If your skin used to be bad but isn’t anymore, what worked?

[Spaggybollynese]

I don’t have acne or a serious enough issue for prescription medication, but ongoing breakouts, dry/oily, uneven skin tone, sometimes angry flare ups or blotchy patches, looking a bit meh

If you used to have low grade bad skin, what did you change that actually worked?

My DD has been using Dermatica for 2 months and her skin is completely clear.

Ones like dove - which are sold alongside soap bars are not "proper soap", but "beauty bars".

Dermatica - prescribed retinol and tret by the Dermatica consultants. Personalised from the photos I send them.

They adjust the creams as required. My skin ‘sheds’ quicker and looks so much fresher.

I also save money by using basic face washes and moisturizers.

Dermatica has cut out the trial and error, associated wasted costs and time.
They have been responsive when I've needed extra support.
I've also paused my monthly subscription, when I've cream left month to month. I probably use 8 months from 12.
https://www.dermatica.co.uk/

Current offer, first month £2.90, saving £20.00.

https://www.dermatica.co.uk/referrer/QQRPG

washing with just water and avoiding products

Giving up gluten has helped me in all sorts of ways, including getting rid of my rosacea. Stopping eating it in the evening also stopped my feet tingling at night!

@Redruby2020 cleansers I like are also the cerave one you mention but like you I cant use it every day.
They do an every day one though which is pretty good. As does cetaphil.
I agree with you one using gentle ones and I do occasionally use an oil one or miscellaneous water when I've got lots of makeup on but always use a non oil one afterwards. The skin and me cleanser is good for this.
I know most people would balk at this but mostly I use just a flannel and warm water to no ill effect.

I upped my daily water intake and cut out fizzy drinks and sugars. Made a massive difference! I would always try diet first before investing in lots of face washes/lotions etc, as you may find you don’t need them! X

Environ avst
Getting pregnant

Controversial, but more sun.

You get one tube of cream but it might contain a combination of active ingredients.
I use it every other night so each tube lasts me 2 months.

Sabbatical Beauty - it's a small US brand. Absolutely incredible. It helped with my extremely sensitive skin, rosacea and acne prone skin. Their's is the only retinoid I can tolerate. I also love their vacuum oil as the first step in a double cleansing process. Honestly, my skin looks better overnight, and I have no irritation.

I now wash my face with a face wash and water. I used to use wipes or cleanser and cotton pads. I don't get spots at all anymore and my skin is loads better.

Prescription antibiotics. NHS doctor wouldn't prescribe them, private GP did.

Clean flannels and towels
drinking a lot of water

Tretinoin from dermatica, I gradually built up the strengh).

And vitamin c serum, I use a Korean one from yesstyle.

Tret
Alpha H liquid Gold

Following with interest! What’s the difference between Skin & Me and Dermetica? Are they both online dermatologists?

As a younger woman I stopped wearing make-up, got more sunlight (without burning of course - probably a vitamin D boost) and started cleansing properly as I was quite oily and spotty. Now I'm a perimenopausal woman Skin and Me's tretinoin does seem to be staving off fines lines and wrinkles.

I have had fucking terrible skin in several different ways in several decades of my life. Mostly acne-related on my face. Eczema elsewhere. Frequent hives.

For the face (and I am now a perimenopausal mid-forties jowly woman with on-off spots) I massively recommend Skinceuticals blemish + age defense serum. I don't know quite how or why the combination of acids works but it does. Sadly it is very expensive, though cheaper than their vitamin C serum. La Roche-Posay effaclar is a fairly good alternative but doesn't make my skin look really clear in the same way. I regularly buy the Skinceuticals serum, look better, feel unable to face rebuying it, look worse and wait until things degenerate further.

PS the tretinoin cream from Dermatica made my skin red and inflamed.

For most people it's probably fine.

Go with as few ingredients as possible. I avoid all silicones because they make things worse. For everything else (and all make up) check the ingredients out here: acneclinicnyc.com/pore-clogging-ingredients/. Many supposedly non-comedogenic products fall foul.

Low grade bad skin is my skin! No one would say I had issues but I've always got a spot or one healing. I've tried most of the stuff (not roaccutane) and it's frustrating as I think what works for one person doesn't for another. Glad for all the people who find their thing.

My skin is in its best condition for years and for that I credit Dermatica (Tretinoin and clindamycin). I also do think there is some connection with sugar as sugar is simply inflammatory. If I diet my skin improves too.

the ordinary aha peel. the famous red one

For breakouts & dryness - Dermol cream. Had it on prescription but think you can buy it otc - it's so amazing for dryness and keeps breakouts at bay because its anti microbial. Really gentle too - my skin is really sensitive. Use to remove make up & as a cleanser.

Niacinamide for brightness. Vit C for uneven skin tone.

This was my skin before skin and me and my skin now (age 40)

Had always been into skincare and I was using stuff like BHA etc but tretinoin has been the game changer for my acne
I don't even need concealer now most of the time and I don't get any hormonal chin breakouts

Clean flannels, double cleansing, and tretinoin. I also gained confidence when I had a mole removed from my chin because the ‘witch’ taunts from my childhood never really left me.

Apart from the mole I’ve had low grade crappy skin all my adult life. At 53 its on the way to being perfect. Turns out after all this I’m not pretty though so nobody has noticed apart from me!

I’ve decided to stop worrying about it so much.