I am a lifelong picker (I know, ugh) and I've been fortunate in that I've had pretty clear skin for most of my life. Unfortunately, perimenopause has come for me with a vengeance, and in the past year I've had much worse skin without anything else changing in my routine.

Currently, when I see a pimple (or feel one coming on), I succumb to the urge to squeeze it and get the gunk out. I then absently (compulsively) pick at the scabs and (surprise!) am left with scarring and hyperpigmentation.

Obviously I would like to kick this habit, but I'm genuinely stumped how one is supposed to treat a pimple without popping it. Any advice?

Be aware of any of the unknown skincare brands you see at malls. They come in different names but I have seen orogold in my city’s mall before. They are all run by the Mazal Group based in LA. They target the elderly and scam them out of thousands.

Do NOT give them any financial info or buy from them. The link is a reel from NPR’s investigation team.

Acne’s been a consistent part of my life since i was 13. In the past few years i’ve realized there’s definitely a hormonal element, though i breakout consistently throughout the month, it gets worse right before my period. I feel like i’ve tried everything—benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, benzomycin, spironolactone, azaleic acid, clindamycin, doxycycline, tretinoin. I think spiro helps somewhat, but i still didn’t have “clear skin”. My acne is worse than ever (at the worst time in my cycle) and im thinking of starting a low-dose of accutane. Would this help? Any advice welcome :,)

So, I recently finally got a dermatologist appointment after years of my mom making me use "natural things" for my acne and only having it worsen. I've been taking tretinoin for about a week, and specifically told not to use anything else. My mom wants to me to use pure tea tree oil, and reasoning does not help. She says the medicine hasn't worked, even though I've only been using it a week. I have very sensitive skin and I know this will irritate it, but it looks like there's no going around it. Does anyone know what I can do to help calm the effects, or counteract it?

Hey everyone, I’m 19M and I’ve been dealing with a skin issue at both corners of my mouth for a while now. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.

It initially started as just dryness, with no pigmentation changes at all. Every time I washed my face, the corners of my mouth would become dry, and whenever I moved my mouth, like talking, smiling or opening it wide, the skin would turn whitish, develop tiny cracks and become a little flaky. There wasn’t really any itching, pain or redness.

Whenever this happened, I would usually just wet my fingers and gently pat some water onto the dry areas, which would temporarily make the whiteness less noticeable. However, after some time, I started noticing small white patches forming at the corners of my mouth. At first, I didn’t really pay much attention to them because they were quite small, but over time, the patches gradually became larger and much more noticeable.

I initially tried applying Vaseline, hoping it would help with the dryness and the white patches, but the discoloration didn’t seem to improve. Eventually, I decided to visit a dermatologist, who prescribed Dermatop and Protopic. I’ve also been using La Roche-Posay moisturisers to help repair my skin barrier.

I also wondered whether my toothpaste might have contributed to the initial irritation, since it regularly comes into contact with the corners of my mouth. I’m not sure if it actually played a role, though.

The thing is, the dryness, cracking and flakiness have now completely disappeared. The skin feels smooth and normal again, just like the surrounding skin, but the white patches are still there and are noticeably lighter than my normal skin tone.

I’ve been reading about pityriasis alba and post-inflammatory hypopigmentation, and I’m wondering whether either of these could explain what’s happening, especially since everything started with dryness and irritation.

Has anyone experienced something similar, particularly around the corners of the mouth? Did the pigmentation eventually return to normal? How long did it take, and was there anything that helped?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

Not gonna lie and honeslty sharing the review... i am using this eye refining matrix from last 1 month and you wont believe me guys results are amazing i suggested this to my 3-4 friends and each and everyone liked it nd there were definely improvement in dark circles..
according to me nd my friends worth trying this product.

Hi, on Monday I had a 20% Salicylic acid peel done at my dermatologist's office by her assistance. I've noticed she has a new assistant every single time I have visited but that's besides the point. I went on Monday, and at the end of my visit, my Dermatologist asked me if I wanted a peel, I have done this twice at her office, 1 every month, and this was about to be my 3rd time. My skin looked so much better compared to my first visit so I assumed my barrier would've been stronger as my skin was also extremely hydrated too which is something I used to struggle with a lot. I asked her if it looked like I needed it and she said it was up to me so I said sure not thinking much of it. I still had some blackheads but not as many.

