You began an intensive program of weightlifting for packing on loads of muscles every month. Though, half through you notice red or purple lines, streaking all across the pecs and at apexes of your biceps and armpits. These are stretch marks! While a lot of people link these with a rapid growth whilst pregnancy, weight gain or puberty, few people link them with workouts. A rapid rise in sizing of muscular tissues because of bodybuilding and weight lifting is often because of these marks, especially in men. What Are Stretch Marks? https://preview.redd.it/unpsropovdj51.jpg?width=272&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f89db299281183382a91d3d04eda3a99f5df90ad The stretch marks are really the absence – actually holes in the dermis. Consider of the balloon. As you stretch it or blow it, at a certain point before your balloon rips off, you will see the color of material fading off, getting the very thing and ripples or bubbles. That’s how human skin does. Read More:Mass Building Anabolic Steroids – Sustanon, Dianabol, And Deca Durabolin Stretch marks show weaknesses of your skin when a lot of tension is put over it for a long time. Your skin is active and living, so it responds constantly. Thus as you out s stretch over it, it starts to grow. Though, these are not scars. Scars have a healing reaction. That how your body provides additional collagen for bolstering a weak wound or spot.
How Stretch Marks Are Formed By Working Out?
https://preview.redd.it/rz1grurtvdj51.jpg?width=275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efd1555d1d5b76c7c7492354916f012a6395f5a8 Within your skin tissues, stretch marks are like deep scars which form because of a fast growth rate at that area of skin as compared to other areas. It means that these skin stretches have passed their limit of elasticity, leaving the marks. These marks will generally be red or purple as they format first and get fade away into white, silvery line with time. For the bodybuilders, work out programs are intense and strict, thus resulting in a faster increase in sizing of muscular areas like thighs and biceps. It can result in more stretch marks occurring in these areas. Read more:The Necessity of Stretching for Bodybuilding
Do Some People Have More Vulnerability For Stretch Marks?
https://preview.redd.it/ixswfueyvdj51.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0de1f94e7a9fb5d9851cc1b37176b999a356c78c You may find relief knowing that there is practically no person who doesn’t have them. Every person gets stretch marks if his/her skin gets stretched sufficiently and at a particular pace. It has all to do with the structure of collagen within your skin. However, few skin kinds don’t really seem of getting stretch marks; or these marks are imperceptible. It can’t be said that there exists an ideal skin kind to minimize the appearance of marks, however, usually, these marks are carried by people having lesser red tones in the skins and have very fair complexions. Though, there exist a vulnerability for redheads. Even these people have got fair skin complexions, they own many blood vessels within the skin. Thus, they are much prone to having pink or red stretch marks. Of course, these marks are more common in females that are pregnant, however, anyone who is heavyweight can face an emergence of these marks. Males, particularly bodybuilders, as they use a heavy intake of anabolic steroids, grow a lot, perform twice a day, put on loads of weight, get stretch marks on their chest, arms, and even on backs. Men who develop more risks are those everybody jealous of in gym (unless they have stretch marks): rapid growers. Such guys are the ones that put more than two months in their training programs and get results instantaneously. They eat like the horse, bulk is always crazy, they grow fast and it is unbelievable how big they get. However, there’s just a lot of skin on the body; as your muscles attain a particular size, stretches start to appear on your skin. Must read:Which Anabolic Steroids Are Less Likely To Cause Acne
How Can You Prevent Stretch Marks Caused By Working Out?
Avoid Sudden Gain or Loss In Weight
https://preview.redd.it/0ik31cv4wdj51.jpg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de6e0e54eea690095bb47b67af905d94384b43eb It is highly hard advice for following while you are following your workout program too. But, increasing the size slowly can give your body skin more time for adopting to alter body mass. This means that it will get more flexible and thus less stretchy with time. Get a Nutritious Diet It can be an easy thing to follow, however, in fact, you are needed to make sure that you eat foods which have nutrients that are also good for the skin. They may include zinc, antioxidants, and zinc. By maintaining the skin’s health internally, it gets suppler and much resilient against impairment.
Moisturize
There exist a lot of products in the market that helps in preventing, reducing and eliminating the stretch marks. Along with maintaining the skin’s health internally by consuming a nutritious diet, you can maintain it outside also by keeping your skin moisturized. A lot of the products are used for care as well as prevention, making it cost effective for you. These products contain ingredients including Vitamin E and A, cocoa butter and shea butter which are highly effective, however, if you need something much heavy-duty, you can go for retinoid treatment. Retinoid must never be used whilst pregnancy as it may affect your unborn baby. https://preview.redd.it/kaxj8a4jwdj51.jpg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51a4f5daa00567149fbb60eae5db1cd5e515f6b2 Find it here:https://www.whatsteroids.com/CoccaButter Those people who prefer oil-based products, they can go for bio-oil. This oil comprises of PurCellin oil and a lot of people have successfully prevented, reduced and eliminated stretch marks with this oil. Alternatively, you can go for natural oils also like olive oil and coconut oil, which both have a lot of antioxidants and nutrients that are absorbed by your skin. https://preview.redd.it/yzmi55flwdj51.jpg?width=199&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0617d42d3ace534b5a4d34387bc24995f602e90 Find it here:https://www.whatsteroids.com/Bio-Oil
How Can You Get Rid of your Stretch Marks Caused By Body Building?
In case of bodybuilders, often workout programs contradict with advice to prevent the stretch marks. But, if you are able to wait a little longer to achieve the gym targets, you can achieve your results still that you want while reducing the risk of the marks.
Continue The Preventative Methods
If you have got the stretch marks already, then you probably be searching for reducing the appearance and getting rid of these marks completely. So, continue using the preventive methods given above to prevent them. In particular, while using the topical products, sooner you begin, more efficiency you get.
Using Removal Cream For Stretch Mark
If you don’t have marks already, begin applying the removal cream as early as you see them. Ideally, it Is while they get to the red/purple stage as your skin starts to respond when they change their color. Massage your skin in a circular pattern as it encourages blood circulation within the skin, bringing nutrients and oxygen into the cell internally.
Light Therapy
https://preview.redd.it/07xbgqoswdj51.jpg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0be4a8b99fb60709df7605e9bb1dd081be007a5 Few light wavelengths are considered to help in healing. Infrared radiations that penetrate deep into the skin can heat up your skin at lower levels, enhancing cell processes as well as encouraging the creation of elastin and collagen which maintain skin suppleness. In therapy using red light, you can enhance the healing processes and get more effectiveness of the cream products for marks. You can do this at your home as there exist a lot of products in the market which is safe to use at home by untrained professionals. You can save that amount of cost which your dermatologist can change for the same treatment. IPL (intense pulsed light can also be very effective for removing the stretch marks). Read More:Nutrient Timing in a Bodybuilding Cycle: When, How Often and What to Eat
Microdermabrasion
This is used for reducing the stretch marks appearance by softening of skin area around them and evening your skin tone. It may not diminish the marks wholly if used alone, but therapies such as IPL can enhance the product absorption within your skin and bring out more results. You can microdermabrasion at home also, with at-home kits which are available in the market.
Procedures which reduce the appearance of Stretch Marks
There are certain procedures which work well in minimizing the stretch marks appearance, however, they don’t work perfectly. Why? You can never cure your marks. Having that said, one of the amazing treatment for these marks is to use a series of carbon dioxide treatment in the form of a laser directed on your skin. In response to the laser, your skin may develop an inflammatory response, which improves and heals the appearance of your stretch marks. Some lattice-like scars may develop within your skin but these aren’t really seeable from the top. Such treatment can improve the vigor of this deep layer in the skin and the appearance of your marks gets dulled out. Read More:Multivitamins and Bodybuilding Another option for reducing your mark’s appearance is Ultherapy. It is a skin tightening process in which a heat beam is used for burning a small hole deep in your skin. This hole is made not on top of your skin and its area depends on what is being treated. The main problem with this treatment is that when it is done on losing parts of the body like neck area. It can treat your marks up to a particular degree, however, results aren’t very much amazing. As a whole, you can look for the best preventative method for your stretch marks. It is better to cure them as early as possible to get the best results. If you maintain a healthy diet and avoid any rapid weight loss or gain, you can easily get rid of them.
[Routine Help] Looking for a product similar to Movis
I have very sensitive skin in that most face washes that I've tried break me out. The only face wash that hasn't has been Movis from lush. However as it's a natural product I find it really finicky, it tended to either dry out or if it got slightly too wet it would start to break down. This didn't use to be a problem as I could buy it in smaller cuts, but now you can only buy it in a full bar making it more of a waste of money when it stops being usable. I'm not very knowledgable on skin care so I've posted the ingredient list down below so if you know any affordable face washes with some similar ingredients I'd really appreciate some advice. This is my first time on this sub so if there is a problem with the format of this post please tell me.
Extra information I have slightly oily skin however it is in a generally good condition on my cheeks. On my forehead and chin, I have acne scarring. I am currently getting acne on my chin. I sometimes get the odd pimple elsewhere on my face (temple jawline etc). I tend to do better with products that aren't specifically for acne-prone skin.
Have had a general read of this sub but couldn't figure out how it best applies to my skin. I used to have horrible acne which I was on some hard medication for which I believe has left some scarring. I believe I have an oily skin type but I'm not sure. My routine is Cetaphil acne prone foam wash twice daily, Cetaphile acne prone oil free SPF25 moisturising lotion as a day cream, and palmers cocoa butter formula night cream. I have used bio oil in the past for scarring but am not sure if it will be adding too much oil to my already oily skin? Also do you think the night cream is too moisure heavy for oily skin? Thank you! Edit: my diet throughout the week is very good, basically no sugar is consumed at all. However on Friday/Saturday night I binge on ALOT of sugar, thought this may be of some importance to add :) https://preview.redd.it/55f9eif9fta51.jpg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=668182e8f890a18ab5791af23319d993e506c24f
hey so i'm huge. like, candidate for My 600 Lb Life huge. i'm trying to get some more control over my life and i'd like to work on increasing my skin care as part of that. (also my romantic life is starting to pick up, and i wanna look & be my freshest for that whole thing too ayyyy.) i've always been concerned with staying clean, and shower regularly w generic bar soaps; but i never cared too much about blemishes and dark spots or under-fold acne because depression & no one used to look at me naked & whatnot. i don't drink soda, or eat many refined sugars. i'm fat because i eat a whole lot, but i eat real food 95% of the time. i drink about a gallon of water a day, so i've always had pretty decent skin, especially in the face when i haven't been anxious and/or picking. i get compliments on how good my skin is, fairly regularly. but under my clothes... between skin folds and clogged pores/ingrown hairs and dermatillomania, my body is covered with small scars. specifically under my belly hang, and under my moobs. i'll sit and pick and squeeze at a blackhead under my moob until it's bloody, like a fucking crazy person. so hearing people compliment how lucky i am to have good skin makes me feel really shitty more often than it makes me feel good. i recently (on the guidance of my kid sister) started showering with exfoliating gloves and sugar scrubs and tea tree soaps and using witch hazel wipes to keep fresh. i regularly dry brush wherever i can reach. lotion with cocoa butter. i've got a Baby Foot peel in my amazon cart and i wanted to add a couple things to really kick my care into high gear. i was looking at the SAL3 Cleansing Bar, would that help? on the tmi side of things, i can easily reach pretty much every inch of my body with the exception of like, a small portion of the back of each of my thighs. and more specifically my left thigh. i have better dexterity to the right side. so my thighs/undercarriage is unfortunately my biggest problem area; bc of the shape of my body, and my (admittedly excessively) sedentary lifestyle. i don't get chub rub, but i do get like, inflamed ingrown hairs and the occasional large boil/pimple/blister type thing. i was just wondering if y'all could give me some further guidance to look and feel better? tl;dr big fat fatty needs a skin care regimen for his big fat body
[Product question] Has anyone used Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Massage lotion for the face?
