anyone else suffer from quite extreme combination skin, what is your skincare routine?

[staydazzling]

ive really always had problem skin since puberty, my mum did take me to the GP but sadly, i think they saw an overweight teen and assumed it must be greasy food etc and dismiss any possible issue, obviously as an adult you see much more overweight people witj much better skin and it makes you wonder. im nearly 30 and its still crap, its had ok times but few and far between, my skin overall is very oil but my nose and jawline gets dry patches to the point it constantly scabs, its depressing and a skincare routine that hydrates but doesn't turn me into an oil slick is well difficult. ive read somewhere gel type moisture is best and wierdly by accident i discovered the water primer from primark was marvellous ive ran out recently, sigh any help greatly appreciated xx

bump x

What products do you use now?

gel face wash, sometimes soap, im using some vitamin C serum and daily brightening moisturiser and nivea soft

not all at the same time

Well I'd drop the soap and probably the gel face wash too. Try something really gentle like La Roche Posay Toleriane cleanser or CeraVe hydrating cleanser. The CeraVe is cheap but good. If you use makeup I think Simple do an oil cleanser that's cheap enough which you could use first, and then use the CeraVe to take that off with any other residue or oil.

Often oily skin is because you've been drying it out too much and it's trying to rebalance itself, so it produces even more oil.

There is great advice on the ongoing skincare threads here and there are links to documents one of the posters has put together which are brilliant. I'll find and bump the latest thread for you.

Have you heard of the 7 skins method for hydration? There are also serums just for hydration, Vichy mineral 89 is one and superdrug do a much cheaper version (pure is in the name I think).

Do you think the vitamin C could be irritating your skin?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3607276--Fantastic-Skincare-Shitting-About-All-Day-Discussing-Co-Dictionary

Here you go, OP. I'd read the damaged skin barrier sheet for starters. You probably should just cleanse, hydrating toner, hydrating serum, moisturise and SPF for a while. Something like La Roche Posay Cicaplast might help with those dry patches. Or I am a great fan of Pure Potions Skin Salvation Moisturising Ointment oh I think it's called Balmonds now... It's very greasy though.

thanks for your responses, yeah i will definitely have a trawl would something like aloe vera gel be a good moisturiser??

ive seen a lot about cetaphil aswell for oily skin

You could try the aloe gel but I don't know if it would be enough on its own. I am not sure you have genuinely oily skin rather than skin that's trying to rebalance itself so I'd stay clear of cetaphil. I'd go really gentle for a few weeks.

I've always struggled with my skin too and it's much better since I've done this:

1. Wash face with a natural soap (like goats milk, or faith in nature) when having a shower in the morning.

1. Use Cetaphil gentle cleanser at night and remove with a damp flannel.

I moisturise in the morning only and I use Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light. Also exfoliate twice a week by using natural soap on soft exfoliating gloves (I get mine in Primark, not the really cheap pink and white ones, which feel very rough, but the charcoal ones).

i definitely have oily and dry skin its quite extreme to the point other people notice 😔 its always been problem skin

its interesting Sakura7 you only moisturising inthe day, i have considered only doing it at night as i just glaze.

You could try a light moisturiser at night all over, then only use it on the dry areas in the morning.

I think my problem was that I wasn't properly removing all the dirt from my face (even though I thought I was). I used to use a gel face wash in the morning and at night I'd take cleanser off with cotton wool. The flannels are much better at getting everything off without being too rough. Also the soap cleans much better than those face washes I used to use, but do go for a natural one so it's not too harsh. I hardly ever get spots now, and when I do they're just pimples rather than the big cystic monstrosities I used to have.

oh yep big cystic monstrositys here too mine like to go right on your jaw so a) cant hide b) makes your face look twice as big

I used to get the cystic spots too. I would have said my forehead and cheeks were dry and my chin and jawline oily, but looking back I don't think that's right, I think all my skin was dry and dehydrated. I wasn't cleansing throughly enough at night and I was using washes that were too harsh, scrubs that were too harsh and those exfoliating gloves in the shower.

Changed to Liz Earle rose and geranium (I think) hot cloth cleanser about 18 months ago (was a Christmas present) and the moisturizer that came with it.
Also started using the ordinary retinoid 2%, rosehip oil and an acid from Decleor. My skin got clear nearly immediately and I stopped getting the cystic acne. When the Liz Earle ran out I got the green bottle of it but that was too drying and my face was stinging and uncomfortable so I switched to la roche-posay toleriane. I've changed to cerave hydrating now as it's a bit cheaper and it seems fine so far, though it's possibly slightly more drying. On the other hand, you just wash it off with water which I think is more gentle than a flannel and definitely more gentle than a muslin cloth. I also stopped using the Decleor acid as I think it was too harsh too. I switched to the ordinary lactic acid 10% as it's supposed to be hydrating. I am not sure it was doing much for my face though it probably was it's just that it was hard to tell because I was doing ok with my skin anyway. I used the last bit on my legs and it made my legs really soft and cleared any little bumps and red marks. I was surprised at how effective it was! I'm trying the Paula's choice skin perfecting lotion now as I still have blackheads on my chin and I think the salicylic acid will be better at clearing them than lactic as salicylic dissolves oil. Also I don't think it makes your skin as sensitive to the sun as the other acids so it's good for the summer. I still wear spf 50 every day.

I tried the vichy mineral 89 serum but I didn't think it was doing anything at all. I tried the ordinary natural moisturising factors moisturiser but I didn't think much of that - I might give it another go as my skin isn't quite as dry or dehydrated now. I use CeraVe now (but not the one with the SPF) and I think it's great. It has niacinamide in it which i think is good for oil control and balance and blemishes. I also use the pyunkang yul essence and apply 2-3 layers of that after cleansing, and it makes my face feel so soft and comfortable, and it looks plumped up.

I tried the ordinary vitamin c 23% (to help with scarring and sagging as I'm in my 40s) and it stung like mad. I use the Garden of Wisdom Vitamin C now every second night and it's soooooo hydrating/moisturising I don't know which, but my skin looks great the morning after. Fine lines nearly disappear.

I did lots and lots and lots of reading about skin care. The skin care threads and documents on here are absolutely brilliant. The Paula's Choice website is also very good.

I got one spot a few months ago and my DM's partner said he could tell I was really stressed out as my skin is normally so clear.

Stripping your skin of its natural oils is not good.

It's also hard to tell what kind of skin you really have unless you read up on everything and stop using harsh products and active ingredients for a while. If you're using anything to control your skin than its hard to tell what it's really like on its own. I thought mine was combination veering towards oily because of the amount of spots and blackheads I had, and I didn't think I needed much moisturiser, whereas now I think my poor skin was just producing oil to help itself. It's really quite dry and treating it as dry skin has made a huge difference.

I have just started using garden of wisdom retinol very very slowly, as I'm trying to make my forehead wrinkles less noticeable. They are less noticeable anyway with the gentle cleansing, hydrating, acid and vitamin c (I've had people saying I don't look as stressed). But I know my skin better and I'll know if the retinol is too much for it.

Squalane oil is a good oil to use for dehydrated skin, it's the closest thing to your skin's natural oil apparently. Maybe I should get a bottle myself.

thankyou apileofballyhoo thats a really interesting post, inthe past when ive used simple its been reasonably good..

*simple products

Ha, it was a bit of an essay! But I think really getting to know your own skin is important, and once you know your skin, understanding what different products are supposed to do. Also - only adding one new product at a time to your skin so that if it causes problems you can identify it straight away.

vitamin e has always worked well for me body shop vitamin e, and primark water primer is awesome for me aswell lol