I need your help to sort out my skin care please.

[stickybean]

I need to start from scratch with my skin. It's in bad shape and I don't know where to begin.

If I list all my issues will you tell me what to buy?

1. skin normal to dry. Checks are dry and starting to age BIG TIME. I am 31 and in the last few years wrinkles have arrived at an alarming rate.

2. Pre kids my skin was greasy and I am left with tonnes of blackheads. Mainly on my chin but my t-zone in general.

3)I get very spotty on my chin in the week I ovulate and the week of my period. Big hard spots that scar.

What products are good? I am happy to start from scratch.
If money was no object what other treatments might work? Microdermabrasion / peels / facials etc. not sure I would do anything extreme but would be interested in all options.

If it makes a difference, I live in the USA so feel free to suggest international brands.

So there you have it wise ladies... Help me.
What should I do? Cleanser, toner, moisturiser... Facelift!

Thanks in advance x

I mean my skin I general is ageing not just my cheeks! Actually mainly around my eyes.

Bump

I swear by dermalogica products, I also do home peels every week using glycolic acid which I buy off eBay.
The peel helps control my spots/ blackheads.

Gosh you sound similar to me. I would suggest buying the simplest, low - tech skin care stuff you can ie "Simple", are you using harsh medicated cosmetics?.It might be a good idea to have a facial done , and ask your beauty therapist for advice. I got microdermabrasion done and red vein removal which was brilliant. I'm afraid I still get spots around period time, though...

I started reading beauty blogs to try and glean some nuggets of info about how to sort my skin out and this is my favourite:

www.beautymouth.com

She recommends balm based cleansers which is the best but of advice I've had as my dry patches have completely gone.

I think you need to work out which recommendations apply to your skin as not all products that are amazing for some people will work for you, everyone's skin is so different. I do recommend sample sizes of products until you find your favourites though, I've been buying loads from eBay!

A hot cloth cleanser with a muslin wrung out to wash it off (I cut boots muslins up and have a fresh one twice a day).

A daily sunscreen (I use clinique city block 40 as it has more antioxidants) every day even around my eyes.

I use a face mask every night, it really helped my skin. It's no effort to put one on and whip it off 15-30 mins later.

A silk pillowcase off amazon to keep your skin from drying out.

Plenty of water everyday so your not dehydrated.

I like dermalogicas multivitamin power recovery mask for reducing inflammation. I get the professional sizes off ebay.

Thank you so much. I actually used to use dermalogica but it stopped being so effective after a few years. Probably around the time I had my first baby and my skin changed. I will look at it again and see if anything might suit me.

Beauty blogs are a great idea, I will check them out.

I'm not using anything harsh at the moment. Water to wash or simple wipes to remove make up. And Clarins moisturiser. Maybe not enough? I don't know.

Keep those suggestions coming

Fluffycloud you might have hit the nail on the head with suggesting more water. I am so bad at it and it's 35 degrees here.

Can you tell me more about the hot cloth method? I have seen people suggest it here before. Do you use cleaner or oil? Can I use regular baby muslins?

Cleanse with Cetaphil (cheap as chips in the US), but don't wash off, remove with a muslin or face cloth, which gives you a mild exfoliate and makes you glow. Try not to squeeze the big, hard, hurty spots, but ask your doctor for some antibiotic lotion for them (I use Dalacin T) - they will flatten dramatically overnight and be gone in two days.

Moisturiser - I would suggest something that is calming. I am using something odd and French at the moment, which does the trick for me, as it is for sensitive skin. You might try one of the lighter Nuxe moisturisers or something from La Roche Posay for sensitive skin.

For your blackheads, my DD1 had an absolute forest of these on her T zone. I bought her one of those blackhead extractors, like a metal loop. She got rid of them in one go with this - her skin was a bit red and angry for a day or so, but once they were gone, they were gone. She still gets the odd one, which she hoicks out with the extractor, but since she has "harvested" the forest, they have never been back in such numbers.

That is the cheap, low tech version for you.