Hello! For a 2 months now I have been applying Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Massage lotion for stretch marks on my face after my Neutrogena hydro boost water gel creme for dry skin. Does anyone else put this lotion on the face? My concern is the "oil" may be fragrance and I don't know if that's necessarily good to put on my face but I also think it can be good for healing acne scars. Thank you :)
[Review] Mini Reviews of everything I've purchased skincare-wise this year + salty regrets.
Like many others, this year was the year that I delved into my attempt at taking care of my skin. My interest started when I began a seasonal position at Lush in October of last year. Though I don’t use any of Lush’s skincare products now that I no longer work there (I don’t get that 50% discount anymore RIP), it definitely opened the door to me wanting to care for my skin. I’ve gone through quite a lot of products this year and I’m honestly afraid to even think about how much has been spent, but in the process, I discovered a lot about my skin. Like how it’s suddenly sensitive as hell, dehydrated, dry (though this one I always knew but didn’t do much about), Bare Minerals products break me the fuck out, I get hormonal acne, and I’m prone to CC’s in my forehead and PIH. I’m still in the process of finding what works for my skin and my wallet but, here’s this year’s roundup of products I’ve tried and my thoughts on each. This will definitely be a long one. I’ve broken it up into what my different routines have been this year. Did I look through all of my online orders on amazon and target to recall what all I bought this year? Maybe. My original routine prior to my delve into skincare:
Loreal Go 360 Clean Ideal Clean Deep Facial Cleanser For Sensitive Skin - My first official cleanser that wasn’t bar soap. I honestly was probably better off sticking to bar soap. This stripped my face so bad and I thought nothing of it. It always left my skin so tight and “squeaky clean.” The pH level is probably high as hell too but I just popped it on a shelf in my hallway and move on.
StridexRed Box - I’ve been using these for like…. 7 years and didn’t know they were on and poppin’. My mom tossed my brother and I our own jars to help with our acne. They really helped and my skin had no beef with it. I was even using them daily with no problem (you know outside of my skin being dry as hell already and not moisturizing properly but no biggie /s). I currently use these under my arms after a shower since every deodorant I’ve ever used except for one has caused these painful knots under my armpits and doing this helps manage things.
Either a stick of cocoa butter or some shea butter to moisturize - Honestly if I ever want to go bare bones I might just go back to this. I had no complaints or issues with just moisturizing with either of these, I just didn't do it enough. I use to just smear a stick of cocoa butter over my face before leaving out during the winter and that was perfect. Hmm…..
Now, I didn’t know anything about any skincare subreddits so I didn’t know the products I bought initially were popular. I just knew they were cheap, basic and supposed to be good for dry skin.
Cerave Hydrating Cleanser - My first gentle cleanser. My skin and wallet loved it so much for like the first month. Then all hell broke loose and it felt like acid was being smeared around my face every time I used it. I started getting clogged pores and I kept trying to make it work but eventually stopped using it completely. I gave it to my brother to use as a hydrating cleanser since he’s going through puberty and needed something gentle and hydrating on his dry skin while it went through its own hormonal hell changes. He likes it but made a point to tell me what the color and texture looks like when I first passed it off to him.
Thayer’s Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel with Rose and Aloe - I don’t remember why exactly I stopped using this. Maybe I got bored with it. I have no complaints about it and I’m pretty sure it helped with my CC’s and hormonal acne but I passed it off to a friend with oily skin and they loved it more than me.
iUnik Vitamin Hyaluronic Acid Vitalizing Toner - I think this is the other product that my skin had a sensitivity to the niacinamide in. It was a really hydrating toner, viscous asf and made my skin really “plump,” but it randomly started stinging my skin and even after cutting out Cerave for months, it still stung my skin so sis got trashed.
Cerave Daily Moisturizing Lotion - My first real moisturizer. Though looking back it wasn’t moisturizing enough on its own, I loved using this until my skin became sensitized and this burned too. A recent discussion I had with someone about how the niacinamide in Cerave products burns some peoples skin made me go back and test this out on patches of skin on my face. It no longer burns so I think maybe they were right and the reason it felt like all of Cerave products (even the ones without niacinamide) were burning my face was because I used them after the cleanser that did. Niacinamide may have been the culprit in the cleanser and another product I’ll get into below but it doesn’t seem to burn me in other products so who knows.
Biore Rich Watery UV Essence - I stumbled across this during one of many “Sunscreens for dark skin”/”Sunscreens that won’t show a white cast on darker skin” google searches. It was my first real sunscreen and honestly, I felt like a boss ass bitch when I used it. I could just smear this on and go about my day and not have to feel like I had 20 pounds of sticky goopy sunscreen on my face. Unfortunately, the alcohol in it dried my already dry skin out so I had to put this pretty little blue bottle on the shelf to use on my body until it emptied. The fragrance in it is kind of strong but lemon/orange fragrance doesn’t seem to bother my face (or should I say my nose because if I’m being completely honest, it’s the only thing on my face sensitive to fragrance). Odds are, it’s probably still on the shelf gathering dust since I replaced it with another sunscreen I use on my body.
CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion AM SPF 30 - I really hated this sunscreen. It pilled so damn badly no matter what I did and I just don’t understand what went wrong when making this product. The whitecast was really minimal and I could honestly ignore it if it weren’t for the constant white flakes it left all over my skin.
When I realized my skin was nope-ing the hell out of Cerave, I decided I was going to focus on products geared toward sensitive skin and healing (as you can probably tell by all of the centella asiatica based products)
Etude House Soon Jung pH 5.5 Relief Toner - A welcome change to all the havoc my skin had been through. Though it wasn’t super hydrating or moisturizing, I didn’t buy it for that purpose. I wanted something to help soothe all the irritation and this definitely did that. When I wanted moisture, I’d drop some squalane oil into it and was good to go. After my skin healed up, I decanted it into a mist bottle until I used it up. I might repurchase it if my skin ever goes through hell again.
Etude House Soon Jung 10 Free Moist Emulsion - I bought this to use as an additional hydrating step since I was traveling to a more drier state for a few weeks and was concerned about my skin drying out more than it already was. It was really lightweight but a bit moisturizing. I initially bought it in a travel size and then a full sized bottle, the latter of which was gifted to a friend when I phased it out of my routine.
Reddy Cerassol Cica Cream & Reddy Cerassol Cica Ampoule - I grouped these two together as my feelings about both are remotely the same. My nose could not get past the damn bergamot smell for me to actually enjoy how hydrating and moisturizing these products were. I used them for all of one week and just resorted to constantly smearing on the EH SJ emulsion throughout the day.
Neogen Dermalogy Real Cica Pad - I’m finally near the bottom of the jar of these and I got them in July. I only use them on lazy days, low-spoon days or during travel since I’ve been steering away from using cotton pads. I have no complaints about these. They’re refreshing to use, I love the smell and they’re moderately hydrating. If my skin were more normal, I could prob use them alone as a toner step but alas I have a desert face and I need layers. If Neogen made these into a toner, I’d totally just but the toner (as if I need any more damn toners).
Etude House Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream - Honestly the best moisturizer I’ve ever used. I really wish EH would just make this in a bigger tube. So far I’ve loved the entire damn line and I’ve talked about it so much I feel I deserve to be sponsored or something. It’s so moisturizing and soothing and my skin adores it. I could smear this on and go the whole day without worry. Flakes who? I don’t know her.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Serum - Like the Cerave products, Thayers toner, and Biore sunscreen, I didn’t know so many damn people were into this brand. I came across it on some youtube video and saw the price point and as a broke college student, I silently prayed I could just buy a couple of their products and never have to look elsewhere. Yet here we are, four months after I bought this and this is still the only TO product I’ve tried. 2019 might be different since I have some ideas on what I want to add (oh boy). Anyways, I started using this upon realizing that the Stridex pads I had dug out of the closet and started using were definitely from 2006…. Yikes. My skin was fine and all but I wasn’t comfortable continuing to use them after knowing they were old as hell. This serum basically does the same damn thing. I just use it as a spot treatment and it helps manage what acne pops up, clear up my CC’s and de-clog my nose.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Cream Cleanser - I got this from Marshall’s and it burned my face and smelled like alcohol and I stopped using it immediately. I should check to see if there’s any niacinamide in it. I cross checked the ingredients with the Cerave cleanser and don’t recall anything sticking out that wasn’t already in my other products.
Acure Argan Oil - Too greasy. Didn’t really sink in. Great in my hair though.
Sioris Cleansing Me Softly Milk Cleanser - The goddamn bergamot smell. Returned immediately. Didn’t pass go. Didn’t collect $200 dollars and for damn sure didn’t put it on my face.
And now we’re onto the products that I’ve tried in the last four months. We’ll start with what didn’t work.
Dr. Jart Ceramidin Liquid(Old Formulation) - I heard a lot of good stuff about this product for dry and dehydrated skin that I’ve been side-eyeing the hell out of seeing alcohol so high up on the list, so I found a one ounce travel size to try and upon opening it up and taking a whiff, I knew it was a no from me dog. I knew there was bergamot oils or extracts in it and I still played myself but wanting to try it. It felt nice on my hand but I couldn’t bring myself to even patch test it. I really want to try the new formulation of the cream but I’m afraid of how “herbal” the scent is. The super “fun” part is that I ended up with six 1 oz bottles I didn’t want even though when I bought it, the listing only said there was one. Thankfully they found good homes except for the one I opened which is now on a shelf until I figure out what to do with it.
Banila Co Miss Flower and Mr. Honey Cream - So I bought sample sizes of this fancy ass vaseline and I was, to say the least, underwhelmed and overwhelmed at the same time. Underwhelmed because of how little it actually does both as a moisturizer and as an occlusive (I tried using it as a both in different testing periods), but overwhelmed by how strong the honey fragrance is. It actually gave me a headache and now I have five more sample jars sitting with the rest of my skincare mocking me because I made the dumb decision to buy six since it was cheaper than just buying one (“what if I like it and have to wait another month to get a new one?”). You were foolish and now you look goofy sis.
Klairs Rich Moist Face Soap - Surprisingly, the essential oil at the bottom of the ingredients list didn’t irritate my nose but the soap stung my face. Now I use it as a regular body soap and I love it. It smells amazing and that’s all I need in a body soap. So technically this worked but not for its intended purpose.
CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion - I bought this while waiting on the Black Girl Sunscreen (mentioned below) to come in the mail and passed it off to my brother. It is lightweight and doesn’t leave a cast. I just didn’t like the smell or how small the bottle was (1.7 ounces).
