🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Jump through flaming hoops, repeat, 'Beauty is Pain', and acces to this thread will be unlocked

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For those who are taking a peek and wondering what this all about, we mostly discuss a bit of advanced skincare here with a perspective of seeking out the right ingredients (rather than the latest new shiny product and all its empty promises) for our particular skin needs. Distinguishing the acid toners from the actives whilst avoiding the truly unimpressive and harmful ingredients with a hope to achieve a bit of anti-ageing, alleviate irritation and sensitivities with some idle chat in between. Newcomers are always welcome but please note the following:

Questions and asking for help on this thread is encouraged, however, we can’t give you a specific routine to follow and hope it works out for the best. There are no overnight miracles in skincare whether it be in the form of products or techniques. It’s about perseverance, understanding your skin, assessing its needs and responding to that in a diligent manner.

These threads were created to help those who want to learn for themselves. We’re a group of interested and invested skincare nuts happy to offer tea and sympathy and dole out advice. Everyone’s journey with skincare is different, what is universal and binds us is that through actually learning about the different active ingredients it helps us get to know our skin and help us adapt as it will change many times throughout our lives - with seasons, hormonal changes, ageing, genetics etc. It's in everyone's best interests to get to know their skin and to keep reviewing those changes with the confidence that comes from the gathered knowledge here. We really encourage you to spend the time reading through previous threads and linked info sheets that the many contributors have taken the trouble to share.

By no means are we experts, we're only a bunch of amateurs that can only respond by suggesting what we would do in your place, for any severe conditions please seek out professional help.

Ahem, and finally a little note on spending. I'm well aware these threads cause many to reach for their wallets and spend with wild abandon. There can sometimes be a bit of a frenzy surrounding the excitement around a newly discovered product or on the back of great improvements when someone reports back. This is all great, it doesn't however, mean everything that's a sudden miracle for one will be it for you. Usually, it's a light bulb moment for connecting the right skincare ingredient with an individual experiencing a specific problem. Take your time to mull over decisions and question whether it's right for you too. Skincare is highly individual, it's a slow game that should cost mostly in patience, input, education, and perseverance. Please don't make it cost you financially needlessly.

I am very slowly working on consolidating the gathered information from previous threads into easier to read formats but it’s slow going. I would suggest reading thread 1 and at the very least the following info sheets (provided they apply to you):

Where to Start

Basics of an Actives Routine

Skin Types vs. Skin Conditions Info Sheet

Anti-Ageing Info sheet

Adult Acne Info Sheet

Understanding Which Sunscreen(s) to Buy

Do I Really Need to Wear Sunscreen Every Single Day of the Year?

A Damaged Skin Barrier - Now What?

NEW SERIES:

So You Want To Buy A Retinoid - A Guide

I believe she is half-retired now but she's still involved in developing new products.
I also noticed that the more affordable products have less "padding" around the actives and more blunt formulations in general. Some are better than others. At the moment I am using the 15% from Revolution Beauty and I'm fine with it but I don't think I need it really and maybe I won't replace it once it's gone. I won't try the new 20% from Paula's Choice either.
Talking about affordable products with scary concentrations, I see kids/teens putting on loads of that red 30%AHA+2%BHA from The ordinary, on top of other exfoliants. I think it should be removed from the shelves because these kids are not using it correctly and they don't need it either. Also the ordinary have a 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder, for £4.90. Again, scary.

Urgh tiktok is a menace, especially with that red mask. And they all place the pipettes on their face too, don't they realise their face is a Petri dish and sticking a dirtied pipette back in is asking for trouble, especially since the preservative systems in the ordinary formulations are iffy at best. The powder is so irresponsible, great skincare is all about the formulation not just the actives, or even the percentage, formulation is key and shouldn't be economised on.

Agree, on at the very least setting an age limit to those products and some sort of OTC setup where you're informed on how to use it, that you need SPF, etc. Just being able to pop it in your basket without any care is really irresponsible. I know the ordinary had a major scandal with their BHA burning faces off, but I assume it got settled behind the scenes because I haven't heard anything about it, but they haven't really seemed to have learned from selling potentially harmful products without any form of education.

The touching of the skin with the pipette is another stupid Instagram trend where irresponsible Instagram "influencers" do it because it looks good in pictures. So they give bad application advice to their young following. I remember when they started overdoing it years ago with those overpriced Farsali serums (unicorn tears?!).
There is a huge skincare actives trend at the moment. Something like: the highest the concentration, the better! Also using too many products, mechanic and chemical exfoliants one after another.
I agree that age restriction on some of these products would be smart.