Her assistant applied my peel, and at first my face was not red, it was slightly stinging but I know that is normal. After she applied my chemical peel, she applied some cream, but did not rub it in well enough, and I only realized this until I was back in the car. You could see the white excess of the cream still on my face. It was very splotchy. I am bringing this up because compared to my other visits, I always noticed I had around 2-3 products applied compared to this recent visit where I only had one. At my previous visits I noticed her assistant would always dab my face with something, then apply moisturizer and then sunscreen on top. I didn't really want to ask if this assistant applied sunscreen on me because I would've assumed it's common sense to and I didn't want her to feel insulted, but part of me thinks she did not apply sunscreen.

I leave my appointment, get into my car, drive for about 5-10 minutes, and then notice my face is EXTREMELY red, literally all over, and it looked frightening. My face was starting to hurt and sting around my cheek area so I panic. My eyes also felt extremely dry. I drive back, and I arrive a little over 10 minutes later. I go back into the office and she neutralizes it with water, which helps a little but there was still redness. After that, she applied le rochay posay SPF 50 mixed moisturizer on me. I bring this up because it was not a mineral sunscreen, and apparently only mineral sunscreens are meant to be applied after peels or harsh barrier damage. Not sure how true that is, but sounds legit.

Now I feel like my skin barrier is broken, it's Thursday morning as I am writing this. I tried to apply Aestura Barrier Cream and Vaseline but my cheeks sting very badly. I also notice I have way more blackheads than usual that randomly appeared. My skin feels extremely dry when I touch it .. it's the driest I think my skin has ever been, which is shocking because I fell into a bad depression mental pit where I did not do any skincare for 2 years and even then my skin wasn't as dry as it is now. One thing I don't understand is what went wrong? These peels were benefiting my skin, I actually never peeled from them, but I noticed such immense difference from them, and they did help my pores and blackheads a lot. I did not expect to have this sort of reaction during my 3rd visit because before this 3rd peel my skin had looked the healthiest it's been in years. It was also dehydrated. Anyone have some answers or opinions?
I also asked if her assistant has had any peels done to her ever and she said no. I asked 2 of her assistants this before and they both said no.

TLDR: 20% salicylic acid peel damaged barrier, had it done 2 times no issue, 3rd time there was an issue.
I've been having it done once a month for 3 months.
Hurts to even apply Vaseline. progress down the drain

Hiya,
Been struggling with skin here and there but have managed to calm down a LOT redness and big spots however, there’s never a day where I don’t have a spot. When I was younger I didn’t have acne issues until I reached 24.
I have no idea what to do/ change and what is causing it anymore. But I would love to have healthy skin without killing my bank account.
I have loads of these tiny spots that cover the bottom half of my face and jawline. Everything I have done just doesn’t touch them! I have no idea what they are but it makes my face look so bumpy and would like to get some recommendations as to what could potentially get rid of them and what they can be. Sometimes these spots manifest into inflamed pimples which scar and leave redness.

I just have no clue what to do anymore :(

My skincare routine:

Morning:
-Toner (Eqqualberry Swimming Pool Toner)
-Azelaic Acid 10% suspension (The Ordinary) let that sit for how long I can
-Moisturiser (Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion)
-SPF (Bondi Sands Face Spf 50+)

Evening:
-Oil cleanser (Squalane Cleanser The Ordinary)
-Water based cleanser (Roundlab Mugwort Calming Cleanser)
-Retinal (Geek & Gorgeous 0.05% Retinal Serum) let that sit for 20 mins
-Moisturiser (Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion)

SORRY I literally don’t know what tag to use for this

It’s way more red then it looks in the first pic.

I’ve had this red, scaly patch under my nose on ONE side for weeks now and it’s driving me insane. It’s dry, rough, and constantly red. It doesn’t seem to go away and occasionally it feels a little irritated, but most of the time I don’t even notice it unless I look in the mirror or take pictures.

I tried looking it up and seborrheic dermatitis seems like the closest match, but mine doesn’t really flake that much (at least not that I’ve noticed).

Has anyone experienced something similar? What ended up helping you? I’m planning to get it checked out if it doesn’t improve, but I’d love to hear if anyone has dealt with something like this!

Bonus question: Does anyone have advice for getting rid of smile lines at 24? 🫠 I feel like mine have become more noticeable since losing weight in my face.