And finally, the products that are in my current collection that I rotate through
Stratia Soft Touch 10% Mandelic Acid Serum - My first AHA. I bought a decant of it in order to test the waters with chemical exfoliation and although it worked well and didn’t irritate my skin, it’s currently winter so I’ve stopped the use of actives. I’ll probably stick to this as my only form of AHA and not go further as I don’t want to mess around and mess my skin up. I don’t even need an AHA at this point but this is nice for acne and PIH so I may just use it as a spot treatment rather than all over until the weather gets back to being humid and warm come spring.
Stratia Liquid Gold - I can understand the hype behind this. Oddly enough, I really love the smell of this even though it just smells… lotion-y. I currently use it as a booster for my moisturizers rather than layering it alone because this puppy was $24 and I’m gonna make it s t r e t c h. I’d like to say that this was some magical cure for my dry skin but nah she’s still dry. This has just helped curve the dryness for longer. I probably won’t repurchase it since in a perfect world my budget for a skincare product would be like $20 and I don’t feel I necessarily need it. I’m also really glad I bought it after the repackaging because I definitely dropped this and cracked the airless pump bottle slightly. If it were the glass bottle this would have shattered like my hopes and dreams.
Matsuyama Hadauru Moisturizing Infusion Balancing Toner - I keep trying to phase this out of my routine for no real reason except that I want to try new things sometimes but realistically, this is one of my favorite products of what I’ve purchased this year. It’s a nice ceramide toner that leaves my skin visibly moisturized and hydrated. As long as I remember to continuously apply several layers when I do my routine, it really contributes to my skin maintaining hydration and moisture throughout the day. It really helped combat the flakes brought on by the winter weather and odds are, in the end, I’ll keep this as my sole toner.
Matsuyama Hadauru Moisturizing Cream - I didn’t want to buy the supposed Holika Holika Good Cera cream since it has essential oils at the bottom and I’ve learned my lesson (for now) to save myself a headache. This is a nice cream, it isn’t necessarily rich but it has a lightweight pudding texture to it. I prefer to use this during humid hot weather when my skin doesn’t need as much moisture as it does now in the winter. It still doesn’t replace the EH SJ cream but it could still sit at the table with us.
Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30 - This is a nice, moisturizing sunscreen. My only true complaint is that it’s too thick for me to want to wear every day on top of the other products in my routine, but I could also skip everything except a toner and just use this since it’s both moisturizing and occlusive at the same time. Right now it’s a body sunscreen but when I move up north, it might make it back into my regular routine when the winter rolls around and my skin is faced with below freezing temperatures and snow. It also has a sunscreen-y smell that I could live without but it’s sunscreen so I can’t be mad at it for smelling as I expected it to.
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser - So this is the first cleanser I’ve used this year that I’ve gotten to love and adore. I have literally nothing to complain about when it comes to this product (except for Glossier’s “bougie” ass price). I love it so much that I almost - ALMOST - fell for Glossier’s BS. I love the rose scent and it leaves my skin so hydrated, a beautiful change from everything it’s gone through when it comes to cleansers this year. As long as it stays in stock, I won’t be buying another cleanser. This one is it.
Rosehip seed oil - I took the label off my bottle because, well it looked ugly, so I don’t know the brand of this but I got it from Marshall’s. There’s also sweet-almond oil in this but regardless, I love this oil. I use to just put a few dainty drops on my skin but that wasn’t doing anything and I wasn’t making a dent in the bottle. Now I take enough to smear all over and massage in before moisturizing and it’s the best. I don’t think it’s done anything for my acne scars of this annoying spot of hyperpigmentation near my mouth, but it’s helped with the dryness without making me greasy so I love it a lot.
I’m From Honey Cream - I got this during Wishtrend’s Black Friday sale just so I could get free shipping. It’s a pretty rich cream and so far it feels pretty damn moisturizing. I haven’t been using it long enough to be confident in my feelings about it, but I think it’s nice. I plan on decanting it into an airless pump because today I dropped my Matsuyama Hadauru cream that I’d put in a jar and saw my life flash before my eyes and don’t want to go through that again.
Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence SPF 50 PA ++++ - I haven’t used this much since I’ve been working night shifts and staying home so I haven’t been getting more than 10 minutes of sun exposure but on days that I have used this, it makes my skin feel really soft and adds a little moisturizer. I love the fact that the bottle is almost 3 ounces because I’m sick of all these tiny ass sunscreens. It’s definitely cosmetically elegant so it doesn’t feel like I’m slathering a heavy cream on my face and it has a slight citrusy smell but I can’t exactly tell. Regardless I like it and I’ll continue to use it.
Hanskin Hyaluron Skin Essence - I really didn’t need to buy this but that pretty much sums up a lot of my purchases this year. This is a nice hydrating toner. Although watery, it still feels and looks viscous compared to my other toner. I use this on really busy days the most since I can put like two layers and be set. I don’t think it’s anything suuuuuper special, especially not to pay $40 for, but I only paid $20 and for 300ml I can make room in my routine for it. Currently, when I have the time to do a full routine, I like to layer my other toner four times and this one three times before using my rosehip seed oil. I never thought about using two toners in a routine and if I didn’t buy this one in the first place I probably would never have done it but I like this method a lot and it definitely helps with my dehydration a lot.
After a year, my skin has gone from dry and dehydrated regularly to more normal with some dryness and dehydration in certain areas depending upon the day, the weather, and any changes I make to my skin. I think I’ve sketched out what my standard routine will be and I have an idea of what I plan to add to it in the future. I definitely plan to enforce a damn no-buy on myself in the coming year but all of my purchases have been so spaced out that realistically it’s had no real effect on me financially. I’m just dramatic and regretful. Anyways, here’s my current routine: AM:
Cold water rinse + gentle exfoliation with washcloth
Either the Hanskin toner, the Matsuyama toner or both
Rosehip seed oil
Etude House Soon Jung Cream
Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence when needed
PM
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser
Toner
Rosehip seed oil
Either the EH SJ cream or the I’m From Honey cream mixed with Aquaphor
I’m currently awaiting the Missha Near Skin Total Ceramide Cream to come in the mail and if meets my standards, I’ll probably stick to just that and the EH cream. The only products I plan on adding to my routine in 2019 are The Ordinary’s Granactive Retinoid 2% in Emulsion (but only after I get this moisturizing down), The Ordinary's Amino Acid + b5 and a Vitamin C serum. I’m thinking the Melano CC just to spot treat my hyperpigmentation. Either way, I’ll probably be adding them six months apart from one another and not allowing myself to buy anything else it isn’t just me repurchasing parts of my routine lol. Anyways this took me three hours and I was supposed to be asleep four hours ago, so I hope y’all enjoyed my 3AM skincare ramblings. [Sidenote: Damn this is a lot of AB. I didn't even realize it.]
Stretch marks, also called striae, they occur when your skin changes shape quickly due to weight gain. They aren’t a sign that anything is wrong with your health. Both men and women can get stretch marks. Pregnancy and puberty are the two most common reason to get stretch marks. https://preview.redd.it/5p31lt1uys041.jpg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ccc75b9610e834ec125d4bd4066a27d0e0bda73 At first, a stretch mark will appear as a cracked red or purple line on your skin that takes on a different consistency than the surrounding skin layer. Ultimately, most stretch marks fade and take on a lighter or almost gleaming and become shiny. Getting rid of stretch marks in an entirely natural way isn’t possible. They’re a type of scarring that seldom fades enough to become invisible. However, there are some remedies that can help minimize the look of stretch marks and help them to fade more speedily. Tips to get rid of stretch marks (1)SCAR REMOVAL – SCAR REVISION Scars are visible signs that remain after a wound has healed. They are the unavoidable results of injury or surgery. Poor healing may contribute to scars that are obvious, unappealing or disfiguring. Even a wound that heals well can result in a scar that affects our appearance. Scars may be noticeable due to their size, shape or location; they can also be raised or depressed and may differ in colour or texture from the surrounding healthy tissue. Scar revision is plastic surgery performed to improve the condition or appearance of a scar anywhere on our body. Scar revision is a very common procedure that can improve the condition or appearance of a scar in any part of the body. (2)LASER SCAR REMOVAL It is very important to consult a good dermatologist before going for Laser Scar Removal. Experts performing laser treatment should know one's medical history. Everyone is unique. To treat a scar effectively, the dermatologist will analyze the skin type, characteristics of scar, and overall health. Laser Scar removal prevents a raised scar from forming again post-surgery. It helps reduce scar pain and itching in the area. Laser treatment for scars can reduce the appearance of warts, skin wrinkles, age spots, scars, and keloids. It doesn’t completely remove a scar. (3)ACNE SCAR REMOVAL Nobody wants to miss out on the "best" treatment. But when it comes to treating acne scars, there is often no single "best" solution that applies to an individual or to every acne scar. Differences in location, depth, size, and a number of scars all affect treatment decisions. A dermatologist can analyze and suggest the best available option for each individual. (4) Cocoa butter - Cocoa butter is also quite effective for stretch marks. It will hydrate your skin and make it smoother. It penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin and replenishes and repairs damaged cells. (5) Shea butter - Apart from being highly moisturizing for the skin, shea butter possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. (6) Castor oil - Castor oil is used frequently to treat skin diseases and hair fall. It comprises of ricinoleic acid, a skin-conditioning agent that fastens the healing of stretch marks and makes them appear a lot lighter. (7) Vitamin E oil, and other moisturizers: - Vitamin E oil is commonly found in creams and lotions used to remove scars and prevent skin ageing. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that nourish the skin, keep it healthy, and also aid in the process of healing scars and stretch marks. It also protects the skin from UV radiation to a certain extent. (8) Drink plenty of water because the skin tends to lose its elasticity when it is dehydrated. Have a nutritional diet (9) Eat skin-healthy food to ensure your skin gets the requisite nutrients to heal and recover. A decent diet will help the skin remain healthy. Permanent Removal of Stretch Marks According to the doctors of Clinic Dermatech, all the above listed methods will help reduce the appearance of stretch marks, whether in males or females, whether the cause of appearance is weight gain or pregnancy or exercise. The only sure way to reduce stretch marks is by surgery. Plastic surgeons perform operations wherein the stretch marks are removed by cutting out the skin where the stretch marks are and stretching the skin to cover it up. The other way is to pull the skin down and hiding the stitches line in the pubic area in case of stretch marks caused by pregnancy. At Clinic Dermatech, all stretch marks removal surgeries are conducted by leading plastic surgeons who are experts in this area and have many hours of experience under their belt. All surgeries take place in state-of-the-art procedure rooms and complete care is taken of hygiene and post-operative care. Clinic Dermatech understands that that a client may desire privacy and non-disclosure of the same and adheres to the highest standards of ethics
Best Products for Common Skin Concerns Series: OILY SKIN and ACNE
Second in my series aimed at compiling recommendations offered from members of the AB community for addressing common skin concerns. If you missed it, the first of the series can be found here: ROSACEA, REDNESS, and IRRITATION Products, tips, or advice that come up frequently will be listed in bold. I have grouped everything that's toner -> ampoule since the lines can get kind of blurry in those categories, and oil-based and foaming cleansers are also grouped. I have included Western products in order to be inclusive of the advice found on this subreddit. I have tried to place those items lower on the list in each category to give prominence to Asian items, given the nature of this sub. Please feel free to add to the comments - if you see your HG for acne isn't listed, tell me! I would love for this to be a working document that is edited as needed, so we can also consider converting into a similar format as it exists over on SkinCareAddiction PLEASE NOTE:What follows is a compilation of the advice given on this subreddit to address conditions associated with cystic and comedonal acne and breakouts. It is not a substitute for medical advice or the advice of a dermatologist, nor are they indicative of my own preferences or what I would personally advise. Before trying any new product, it behooves you to check ingredient lists, take note of personal or individual sensitivities, patch test, and introduce only one new product at a time. IF YOU HAVE A FEVER, SEVERE HEADACHE OR NECK STIFFNESS, EYE IRRITATION, LIP OR OTHER FACIAL SWELLING, PLEASE LEAVE THE INTERNET AND SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION FROM A HUMAN BEING. IN PERSON. For those of you experiencing hormonal outbreaks, its important to communicate this with your healthcare provider. Hormonal acne may be a sign of other endocrine/hormonal issues that should be evaluated by a medical professional. Please do not rely on Dr. Internet for addressing issues of hormonal imbalance. Another Note: This list proved quite difficult to compile, given that many contributors with oily/acne-prone skin are using multiple actives and/or retinoids to treat their skin. As such, many use products to restore a depleted moisture barrier that may prove far too heavy for someone with oily skin who is NOT using these treatments. I strongly urge use of this list merely as a starting point, and advise looking at the original threads for additional details. In the meantime, I do plan on doing a separate post for "tretface," overexfoliation, or an otherwise damaged moisture barrier, so stay tuned!
