Pre wedding skincare concerns and advice

[zebranotzeebra]

I'm in need of some urgent advice re skincare - I'm getting married in less than two months and my skin isn't looking great at the moment. I have been googling but the sheer volume of advice and products is overwhelming so I'm hoping real people might have some insights!

My forehead and cheeks are quite red and dry, my forehead especially has small reddish bumps on it. The pores on my nose and chin are quite clogged and it feels as though there are small spots under my skin if that makes sense? Sometimes I can squeeze them and get a white stringy substance out (apologies for tmi!)

My routine at the moment is cleanse with the Q &A niacinamide cleanser in the morning, followed by a moisturiser with spf. At night, I remove any make up with a micellar water and then use Q&A hyaluronic acid cleanser followed by Upcircle night cream. I like Upcircle for it's environmental credentials but I'm not totally sold on this cream tbh. I've also been using skin and me for the past few months, not tret as breastfeeding, just azelaic acid and niacinamide, but not seen much change so considering cancelling.

I don't want to make drastic changes and risk worse skin pre-wedding but can anyone suggest any tweaks or alternative products that might help? I'd like to see improvements in general not just for the wedding, although that's my immediate focus! My budget isn't huge but I'm happy to buy a couple of new products.

Thanks in advance for any help! This ended up longer than expected so appreciate anyone who has read it.

Stop squeezing. Drink lots of water. Eat fruit and vegetables. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Moisturise.
I think healthy skin is a result of good genes, nutritional diet and a simple skincare routine. My opinion.
Make up (and even more so if you have a good make up artist) will enhance your beauty. I hope you feel fabulous on your wedding day!

I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you some well informed advice on products to buy, but in the meantime, one of the best things you can do for your skin is to ensure that you are drinking plenty of water.
You mention breastfeeding, so with that, and the warmer summer weather, perhaps increase your drinking water by a glass or two?

Have a wonderful day on your wedding day, I'm sure you will!

Two ideas:
. Try to get as much sleep as you can. That will be difficult now, of course, but it's important for your skin.
. I'm sure this wasn't what you were thinking of, but given the spots and bumps, I would personally spring for a private dermatology consult. I think that would help with your wedding day and with managing your skin going forward.
Best wishes!

@SayIt24 thank you, I tend to also agree that simplicity is best. I hardly drink and I've only drunk decaf tea since pregnancy so those boxes are ticked. My diet is pretty healthy but could definitely add in more fruit and veg and water. Will give that a go.
@AdaColeman thank you, as above will make more effort to up the water.
@ShrubRose thank you, sleep is tricky with a one year old - I go to bed as early as I can but there's no way to guarantee 8 hours a night unfortunately! That's interesting about a dermatologist, I think I've never thought my skin was bad enough for something like that. Probably not got the time or funds right now, but maybe something to consider if other simple changes don't improve things.

More sleep is required along with good intake of water. Along with that you may follow the routine:

Here is my routine that I follow:
Morning:
Using water to wash your face,
Sebamed clear face gel,
Garnier spf
Evening:
Vanicream moisturizer,
Tretinoin (0.1) from skinorac
Sebamed clear facial gel

@UmberMoose thanks, it's interesting to see other people's routines! Unfortunately with my toddler there's no way I can guarantee more sleep than I'm getting but I am definitely going to prioritise early nights over the next few weeks. I can't use tretinoin but I'll look up the sebamed gel.

I can understand, all the best!

I think a gentle routine would be good e.g.

AM
Cerave hydrating cleanser
Byoma gel moisturiser
spf

PM
Micellar water (wash off immediately as it can be drying)
Cerave hydrating cleanser
Purito centella serum
moisturiser

A few times a week, use a liquid exfoliant at night after cleansing - I like this one from Cos De Baha. I also recommend pimple patches for spots - Hero patches.

Micellar water is a gem