I have a few younger relatives who following Instagram and tiktok all got into active skin care. One ended with a huge eczema flare up that took months to get over so they've now learnt but sadly the hard way. Such a shame as she is 16 and has beautiful skin.
In good news I'm getting along very well with the benzoyl peroxide. No irritation at all with once a day usage allowed to soak in overnight. Biggest improvement has actually been the blackheads on my nose and chin but I don't have before pictures of those. First time in a long time I haven't had any new spots. Hoping the red mark's where I've been terrible and picked at spots will heal up over time. Plan to keep going with the striped back regime for a few more weeks and then perhaps look at something to help even out skin tone.

Looking really good out, glad to hear it's much more under control now. I can see the difference in blackheads around the nose area in the pictures too.

Your poor younger relatives. There's definitely a more is more madness thanks to Instagram and tiktok. At least when it was YouTube and blogs you could get some more elaborate information with it (even if the sources are often questionable) but it's just turning into a weird, and harmful, gimmick now. I know it's very seductive to play dermatologist (I'm guilty of this too) but it's really not a healthy attitude to skin (and its care).

Out your skin looks great. I've been having a similar issue and it won't go away. It started with the Skin+Me retinol. Pic attached. Sometimes I get a tiny white head on one of the spots but generally they are just red.

Bo do you have any ideas what might help?

There is a specific dermatitis as a result from using prescription retinoids, do you have scaling, is it a bit like skin after it has burned?.
Have a Google (admittedly there's not a lot of info out there) and if it sounds like it fits it may be worth seeking out a derm for. I'm not sure what would be the treatment for that aside from stopping the prescription (which you already have).

More innocuous, it could be post inflammatory erythema, (PIE). It responds to very little but I'm having very good results with tranexamic acid in combination with vitamin C. The other active that works well for it is Tretinoin but that's useless to you.

I suppose I would say there is scaling bo but not a lot. It more looks a bit dry at times. Thank you. I'll probably not be able to get to a derm but I'll look into it further.

You could contact whoever you used last for Tret, (S+M?) it should technically fall under their care.

Thanks bo and ninny I'm pleased I've finally found something that seems to be working.
Sadly the LRP ship has gotten lost again and I haven't been able to get my go to sunscreen. The chemist had a huge new shelf of a brand called uriage so I've got one of there sunscreens to try. Active ingredients seem fine so hopefully it gets on with my skin as I'm working away next week in what can only be described as a hell hole desert forcast is 40 degrees and 14 UV index (I didn't even know it went that high)

Hi Ladies,
I discovered your threads at the start of the year and decided to go right back to the beginning and read it all, which took me about 8-9 months! I have learnt so much from you all and without your knowledge I would probably have gone down the No7 or alike route. I have bought products which I would never have thought of using. I have just finished a Bioderma tinted SPF50, it was ok but the wrong shade for my skin tone. I got TBS Camomile cleansing oil (I think it's a few years ago that someone was using that!) Which I love and has replaced TBS vitamin E cream cleanser that I used to use as my 1st cleanse. I have the Superfacialist clay mask, which I just use on my nose and chin, I don't think it was exactly recommended on here, but I perhaps wouldn't have chosen that brand without this thread. Oh and I also got one of those spinning beauty product storers (not a word!) because Queen recommended it.

I wanted to get Niacinamide in my routine so I use Revolution niacinamide toner, I decided to try this over a serum because I just didn't need another serum in my regime. There are still lots of skincare ingredients that I want to get into my routine so I'm inducing things slowly. I have Indeed Labs retinol waiting in the wings to induce, probably next month, with the aim of building retinol strength and starting prescription retinol in about a year.

Thanks for all your knowledge.

I've emailed them Bo and included photos and when I stopped using it etc. I'll let you know what they say.

Despite this tricky patch DS told me I look younger now than I did 10 years ago (51st birthday yesterday so we were looking at previous pics). Largely due to the eye surgery for sure, but skincare and regular SPF etc and dropping some weight too.

Baby totally agree with you about social media being toxic for teenagers, although the 30% BHA from TO is really strong to the point it burns.

Teenagers though want instant results. DD1 was told by the Dermatologist to slowly introduce Epiduo once a night increasing one night a week. Of course she didn't listen and over the weekend had a red face, which she blamed on the moisturiser...

So unimpressed by Skin+Me. I have been very clear re what has happened. They want me to restart Tret at a lower dose to build up tolerance!!

They've come back to my rather frosty response to say:

We can offer a mix without Tretinoin. I can prescribe for you Azelaic acid, Niacinamide and Zinc Pyrithione. The strength of Azelaic acid will begin at 4% and increase incrementally each month. I can prescribe this and have it sent out immediately and free of charge.

