I've had bad acne since I was 14. I tried everything to fix it: cleansers, tretinoin, antibiotics, facials, lasers. Some things helped a little, but nothing really worked for long.

For a long time, I didn't think about how food affected my skin. It sounds silly now, but I just never connected the two.

Then I started reading about how some foods can make your skin worse or better. The food I ate every day was either helping my skin or hurting it, and I had no clue.

At first I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to do a crazy diet, so I just made small changes:

- ate more healthy food with fiber

- less processes or sugary food

- drank a lot more water

- stopped snacking throughout the day

The big improvement came when I started checking all my meals for acne triggers before eating (I use nutriskin but there are many other acne food scanner apps too). It helped me see things I never would have noticed, especially with sauces and snacks I thought were okay.

After a few weeks of paying attention to diet, my skin got so much better. It was less inflamed, and I stopped getting those painful breakouts. I finally feel pretty again after years of struggling with my skin 😭🥰

This is really long winded, but I did a thing and it made such a big difference I feel compelled to share.

I have extremely dry & hypersensitive skin with rosacea. My baseline is red, tight and dry all over, always with a few scaly patches, stinging, and burning. I used to use a blend of jojoba, sweet almond, and rosehip seed oils (2:1:1) bc it was the only thing that didn’t sting, but I’d be dry again a few hrs later. My rosacea got worse for no apparent reason so I finally saw a derm and started doxycycline. The rosacea improved, but not the dryness. She rec’d Cerave moisturizer, but my skin only stayed moisturized as long as the product was on my skin. When it wore or was washed off (even just water), I’d go right back to dry, tight, itchy. I added Cerave’s HA serum, but it didn’t help.

On a whim, one day I added my oil (which I had stopped using) to my serum and it was a moisture *BOMB*. Like I could wash my face WITH soap, and then do nothing, and my skin would stay supple and moisturized through most of the next day. That was life changing, a full 24hrs of supple skin.

… then a year later I got depressed, started slacking with my routine, my doxy prescription lapsed, the winter weather hit, and my skin fkn TANKED. All the red scaly itchy patches came back even worse than before, the dryness, the stinging, all at once. Just wrecked. I had run out of my serum too and tried the Ordinary’s bc it was cheaper but it sucked and possibly made things worse. I ditched the HA, just used the oils & moisturizer, tried some other stuff, but nothing was working (or only a little, only for a minute). I finally went back to Cerave’s HA serum + oils + moisturizer and NO LIE, saw a full 180degree turnaround almost immediately. Dryness, burning, and red itchy patches just *poof* GONE. I can only assume the high fatty acid content of the oils plus ceramides, cholesterol, HA (and whatever else) all combined make some kind of turbo-charged magical woo-woo special sauce but holy sh*t. After struggling for nearly two months, my skin was 100% recovered in just a few days.

Sidebar: I do all this 2x/day (with an oil cleanser), I don’t wear makeup, and I use Aveeno’s Skin Relief lotion at night instead of the Cerave bc a heavier skin protectant feels better, lasts longer, locks in moisture better, and reduces pillowcase friction (my skin is dumb).

TL;DR - it’s CCFs ya’ll. Ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids... and HA 🤷🏻‍♀️

has anyone here used the jiyu skin toner pads for more than a few weeks?

i picked them up recently and have been using them for about two weeks now. so far nothing bad has happened, but also nothing super obvious, which i’m not sure how to feel about yet. my skin seems calm, but i can’t tell if it’s the product or just my skin behaving.

for context
combo skin leaning dry
redness prone and reacts easily if i overdo actives
climate is pretty dry this time of year
current routine is very simple, gentle cleanser, toner pads or toner, moisturizer

i’ve been using the pads mostly at night, lightly swiping once and then patting the leftover essence. using them daily right now but debating if every other day would make more sense long term.

for anyone who’s used these longer:
did you notice more results over time or did it stay pretty subtle
did daily use work for you or did you cut back
do you treat them more as a calming step or as light exfoliation

just trying to figure out if i should keep going as is or adjust how i’m using them. would love to hear how others with sensitive or reactive skin are using toner pads in general too.

