to not have a skincare regime?

[KindergartenKop]

I went for a massage and facial recently (gift) and the clinique lady said I really did need to buy some of her overpriced gunge for my face. I was a bit
My skincare regime is as follows: wash face with water in shower. Rub with towel. Apply body shop body butter (v dry skin).

Aibu?

[Sallystyle]

Kundry is fab.

She helped save my cystic acne face into smooth decent skin, except for the scars which I am still working on.

[Kundry]

I would scrap the toner as totally pointless unless it contains an acid.

For the old blackhead and spot anything with salicylic will be fine - see you on Style and Beauty where people can suggest things according to your budget. There's no need to spend a fortune unless you want to

[nooka]

My skincare routine is mainly to leave my face alone. I don't wear make up (never have) don't wash my face particularly and don't moisturise. Only use sunscreen when I'm going out over water (don't sunbathe either).

I expect I will get wrinkles but I'm not really bothered, don't see them as an issue, so long as I have more laugh lines than frown lines.

I'm public health trained (not practicing) and most of the 'research' done on cosmetic products is an utter waste of time, sample sizes stupidly small and time lines way too short to be meaningful. Oh and mostly funded by organisations directly tied into the manufacturers too. I'd take them all with a massive pinch of salt. Skin is mainly affected by what you eat, drink, environmental exposure and whether you are stressed and get enough sleep.

[VillageFete]

Kundry - I am in awe of you! I would love to join amazing faces. I'll take a look. I don't use SPF, can you recommend one? So I still C&T but I need an acid in there too? Every day? I use no 7 microdermabrasion exfoliator once a week, would I continue this?

I'm not spotty really, just get milia and the odd blackhead, but very rare I get an angry, red spot.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Aspirin masks are very popular.

[SmillasSenseOfSnow]

Acids gently exfoliate the skin making it look brighter and more hydrated and hopefully stimulating collagen formation. If you have spots/blackheads you should use salicylic acid and if your skin is dry you will be better with glycolic.

I was about to make a joke about crushing aspirin and rubbing it on my face but then I googled it and found out that it might well work...

[Kundry]

VillageFete if you are interested you should come over to the AmazingFaces quiche on Style and Beauty.

For your routine you are missing acid, retinol and poss SPF. If you don't use broad spectrum SPF everyday, you might as well not bother doing any of the rest of the routine

Acids gently exfoliate the skin making it look brighter and more hydrated and hopefully stimulating collagen formation. If you have spots/blackheads you should use salicylic acid and if your skin is dry you will be better with glycolic.

The next step is a retinol. The sensible way to do this is to start with one of the good retinol products like La Roche Posay Redermic R or Paula's Choice Retinol/Skinceuticals - start slowly say alt days, be prepared for spots/redness/peeling and if they happen go even slower then build up to every day. If you get on OK with this then you can go looking for Retin A on eBay (ask on Amazing Faces, loads of people are using it on there).

Finally you ideally need ceramides and niacinamide in there - think they are in a lot of Olay products, otherwise Cerave is ace.

That's pretty much it in terms of proven anti-ageing ingredients. There are a few things that may help pigmentation, peptides may help a bit, you can plump up temporarily with hyaluronic. But the only proper proven ones are retinoids, acids, niacinamide and SPF.

[MamaLazarou]

I'm so jealous of people who can use soap and water and still look good. You're lucky to have naturally good skin, OP. Some of us need a bit more help!

[VillageFete]

U2 - thank you! I'll definitely do sone research. I refuse to give into ageing. I assume you just type Retin A into Ebay? Slightly worried I may choose something that isn't legitimate & end up ruining my face!

[formerbabe]

In my 20s I had no skincare routine and usually slept in my make up if I had company! Now I'm in my 30s, I just can't get away with it anymore. I wake up looking dreadful if I skip my bedtime routine, which is:

Remove all make up with a rich cleanser
Apply toner
Moisturise with night cream
Eye cream

It has made such a difference...which I'd done it earlier.

[Kundry]

Retin A certainly doesn't prevent my milia. I'm not sure about the build up of product argument as I had several when I used no product at all. I've also read them being caused by dehydration/lack of moisturisation - again not convinced as my skin def isn't dehydrated now, and has never been unmoisturised as it's oily and I get them at the same rate now as I did when I had no routine.