Cleansers
It's Skin Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil
Kose Softmymo Speedy Cleansing Oil
Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil - note that some users experienced breakouts from use of this product; as always, patch test and check ingredient lists for known sensitivities before use
Banila Co Clean It Zero Purity
Shu Uemura Brightening Cleansing Oil (blue bottle)
The Face Shop Rice Cleansing Oil
Hada Labo Gokujyun Foaming cleanser
Hada Labo ES Foaming cleanser
COSRX Low pH Good Morning Cleanser
Tosowoong Enzyme Powder Wash Cleanser
Acwell 5.5 Bubble-Free pH Balancing Cleanser
Himalaya Neem Gel Cleanser
Cerave Foaming Face Wash
Derma-E Hydrating Cleanser
Bifesta Cleansing Lotion Moist
Actives
Read here and here for more about how to incorporate actives into your AB routine
OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum
COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid
Papa Recipe White Flower Clear Up 8% AHA Gel
COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel
Stridex Maximum Strength - BHA
Spironolactone - women with hormonal acne only, oral, RX
Curology - RX, tele-dermatology service to address acne or aging, with semi-tailored skin cream often containing a trio of ingredients, often including tretinoin, azaleic acid, clindamycin, zinc, niacinamide, vitamin C. Here's a thread on where Curology or other retinoid prescriptions should go in your AB routine
Tretinoin - RX
Differin (adapalene) - RX
Epiduo (adapalene + benzoyl peroxide) - RX
Cleocin/Clindoxil (topical clindamycin) - RX
Azaleic acid - RX
Accutane - RX
Derma-E Tea Tree and E Oil
Toners/Essences/Serums/Ampoules
Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Cleansing Toner
CosRX AHA/BHA Toner
Mamonde Rose Water Toner
Kikumasamune Sake Skin Lotion Moist -Japanese lotions are actually watery-toner consistency, meaning this and the Hadalabo lotions are going to be used at the hydrating toner step
Hadalabo Gokujyn Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
Benton Snail Bee High Content Toner
Secret Key Milk Brightening Toner
Benton Honest Tea Tree Mist - used as toner
COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol - many also use this product as a spot treatment
LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence
COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Power Essence
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
SKII First Treatment Essence
It's Skin Power 10 Formula VB Effector
Holy Snails Shark Sauce - note that some experience breakouts with this product, though many attribute this to sensitivities to the sea kelp component - as with all new products, patch test
Be the Skin Botanical Pore Serum
Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum
Skinfood Peach Sake Pore Serum
COSRX Centella Blemish Ampoule
Scinic Snail AIO Ampoule
Scinic Honey AIO Ampoule - compare Snail and Honey AIO's here
Scinic Aqua All In One Ampoule
Vita Propolis Repair Ampoule
Tosowoong Propolis Sparkle Ampoule
Sulwhasoo Herblinic Ampoules
Emulsions/Gels/Milks/Creams
Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Milk
Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Ferment Milk
Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion
Sulwhasoo 'Timetreasure' Emulsion
Rosette Ceramide Gel
Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel
Dr. Lin Skincare Daily Hydrating Gel
COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All-In-One Cream
Mizon Black Snail All-in-One Cream
CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM
Vichy Normaderm Night Detox
Papulex Acne Oil-free Cream
COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream
Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream
Sulwhasoo GOA cream
Freeset Donkey Milk 3D cream
Kuan Yuan Lian Aloe Moisturizing Cream
Mizon Hyaluronic Ultra Suboon Cream
COSRX Centella Blemish Cream - may be used as spot treatment
Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Fresh Watery Cream
Facial Oils
Goodal Waterest Lasting Water Oil
Marula Pure Marula Oil
Sleeping Packs
COSRX Ultimate Honey Sleeping Mask
Too Cool for School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack
Naruko Tea Tree Oil Out Night Gelly
Naruko Raw Job's Tears Night Gelly
Masks
My Beauty Diary sheet masks - Black Pearl, Apple Polyphenol, Strawberry Yogurt
Leaders Insolution AC-Dressing sheet mask
Benton Snail Bee High Content sheet mask
Tony Moly I'm Real Masks in Tea Tree (for acne) and Rice (for brightening)
The Face Shop Real Nature Mung Bean Sheet Mask
Sunscreen
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF50+ Pa++++
Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50+ PA++++
Biore UV Aqua Rich Smooth Watery Gel SPF50+ /PA++++
Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++
Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel for Body and Face SPF32/PA+++
Shiseido Urban Environment UV Protector Extra Mild SPF30/PA+++
Nivea Sun Protect Plus UV Milky Essence
Peripera Oil Capture Peach Sun SPF50+ PA+++
Secret Key Snail Repairing Sun Cream
Kose Sekkisei Sun Protect Essence Milk SPF50+/PA++++
EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
Paula's Choice Resist Super-Light Wrinkle Defense
Spot Treatments
Cosrx Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol - often used as a spot treatment, though some have success using it as a toner
Ciracle Red Spot Cream
Mizon Acence Blemish Out Pink Spot
Hydrocolloid patches
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch
3M Nexcare
Band-Aid Tough Pads Hydrocolloid Adhesive Pads
Makeup
The Face Shop Face It Primer Velvet Skin
Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer
Sofina Primavista Long Keep Base UV SPF20 primer
Innisfree No Sebum mineral powder
Skinfood Peach Sake Pore Pact
Chacott finishing powder
ZA Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation
Clinique Stay-Matte Oil-Free foundation
Revlon Colourstay Liquid Foundation
Almay Smart Shade powder
Brands/Product Lines
Zymogen
Innisfree Green Tea line
The Face Shop Chia Seed line
Chica Y Chico
Supplements
Evening Primrose Oil
For women with hormonal acne, some see results with spearmint tea or spearmint capsules
Ingredients
Tea tree
Snail
Bee venom
Honey
Propolis
Vit C - for scarring
Centella asiatica
Oils high in linoleic acid - grapeseed, hemp seed, sunflower, wheat germ, borage, evening primerose, rosehip
AVOID oils high in oleic acid - almond, macademia, olive, camelia (tea) seed, avocado, most butters (mango, shea, cocoa, avocado, etc.)
DO'S/DON'TS
Give products time and don't switch around to quickly. It can be easy to want a quick fix, but most products that address acne or problem skin take TIME and consistency.
Remember even if you are generally acne free, you can still get a breakout now and then and it doesn't mean the products have failed. It's better to look at acne in an overall general improvement kind of way, rather than all or nothing, otherwise you are going to feel like you're failing constantly (u/TrishBrennan)
Make sure to rule out dehydration/compromised moisture barrier as the cause of your acne. Acne can be caused by many things (diet, allergy, hormones, even fungus!) but the easiest version to cure is the one caused by dehydrated, overworked skin. (u/Daheep)
Be careful to avoid overexfoliation, which can make your acne worse. Many acne patients, especially those familiar with the classic Western medical approach to acne can be over-exuberant with their exfoliators, leading to a compromised moisture barrier, which can lead to more reactive skin. The AB (and in many ways, SCA) approach is far more gentle, aiming to treat acne-prone skin with hydration and only using as much exfoliation as necessary.
Stop all other actives when starting prescription acne treatments, namely chemical exfoliants or any other potentially irritating parts of your routine.
Make sure you have a solid base routine with a good moisturizer before starting prescription treatment, as many prescriptions can rapidly and drastically deplete your moisture barrier. A healthy moisture barrier is critical to clear skin.
Sometimes it's not about ADDING something, but about ELIMINATING an offending ingredient. Try to identify what products and ingredients help your skin and which seem to make it worse. Sometimes acne can actually be irritation in disguise.
If starting a retinoid/rx medication/AHA, USE SUNSCREEN
Many ABers will swear by techniques and approaches that may seem counter-intuitive to the unintitiated, such as using oil cleansers as a first step, applying facial oils, and moisturizing the skin. People with oily skin general fear oils in most of their forms, so it can be difficult to feel comfortable applying oils to the face or moisturizing creams. That feeling is normal, feel free to try different suggestions and techniques depending on comfort level, but try to keep an open mind.
Check your make up application tools (brushes, Beauty Blender) - these may be a source of bacteria and mold that could be at the route of your skin problems. Make sure you wash these tools thoroughly and regularly and let dry completely between uses.
Sanitize your cell phone
Change your pillow case twice a week or use a t-shirt over your pillow
Use new face towel every day
Avoid picking or touching your face (hydrocolloid patches can help with this)
Practice positive affirmations
If you want to truly mimic how they do things in Korea, go see a dermatologist, especially one that specializes in aesthetic dermatology. Koreans are much more likely to see a dermatologist for even minor breakouts. Of course, accessibility and affordability are an issue for many, so of course, this may be easier said than done.
Get some sleep already!
EDITORIAL COMMENT This is the topic that is probably covered the most thoroughly here on Reddit, giving that the demographic likely skews younger. After reading through thousands of comments and posts on this topic, the major takeaway for the AB approach to acne is to use an Asian-style routine (double cleansing, multiple hydrating layers, gentle approach, use of whitening/brightening products that also have anti-inflammatory effects) in conjunction with prescription medications. Retinoid based treatments can be very harsh on the skin's moisture barrier, and lucky for those of us who are AB enthusiasts, we have multiple tools at our disposal to replenish lost hydration and provide the necessary occlusion to keep that moisture in the skin. While you can of course try maxing out your OTC exfoliation, the fastest route to clear skin is very likely going to be to see a dermatologist, and then using your AB routine to deal with the aftermath. Many, many respondents have said that the single most effective change that cleared their acne was seeing a dermatologist
[Shelfie] My face has been my personal R&D lab for the last 3 years, and this is the current catalogue.
https://preview.redd.it/8e5wxcrrzd831.jpg?width=5184&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8d08dba1758366d2b4337cd4c8a8df41055fe8b First time poster, long time lurk! Skin type, skin concerns, and skin goals: Dry to combination 28 year old lady skin with sensitivity and eczema, mainly concerned with acne, scarring, and a little anti-aging. Goals include fading my acne scarring into the abyss and repairing some of the damage that I've inadvertently caused over the years via anxiety and crappy nylon tools (more on that below). It was kind of shocking to see all of my skincare collected in one place, as I usually keep them in a few different places - it's a lot more than I thought it was hahaha. But seeing it all together reminded me of how many other products I have tried and how many years it took me to settle into these ones. My skin isn't perfect, but it's better than it has been in a very, very long time, and I'm slowly healing some of the damage! THE ROUTINE
GlamGlow Supermud. Oil and acne control. AM or PM, approximately x1/week. At first I really, really hated this mask. If you don't like the smell of liquorice, this is just torture for 20 minutes. BUT I couldn't deny the fact that it's really made a difference in my oil production, and it's a phenomenal spot treatment. I rely on this at least once a week to keep my acne in check - usually no more than twice a week as it can dry you out. Plus it's SUPER satisfying to see the little oil patches on your face as it sucks the gunk out of your face.