My (18m) family suffers from skin issues, so I had to take care of my skin since I was 12 to fight off acne. After a long time, I think I’ve nearly got the perfect skincare routine. However, my biggest issue has been the sebaceous filaments present on my nose and chin. Though I use many actives, they tend to be very persistent, except for days when I use my exfoliating cleanser. I’m also struggling to get truly radiant and glowy skin, though I know that goal is more unrealistic? Is there anything I should be doing to solve my two issues? Below is my type of skin and my skincare routine:

Skin Type: Combination
1. Cerave Renewing SA Cleanser
(Replaced by Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser every 3 days)
2. Medicube Zero Pore Pads
3. Cerave Acne Control Gel (on nose, chin, and pimples)
4. Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid
5. Good Molecules Niacinamide
6. La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer + UV

Hi all! I have the same problem every year of my skin getting sooo upset with me after I finally nailed down a great routine just because it's gotten a little colder. My skin is generally combo and loves products like Byoma's balancing mist and milky toner, the IUNIK betaglucan serum, and I've been through at least 5 bottles of Cocokind's electrolyte moisturizer. However, this moisturizer just isn't cutting it - I'm looking for something more moisturizing without breaking me out. Some products I found hydrating but broke me out (I think my skin hates rich products): LRP Cicaplast, Aestura Atobarrier cream, Naturium Barrier Bounce serum. I've tried the Cetaphil daily moisturizing lotion but it was too lightweight and dried out my skin. I'm currently using the Naturium peptide moisturizer - it's good and I can tolerate it, but I still feel a bit dry. I was thinking of trying Dieux's Instant Angel or Rhode's barrier bounce but worried about the richness. I'm flexible on budget and brand, but am in Canada so may be slightly limited. Thanks in advance! <3

I have oily, acne prone skin - have done since I was a teenager (I’m almost 29 now) except for the period where I was on Accutane. I’m breaking out right now, and as a teenager I would’ve increased the actives and nuked the shit my face to get rid of the acne, which often didn’t help…I suspect it made it worse. But now I tend to treat my skin more gently when I’m breaking out; think removing actives, switching to cetaphil gentle cleanser, only using moisturizer and sunscreen etc. But this doesn’t seem to help either? My skin is still oily, and now I’m breaking out more bc of heavy "repairing" products. And at the end of each day I always have new whiteheads/closed comedones. I never seem to have a day where new stuff doesn't pop up. So my question is wtf do I do? To be gentle or not to be gentle, that is the question? I just feel in a constant limbo between being gentle with my skin but also getting frustrated with the resulting texture/breakouts

Any of my oily pals out there with similar experiences find a solution? Any products recs welcome 🙏🏻

For more context, I recently came off spironolactone and as expected my skin is looking oilier, but I’m now breaking out a lot on my forehead, with a lot of congestion on my forehead which is unusual for me, and in general my skin texture is just looking bad. I also recently started max dosing B12 ( I’m starting to hear rumours around this causing acne). I used tret 0.05% consistently for 6 years before throwing in the towel; while my skin did look flawless sometimes, it looked peely, red and irritated more of the time. And yes, I tried applying it on dry skin, the sandwich method, with niacinamide, without niacinamide, etc etc, my skin just never fully agreed with it. Plus I often didn't like the "glass skin" effect, my skin looked like wax...I shone like a freshly washed Nintendog and it was weird

I've never really known how to properly care for my skin concerns and I really don't know what im doing.

My skin concerns: lots of dark sebaceous filaments and blackheads around the T-Zone, closed comedones on the chin, the only type of pimples I get are the cyst-like ones deep under the skin that can never come out.

I currently use the CeraVe Blemish Control cleanser and the face cream for all skin types from Bebe. I don't wear makeup.

I'm 17 so please don't recommend any anti-aging products or something.

For some reason when I use the tallow cream my mom bought and claims works great as a lotion and face moisturizer it heavily doesn’t work. I forgot the name but I hve something that cause red bumps (kinda like pimples) on my arms and thighs, but when I put lotion on it overtime it goes away and when I stop they come back. I’ve been using this tallow cream for about 2 years now and it’s never helped with those at all and the bigger issue I’ve been seeing is that, when I use it as a face moisturizer it basically sits on top of my face and just makes my skin hella oily. I then proceed to get really bad painful acne like in the photos shown. I thought why not try the new lotion I bought instead since rn I don’t have money for face moisturizer and they can be high in price. I’ve noticed a few things with the lotion, it’s gotten ride of the bumps in 2 days but where the bumps are my skin is acting like it’s been in a drought since 1980, it seems to be the same thing with my face. I put a little on my face and it literally sucked it up like a vampire so I put a little more (I was unsure of how much to add) I’ve already noticed a difference in my face my skin doesn’t look oily kind of shiny but look more hydrated kind of shiny if that makes sense (the selfies where taken just now after I had put the lotion on) I’m confused as to why the lotion work better then the cream? (I’m autistic so if this is a simple or stupid question please let me know)

Help! I (22F) feel like I’ve tried almost everything to get rid of this large closed comedone (circled in green) and I don’t know what to do. I desperately want it off my face but no products that I’ve tried seem to work!

