Please help with my skin!

[jacquettalux]

Hi!

Any help gratefully appreciated as at a loss.

I’m in my twenties and I’ve always had really good skin - never had to worry about it too much. I’ve never worn make up on my skin and just washed my face twice a day with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I use a cheap Nivea moisturiser sparingly.

I started to notice these little bumps on my skin about 9 months ago. They weren’t too noticeable then but I was in Lush one day and mentioned them to a girl who worked there. She asked me if I use a spf moisturiser (Nivea one is spf 15) and I said yes; she told me that the bumps were from stuff trapped under the skin as I could not sweat through the spf. I stopped using it at night (just as a daytime moisturiser) and she gave me a exfoliater to use which I’ve been using 1-2 times per week.

The last two months the bumps have gotten much bigger and more noticeable (to me, anyway). In some lights you can’t see them at all but in other lights you can see how uneven the skin surface is. When I get hot/flustered/blush they’re much more obvious (see pics).

They’re not sore and can’t be squeezed. They just feel like my normal skin but bumpy. Sometimes they feel a bit dry.

Any ideas? As you can probably tell, I’m clueless about skincare. Please help!

Thanks in advance.

I'd of thought it maybe looked like a reaction to something before I read your full post! Had no idea about SPF!

Samind I had no idea either! I agree it looks like a reaction so maybe that's something to consider. It's just that the bumps have been there (less noticeably) for a long time. Thanks for replying!

Do you use sponges to apply make up? Maybe you need new ones? Maybe go to the doctors and they could give you an idea. I had to when my acne was really bad. They gave me a roll on type thing for my face but I don't think yours is acne 🤔 hope someone comes along and is able to help!!

What sort of exfoliation is it they gave you - is it like a scrub, or like a gentle acid?

I would say start cleansing at night with a balm and a warm/hot flannel, making sure you are super thorough (maybe even cleanse twice - I know it sounds bonkers and wasteful, but it should get every bit of residue off without aggravating your skin) and then use a gentle acid exfoliator of some kind every other night. But read around before you buy anything, to make sure you find something decent in your price range and understand what you’re trying out.

I think Sali Hughes (Guardian) gives good advice and she does not only recommend madly £££ products, unlike some famous skincare advice people.

Personally I think you clearly do have lovely skin based on your photos, you just have some kind of mild bump issue going on and it will totally be fixable :)

Oh poor you! I'd get to a GP.

As much as I love lush I would not take skincare advice from their employees, especially since they're not actually trained to give it and many of their products contain harsh ingredients (salt and alcohol in a scrub for the face is insane).

I would follow 64sNewName advice upthread about double cleansing and an acid exfoliate. Has worked wonders for my skin.

Could be keratosis pillaris. With a reaction I would expect the bumps to be itchy, or red, rather than just raised.
I

I’m not sure you need a GP. Surely they’re unlikely to be able to do much? They can prescribe ABs for acne, but it doesn’t appear to be acne. It doesn’t sound like an infection either from your description.

GPs aren’t necessarily going to know loads about skincare and even if they agreed to refer you to a dermatologist, that normally takes absolutely ages because NHS dermatology is so, so busy.

I’ve been wearing factor 50 block for 20 years and don’t have those bumps.

Go to a Beauty salon first and ask if they recommend something. Then the gp if that doesn’t work.

It is nonsense that you can’t sweat through sun block.

Actually agree you should not use sunblock at night, but exfoliators can irritate skin. Your bumps look like blocked pores to me, but I would go to a dermatologist. This way you avoid spending money on products that could possibly make things worse or simply do nothing... Your skin looks a bit flushed, and could be irritated as well.

I've not read the full thread but could they be milia?

I have different skin problems to you (bad acne that I'm now on roaccutane for) but I went to a private aesthetician for 18 months before I went to an NHS dermatologist recently.

I had a couple of milia that the aesthetician got rid of - this is gross sorry - but she did pop them but had to use a little needle to create a place for the build up to come out of. (Can barely feel the needle but when squeezing it it felt like popping a spot).

For what it's worth the brand the aesthetician recommended was Zo Skin, and I'd been using liz Earle before that and she said that liz Earle is a great brand but only if you have zero skin problems.

For what it's worth the aesthetician really helped the look feel and texture of my skin but my acne is hormonal caused by PCOS so she couldn't stop the cystic spots coming through.

I now go to an NHS dermatologist and the skin care brand they recommend is La Roche Posay (which I have to say I was surprised about!) so have a look and see if theres any products from that brand that suit your skin type

Good luck, I hope you get it sorted. But please know that it really doesn't look that bad x

Haha sorry I repeated for what its worth twice, that's what I get for rereading and editing my comment 3 times before posting

I had these! They're a bit like milia. I also had hard, underskin spots on my jawline.

The thing that fixed it was a 5% glycolic toner from Pixi every morning, followed by a gentle oil from the same range.

Pixi is pricey... however, I have discovered that Aldi do a knockoff toner which is exactly the same - 5% glycolic with aloe and ginseng.

I think they look like milia x

Just be careful about DIY as you can end up with scarring.

Thanks everyone for your kind and helpful comments.

@64sNewName It was a exfoliating scrub they gave me in Lush. I've stopped using it now and, on your advice, got an acid exfoliator. It's the one from aldi mentioned by @TOADally. Fingers crossed it works!

Do I moisturise after using an acid exfoliator? I'm now double cleansing, using the acid exfoliator (every other day) and then moisturising. Does that sound right?

@ThomasOMalley My mum has Milia and has them popped - these are different to hers, bigger, flatter and softer. They don't seem to have anything to pop out! But it sounds like a dermatologist has been really helpful to you so I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

Thank you everyone else for your comments, I've taken them all on board!

Just cleanse, tone with the Aldi stuff, then moisturise. Don't overdo it, and good luck! x

I thought milia too

It could be Keratosis pilaris from using the spf at night or milia.
I hope you don't mind me asking, but how is your health in general?

Sorry for the Mail link but just read this and it made me think of your post. Looks a bit like comedones...
Skin expert reveals different imperfections that affect the complexion
mol.im/a/6823973

I get these on my cheeks, i find by evening they are raised but as soon as i use hot cloth cleanser for night routine they go back down. I read somewhere its just your pores clogging so as well as cleansers etc i use 2%bha from paulas choice, if i have makeup on im dying to clean it off by dinnertime

Are you still using Cleanse & Polish? Because it made my skin horrible and bumpy when I tried it. Awful stuff.

@TracyBeakerSoYeah I don't mind at all. I feel it's pretty good overall! I'm a healthy BMI, exercise semi regularly and eat a good diet. I'm vegetarian. I have a stressful job but try to look after myself.

@dancingqueen345 I think those are the closest to what I've got! Good to see the recommendation is to use an acid product. I've just started, hoping for results soon!

@Fstar My skin follows a similar pattern!

@Kaboodler I've stopped now!