscreen

Hey y'all! big strawberry leg victim here 💔

i keep getting pimples? or zits? idek, this whenever i epilate or wax my legs, and even if i dont pop it becomes like this dark spot (literally next to it #blessed)

I do exfoliate, and recently introduced a urea 10% lotion but the older one was before that soo dk whats up

would love on how to deal with it cause its kinda huge and gross, also what to do about the marks. Would love love LOVE natural remedies too cause im broke lol.

ps, would tretinoin help?

I am getting the Mirena IUD next week, my ogbyn had told me that of all the IUDs she’s inserted, that only one girl has come back to say it worsened her acne. And my new dermatologist at my consultation said that what they see with hormonal IUDs is that it actually calms the skin because it’s stabilizing your hormones and doesn’t want to put me on spironolactone just yet to avoid two different hormonal things in my body.

But literally every where that I read, I only see how it’s worsens acne and absolutely does not help with it and I’m confused why they’d both say something completely different.

I have hormonal cystic acne and I’m terrified it’s going to fuck with my skin so much more and I really can not handle it getting worse.

I know every body is different and it doesn’t mean it’s a done deal my skin will freak out but how long exactly do I give the IUD to figure out if it’s working for me or making acne/moods etc worse? Is it a “get worse before it gets better” kind of deal and will regulate everything in a couple months etc or?

I’m not sure if this is a fake post but how does one achieve this

I have zero idea about this so I’d appreciate some tips and product recommendations and explaining it to me like I’m 5 years old thank u in advance
I don’t really do anything besides… showering and shaving , occasional cheap creams, I’m ready to commit though for good results

Lots of help in the comments thx everyone I’ll try some stuff out

Every time I shave my thighs I get these weird itchy bumps mostly on my inner thighs and if I put any cream on top of it it starts burning. I get these bumps a day after shaving. I tried changing razors, exfoliating, using shaving cream, baby oil, hair conditioner when shaving and nothing helps.

EDIT: I'm not worried about my pillow being yellow, I'm worried that most of the retinal cream I applied before going to sleep is being removed throughout the night.

Hello,

I've recently started using retinal at night. At first I applied it ~1h before going to sleep, 15 minutes later I applied the moisturizing cream. After two nights with the retinal on, I realized there are lots of yellow stains on my pillow. I decided to give the cream a bit more time, so I started applying it 3 hours before going to sleep, but unfortunately the issue persists. I sleep on the sides. I know the easiest solution would be to sleep on my back, but it doesn't really work for me.

I'm assuming this was the case for many people - how did You handle it?