I’ve tried clindoxyl (prescription acne medication with antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide), over the counter benzoyl peroxide treatments, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, sulfer powder and beta hydroxide acid. It seems to be resisting all of these products.

My regular pimples that aren’t closed comedones are never this persistent, and usually disappear within a week or two. I’ve had this one for a few months.

Help!

​

Hey everyone!

I've uploaded three different photos of myself, and I'd really appreciate your honest advice.

The first photo, where I'm wearing a green-and-black shirt, was taken today. I tried to improve my appearance a little by adjusting my beard and shaping it. The second photo, where I'm wearing a grey shirt, was taken yesterday, and the third photo, where I'm wearing a coat, was taken three days ago. I shared three different pictures because the lighting wasn't very good at night, and I wanted you to get a better idea of what I actually look like. My natural skin tone is brown.

I'm 21 years old, but when I asked ChatGPT to guess my age based on my pictures, it estimated that I was 26. Honestly, that made me wonder whether I look older than my actual age, so I'd appreciate some constructive advice on how to improve my overall appearance.

Here's the thing: I've never followed a skincare routine in my entire life. I simply wash my face with ordinary soap. I've never regularly used a face wash, moisturizer, sunscreen, or any other skincare product.

Now that I've moved abroad as an international student, I want to start taking better care of myself and improve my overall appearance. However, I'm a complete beginner, and I don't know where to start.

I'd be extremely grateful if you could give me a complete, step-by-step skincare and grooming guide, including:

- Skincare products: Specific product names that are effective, reliable, and reasonably affordable. I don't want to waste money on unnecessary products, but I also don't want to compromise on quality just to save a few euros.

- Daily routine: What should I use in the morning and at night? In what order should I apply the products, how much should I use, and how often?

- Skin concerns: Based on my pictures, what aspects of my skin should I focus on improving? I'd like to achieve healthier, clearer, and better-maintained skin while keeping my natural brown skin tone.

- Haircut advice: I'm getting a haircut tomorrow, so what hairstyle would suit my face shape, hair, and overall appearance? Please suggest a specific haircut that I can show my barber.

- Beard and grooming: What beard style, facial hair shape, and general grooming habits would help me look neater and more mature in a positive way?

- Overall appearance: What practical changes could I make to improve my personality, confidence, style, and overall presentation?

I'm currently living in Austria, so recommendations for products available in Austrian drugstores, such as dm or BIPA, would be especially helpful. I'd appreciate specific product names and approximate prices so I can build a good routine within a reasonable budget.

Please remember that I'm starting from absolute zero when it comes to skincare. I'd appreciate explanations in simple language, without assuming that I already know anything about the subject.

I'm not looking for unrealistic beauty standards or a completely different face. I simply want to look healthier, cleaner, more confident, and well-groomed.

Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to help me. I genuinely appreciate honest, practical advice, especially from people who have experience with skincare, men's grooming, and improving their appearance.

Hi everyone I’ve been trying a bunch of popular skin care (specifically korean ones) — beauty of joseon green plum, roundlab dokdo lotion, etc (but I am using it in the shower but I feel like that the only time I can uses it bc I feel like school makes my put off everything else) but I feel like they aren’t really doing anything or there is some problem with it reacting to my skin they start to sting (moisturized - round lab dokdo lotion but only when my skin get pretty dry and that’s when it’s winter/im in the pool - I play waterpolo) or dry my skin out (bc cleanser - beauty of joseon green plum) or my skin gets puffy (salicylic acid the ordinary). I’m trying to find a good skincare routine to clear up some blackheads (on my chin and nose) and prevent/clear up pimples when they show up.

As of rn the only thing i feel like works is the etude 2x intensive barrier cream but i want smth for regular wear when my skin isnt like dying and the murad rapid relied spot treatment

Im looking for a cleaner, toner, mask, moisturizer for everyday wear, sunscreen, smth to treat/prevent hairline acne, make dark circles go away cream (might be bc not much sleep and h20 lol 😭) and other recommendation (korean and non korean!!!)

Also looking for tips for my skin, also idk even if my skin is combo cuz sometimes I get super dry skin (under my chin and forehead) so I might have dry skin but I feel like bc get acne on my nose (feels slightly oily) chin and and hairline.

I have struggled with this level of acne since early teens (now 27) and it felt like it got worse as an adult.
I have tried trentanoins but they also made my skin very greasy. Spirolactone helped but also had intense side effects so I stopped it. Km debating acutane but wondering if a change in routine could help.
My current skin feels very dry after moisturizer even while being oily in some spots so I keep my routine minimal: PM only CeraVe daily facial cleanser and CeraVe nighttime moisturizer (also recently Vanicream daily facial moisturizer)
Any ideas would be so appreciated. Sooo many white heads lately.

