Advice for a woman with very bad skin and over plucked brows! Please help.

[UniversityOfMotherhood]

Hi all,

I had acne in my teens on my face, back and neck. I'm now thirty six and get the odd spot, but the problem is my skin looks absolutely awful. I have a few very large open pores that look like big holes in my face. I also have less visible smaller looking ones. I do suffer from black/white heads a lot and they are very deep especially on my back.

My cheeks, nose, forehead and chin look like a strawberry not in colour but you know how on a strawberry you can see all the little dimples on the skin. With my make-up on you can still see all the imperfections and if I run my finger over my skin you can see all the clogged pores its just vile.

My skin scars very easily and is sensitive.

I would appreciate any advice as it really gets me down and is affecting my confidence.

I have no proper cleansing routine and would like to spend some money on products that would help.
If I had the money I would be off getting a chemical face peel sadly that isn't an option.

The eyebrows I barely have any, they are so thin and I use a powder over them this does not stay put though. I am embarrassed to go swimming or get caught in the rain.

Any advice welcome!

Well eyebrows you either keep drawing them on, maybe go for a HD brows treatment which is semi permanent? That's the easy bit.

Re:your skin... It's a lot of trial and error. Have you seen a dermatologist re: the blackheads etc?

I rate the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanse and polish as an everyday cleanse and tone routine.
If you do have clogged pores you might want to use something a bit more abrasive- but only once a week so that you don't knacker your skin.
Personally I like lush's sea salt skin scrub. Very refreshing.

For everyday makeup, I have a couple of scars that i reduce the appearance of with Laura mercier's primer. It's the only one that I've tried that isn't cakey and drying for me.
I wear Estée Lauder double wear to even my skin tone. This is my must have. It covers everything but is quite thick so use sparingly.

Lastly I use benefit's benetint as a blusher. I find powder sits in said scars- the liquid blends in without emphasising and is a subtle colour when on. (Scary looking when in bottle.) I also stick some highlighter on (also benefit for me) just to 'lift' my skin and make it a bit more youthful.

Like I said, it is trial and error as my friends swore by certain products which were utterly useless for me.
Maybe seek out some testers or travel sized bottles before you fork out all your hard earned cash.

I have quite similar skin.
Benefits porefessional is a good primer and i swear by collection liquid concealer, its the only thing that covers my scars.

I cannot recommend the obagi skin care regime highly enough. Forget aesthetically attractive skin care products you can buy over the counter, you need something which is really effective. I used to have terrible chronic acne from the age of 13 - until my mid 40s when I discovered obagi. It's dermatologist prescribed as it has active ingredients in it such as hydro quinine and tretinoin but it bloody works. You go through a 12 week period where your skin will probably flake and go very dry but persevere and you will be rewarded with youthful healthy skin. I now get compliments on my complexion which I still find amazing as my skin was au bad for so long. the obagi reduces discolouration, scarring, sun damage, evens out skin tone and helps prevent spots and break outs. A miracle product!

For eyebrows, I found a little bit of castor oil smoothed on them every morning really helped them come in thicker. Took about 6 or 8 weeks to notice a difference but it really worked for me.

Double cleansing each evening, once to remove makeup and then second to clean the skin.
Alpha H liquid gold 2 to 3 times a week - you apply like a toner but it's a leave on peel/exfoliant.

These are the 2 things which have made the biggest difference to my skin.

La Roche Posay comes highly recommended on MN for problem skin and HD brows are great - because they tint the small pale hairs you don't usually see, so it appears to thicken them up - you can combine that with a pencil until they are back in business.

La Roche Posay Effaclar I should say

A clarisonic might help mine seems to cleanse my skin more deeply and help get the shit out of my pores without squeezing