Lush Tea Tree Water. Toner. AM, daily. I've been really picky about toners over the last few years, and have been through a fair few of them that break me right out. The ingredient deck for this agrees with my skin, and it dries down really nicely. The tea tree controls my oiliness, and has made a big difference in my breaking out during the day. Rather than wiping it on with a cotton pad, I mist it on and pat it into my skin.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. Toner. PM, daily. Mild chemical exfoliator to help with my acne scarring, and I find it keeps my pores fairly clean. I can always tell when I have neglected to use it the night before - I find my skin is a little duller. This one I apply with reusable cotton pads and let it dry down.
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Deep Dive. Cleanser. AM and PM, daily. My OG, ride or die cleanser. A little pricey, but it's worth every freakin' dollar for me. It smells wonderful, foams up nicely, and leaves my skin feeling clean but hydrated. I usually have issues with cleansers where they either strip me bare, or they leave me feeling gunky. Deep Dive leaves my skin feeling clean and festively plump.
The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA. Serum. PM, daily. Using this to reduce the look of wrinkles. I usually combine a drop of this with the alpha arbutin and 2 drops of the pineapple-c serum and pat into my face. I've found this has made a noticeable difference in the lines in my forehead. It is a little sticky, but if you let it sink into your skin, that goes away.
The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA. Serum. PM, daily. Using this to reduce the acne scarring on my face. I used to be awful with the picking and popping - THANKS ANXIETY. So combined with the fact that my skin breaks out for no good reason at all, I was in a lot of trouble for a long time. This has reduced the scarring, and I intend to keep using it! Much like the matrixyl, it's sticky after being applied, but it does sink in if you give it time.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution. Spot treatment. As needed. This is a new addition to the squad, and I'm actually really impressed. Salicylic acid used to make my skin peel when I was younger, but this apparently agreeable for me now. Great for a pimple that sneaks up out of no where.
Foreo Luna Mini 2. Cleanser tool. AM and PM, daily. Luna and I came together after a misunderstanding over cleansing tools. After nearly ruining my skin with a nylon brush-based tool - my skin was the worst it had been in years, I was spending money on stupid expensive products trying to save my face, and lo and behold, when I left the brush at home during vacation, my skin didn't get better, but it also didn't get worse! UNHEARD OF, AT THE TIME. I saved up and bought myself this gem. It is absolutely one of my favourite things that I own for my skin now - it cleans whatever I've put on my face that day straight off better than my hands ever have, and my chronic acne issues around my cheeks has reduced by at least 80%.
Supergoop! Everyday Suncreen. Sunscreen. AM, daily. This is a newer product for me, but I think I have finally found a sunscreen that doesn't break me out horribly. It smells nice, goes on smooth, and sinks into the skin without any trouble. I was out in the sun all this weekend, and I am happy to report that my face is unburnt! Definitely something I will be making a trip to the States for again!
Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate. Face oil. AM, daily. I added this one into my roster about a year and a half ago when I was trying to deal with unbearably dry skin. This keeps my skin really nicely hydrated and glowy during the day without getting too oily. Plus it smells A+. I've never had any breakout issues with this oil.
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Face oil. PM, daily. This one was added at the same time as the daily reviving concentrate, and does much of the same. The smell is very lavender heavy, which I actually don't enjoy so much, but I know some people do. I actually put it on my sunburnt shoulders the other night, and it was quite helpful and hydrating. I've also never had any breakout issues with this oil.
Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Brightening Serum. Serum. PM, daily. Another new product within the last few months, but I am SHOCKED by how glowy my skin is when I use it at night. It does go on a little sticky, but much like the alpha arbutin and the matrixyl, it sinks in after a few minutes of patience. The smell is sort of like grilled pineapple and I'm obsessed with it. Not to mention the fact that the component is the freakin' cutest.
GlamGlow DreamDuo. Serum / moisturizer. PM, daily. This was one of my first real serums / moisturizers, and I just can't give it up at this point. Does an excellent job of hydrating my skin, and it smells AMAZING. It leaves my face unbearably soft the next morning, and is very much worth the splurge to me.
Tarte Drink of H2O. Moisturizer. AM and sometimes PM, daily. Ride or die daily moisturizer. Leaves my skin feeling hydrated without feeling greasy or weighty. The smell is so fresh and the gel feels really good on the skin. I usually combine this with my daily reviving concentrate and pat all over my skin.
The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter. Makeup remover. As needed. This was recommended to me by a friend, and I will never use another makeup remover. You don't need very much to make it work, and it strips everything off your face, all while preventing your skin from feeling tight and dry. I've not had any issues with removing full face makeup, regular or waterproof. Also super affordable, which is awesome.
Pixi Glow Peel Pads 20% Glycolic Acid. Chemical exfoliator. PM, x1/week. Basic pads to swipe onto the face, leave for 3 minutes and then rinse with cold water. I've really been enjoying this as an exfoliator over the last year.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. Lip care. PM, daily. I work in a really cold environment, so my lips get fairly chapped. I originally tried this as a sample, and then I basically had to buy the full product. Smells heavenly and leaves my lips soft and hydrated. It also comes with a super cute silicone scoop if you don't want to stick your finger right into the jar.
Skinfix Dermatitis Face Balm. Eczema spot treatment. AM or PM, as needed. This one is brand new as of yesterday to the roster, but I have the most irritating patch of eczema in my left nasolabial fold. My hope is that it helps keep the inflammation down and the hydration in - I'm starting to get some really pronounced lines on the one side, so I would like to mitigate that if at all possible.
Jack Black Moisture Therapy Lip Balm. Lip care. AM and PM, as needed. Brand new to the roster, but I figured if I'm protecting the rest of my face, I may as well protect my lips, too. I like the mint so far, and it's not too glossy. Very moisturizing. I'm looking forward to test driving this at the beach this weekend!
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye. Eye cream. PM, nightly. I tried a few creams before this one, and I'm pretty sold on this stuff. It's not too heavy and doesn't leave me feeling too greasy. A little also goes a long way, so I don't mind the price tag for the little tube. I have seen a difference in my crowsfeet and a pesky little line under my eye, so that is encouraging.
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil. Spot treatment. AM or PM, as needed. One of the first products I ever put on my face that I actually liked. It's really nice for taking down inflammation on pimples. I actually used it on my legs once when I really pissed them off with shaving - all the angry red spots were gone in the morning.
[not pictured] Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter. Lip care. AM and PM, as needed. After finally figuring out that a Nivea lip balm was giving me horrific dry, cracked skin that was like eczema but wasn't, I swapped over to plain ol' Vaseline. It smells great, keeps my skin hydrated, and doesn't give me mouth eczema. What more can I ask for? I do not know.
[not pictured] COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch. Spot treatment. AM or PM, as needed. These are just little hydrocolloid dressings that you stick onto a pimple. Honestly I was completely sold on these after a bad bout of picking a monster pimple left me with a nasty spot - it had calmed down and was flat and flesh-coloured by the next morning. I do find they work better on an open "wound" more than a closed pimple, and they're also more effective on a whitehead than they are an underground demon. But I will definitely repurchase these, they are a staple now.
[not pictured] Lush Dark Angels. Physical exfoliator. AM or PM, x1/week. A really nice, clean label product. The sugar and charcoal are such effective exfoliators, and my skin always feels so fresh and soft after using it. It is marketed as a regular facial cleanser, but my skin is too sensitive for daily use, as much as I would like to. I would suggest cleansing after use or wiping your face down with a toner, as it does leave a little bit of a charcoal film.
Hi everyone, long time lurker here, posting for the first time ever on reddit! I use predominantly TFS products for my skincare routine, mostly because I currently work part-time there and I get some pretty steep employee discounts, but I haven't really seen as many reviews for these products on AB, particularly the Therapy Line, so I thought it might be helpful to share some of my own personal experiences using these products, for anyone who might be interested in trying them out! For reference, I have combination/non-sensitive skin that can handle pretty much every skincare ingredient, and my skin has been starting to feel a little more on the dry side with the change in seasons recently.
1) The Therapy Anti-Aging Cushion (N203 Natural Beige) The cushion I was using before this one was the Laneige BB Cushion in 23, and I wasn't a huge fan on how it felt like it just stayed on top of my face and didn't really set (eg. I would lightly dab at my itchy nose and I could see exactly where I had dabbed off my makeup). I'm a huge fan of the therapy cushion so far; it starts off really shiny at first, which made me panic because I thought I might end up looking like a disco ball, but it dried off to a demi-matte finish by the time I'd finished my makeup routine, it set really well and didn't rub off as easily as my previous cushion! It does a good job of blurring imperfections and slightly masks the size of my pores, but it only has a light-medium coverage so I always finish off with concealer around my dark circles and hyperpigmentation. Another con is that it does tend to get a little oily around my t-zone after a few hours, so it might not be great for oily skin. N203 is a good color match for 23 in most BB shades, and I haven't noticed any heavy oxidization throughout the day, yay!
2) The Therapy First Serum Let me just start off by saying this; if I didn't have my employee discount, I probably wouldn't have bought this for the full price of $50 CAD, this is mad pricey for a first essence that doesn't really have any remarkable ingredients in it (ie. fermented goodies/snail/propolis etc). It does a pretty good job of adding that extra boost of hydration if you already have an established skincare routine, but doesn't really add any other benefit, and I won't be rebuying this after I'm done with this bottle.
3) The Therapy Moisturizing Tonic Treatment This is supposed to be an all-in-one tonetreatment/emulsion, but I just treat it like a normal moisturizing toner in my skincare routine, right after my first essence. It has a slightly tacky feel when you first put it on, but it absorbs fairly quickly, and leaves my face feeling really hydrated and soft! I've tested this on a dry red patch on my leg and it helped reduce the scaliness and redness overnight. It does leave a slightly filmy feeling on the face afterwards though, so if you're not a big fan of that feeling, I wouldn't recommend this product for you.
4) Belif Classic Essence Increment So this isn't technically a Face Shop product, but we're selling the Belif line in stores now, so I was able to get my hands on this essence to give it a try. It's more a light lotion-type consistency than your classic essence but still absorbs fairly quickly, and I love the light, herbal citrusy scent. It claims to improve your skin's elasticity and moisture, and it does a phenomenal job of making my face feel smooth as a baby's bottom; my skin also feels a lot more bouncy and supple since I've started using this product.
