Is it unrealistic to want flawless skin and if not then how can it be achieved?

[PlumDogMillionaire]

I have always had pretty good skin until around 18 months ago when I started getting adult acne. I stuck it out for a while and upped my skincare routine to the one I am still using now which includes balm and oil cleansers, a basic toner and a light moisturiser for day and alternating between a rose oil and acid toner at night. I tried a clarisonic but it broke after a few months and I didn't feel compelled to repurchase or seek a replacement as it didn't seem to help. After 8 months of new spots appearing on an almost daily basis (big ones deep in my cheeks and some on my forehead and jawline), I saw my GP, got topical and oral medication and within a few months, the spots stopped appearing!

I am so thrilled to have smooth, clear skin and to have escaped any textural scarring but I can't help but wish for 100% flawless skin. I take great care of it and would love to go without make up but since the acne breakout and despite having clear skin for 4/5 months without the use of medication I still have lots of red marks on my face. The red marks have faded
but I am wondering if there is something I can do to speed up this process. Will I have faint red marks forever? Please suggest any products/treatments/home remedies that people have tried with success.

I'm watching with interest! I have a large area of acne red pigmentation on one cheek. Have tried Olay Luminous serum and also Indeed Labs Peptibright. Both supposed to help with pigmentation but neither made any difference.

Cakes- how long since the spots cleared for you? Have you noticed fading of the red marks?

I am hoping for a miracle suggestion... I want to look in to chemical peels/laser treatments and such but any expert opinion will likely come with a hard sell so it's hard to know what to go for and they are all super pricey!

I struggled with acne from about the age of 14 until 22 and tried every bloody thing under the sun to get rid of it. Initially it was a hormone problem, and later on it was an allergy to fish oil or evening primrose oil pills. If only I'd worked that out sooner!

The red marks will fade over time. I have fair skin, so the marks are very noticeable on my skin, but I have learned over the years that they eventually go away. It sucks, and it can take some time (a year or more!) but they will continue to fade until they are barely noticeable, if at all. Keep using the rosehip oil underneath your moisturiser at night, because that is a god send. And wear sunscreen during the day (yes, even in winter!) because sun exposure can darken the marks, as opposed to bleaching them. I find the Sunsense anti-aging face sunscreen is good (doesn't break me out) and the baby Banana Boat roll on is good too for the same reason.

Thanks so much Liz - fab that you got to the bottom of your allergies

Please could you tell me more about rosehip oil? This is the rose oil i am using at the moment - is this the same as rosehip? www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dr-organic-rose-otto-facial-serum-60086409?skuid=086409&istCompanyId=8b7eb14d-bd9c-4f8a-aec2-4349bbabb5a0&istItemId=irrirlair&istBid=tztx&&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KEQjwh428BRCnvcyI-5nqjY4BEiQAijebwu3bl0LPlKtsbOXM91ZU_EAjY1cYe-ONX_loGZxm9aEaAg6t8P8HAQ

Also thanks so much for sunscreen recommendations that don't break you out! I will have to pick those up! I am off on a very sunny holiday and I was looking forward to tanning my face (wearing high SPF obv) to make the marks less noticeable... This is what my GP said would be good to do but now you're saying it will make them go darker I am wondering if i should keep my face in the shade!

I think there has been some fading but I'm sure it's at least 3 years since the skin settled down. I don't want to be stuck with it forever!

I've had adult acne and still get cystic spots which leave marks but no pits. I've done it all - obagi peels, electrolysis, lasers. I still have some marks but it's not bad. You have to go hardcore to get results - a bit of olay won't do a thing.

ohhh cakes I can totally sympathise... 3 years isn't making me hopeful . Maybe Trucking has our answer?! Which hardcore method did you see the best results from?

Adult acne sufferer here too. I'm not too bad at the moment, balm double cleanse, glycolic toner (pixi glow at the moment), serum, moisturiser, suscreen in am, retinol in pm, currently Sunday Riley luna. When it gets bad origins on the spot and clear complexion mask. It gets worse around that time of the month whatever I do though! Thinking about a series of glycolic peels to lessen some of the old scarring though I find it is much more obvious if a have a tan so factor 50 every day and fake tan only seems to help with that!

Also this may sound silly but I had eyelash extentions until a couple of days ago and I found I wore much less makeup, somehow makes you feel instantly "done" and no need to concentrate on the other bits x

Break a bit E capsule and rub the oil on to the red marks over night.

** vitamin

I have had bad skin since I was a teenager and now many many years later I have lost count of the lotions and potions I have tried! Most recently la roche possay effaclar duo moisturiser was recommended to me - it was a dermatologist recommended it to my friend. It is meant to actually reduce the redness and I have to say it has helped. But I will never ever be able to go without make up. It's double wear foundation for me all the way!