To preface, I am not very well versed with skincare. I just recently started actually caring and it’s been rough trying to learn everything.

I basically messed up my skin barrier about a month and a half ago by using PanOxyl 4% benzoyl peroxide without a moisturizer because I was under the impression that I was going to fix my routine and start from square one again (trashing everything and starting with a cleanser, unaware that that is an AWFUL idea with benzoyl peroxide).

I stopped it completely because I was obviously destroying my barrier (tightness, redness, itchiness, dryness) but that left me screwed without a routine because everything I tried in the past makes my skin SO dry and flaky. That’s originally why I tried to get a new routine because I was sick of the drying and breaking out on top of that. I’m still breaking out and only washing with water at the moment because that’s mostly what my skin can tolerate.

I started using the Neutrogena hydro boost moisturizer to try and “rebuild” a routine and that’s drying me out now too. Probably also not a great decision. I just don’t understand what is causing everything I choose to be so drying! I tried leaving my skin slightly damp before putting the moisturizer on and it helps a little but not a lot. My skin is also super itchy where I’m breaking out on my chin/jawline, which makes me wonder if fungal acne could be at play as well. My chin in general is the place where the worst of it is happening. Sometimes it even hurts to move the skin down there or touch it.

I’m trying to book with a derm but it’s hard to find one that’s not booked until next year. Any guidance on how to fix my skin barrier in the meantime?

I know that with retinoids, there is a purge period but at this point I think it’s just giving me dermatitis. I specifically chose to start with adapalene to treat my acne and I’ve been using it once a week but I’m consistently getting inflamed pustules about a day after I use the differin at night. I use moisturizer that has barrier support and make sure to keep well moisturized. I occasionally use other actives like a mild salicylic acid/ mandelic acid toner or a vitamin c and I don’t break out after use them. Do we think that my face is just too sensitive for retinoids or should I switch products? I have a 0.05% retinal that I was thinking of switching to but I am just not confident it’s the right choice.

Been dealing with this for a good amount of my life and have been so self-conscious of myself cause of it.

I use cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Any advice on what I should actually do to clear it up :/ I am just so lost at this point.

Hello! I have stubborn hyperpigmentation (PIH and PIE) on my back and would love to know what helped clear your hyperpigmentation. I have used Tretinoin and azelaic acid, but wonder if there is a serum or other OTC product that people swear by?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I’m 26F, looking for a basic skincare routine. I’ve always had decently good skin and I’ve never done much to it, but I feel like I’m at the point where I understand the importance of skincare and I’m not sure where to start!

My current routine is basically wash my face in the shower (I use the creme shop double cleanse), then rinse with cold water, and put on moisturizer afterwards (I use nivea). If my eyes are feeling extra lifeless or dark or I want to feel good about myself I’ll do some under eye patches (not sure of the brand, I got them at Marshall’s) and if I have a pimple I’ll do a pimple patch on it. That’s basically all I do!

My skin borders on oily, I get a lot of oil on the sides of my nose and sometimes a bit right between my eyebrows, but other than that the rest of my face isn’t dry or oily. I don’t really get acne, sometimes I’ll get singular pimples on my cheeks or nose but I’ve never gotten breakouts of acne. I also don’t regularly wear makeup. I don’t wear foundation or concealer at all, so when I do wear makeup it’ll normally be mascara, highlighter, blush, lipstick, and setting powder!

I just want a pretty basic routine to start out with! I‘m willing to spend some money if it’s worth it, but I would like to stay on the cheaper side. If yall could let me know what products I should be using and what order I should be using them in, as well as if there’s anything wrong with my current routine, that would be awesome! Thanks 😀

I used to live in the US, and I found that the Purito 10% Bamboo Panthenol cream is best suited for me, especially since I use Tazarotene.

However it feels prohibitively expensive in India now that I moved, and I want to attempt a similar type of formulation and dosage of actives/soothing ingredients.

I’m thinking of layering the following items in order after cleansing:

1) 5% Niacinamide serum

2) Minimalist’s 10% Panthenol cream

3) few drops of 100% Squalene Oil dabbed on top

The reason I want to do this is because while Minimalist is amazing at their formulation, their moisturizer lacks niacinamide and squalene oil… so just wondering if this can be a good workaround for what I’m seeking.

I did an ingredient by ingredient analysis and I’m still missing out on cica - which my skin has LOVED every time it’s irritated. Although, I’m still willing to buy Skin1004 centella ampoule and apply it as needed.

Just wondering if people have done something similar in terms of swapping things here and there to get the right combinations of actives/moisturizers/humectants/soothing ingredients.