Tips please! If you used to have crap skin, but now its great...how did you do it?

[Flambemoi]

I am in late 30s skin doldrums...lacklustre, PMT-spotty, white-heady, black-heady, broken capillaries every wear and starting to wrinkle...Gah. None of these to any catastrophic level but enough to look more haggard than radiant. I keep half-heartedly trying new products and routines but then I have a run of bad baby nights and forget or am too tired...

Baby sleeping just a bit better now so its time to regain control but I have no idea where to start.. All top tips gratefully appreciated!

im interested in this as well

I bought Dr Hauschka eye balm after reading about it on here, quite pleased with it. I also use Avene Rich Compensating Cream as a moisturiser and have recently starting using facial oil which definitely makes a difference. I bought a reasonably cheap one from M&S. I always think my skin looks brighter when I've used a face mask, and I use thesefrom time to time too. Although that brand might be discontinued now. Also an exfoliator if you have time and your skin isn't too sensitive.
I'm 40, skin isn't brilliant but better than it used to be. Would be even better if ds3 would let me have a full night's sleep.

my skin is much nicer than it use to be - i never get spots now, it just looks tired at times cos of lack of sleep. i stopped eating processed food and that helped. i also think it helps if you try to be as natural as possible - think about whether you are taking a lot of over the counter drugs, or drinks that are full of chemicals and sugar. also taking a multi vitamin, and putting oil on your face helps. i have been using coconut oil on my face for years just as an extra moisturiser. another thing i do is wash my face at night, but very thoroughly. if i have make up, i wash it once to get the make up off, and then once again to actually clean the skin. then i don't wash my face again in the morning... i just moisturise it... i think this helps not to dry it out.

I stopped wearing foundation.

Simple as that. I looked like spotty shit for a while while all the makeup worked its way out of my pores but now i hardly get any spots, except hormone ones on my chin, or a stress related breakout.

I wash my face with dove and a flannel and my skin looks great. Only makeup i use now is mascara.

I'm nearly 33.

I use bio oil at nights and its definitely made a difference.

I recently stopped wearing anything on my skin and have noticed a big improvement. I just wash with warm water and it's like my skin have found it's natural ph balance. Instead of overcompensating the soap I used by producing extra oil. My skin is ironically much less oily and spotty now I just leave it alone. I'm 33.
Sorry I expect thats not very helpful, you probably wanted a cream or facewash that worked well. Washing with water probably isn't that appealing to most people!!

Diagnosed with PCOS age 20 now 42 and have had brilliant skin for 20 years now - use Dermalogica (basics not age smart or don't of the newer stuff) and follow a low carb (ish) regime. I did go on the pill for a while and that helped as did mult vits

hanks all..clearly I sounded desperate! You all got in there before I had time to return and correct my typos .

Seems simplicity is the key.. cos my skin is so cruddy I have been wearing Double wear daily.. I am sure its worse than ever - especially after the too tired to take foundation off nights. Right, off to take make up off and drink water!

Thanks!

I've been doing the Oil Cleansing method for a couple of weeks and it's working brilliantly. I use Sweet Almond Oil, massage it into my face (it is fab for removing makeup too) and then press a hot flannel onto my skin, rinse the flannel, repeat until all oil has gone. Leaves my skin peachy and smooth - all the pesky blackheads I had on my nose are gone at last!

No dairy and a low gi diet ... no probs now. Had probs since I was 11 wish I knew sooner

I have recently had a breakthrough - I'm 34 with sensitive, sometimes greasy, sometimes dry skin, tendancy to get spots.

Started using Elemis try enzyme facial wash - every morning and night. Then rose hip oil instead of moisturiser.

Use a Boots No. 7 eye cream for round my eyes.

I get much fewer spots, they clear up quickly and no greasy T-zone.

If I want to wear make up, I don't use the oil, I use a primer cream instead.

Hi. Like you I'm 40 late 30s and had very cruddy skin until recently. My odd monthly chin spot had turned into full blown acne over the last few years (courtesy of Garnier bb cream!).
I have been using an antibiotic gel from the drs for the last 6 weeks - and so far 4 weeks not a single spot (had 2 weeks of horrid irritation to start with).
I also use bare minerals make up (apart from my bb cream lapse). I also now use bare minerals combination skin face wash and moisturiser. I use their firming eye cream (my eyes are my worst bit now - lots of lines due to weight loss).
It's the first time I've been able to go without a little fake tan to look not like the undead normal !

I started drinking lattes about a year after I had my DS, and got horrendous red angry lumpy spots. I swapped dairy milk for soya and they cleared up almost instantly. I agree that a facial oil is good at night too

I followed the regime on acne.org and got rid of my spots

Have a read of Caroline Hiron's Beauty Mouth blog. She does skin clinics and there are loads of posts from peops having issues with their skin.

www.beautymouth.com

Ten years ago I got an antibiotic topical solution called dalacin from the drs after years of spots. It's fab and I rarely have to use it now maybe once a month if I get a spot.
I also drink maybe 4 pints of water a day if not 6 and I notice a huge difference if I don't do that - spots instantly start coming up. I don't wear makeup either occasionally a brightening tinted moisturiser if I've been up all night with dd.
My skin was awful whilst preg with both kids and I couldn't use the dalacin. I needed a bag on my head it was so bad.
Interested in the oil thing tho as I do get blackheads on my nose...

Evening Primrose Oil, daily oral capsules.

I had children

seriously , it seems to sorted out my acne, although has done nothing for my dark circles .

Anything with salicylic acid in it helps my skin tremendously. Plus Clarins facial oil. No sugar in my diet ( when I can stick to it ) Then ten minutes every day putting a face of makeup on. That's the real secret to looking better when you get to our age, I think. Good subtle makeup.

Should add, have got a lot of broken capillaries all over my face, so for me, not wearing foundation isn't an option, even when my skin is clear of blackheads and spots. But some subtle eye makeup and some blusher and lipstick can also turn a tired lacklustre looking woman into someone who glows a bit.

I figured out that for me getting my skin really clean in the first place was the key. Anything I put on after that is fine, it's the cleanser that's important.

I use Ren Mayblosson cleanser for oily skin, very gentle and has salicylic acid in it. That's pretty good but then I use decleor toner for oily skin which gets a shed load more dirt off. I use gentle moisturisers by Neals Yard.

My skin is not that oily - it's t-zone oily with dry cheeks and sensitive patches. Prone to black and whiteheads, dry bits and broken veins. I'm 39.

So I cleanse for oily skin but moisturise for normal-dry.

Once you figure out how to get your skin clean in a non irritated way you're pretty much there.

Oh the other thing is a non comodegenic foundation - I use Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser for oily skin and it's so soft and gentle it does my skin a lot of good.

Same as Cies, my acne cleared up after I had my children at 36 and 38. I also think that when I met DH and we moved in (shortly before we had DC 1) I stopped picking my skin. Back in the days where we were still flushed by love, I didn't want a flushed and red blotchy face too!

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