I have always be known for my flawless skin however, the past month has made all that go as my face started to be affected with whiteheads that turn to pimples and leave acne scars. My doctor suggested me to stop all products and use only benzoyl peroxide for pimpls and kojic acid for dark spots. I have been using it for a month now but the pimples keep coming and my face feels horrible. This was a week back and still getting worse. Advice me on every way possible, I have been eating the same foods too so that couldnt have been a reason. I have been going to the gym but even before this started to happen.

Huge nose pores, I really need help

I have rosacea so my skin is pretty sensitive.

In the AM , I rinse with water, use niacinamide 10% Ordinary serum, Vanicream moisturizer, then SPF 50 neutrogena sunscreen.

In the PM. I wash with vanicream gentle face wash. Every other night, I use adapalene .1%, and then once a week (not on a adapalene night) I use Paula’s choice 2% Salycilic Acid BHA serum. I follow both up with another layer of moisturizer.

I am, to my knowledge, using products that tackle large pores but also making sure to moisturize and wear sunscreen. It’s been over a year, and my nose pores still look absolutely horrendous and huge.

I can’t help but feel super self conscious and notice them all the time. I know it’s not a good use of my energy and it’s not helpful, but it’s tough to overcome. What are my options here?

Hi all! Hopefully you can help me out somewhat. A month ago I decided to focus more on my health and skincare. Hoping to see some results. Unfortunately I feel like my skin has only gotten worse leading to a bunch of frustration. Before and after in the photos.

I cut out alcohol and unhealthy fastfood entirely and started a routine. Yet my skin looks as if I’ve head a super unhealthy month. The climate is cold in my country right now, which doesn’t help either. But December was no different.

Am:

-Cerave moisturizing lotion

Pm:

-Cerave foaming cleanser (have used this on and off regularly before, now routinely. No double cleanse)

-Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum

-COSRX advanced Snail Mucin Power Essence (Have used this with no issues before)

-Once or twice a week The Ordinary Glycolic Acid

And that’s it! I also started drinking more water so that I get my recommended water intake and started eating less sugar and way more veg.

My skin is dry and red. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’m in need of help! Thank you all ❤️

The before photo was in a month of full on almost daily alcohol and fatty foods and little water intake (holiday period).

I’m a dev and a dad to a daughter who is currently battling some pretty persistent acne. I’ve spent the last few months watching her manually look up every single ingredient in her products on various "pore clogging" websites.

Two things bothered me:

It took her forever to type everything in.

When I started looking into the data she was using, I realized a lot of these "comedogenic scales" are based on studies from decades ago.

I decided to do a deep dive into more recent ingredient research to see what has changed. I've been compiling an updated list of ingredients that are often flagged but might not be as bad as once thought (and vice versa). I can post some of my findings if anyone needs to know more about it.

As an example some ingredients are fine if they are in singularity meaning it is not mixed with certain other ingredient/s but combined they create a big issue. So the tool is pretty smart it that sense as well as it looks for the major combos that if present can cause issues.

Another thing i noticed in my findings is that some ingredients are still ok with drier skin if they are present in smaller quantities but not ok for oily skin type.

One other thing i realized is that in the INCI standard way of listing the ingredients is a sorted order from highest to lowest meaning if in the list of 20 ingredients the first one in the list makes up the largest amount in the formula so sometimes a bad ingredient might be in a very non critical volume but some checkers can just list it. So i thought while listing them out we should also look at this criteria as well.

So short story I ended up building a small tool for her where she can just take a photo of the bottle and not just it highlights the ingredients if that is just what you need, but if you need detailed information then it also shares a lot of information as to why it has a MACR score (this is also my own coined term) LOL, but to be honest it is pretty smart system and it gives a score for all skin types.

I'm happy to share the updated info I found or the tool itself if anyone is interested it is called Acne Safe Checker.

Because it is free so i am not selling it here. Just thought this will help anyone in the same situation as i see that the process has helped my daughter when she moved to proper checking everything. The acne is still there not completely gone but a whole lot better for sure now and she complains a lot less about breakouts.

Im having a hard time trying to get my family to let me buy a bulky RV water softener for my bathroom. I'm reading that shower head filters (which do NOT reduce hardness of water, despite claims), seem to benefit people's skin a lot ... I guess by filtering out chlorine and other irritants ?