5) Real Blend Calming Cleansing Oil I decided to try this cleansing oil after hearing mixed reviews about the Rice Water cleansing oil, and I have to say this is probably one of my favorite cleansing oils I've tried. It starts to melt my makeup instantly and even gets rid of stubborn eye makeup without making my eyes blurry or sting, and emulsifies nicely. It washes off well without leaving a film on my face, and it feels like a slightly richer version of the Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil at a fraction of the price. This is my go-to cleansing oil for now and I'll definitely repurchase when I run out.
6) White Jewel Peeling Gel I bought this to try because I needed an exfoliator, and it was cheaper than the Papaya Peeling Gel. It does the job and leaves my face feeling smooth and exfoliated, but it doesn't really wow me in any way, and my face doesn't really feel any brighter or more 'luminous' like the product claims. I've also noticed a little bit of irritation if I leave it on my face and rub it around for too long, so I wouldn't recommend using this any more than once a week, and I won't be repurchasing this after I run out.
7) The Therapy Secret Made Anti-Aging Cream So I bought this cream to use as an occlusive, and the ingredients list seemed fairly promising; squalane, shea butter, cocoa butter, glycerin, etc. It does the job just fine, but it was pretty unremarkable for me. It moisturizes, and that's all it did for me, I won't be repurchasing because I believe there are better, more affordable options out there.
8) Concealer Liquid Veil I have really prominent dark circles (thanks genetics!), and I'm always on the hunt for a nice concealer that helps me not look like a tired, angry, old panda. I've tried all different types of concealers (MUF full-coveMaybelline Fit Me/MAC Studio Finish/Sephora+Pantone to name a few) and I have to say I'm really loving how hydrating this concealer is under my eyes. One layer gives you a fairly sheer finish, but the coverage is buildable, and no matter how many layers you put on, it won't look cakey! I don't know if I have the patience to layer this under my eyes all the time, but when I do my under-eye area looks much brighter without looking dry, so I'll continue to use this product for now!
9) The Therapy Secret-Made Anti-Aging Facial Mask I like to use this sleeping mask every other night, and it really helps my skin feel more moisturized and smooth when the weather is a little colder and dry. I also like to put this on my boyfriend's face when his skin is feeling dry and patchy, and it helps add that extra level of moisture, his skin always looks a little more glowy for a few days afterwards. I think this face mask would be really good for sensitive skin as well, because my boyfriend is pretty much allergic to everything, but he hasn't broken out at all from using this!
10) White Seed Pure Vitamin Concentrate I bought this to help with some hyperpigmentation around my cheeks and acne scars on my chin, and after a few weeks of continuous use, I have noticed a slight fading of those areas. They have gotten a little bit lighter, but for the price of $25 CAD for the tiny tube, I think that money could be better spent on vitamin C actives, which is what I will be trying after I'm done this tube. However, this concentrate doesn't irritate or burn my skin, so it might be a nice alternative for people with more sensitive skin, but you definitely won't see any significant results.
11) The Solution Smoothing Face Mask 12) The Solution Nourishing Face Mask 13) The Solution Radiance Face Mask 14) The Solution Brightening Face Mask I'm a huge fan of The Solution face masks, and I think they're much better formulated than TFS's Real Nature Masks, for the same price ($2 CAD/mask). I bought 2 of each of these masks to try, and I love what the radiance and the brightening masks do for my skin; I believe it's the niacinamide in them that my skin just adores. They definitely make my face visibly brighter right after application, and I love how they're a light gel type consistency that sticks right to your face, so you can do other things around the house without being worried it'll fall off. The smoothing mask is formulated with BHA, but I don't think it's a high enough level that you'll actually get adequate smoothing effects, it just feels like any other moisturizing mask to me personally. The nourishing mask if formulated with propolis and adenosine, and I've definitely noticed that my face feels softer for a few days after application, but the radiance and brightening ones are by far my favorite!
I hope this post has helped anyone considering trying any of these products! I'd be happy to try and answer any more questions as well.
Side Note: I'm sorry if there are any formatting errors, this is my first post and I tried my best to not make it look like an eye-sore!
TL;DR I'm 26/Male and for the past 2 years my acne has exploded after I experienced a sunburn/rash and peeled skin from over exfoliation and was prescribed to use Fucidin H Hydrocortisone for 2 weeks. I've gone back to my pre explosion tried and tested method of Benzoyl Peroxide which worked for 7 years during my puberty-teen to early adult years.
Long version; I have dark South Asian skin. When I was 15 I was prescribed PanOxyl Aquagel 5% Benzoyl Peroxide for my pustular acne (company has ceased production). Back then, acne wasn't in the forefront of my mind. I applied diligently at night and moisturised with whatever moisturiser I had at home (E45, Palmer's Cocoa Butter, Aqueous Cream, Astral, Nivea). However, I would sometimes get a single pustule (or cyst) that would pop up; conventionally it would be big, red, throbbing, under the skin that would take days to come to a head. And then I would pop when the head would appear, the white plug would burst out, I would apply BP, and it would dry and leave a very small scar that would fade in no time. Risk Reward; I was willing to have a small scar compared to a cyst of that size.
Things were good for years. I was off Tetralysal/Doxycycline on and off for about 2 years because I always thought my face was never good (in retrospect it was fine). Fast forward to about 2013 and I started incorporating Likas Papaya Soap as a cleanser, and Acne.org's AHA+ every night on top of my BP 2.5% which I would apply before bed.
And things were good. Oh they were good. I was the happiest I've ever been. My skin was clear. I was 22 and felt like the world was my oyster. People would comment on my clear skin, and the fact I had gotten a few shades lighter. I was so confident it was unbelievable. What I would do to get those days back :(
This lasted until late 2014, when I started getting a red rash around my side burn area on both sides of my face. It was getting bad, burning, stinging, peeling (like an idiot I was peeling the skin off). Well, now I know it's because I wasn't using Sunscreen, despite using BOTH BP and AHA and Likas Papaya Soap (which contains Vitamin C)... FUCCCK! My skin was always resilient until then. Went to the doctors who prescribed me to use Hydrocortisone 2% every morning and night for as long as I had the burning. I used it for about 2 weeks when I read the supplied pamphlet which said not to use for long periods of time. I immediately ceased using it. But the damage was done.
Since then, I've been battling acne which is WAAAY worse than what I had pre 2013. Before I would get one pustule/cyst a week. Now I get 4-5, all along my forehead where I usually got them, and along my cheeks and side burn area, where I wouldn't usually go them. Now, I had a feeling it's because of the sun damage. But it's been 2 years and my skin I feel has healed; its not dry, I use TONS of moisturiser, niacinamide, zinc and other good stuff that keeps my skin super hydrated. But, my acne is just so bad. I went on another round of tetralysal which had no effect, was prescribed Zineryt which made my skin even drier. I think at one point because my moisture barrier was compromised, I had gotten a yeast infection on my face which I deduced thanks to this sub reddit. I was getting small pimples that I had never had before, that would be red and inflamed and have white heads from the get go but wouldn't pop, all in clusters and next to each other. I used Dr. Noble's Zinc Bar and a Sulphur Soap which helped get rid of those, though my acne is still bad.
So here I am today. 26 years old, acne WAY worse than it used to be. Some days I'll wake up and there's no new pimples and I get my mojo back.. for the day. Then the following day i'll get a new cyst and it's a punch to my soul.
Okay, so I wasn't sure where to post this but perhaps this is a start. I used to be quite oily years ago, but am more combination skin type nowadays. In summer I guess I can get shiny though, due to sweat or oil or both lol. NEWAYZZZ. I am having the worst time with my face in regards to how it looks when I put foundation on. I wouldn't say I have acne, but I do get pimples, I have blackheads, and some scarring because I am a compulsive picker. :( I haven't found any amazing skincare regimen really, but as I said, my face isn't severe (unless I pick too much) and I know my skin will never look as nice as some. I wash my face, I exfoliate, I use masks (usually the loreal clay ones) I have been using stridex pads recently, and I use cetaphil moisturizer. Sometimes I feel that isn't hydrating enough... I've used tarte maracuja oil or whatever it's called, cocoa butter stuff, rose hip oil, blahblahblah. I have been using Kat von D foundation for a while now. Shade 44 cool. Last I got MAC it was NC25, which is a little dark cause they didn't have my shade. I have tried other foundations of course but I like medium, well actually full coverage. Always have. I don't know, maybe KVonD isn't the right thing for me. It seems to have been ok before but the past few months I can't get it to even look right due to dry patches, texture. I literally always have dry skin mostly on my nose, little bit on forehead and some on cheeks. The biggest issue is my nose. It doesn't just flake off, it's like pieces of dry skin that I have to peel off. It's not raw underneath or anything. Actually, it may be sick but I use an eyebrow shaper, the little razor thingy, to try and essentially scrape the dry skin off. Then I put moisturizer over. Another thing that SORTA helps is after i wash my face & its just a tiny bit damp still, i use my hands and just rub my face & the dry parts kinda roll off in a way. Still cant get everything though and i am sure its not good to roughly rub your face. So many times I wash and exfoliate and all that, lotion up, see maybe some dryness but think maybe it'll work... primer, then my foundation. My whole face just ends up looking like crap. I use a damp beauty blender btw. I don't think it's my method of application at all. Id like to think I know a good bit about makeup and shit hah. I just don't know what else I can do other than what I've tried and am doing. Granted, there are rare occasions I have an okay outcome...but usually it's just texture city. Pores and dryness. Idk. Sorry this was long. TL;DR - I have dry patches(?) that stay even after exfoliating and moisturizing which causes my foundation to look shitty. Soooo... Hydrating primers? Creams, masks, concoctions? Exfoliating tips?
