At my wits end with skincare that doesn’t work

[Gollumgolightly]

Does anyone else feel despite using all the commonly recommended products; their skin is no better for it?

Am seriously debating ditching the lot and just using soap and water…

I’ve put a lot of effort (and I fear, far too much money) into trying to improve my skin over the years. The brands have changed from time to time but my routing has been something like this for a while now:

am: La Roche Posay wash, vitamin c serum (currently the ordinary L-ascorbic 8%). Cerave moisturiser and La Roche Posay 50+ sunscreen.

pm: cleansing balm, La Roche posay face wash, alternate nights using Tretinoin followed by LRP Cicaplast which helps with the peeling. On the nights when not using tretinoin I’ll use Superdrug 2% bha toner.

My nose is perpetually red (been like this my whole life) large pores blackheads and filaments.

My forehead is now brimming with blocked pores as is my chin and now some of my cheeks aswell.

Despite religious sunscreen use and avoiding sun/seeking shade and using hats … pigmentation spots continue to worsen.

and spots … anywhere really but I find the ones on the neck the most embarrassing.

After being so careful and putting in so much effort it really gets me down that my skin still looks rubbish and is getting worse - not better.

I wasn’t blessed with an attractive face (called ugly a lot in my youth and now more commonly receive veiled comments like ‘you have strong features’). I thought at least if I had decent skin I might feel a bit better about my face.

So, please come and tell me if you have tried all the supposed holy grail skincare products and then decided to ditch it all in favour of letting nature take its course… and saving a heap of time and money in the process. Are you glad you did? Did it actually make any difference to your skin?

Some cheap tinted moisturiser will cover it all up nicely!

You've probably got spots because you're putting so much stuff on your skin it's blocking your pores.

I wouldn't say my skin is amazing. I've always only ever used day cream and eye cream. But I don't get spots and it's not too wrinkly. Just looks really pale and I have dark circles. I look better with make up on, so just wear make up.

How long have you been using the tret? My routine is pretty simple but it works for me and has massively improved my skin

You are using too many acids/exfoliates in your routine. You need to cut back to basics and just use a gentle cleanser daily. I’d also get a light moisturiser that has spf mixed in. Some of the pigmentation could be due to your skin being oversensitive by the acids/exfoliates. The excess acids/exfoliates are also putting your oil glands into hyperdrive- thus the clogged pores and black heads because you’re stripping away your natural skin oils so your skin is over compensating.

I think most skincare is a con.
Is your diet good? Do you drink plenty of water? Get enough sleep?

The only stuff that suits my skin is Clarins, not cheap but not the most expensive. Also Simple micellar water, that seems better to remove the sunblock I use and then I use Clarins cleanser.

I started on .25% tret about 4 years ago and am now on .5% but still only on alternate nights.

Would you mind sharing your routine?

I stopped everything fancy and just use CeraVe sensitive wash and CeraVe PM moisturiser. If I wear eye make up I use CeraVe miccelair water. I stopped using SPF as it irritates my skin ( I've tried everything!) I wear a hat and stay in the shade.

I do struggle with my sleep somewhat but am otherwise healthy. I don’t drink alcohol, avoid processed food, dairy and sugary foods. I try to keep hydrated aswell.

Thanks for sharing. Do you find your skin is better now that you have pared back to these products?

Try stripping it all back and see what happens? I've given up almost all skincare and actually like my skin for the first time ever, I don't even feel the need to wear foundation any more which is liberating and so much more comfortable in the summer. I just wash my face with water in the shower in the morning, I use spf and I wear mascara, blusher and lip gel most days. I remove eye makeup in the evening with baby oil and I put some Nivea blue creme all over my face and neck.

I use the Cerave foaming cleanser for oily skin and it's absolutely fantastic. Morning and night, and when my skin needs it I moisturise the non oily areas with kiehls moisturiser.

But honestly, just the Cerave, no other potions etc.

@hamsterchump thanks for the reply. If you don’t mind, can I ask if you suffer with congested skin since you are only using water to cleanse? The congestion in my skin is so bad and I would be fearful of not using a face wash to remove my spf as I think my pores would just become even more clogged.

I have similar skin and have stripped everything back too. What I find has helped most is dermalogica. I use the gel cleanser every day. It's expensive but really good. Then an oil free spf 50 (usually either kiehls or dermalogica). Boots no 7 hydra luminous foundation finishes it off okay.

Occasional exfoliation but hardly ever. Cheap facial oil at night, usually one from aldi.

The only thing I haven't got a proper handle on now is the pores on my nose. I'd love to shrink them!