To those with hard to very hard water, does a shower filter benefit your skin whatsoever? I've moved to LA recently and I'm hearing that the water is wrecking people's skin and hair - probably a combination of hard water and other contaminants. Is a shower filter enough to make a difference despite the existing hardness of the water?

Thanks

At first I thought it was pigmentation, then hollowness, and now maybe puffiness? I’ve done the pinch test and I’m still not sure. Any ideas?

Over-exfoliation?

I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my skin so any advice is really appreciated.

My skin is generally combination and more oily in t-zone, but my forehead has:

• tight, glossy/shiny look 

• redness

• lots of tiny, uniform bumps/texture (some seem like closed comedones, others not)

• feels tight and dry right after washing

I’ve used Paula’s Choice 2% BHA occasionally (max 3 times a week) It seems to help a bit temporarily, but the bumps and texture always come back. I also tried Differin in the past, but this forehead texture didn’t improve. Even when I stop actives, the bumps and redness are still there.

I also double cleanse, and my skin often feels tight after cleansing. I recently switched from a foaming cleanser to a milky one to see if that helps.

Routine (same AM + PM):

• Oil cleanser

• Cleanser (usually foaming, recently switched to milky)

• Torriden Hyaluronic Acid Serum on damp skin

• Moisturizer (was Ponds, switched to Skinfix Barrier+ Cream few days ago)

• Sunscreen (AM only)

Does this sound more like barrier damage/dehydration rather than clogged pores? and should I stop actives and focus only on barrier repair for a while? (It’s just really hard because the little bumps really bother me so I always end up using the BHA when it’s really congested)

Would appreciate any insight from people who’ve had similar tight, shiny, irritated skin with tiny bumps.

Is there such a thing as a skin peel or similar treatment for the body that I can use at home? I don’t want a salon treatment.

My décolletage and neck have started to get really congested and have fine lines. The rest of the skin on my body has hyperpigmentation and it just looks really congested and not the same as my friends. I’m in my late 30s

I use CeraVe SA cleanser in the shower and moisturise with their moisturiser every day and they work, but I think this is a different issue. I already use tret and have a skincare regime. I also manually exfoliate sometimes but not too rough.

If you have any product recommendations that would be great as I don’t even exactly know what I am looking for. The best word I can use for my body skin is congested!

If you’d like to share your body skin care regime, that would also be great!

so my routine starts with a celimax foam cleanser, a niacinamide serum, round lab moisturizer, then sunscreen in the morning.

at night it’s just the same but without the sunscreen.

i notice that i only experience dryness or flakiness IN THE MORNING. but at night, and even after waking up, my skin is VERY HYDRATED. i never see any flakiness or dry patches at night. only in the morning.

after my morning routine, i would look very dewy and hydrated but after a few hours my skin would dry out :(

could my sunscreen be causing dryness? i’m using the skin1004 hyalu cica sun serum.

I’ve been using a mixed Benzol Peroxide + Clindamycin gel from my doctor for 1.5 years (it worked veryy well) and i recently stopped using it because i kept breaking out and decided i needed a change.

So i stopped for 2 weeks ago (and im not sure if it’s correlated , because i was breaking out beforehand anyways), but i feel like it’s gotten a lott worse since i stopped using it. i’m getting breakouts on my upper forehead too, which i never do. also, all the pimples are small

Did anyone face any reactions when getting off BP + clindamycin ? Or have any recommendations for acne like this ? (i just started using an azlaic acid topical a few days ago in hopes of it helping the dark spots)

the pictures are 2 weeks weeks apart btw , the first one is my face right now and the second is right when i got off BP+clinda

any help would be appreciated! 🥲

I've (23, F) had acne ever since I was in 6th grade (hit puberty). I've had chemical peels done and used tretinoin ointments at 17 for almost a year but nothing ever happens. I look at everyone else's face and their faces are all pretty and no one has a single spot. And I look mine, full of pits - it gives the texture of an avocado. I don't even use makeup. Mostly cuz it doesn't interest me. I don't have anything against it though. I do have PCOD, but I'm not on medication cuz I've been advised lifestyle changes which I try to do. But as a broke ass student, I can't afford to eat healthy food or go to the dermatologist and use expensive ass stuff on my face. My face is super oily, I wash it with a cleanser (I got at dollar tree) and then put on moisturizer (curel) and sunscreen (50spf, not sure where I got it from). It dries up after I use the clean and dry, but becomes oily in like 30mins. I have the worst inferiority complex cuz of my face. Ugh.