I just poke them with a needle and squish out the hard contents bit scary when they are next to your eye, do not try this at home

[Sallystyle]

I'm not sure about milia but Kundry is the skin queen so she should know!

I get mine from Ebay. It is perfectly real but takes a good few weeks to arrive.

You need to start at 0.025 strength and start using once or twice a week at the most to start with. Clean face and wait for at least 20 mins before applying. You can buffer with moisturiser to start with as well, but again Kundry knows much more about that than I do.

You need to use sunscreen every single day without fail while on it, you can not wax either, but threading and plucking is fine.

You must not get pregnant while on it.

You will likely go through a stage of peeling and red skin, but this will lessen if you start very very slowly and build up a tolerance and use a good moisturiser. It is an amazing product but it is not something most people can just jump in with straight away and the results are not quick.

For a while your skin could look worse.

I would do some research into it and how to use it. There is a lot of information on MN if you search for it and this link is good too.

www.drbaileyskincare.com/blog/use-retin-a-tretinoin-for-acne-anti-aging-skin-care/

[NinkyNonkers]

Sunscreen is a key tbh. I do think that as skin ages you need to take more care of it, but what you use depends on time and your skin type. I have very sensitive, eczema prone skin so need to be careful, my skin would dry up and fall off after coming out in patches all over if I followed your regime!

[Getthewonderwebout]

If your regime works for you then great. But I have used Clinique for about 20 years now and my skin is far far better than every member of my family, by their own admittance.

Clinique isn't overpriced. It may cost more than a £2 tesco moisturiser initially but it lasts a long time.

[VillageFete]

Talk to me about Retin A. What is it & where do I get my hands on it?

I suffer with milia, will Retin A worsen them? I'm sure they are genetic as my Dad has loads and my sis has also started getting them. I went for a facial last week & she removed them all & I look so much better. The facialist told me it was a build up of products & I should stick to removing make up with olive oil, and also use olive oil as a moisturiser, but I just can't. Doesn't seem right.

I use Olay cleanser, toner & moisturiser and I CTM every evening and always remove my make up, no matter how pissed I am Was thinking of switching to no 7 as i'm a fan of their foundation.

[shebird]

YANBU
However, I do believe that sunscreen and moisturiser are worth using but it's necessary to spend a fortune on magic potions promising a facelift in a tube.

[Kundry]

YANBU

I didn't have one for 38 years until I decided that a) I was too old to have acne and b) it was bloody rude that I had acne and wrinkles. Mine didn't even go as far as moisturiser, it was literally just wet face in shower, dry with towel, the end [shock

So now I have one. Also, for me it's a fun pampering thing to do that doesn't contain calories [grin

If you don't have a skin issue that bothers you and you don't care about wrinkles then I wouldn't bother.

[Spintastic]

I didn't have one either really until I joined a beauty group on FB called MrsGloss&TheGoss and the ladies on there convinced me I need one! Feel and look loads better already

[MitzyLeFrouf]

I love my evening skincare regime, so relaxing.

But obviously YANBU seeing as it's y'know, your fizzog.

[CarlaJones]

I use tesco cream face wash (doesn't foam, it's a cream) which you wash off in the shower and then a no 7 face cream that has spf and 5* uva rating. Or if it's the evening I use diprobase

[enderwoman]

Yabu if you're in the UK and not using sunscreen. Otherwise you know your skin best and should go with what suits your skin and budget.

[Totality22]

I do the same - although I use Oilatum Junior. I do also use an under the eye roller thingy that is meant to help with eye baggies it doesn't

[Floisme]

I damaged my skin by using too many random products so no, not unreasonable at all, although personally I would add a sunscreen.

I think not smoking or sunbathing plus a healthy diet will do as much for your skin as a shedfull of snake oil.

[Sallystyle]

Twirls

I use Retin A with an antibiotic in it. I switched over to pure retin-a but had an initial breakout so went back to the one the gp prescribed. He told me last week that he won't let me have anymore once this tube has run out so I'm using both at the moment. I figure that I will slowly adjust to the pure retin-a and using the one with the antibiotic in a few times a week will help with the initial outbreak.