My skin is shit and I don't know where to start to improve it

[Dullygreygirl]

I am so fed up of my skin sad it is dull, rough, feels incredibly coarse to the touch and gets very dry but also gets very oily at times. I get three or four spots a month around my period, which is annoying, but I'm not sure qualifies as acne?

I have no skincare regime (just wash my face in the shower) and I know I need to start. This is where I am totally, utterly lost. There are so so many skincare brands and while I'm happy to invest in good quality products like Dermalogica or Clinique etc, I really can't afford to waste hundreds trying them all out.

I would love to see a dermatologist for advice, and would love a facial to kick start everything. But again have no idea where to find good ones?

I use either body butter or Simple rich moisturiser, every day.

But my skin feels so incredibly hard and rough. I keep getting urges to use a scrub every few days but don't do this because it irritates the skin, but then I'm still stuck with a face that is coarse to the touch sad

I drink a lot of water and tea, am rarely dehydrated - probably only a couple of times a week does my wee look dehydated (sorry for TMI) after a stressful day running around like a headless chicken when I don't get time to drink enough. Then I automatically chug loads of water again so while it's not ideal to be dehydrated at all, it's not for very long.

I drink alcohol about twice a week. I smoke when I'm drinking (this is a recent development) but my skin has been like this for years, long before I started to smoke.

Where do I start?

Can anyone help?

Re-posting this over from Chat

I like Cetaphil - it is a mild cleanser you can use in the shower and it is recommended by dermatologists all over the world.
I have found it better than many other expensive cleansers - and much more affordable.

I personally don't like scrubs with grainy bits in, I prefer an acid toner to exfoliate my skin. I like Pixi Glow Tonic which is £18. There are other ones on the market, but I have only used this one.

When you wake up, how is your skin on your face? Oily, dry, normal? After your shower, how is your skin on your face feeling - dry, tight, normal, oily?
During the day, does your skin get more dry or more oily?

These are the Caroline Hirons threads, in order (as in, first thread is first link). It seems like a lot of reading to do, but actually the first few pages of the first thread will get you started.

Thread one

Thread two

Thread three

The first two threads are recent but full! Hence the third thread which is still active.

What is an acid toner - it sounds a bit harsh? Can anyone use it?

Will read the CH threads!

My skin just feels rough and dirty pretty much all the time. Biggest change is when I moisturise after a shower, it feels incredibly rough like the moisturiser isn't sinking in. It's horrible.

I use the Clarisonic Face brush which I love once I got to about 40 my skin texture changed. The Clarisonic has sorted that out and I wouldn't be without it. When it comes to skin care the less I do to mine the better, other than face wash I only use serum and a SPF 30 sunscreen. If I get a spot I use Differin.