[Skin concern] [Routine hel] NEW TO SCA! I need help with a lot of things regarding my face, hair, and body. I'm overwhelmed and frustrated. I'm dealing with uneven skin tone, blemishes, acne scars, dramatic hair loss, and itchy skin
I'm so so overwhelmed with all the skincare tips and products that I've seen over the past few months when looking for advice. Someone suggested coming on here so I'm giving it a shot. Here's what I'm looking for: Re: Face My current routine involves removing make-up, washing face, and using moisturizer. I exfoliate my face once a week with St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I also use TactuPump to deal with my acne. My moisturizer is Olay. My daily cleanser is Aveeno. I sometimes use Neutrogena's dark circle corrector. Recently, I've been curious to try the charcoal masks that I keep seeing everywhere since I read that they help deep cleanse your pores and get rid of blemishes. 1.) What are some good products or DIY face masks I can use to brighten my skin, even my skin tone, get rid of acne scars and blemishes 2.) Any suggestions for natural make-up removers? I've heard that coconut oil is good, but since it's comedogenic, it might clog up your pores. I also read that milk is good 3.) Good charcoal face masks to use? I want to use one that isn't painful to peel off (also mask doesn't have to be peel off) and one that doesn't rip out my face hair. I'm really scared to mess with my hair on my face because I don't want it to grow back faster and thicker 4.) I bought one of those microdermabrasion devices a while ago. I have yet to use it. I plan to start soon. Is once a week good? And can I still use the apricot scrub mid-week? 5.) At what age can you start using anti-aging products? I'm 26. I've been told that's too young Note: my skin type is fairly normal though I suspect because of TactuPump, it's on the sensitive side. I'm also an Indian female if that makes a difference Re: Hair I'm absolutely terrified that I'm going bald. I've experienced dramatic hair loss over the past seven months. It's frightening. I have also lost 15lbs and have become even skinnier. I'm 5'7 and weight 115lbs. I used to be around 130lbs. I started losing weight and hair during last summer. At first I chalked up my hair loss to low iron levels. My doctor prescribed Palafer with Vitamin C to bring them up, and they are now at a decent level. But my hair loss is still ongoing When I was younger, I used to have really thick hair, and I remember using coconut oil when I was a little kid. I stopped when I was like 11. My hair thinned out over the years, but it wasn't anything alarming. But over the past seven months, it's just been terrible. You can my scalp when I part my hair one way or another. I'm getting super self-conscious. Every single time I run my fingers through my hair, hair always falls out I tried to start up again with coconut oil for four weeks. Once a week, I would put coconut oil all over my hair and wrap it in a t-shirt, sleep with it overnight, and wash my hair out in the morning. But that didn't help with anything. I still lost hair especially when I would run coconut oil through my hair using my hands. Hair would still fall out. My doctor prescribed me Rogaine for women recently, and I'm going to try it out. I also take Biotin supplements geared for hair and nail growth nearly daily. My nails are growing just fine. I just wish my hair would. Also, my hair is super super dry. I use conditioner after I shampoo (which I do twice a week), but it doesn't do anything to moisturize my hair. The shampoo and conditioner I use is Ogyx Caffeine and Niacin that is meant to curb hair fallout. I have a split end problem as well. I'm going to get into the habit of trimming my hair every couple of months. So for my hair, I'm looking for any hair masks or products I can use (without harsh chemicals) that will stimulate hair growth, reduce breakage, moisturize my hair, give it volume, and have thicker hair. I don't just want the appearance of thicker hair. I actually want thicker hair. Someone suggested putting egg in my hair for an hour to help with hair elasticity Re: body I moisturize my skin pretty much everyday. Every single time after taking a shower, I always moisturize yet these past few months, I've had dry itchy skin. Last week, my entire left thigh randomly turned red and itchy. I have no idea what is happening or why this is happening. It's freaking me out. My arms randomly get itchy or my chest or stomach. Or my back. I used Vaseline cocoa butter for months. I switched to using Eucerin's complete repair like two months. It hasn't helped at all, and it's just so fucking frustrating!!! I don't know why any of this is happening. I don't get how people who don't moisturize their skin at all don't have these issues, but I do. Like nothing I'm doing is helping. I use ice cubes to calm my skin down, but I can't always do that like when I'm at work Basically, I'm just freaked out about what's happening to my appearance with my hair being the most concerning. I used to have great hair, and now it's dry, dull, and thin as fuck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to suggest foods I can eat as well to help with my issues. I live in Ontario, Canada. I'd prefer to have product suggestions that are on the reasonable side, but I'm willing to go out of my budget if the product is very effective and worth it Thanks in advance!
[Kat Von D Tattoo Liner lasts all day, thanks to its waterproof and fade-resistant formula. And its super-fine, flexible tip makes for a perfect application every time.](KAT%20VON%20D%20Tattoo%20Liner)
Long long post coming. I need to vent because I feel terrible. If you don't want to read it, I'd still really appreciate any comments, tl;dr at the bottom. I have been struggling with acne for five years now... and nothing I've tried has worked. I'm totally out of options or ideas. I have a terribly weak stomach already (have to avoid most spicy and fried food, and on long trips I have to be really careful because food I'm not familiar with often causes issues) so I'm too afraid to try accutane... what else can I do? It started five years ago when I entered college. Comparing myself to everyone around me as everyone does when they're a freshman, I realized that I had more acne than almost everybody else, and that all the kids who had worse acne than me were the unpopular ones that girls didn't like. So I decided to try to fix my acne, went to Rite-Aid and got some Benzoyl Peroxide after asking a pharmacist for advice. As winter came along, it started making my face very dry and red so I added a slathering-on of Vaseline cocoa butter moisturizer to my routine. I was young and dumb, I probably hurt my face a lot. 1: Benzoyl Peroxide & Moisturizer I had acne mostly in my t-zone after this, but some on my cheeks as well. I went to go see a dermatologist after I realized this wasn't working. She put me on Tretinoin Retin-A 0.01% and doxycycline. 2: Doxycycline/Retin-A The doxycycline tore up my stomach, and I would alternate over the next few years going on it until my stomach pain was too much and I decided it wasn't worth it. Then I would go off until my acne depressed me too much and I would go back on it. I went to various dermatologists, I think I saw four or five, and they all told me to stick to this regimen, and whenever I complained that the doxycycline was messing up my stomach they'd tell me to take it before/after eating, whichever was the opposite of what I was doing at the time. Didn't make a difference. Also doctors kept ramping up my Retin-A until it was at 0.1% which I think is the limit, and each new one would give me a different dosage of doxycycline, I guess to justify my coming in. I would wash my face in the morning in the shower with a bar soap, at first just a neutrogena soap and later on a lemongrass & tea tree oil soap. The doxycycline would make my skin worse right after I started taking it. Then my acne would subside a little, but I don't know whether that was overall or just relative to the initial breakout. At any rate I think I took doxycycline for a total of six months over the next three years and it didn't stop the acne altogether, but I do know that my acne wasn't terrible and I was mostly worried about individual scars that lasted a long time. The scars reminded me too much of various girls of the past, because if I went off my Retin-A for a night I would get a big outbreak, even if it was just one night. But you can't kiss someone who's wearing Retin-A all over their face, so I'd not wear it when girls came over, and so I'd get bad outbreaks, and therefore scars, corresponding to each girl. Looking at pictures from back then I usually had several zits around my mouth and chin, and a few on my jawline. I also remember getting them on my nose. But no more on my cheeks or forehead for the most part. Eventually I got sick enough of seeing pictures of people with perfect skin that I wanted to cure it once and for all. And thus I found reddit/acne. 3: Cleanser, Toner, Exfoliant, Moisturizer, Retin-A After a lot of reading I settled on a routine of: -Clean & Clear Cleanser -Clean & Clear Toner -Neutrogena 3-in-1 acne control exfoliant -CeraVe AM/PM Moisturizers -0.1% Retin-A Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer in the morning. Cleanser, Toner, Exfoliant, Retin-A at night. It wasn't getting rid of my acne. I didn't have it on my nose anymore. And still no more on my forehead or cheeks. But I was still averaging probably five or six red bumps or whiteheads, or varying sizes, around my mouth and on my jawline and chin at any given time. I noticed after a while that my face was redder than the rest of my skin all day long. I got rid of the exfoliant, since it was making my skin burn, and also tried switching out the Clean&Clear Cleanser for CeraVe's and the Clean&Clear Toner for Paula's Choice 2% AHA Toner. Neither switch made any difference. At this point I had gone nine months on the reddit regimen. I had knocked milk, fatty and oily foods, even old favorites like my local pizza place and mexican food out of my diet. I even had to tell my family, when they got me my favorite snack (toasted camembert) before I visited, that I couldn't eat it anymore. It would mess with my skin. I exercised daily, changed my pillowcases and towel daily, did everything. I was running out of hope and very depressed. The only two things I could think of were to either start wearing makeup every day to hide it or find an ace dermatologist who could cure me, even if it meant moving to a new city. That was when I started hearing about PocketDerm. 4: PocketDerm Now I want to say before I start in here that this in no way reflects poorly on PocketDerm... the dermatologist I talked to was very kind and understanding and has seemingly infinite patience. I'm sure they did the best they could and even though it didn't work for me I'd still encourage other people to join. I started going with the PocketDerm regimen, some special formula. I would cleanse in the morning and at night; in the morning I'd just use a little moisturizer, and at night I'd use the formula as well. No more toner, exfoliant, or Retin-A (although this was included in the formula). After a while I started using azelaic acid in the morning as well, and the Mario Badescu drying lotion as spot treatment at night. The good news is that my skin tone stopped being so red all the time (you can't tell where my face ends and my neck begins anymore, there used to be a clear red-to-tan shift in skin color around the edge of my face) and there were moments when I would have no acne on my face. One day I woke up, looked in the mirror and realized that, for the first time in probably at least eight years, I had no active outbreaks on my face at all, just tons and tons of scars. That was when my dermatologist recommended the azelaic acid, because I needed to get the scars fixed. The bad news is that it's also given me the worst outbreaks I've ever had. On my cheeks, where I had been acne-free for years, I started getting red bumps, big ones, and a lot of them. And I still get outbreaks around my mouth and on my jawline. The outbreaks on my left cheek were particularly gruesome. My right cheek was usually my bad one, but I got dozens of zits on my lower jaw on my left cheek, and they've left a constellation of brown spots. I even got deep cysts under the skin on both cheeks, which I'd never had before, and they're like fucking pimple factories, just pumping out pimple on top of pimple, one right now that I'm dealing with has churned out three huge red ones over the last week. And everywhere the scarring. Zits appear and disappear faster. They come in waves, one week I'll have thirty and the next down to three. But it hasn't lessened or gone away over time. And although the zits go away faster, the scars don't, so since there are more new ones there are more scars. Eventually my PocketDerm dermatologist, a few nights ago, suggested that I might need to see a dermatologist in real life, as there's only so much telemedicine can do, which I understand. But now that option is gone as well. And I'm left with... what? I looked up the dermatologists in my area, but I've done that a hundred times, I know that all that's gonna happen is I'll get some more doxycycline and Retin-A and be told to come back in a few months. I really don't know what to do right now. I feel like I've tried everything and I'm just left with a face that's ugly and scarred, much moreso than a year ago, and still the same terrible acne. I've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on this, if not more, probably in the thousands factoring in the dozens of dermatologist visits, which are pretty much the only reason I ever go to the doctor so I get hammered by deductibles. Not that I care that much. If I could pay ten thousand dollars for even a guaranteed 50% chance of solving the problem I would. I'm not rich but this is such a big problem for me that it would be beyond worth it. What would you do if you were me? I'm willing to try pretty much anything as long as it won't mess up my stomach even more or fuck with my hormones. tl;dr: Nodules and cysts mostly on jaw and around mouth, some on cheeks now as well. Tried dermatologists, reddit regimen, PocketDerm all over the last few years, it won't go away, face is covered in scars and new pimples appear every day. Doxycycline messed up my stomach, afraid to try Accutane for that reason. Need hope, a new direction.
Hi! I guess I should start out with some background before I explain my problem. I have oily skin that is prone to breakouts in the T-zone. As I've gotten older, I've been able to better control my acne through water intake, soda restrictions, and a good cleansing routine. The problem I still have is with acne scars on my face, primarily on my upper forehead, cheeks and, jawline. I have dark skin so these acne scars aren't too visible; only under certain light. Anyway, I've been focusing on getting rid of this hyper pigmentation, and have been trying various products for a long time. I most recently settled on Glycolic Acid cream (Reviva Labs, 10%), which I put on every night, topped by moisturizer. I didn't patch test, and I think I put too much on, because I have developed (what I think are) two chemical burn spots on my face - one in between my eyebrows and one on my forehead. I immediately stopped using the Glycolic acid cream and tried treating the burns with a 3-layer coat (cocoa butter, sunscreen, Mderma - in that order). A few days ago something seemed to be working because a lot of the dead skin came off in the shower and both spots were lighter in color. I foolishly went back to reapplying the Glycolic acid and now my skin is even worse than before. I (foolishly) tried to towel-scrub the dead, blackened spots, but ended up breaking my skin a little. So now I'm back to having two huge and ugly black spots on my face. Please help me out here! Are these just more patches of dead skin? Will they eventually fall off and reveal fresh skin underneath? If so, is there anything I can do to expedite this process? I don't think I will be using the Glycolic acid anymore, but are the cocoa butter and Mderma still okay to use? Please help me!!!! I'll include links to pictures in the comments.