The ZP seems to have anti-bac and anti-fungal properties. I don't currently use AA. I don't have much Nia in my routine at present. I have actually found some local derms, but a consultant would be upward of £150.

So I have to decide whether to try the Skin+Me combination for a while or go straight for an appointment with a derm. Bo, not intending to put my decision on you, but can I ask what your thoughts are re their proposed product please?

Thank you.

Hi and welcome Purpleblondelady that's some dedication and I always feel slightly exposed (as I did get awfully snarky/irritable on here for a while) when someone's gone back and read everything

It's difficult Ninny, if you remember I was really sceptical about you starting on Tret as I tend to err on being overcautious.

I think what bothers me about the skin+me offer (free for the first one, but I assume you're back to paying £20 a month from thereafter) is that they're trying to get you back into the commercial subscription model instead of actually diagnosing/treating your current issue as a result of their previous prescription. Seven monthish down the line you'll have paid for that dermatologist while receiving a product for a few months that's cheaper to buy through other products as it's not prescription, so quite an expensive 15ml (iirc) of product.

But, you have such a complex and confusing skin history that's very unpredictable so even if you find a local dermatologist they may spend many consultations getting to grasp with it or you may have to seek out another if they turn out to be unhelpful so I don't think there's really a clear path.

In terms of the actual prescription S+M offer, it's very mild (it doesn't even quality as a prescription as you can get it all from several products at Boots at higher concentrations) so I don't really see an issue (except you may not get on with AA at all. Didn't you use a Paula's Choice product for awhile with a decent percentage of it in it? How long has it been since you stopped, and how long ago did the excessive irritancy start. Have you gone through a full skin cycle (8 weeks more or less) since?

One thing that impressed me about seeing the Consultant Dermatologist for DD1, was her recommendations for a future plan that could be delivered by the GP, so it wasn't just an issue of going private but being able to jump back into the NHS fold.

Thanks Bo. I'm a bit [embarrassed] about my complex and confusing skin lol. I guess I just see it as being pretty well behaved for at least the last few years.

I guess I'm thinking that it might only take a month or two of a targeted product to clear this relatively small patch up. But maybe that's wishful thinking.

Yes, I didn't really get on with the AA, even though it's supposed to be really helpful for rosacea.

I stopped around 2-3 months ago I think. Probably 2-3 weeks after the irritancy started, and I was only using it every few nights. It could have started with the second month of Dermatica which was a stronger dose. Before that I felt that I was getting on well with the lower dose Dermatica and was using it for about 6 weeks. I remember posting that the pores on my nose looked a bit smaller (although I generally see them in my magnified mirror which I need for make up so it may not have been that much of an issue. So I'm not sure it's the S&M per se but maybe just the stronger retinol.

I'll give it some thought. Thanks.

Also [embarrassed] about my embarrassment fail. I am doomed it seems lol.

Hello and welcome Purple 👋 I also get a bit embarrassed when people are reading back especially if they go back as far as my The Ordinary days though they are thankfully long gone

Ninny have you consulted your GP or do you have a useless one? I have no knowledge of this but from reading threads on S&B I’ve seen people saying those type of spots near the mouth got diagnosed as perioral dermatitis and the GP was able to prescribe something that helped. I’d be inclined to go back to the very minimal basics (cleanse, moisturise, SPF using mild tried and tested products) until it clears up.

Off topic but has anyone here bought anything from Depop? I’ve downloaded the app and seen a new with tags pair of boots I’m interested in but don’t really know how it works, do I just buy and pay like a ‘buy it now’ on eBay or is it more complicated than that?

Oh gawd I hadn't even contemplated the Ordinary embarrassment 😱

2-3 months since and still having issues seems really long, Ninny, and that S+M offer is not going to fix that. Agree with Sallie that seeing your GP (provided they're useful) might be the best first step, you can always see a derm after, if necessary.

Sorry Sallie, Depop, yes, I've bought on there. It's all a bit babes and buns, gen z but basically you just message them, haggling seems to be standard unless they've clearly stated the price is fixed. But you can just buy and pay, although some people get annoyed about that as they often sell on multiple sites, so always best to check it's still available. The sellers do tend to be flaky so get them to commit to sending it out to you before a certain date otherwise you end up having to chase them. Also, quite a lot of fakes on there so anything very popular I'd be wary of.

*Huns not buns

Thanks Sallie. I haven't used any actives for weeks and weeks and have gone bare bones as you say. Certainly not tried anything new for months now. Maybe I'll try the GP. TBH it's so mild and certainly not getting any worse so I kind of feel like I'm making a fuss, especially in this climate. And my skin looks great everywhere else. Weird how it's only one side?

Never used Depop. Far too old lol. Soz.