Day and night cream:: Olay Beauty Fluid Sensitive. Cleanser: mix a bit of baking powder into a blob of said fluid until it foams up and apply to wet face. Massage in. Rinse. Done.

No of course not

Am
Boots botanics all bright cleanser on a cotton pad (reusable, I'm not a complete savage!)
Elemental herbology cell nourish serum
Fenty SPF

Pm
Soap and glory peaches and clean or a balm cleanser
Skin and me (with tret)
Moisturise with whatever £££ I'm using up
Occasionally use deviant exfoliating acid, if I use that I use murad revitalixir after it then a moisturiser

Before and after pics

@MsOllie I’m impressed by your before/after pics. Your skin looks great - you’ve clearly found something that works well for you.

I used tret for a while but it never really worked and I too had congestion in my forehead and chin. I signed up for Dermatica with a fair amount of skepticism as it was recommending tret again. I don't know what is different but my skin has totally changed. Cerave cleanser morning and night. Cerave spf50 in the day and Cerave rich night cream. A lot of people comment on my skin recently. It really does glow. You have to be religious with the spf though.

No, my skin's pretty much clear for the first time in my life at 35 and not red or blotchy like it used to be, I never thought I'd be one to not want to wear foundation or concealer etc but I feel confident in my face skin now, I like my freckles and actually like my complexion when it always seemed to look dull with red parts before. Some of it is mindset as well I expect, I've probably got used to seeing my face without foundation, but I'm definitely happier and as I said still wear the fun bits of makeup.

I've started thinking that all I was doing was stripping off all the good bacteria and oils and damaging my skin with all the over cleansing and exfoliating. I don't think I even need the Nivea creme now as I don't have dry patches or any irritation I just like the feeling of it really and it doesn't seem to cause any problems.

I mostly just thought why do we have to treat our faces so differently from the rest of our skin when my face skin was in the worst condition? Also so many women now seem to suffer with terrible skin and adult acne etc, much more commonly than men and I just wondered that maybe all the makeup and skincare products was causing it rather than correcting it. Maybe we're actually damaging our skin and then having to "treat it" and cover it up with ever more products.

Why shouldn't our faces be able to look after themselves mostly (apart from sun damage obviously) without breaking out or being irritated all the time? I don't see why evolution would have gone so wrong for so many (and especially women) in this way.

Obviously I don't know what'll happen if you give up most of your products and it was easier to do for me during lockdown when I wasn't going out as much but I'm just saying I'm glad I did.

Drink plenty water at least 3 litres per day if not more. Lemon water first thing in the morning is my secret- half of a lemon only in 500ml water on an empty stomach, allow to digest for 15 minutes before breakfast. It’s from Medical medium and is quite amazing. Look it up.

Are you double cleansing if wearing makeup?

How is your diet? Our skin is an indicator for what’s happening internally so if these lotions and potions aren’t working it may be something to consider, perhaps you have an intolerance?

I’ve honestly found skin+me really good!
Thought it was a total con but the first tube was free with £3 postage, so gave it a shot… I now put it on most nights unless my skin is quite dry and out la Roche posay moisture on and I haven’t had a horrible break out since! 😊😊

I've started using dermatica and the treatment they've put me on has really helped!

I've suffered with acne my whole life since the age of 11 when puberty hit. I've been on roaccutane 3 times worked but then just came back. I've had laser co2 resurfacing for scars, helped confidence massively but now years later I can see I need a touch up. I've tried thousands of treatments and went to various clinics and people lying saying they have acne yet there skin is immaculate. It's soul destroying. I'm not sure I will ever been 100% acne free and I'm okay with this now it took me a while but I've found things about my appearance that I do like and now for the first time in my life I go to work everyday with no make up on! It's actually invigorating and I think it's made others around me feel more comfortable too.

Cut back on the acid every other day, once a week at most, or every 10/14 days should be enough

I don’t wear make up (never wear foundation and only rarely concealer under eyes and mascara). I still double cleanse at night though because I find that just face wash alone doesn’t remove all the spf from my skin.

My diet is pretty good. I don’t eat meat, dairy or refined foods. Mostly lots of veggies, salads, nuts, seeds, tofu and some pulses/legumes.

Too much exfoliating. Your skin will have lost the protection. Go back to basics.

I'm on quite a few FB groups for hyperpigmentation/melasma sufferers, and people who have seen specialists always recommend very basic skincare, and as few steps as possible. Literally just cleanser, moisturiser and SPF initially.

I've just started a Dermatica prescription for melasma, so I'm only following the steps above plus eye cream, and my prescription treatment at night. My skin already seems much better for it.