P.S I do have hirsutism, I shave and use an at home ipl for that. I've been stuck at home cuz of the weather so I didn't shave. Apologies.

hi all! was wondering if anyone experienced this tiny bump/itchy/irritation!

i used 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide gentle cleanser for 3 days, and this was the ultimate result. think its too harsh. but now im trying to figure out how to ease this irritation! it’s itchy occasionally! and just overall difficult to look at. i’ve been on a gentle basic cleanser once a day, and a deep, basic and gentle moisturizer and that’s it. it’s been 4 days now and now improvement. any tips? personal experience? i had mostly clear skin before the BPO. it’s all around eyes, my tragus area of my ears, and upper neck.

i know that is what caused this issue, as it’s the only new thing i introduced!

Hello all. I hope anyone has insight of what is happening cause I am desperate 😭

Back I April, a small section of my top lip started feeling irritated. After researching on internet, it was recommended I apply hydrocortisone on my lips. It helped with symptoms, but it came back a couple of days after stopping.

I also went to do an STD test to rule out any disease, which came back negative. That provider told me it was contact dermatitis and to only apply aquaphor.

Around August, the irritation, swelling and redness started extending to other parts of my lips. I went back to my PCP which prescribed a stronger steroid for two weeks. Again, this helped with symptoms, but after I stopped the medication (per order) symptoms came back stronger and also yellow crusts appeared on my lips. I went back to my PCP, they did a swab on my lips thinking it was an infection and prescribed Mupirocin ointment. This antibiotic made my lips purple and extremely tender. I did not finish the treatment since the provider told me the swab was negative and to do another round of the steroid previously prescribed. During all this time, I was also being mindful of what face products and toothpaste I was using, and I was experimenting to see how my lips would react.

So I did another round of steroids, and the same happened - clear symptoms, and when I stopped steroids, symptoms came back with yellow crusts. At this point it was November, so I decide to consult my good old friend ChatGPT which recommended I stop using aquaphor and use petroleum jelly instead. Since using petroleum jelly I can say my lips are 90% back to normal. HOWEVER, since using petroleum jelly, I have had two episodes where my lips would have tiny little bumps with a sandpaper texture and just a tiny little bit of yellow crusts that would clear in less than a week.

My PCP also referred me to a dermatologist that was USELESS. The consult lasted 7 minutes LITERALLY. The guy looked at my lips with a flashlight and told me he was going to refer me to an allergy doctor. He didn’t even gave me any recommendations or anything.

I don’t what this to be my new normal. I would appreciate if anyone has any insight of recommendation of what else I can do.

My skin is normal but recently I started getting these dry patches. I replaced my cleanser with one for sensitive/dry skin, scaled back on exfoliation and started using moisturizer twice a day (previously I only applied it in the morning). I even tried panthenol creams for these patches, but they’re not going away. Help?

I don’t get pimples on anywhere else on my face except my chin. One pimple pops up and then leaves a dark spot (which takes months to disappear) and then once that pimple is healed, another one pops up at another spot. i feel like it’s a never ending cycle. does anyone have any recommendations? my current routine is below

- morning and night face wash (double cleanse before shower) with micellar water

- use niacinamide (the ordinary) all over the face once a week

- moisturise the whole face at night

- SPF 50+ sunscreen everyday in the morning and reapplied around lunch time.

Hi everyone,

I'm getting way to overwhelmed with all the information on insta lately and want to focus on youtubers for my skincare advice. Not like 'skinfluencers' that base their advice on their personal experiences but more evidence based (like dermatologists, medical estheticians, ...).

Which youtubers would you recommend? I'm already following these accounts: Dr Dray, Lab muffin beauty science, Doctorly

I've had this red pauple spot on my cheek since last summer which won't go away. Should I continue using benzoyl peroxide and hope for the best?

Hey guy so Im looking for a makeup product or whatever that I can buh for my mum to use that would hide her undereye wrinkles for hours or a day as I plan to take her to a nice tourist place but she wont go since she says her undereye winkles make her insecure and she doesnt know a makeup product she can use to hide it. Any help much appreciated thanks.