[Routine Help] newbie starting to build a routine!
I've decided I am gonna finally get serious about taking care of my skin. I would love feedback on my routine and some help with my questions if possible! About my skin - Am 24, no wrinkles yet, Chinese-American with tan skin. My skin is not sensitive and doesn't need particularly gentle or fragrance free products. I know this is blasphemy here but I never wear SPF - I can literally count the number of times I've worn sunscreen on one hand! - and I still wonder how necessary it is for someone like me with natural pigment. During the work week, I drive 20 min to work and spend the whole day in an office save for 30 min outside walking to and from lunch spots. Does that little sun exposure really require SPF? Regardless, I will start incorporating SPF 30 into my morning routine because of my AHA and retinol usage. Problems: I have had closed comedones on my forehead for YEARS, a shiny t zone, scars from childhood chicken pox on both sides of my face, uneven skin tone between my forehead and the rest of my face (I swear to god my forehead is sometimes almost gray), and at least a few small whiteheads present all the time. The whiteheads crop up most often in the space between my eyebrows, on my chin, or around my mouth/nose. (Never on cheeks.) So up until two weeks ago, I had literally no routine. I washed my face with dermae gel purifying cleanser maybe three times a week, used no moisturizer, and wear no makeup. Here is the routine I've been using the past 2 weeks: AM - Garnier pink cap Micellar water on cotton pad wiped all over face - Apple cider vinegar toner (2 parts distilled water and one part ACV) spritzed on my hands, then dabbed all over my face with my hands. Let dry for a minute - Cosrx BHA blackhead power liquid (three pumps, spread with fingers over face focusing on forehead). Let dry five minutes - Rich Radiance Facial oil (ingredients: Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Asorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Niacinamide, Retinol (Vitamin A), Arbutin, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D), Phenoxyethanol, Parfum). A few drops spread with fingers over face. - no sunscreen, no makeup. (Will start Eucerin SPF 30 sunscreen tomorrow!) PM - Garnier Micellar water on cotton pad - ACV toner dabbed on face, let dry a minute - Paula's Choice skin perfecting 8% AHA gel / CVS knock off of RoC deep wrinkle correxion retinol cream (I alternate days) - let sit for ten minutes - spot treat any pimples with raw honey - a few drops of rich radiance facial oil Other info - once a week I do the Aztec secret mask mixed with ACV. I'm planning on starting daily biotin pills (my hair seems to be falling out at an alarming rate!) So here are my questions. It's been two weeks and my skin looks a bit better, fewer breakouts, but still oily t zone with uneven skin tone and CC's. I recently bought the CeraVe PM lotion and Benton snail mucin/bee venom serum - how do I start incorporating/at what point in the routine? Should the CeraVe lotion replace my facial oil? I should apply serum after the AHA/ retinol / Bha and before moisturizefacial oil, right? I also own Eucerin SPF 30 face moisturizer - when I start wearing it, do I just need to put it on once in the morning and then I'm good for the rest of the day (assuming I'm in an office and only leave for lunch at noon?) What do people use Vaseline for at night? I would like to start oil cleansing at night as well, and I bought a pack of microfiber towels to assist with that. Does anyone have any problems with microfiber towels being stained by oil? Does OCM require rubbing the oil in small circles on my face, or can I just apply the oil in a layer to my face, wait a minute, then wipe it off? What mixtures of oil do you use, and what bottle do you put it in? (I am thinking half sunflower, half EVOO, and a few drops of tea tree oil for help with acne in a travel size bottle.) Can AHAs/ BHAs be used when my face is still damp with water or toner, and how long should I wait after applying each before putting on moisturizer? If my t zone is oily, should I avoid putting facial oil there to moisturize? Has anyone had good results using the forea Luna vibrating facial brush to help with serum/AHA/ BHA absorption? Would adding Differin to this routine become overkill? Can I add Vit C serum to my AM routine, or will the niacinimide in the CeraVe at night cancel it out? Lastly - can Micellar water fully replace cleanser? I like the convenience of it, and I would love if I could cut out almost entirely a cleanser that I have to rinse off. Thank you so much for any help you can provide! I am switching jobs soon and applying to school again, and I thought it was a good time to try to get my life a bit more in order - taking care of my skin, figuring out a makeup routine that works for me, losing weight and working out, meditating, drinking more water and eating well, taking vitamins, etc.
A roommate left tons of vitamins and health supplements (which are still unexpired) when he moved across the country (apparently couldn't make room to bring them). I now have a bunch of vitamin E gel tablets. I remember reading a while ago that Vitamin E was the only proven thing to get rid or stretch marks (vs. cocoa butter, and other "stretch mark" remedies.) Well, I'm not trying to get rid of stretch marks, but since Vitamin E (tocopherol) is often a main active ingredient in scar creams and stretch mark creams, I wondered if I can apply the gel from the Vitamin E tablets directly to my skin to help acne scars. But I can't seem to find any good information about whether they work for that. Does anybody know? I'm gonna admit something now: I just experimented the other day and smeared it all over my cheeks before bed (hey - whats the worst that could happen? haha) and I would swear the condition of my skin was improved in the morning. It has a serum-esque consistency. But I also know about the psychological power of placebos, so I don't always trust my own judgement. Anyone know anything about applying the gel from Vitamin E tablets directly to your skin? Would it help with acne scars? Might it have any other positive or negative effects?
I read online that vitamin e is really good for dark spots, scars and stretch marks and that cocoa butter produces similar results as well. I recently picked up a bottle of Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E for about 4 bucks at the grocery store and have been using it for the past week or so. I love the smell of it and it makes my skin feel awesome after it sets in but I'm wondering if I'll get good results in terms of minimizing the appearance of a a scar or two. Anyone else use a similar product and gotten good results from it? Is this stuff legit for how cheap it is? Also wondering if it would be safe and effective to use on sensitive facial skin with mild acne scars.
What's a good body lotion for people who suffer from body acne?
First off, I've dealt with body acne for the past 5 or 6 years. I finally have it mostly under control and I find myself now primarily concerned with dark spots and small scars. I understand I shouldn't expect to get rid of them entirely but I think I can reasonably expect some improvement. Also, I use exfoliating gloves in the shower for deep cleaning. After showering I've started using a body moisturizer (I didn't before). I like Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream but I feel it's too heavy for everyday use. Lubriderm Daily Moisture (which I've also used) is not as moisturizing but it's works well enough for everyday use for me and it absorbs better. The only problem I have with Lubriderm is that it doesn't make my skin look good. It leaves my skin a little irritated and with an uneven tone. I've been using Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Lotion lately. It is the least moisturizing (though enough for most days for me) but it absorbs quickly, and leaves my skin looking and feeling fantastic. As an added bonus it may help with my scars. My only concern is that I know cocoa butter is comedogenic. My skin is still recovering from acne so it clogs easily. I've noticed a few extra clogged pores when I use it. Do you have any suggestions? I'm looking for something that can soothe and moisturize my skin but won't clog my pores.
[Acne]5 months using adapalene/differin; unsure what to do next
summary: 1. male 23 y/o w/ comedonal acne (no scarring afaik) 2. very prone to blackheads, spots & general bad skin things 3. prescribed differin 0.1% (adapalene) gel in early December (gel because I think my skin is oily). this is also when I first discovered I had acne. 4. was given literally no instructions on how/when to apply, nor was I given info on moisturising my face (differin/adapalene causes very scaly skin) 5. tried using spf 15 cocoa butter on face for the 2nd & 3rd months but it genuinely made things worse and I know nothing about skincare products I literally saw the word "noncomedonic" today for the first time and figured there's a lot of help I could get in order to help me figure out a great routine for my skin. I'm function very well with systems, so if I'm told I should do XYZ every single day, I'll do it. my aim is genuinely just to have clean, healthy (good looking) skin & follow a regime every single day to take the best care of my skin. ps: I train 5 days/week (cardio + weight training) and have quite a strict diet (though I have cheat meals weekly, sometimes more than once depending on which friends I'm with). I don't know if there are certain foods I should be eating, I just know that it's (somewhat?) important to wash right after training and to not leave my face covered in sweat. I'm quite in the dark with a lot of skincare things. Overall hygiene is great, but my face is just not really within control right now at all.
Cocoa butter is a very good moisturizer and has been in use for several hundred years. It is also rich in natural antioxidants. Cocoa butter has numerous benefits for your skin and has been known to be effective in treating acne scars and other body scars. Raw cocoa butter is also useful for tackling other skin issues like dryness and wrinkles. Cocoa butter is an excellent emollient 1. It melts at body temperature and is quickly and easily absorbed into the skin. According to StretchMarksCream.net, it penetrates not only the top layer of skin but the dermis layer as well where the body is more able to retain the moisture. Cocoa butter in lotion and cocoa butter in food Cocoa butter lotion can replenish skin’s moisture and create a barrier to protect your skin from moisture loss. Compared to other oils and creams,... Cocoa butter is a great moisturizer. It's often used as an after sun balm. It smells amazingly like a chocolate bar. Cocoa butter is also used to try to fade away dark marks on the skin, including those spots that acne breakouts leave behind. Shea butter can be more effective than store-bought moisturizers for lightening acne scars on your cheeks, forehead, and chin. Its healing properties help repair the pink, purple, and black discolorations of acne scars. Using shea butter for acne and acne scars will help you regain a smooth, even, skin tone. Selecting the Right Shea Butter Cocoa butter is considered good for making application both on skin scar mark areas and the surrounding skin of the areas. Aside to skin softening it also moisturizes the skin. It will help to smooth out skin tone and its texture. This way it will make scars appear less noticeable. Cocoa butter makes skin more oily, so it is a bad choice for acne. While using cocoa butter for acne isn't a good idea, cocoa butter is a great natural product for healing your skin and diminishing your acne scars after you have your skin condition under control. Better yet, this scar remover works all kinds of scars, from acne to surgical scars, to burns and cuts. This gel also contains onion bulb extract, which has been shown to significantly improve the While cocoa butter is good for the hydration aspect of skin health, it is commonly believed to stimulate collagen production, which doesn’t help to flatten scars. In fact, because clinical studies on cocoa butter for skin health are limited, it’s possible for the oily nature of the substance to clog your pores and cause breakouts. Cocoa butter is a great beauty treatment to hydrate and smooth skin, that doubles as a scar removal cream.
Does Palmers Cocoa Butter Work On Acne Scars? - YouTube
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![[Shelfie] My face has been my personal R&D lab for the last 3 years, and this is the current catalogue.](https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/0EHRvSf2IlU4PFwp7oMFyBT-K98vx3IlQF0adtV2rp8.jpg "[Shelfie] My face has been my personal R&D lab for the last 3 years, and this is the current catalogue.")
