Why does my makeup do this??

[noideamumma]

In need of some advice please!

As you can see i suffer with acne, am currently using clindamycin/ tretinoin every evening. (Still yet to make a difference). From using this cream my skin has purged a good amount, spots, dryness (my skin is naturally red toned so my acne appears very inflamed)

I am due to return to work after maternity leave, i am dreading it because of my skin!! I just want a way to cover my acne, not full coverage as my face will dry far too much! Just something light to reduce redness...i have tried multiple foundations, concealers, BB creams etc and i always end up with this texture of nothing soaking into my skin more so just sitting on top and being patchy?? Why?? Do i need to exfoliate to remove the dead skin cells from the cream (however told its an exfoliant as it is). I just want something i can put on my face and not have to worry that it looks patchy or is drying the hell outta my face and i look like a mess!

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

:)

Yes use a gentle cleanser and don’t have really hot water to wash with as this will strip the oil, making it produce more but also dry out patches!

I like a clay face mask which really exfoliates off dry patches, I use one twice a week. I like Handmade Naturals Moroccan Rhassoul Clay it’s really good. Mix it with a bit of warm water then wipe off after 20 min with a warm flannel.

I like to follow it up with Garnier sheet face masks, I particularly like the lavender one you can get them in Asda/Tesco/Boots for about £2. Really helps instantly improve my dry patches!

https://www.garnier.co.uk/skin-care/face-masks

https://handmadenaturals.co.uk/products/morrocan-rhassoul-face-mask-to-detoxify-purify-the-skin-all-skin-types

And I do suffer with oily skin with breakouts but also dry patches not too dissimilar to yours! I also have very sensitive skin which doesn’t help matters!

@AdviceNeeded2024 thank you i will get this all a go! I also have sensitive skin, its very testing isnt it!!

It is! I understand where you are coming from, mine isn’t quite as red but I feel I’ve been battling with it for years and it’s never ending! I never understand being oily, spotty and dry all at once it’s just awful and I get so self conscious about my skin.

I also switched to a lot of natural products, mainly due to being very sensitive though (Clinique cleanser took layers of skin off my face and hands once!) I like the Handmade Naturals essential oils as a night time moisturiser. I use a virgin prickly pear one which doesn’t irritate me and is also anti-aging.

Hope you find something that works for you. I fend a BB/CC cream with a good setting powder like Laura Mercier to be a bit more forgiving on dryness than foundation too x

@AdviceNeeded2024 thank you, i appreciate your responses and advice! Hopefully i can figure whats right for my skin. :)

You could try something completely different since washing it with soapy stuff prob produces excessive oil. How about Peace with the Wild make up remover which is actually just oils that you massage on make up, oils melt it away and you wipe it away with a mini face towel dipped in hot water, that exfoliates very gently too. Haven’t had a single spot since started doing that.

@BurrosTail great thank you, i find when i use the micellar water it kind of burns anyway! Cant win lol

Miccelair water burns my skin too, I can use the Cerave one but just on my eyes for stubborn make up then I have to to rinse it off.

OP I’m really reluctant to suggest anything other than seeing a dermatologist. The flare up in the second picture looks really painful.

If you don’t want to do that, visit your local Dermalogica and see what they suggest. They do a skin assessment before recommending any products. They’ve helped me a lot with sensitive and reactive skin over the years.

You're using tretinoin every evening?
You need an spf 50 every single day.
Please don't exfoliate or use clay masks etc. Treat your skin as sensitive. Gentle hydrating cleansers and moisturisers.
If you are getting burning, that's a sign of a compromised barrier. How long have you been using tret and what strength?

Furst Cleanser recs: simple oil cleanser, Dhc cleansing oil, elf cleansing balm
Second cleanse: curel foaming cleanser is so gentle and non drying or perhaps jordan samuel gel cleanser. Use this again for morning cleanse
Moisturiser: inkey bio ceramide, dr sams flawless intense, something fragrance free and hydrating.
Day cream may not be needed if your spf is moisturising enough

I'm really really acne prone and none of the above have ever broken me out. Everyone is different though

@NiceUnusualDifferent thank you for all the advice and products!!

And yes i use it every evening for the past 5 weeks, it contains clindamycin 1% / Tretinoin 0.025%

My face is pretty much sore/red/sometimes itchy majority of the time. I think talk of Accutane may be the next step?

@StormingNorman yeah i was looking into a dermatologist, do you know if your GP can refer you for that? Or will i need to go private and find one? :)

I had this exact problem. My skin went crazy after having my DD and even going back on the pill hasn't really helped!
I use a primer now that stops the makeup settling and going patchy. Also, for the redness, I recommend the ELF camo sticks - the green one. I put a layer of it over the redness and then just put a light foundation over and it works great!

I think the tretonin is too strong for your skin. I have sensitive skin like you and mine was similar before I started skin & Me but I started on a much weaker concentration 0.009 and built up really slowly. I would send pictures and ask to have a lower concentration and only use every other night.

@bloodyhellKen22 perfect! I will give that a go, thanks! :)

@3WildOnes yeah you may be right, clearly the antibiotic side of things isnt helping the inflammation anyway 😬 will contact my GP!

A friend of mine had similar issues and was referred to a dermatologist through her gp - the dermatologist prescribed products but also recommended La Roche Posay products for her skin - in particular the tinted moisturiser which is really good!

Very welcome. At 5 weeks in you should be nowhere near every night application. Who prescribed it?

You need to build tolerance to tretinoin gradually while supporting your barrier function the rest of the time. 0.25 isn't too strong usually to start with, it's what I started with. It's also a long game, go back to your prescriber and see what they suggest. If you have no spf then please stop using the tret.until you have, it makes your skin more sensitive to uv.

The burning will most likely be a damaged barrier going from nothing to every night Iver 5 weeks. I'd stop it completely, repair your barrier then gradually reintroduce it.

@noideamumma have you had a diagnosis of acne from the doctor ? If not have a look into Perioral dermatitis
It can be caused by SLS in toothpaste and foaming face wash , my daughter suffered rather badly from this and now avoids all products with sls and it's helped her skin massively .

@NiceUnusualDifferent my GP prescribed it for 8 weeks, if no improvement then to go back and try a tablet (not sure what) before this is was on Adapalene, there has been no difference from either creams!

Ok i will stop using it for a few days and hopefully heal my skin barrier!🤞

You need to colour correct with green, NYX does a green colour corrector and I'm sure there's lots of other brand options too.

I don't have acne so don't know how this would work for your skin but I use the inkey list glycolic acid which is great for resurfacing the skin and the ordinary hyaluronic acid.

If you're using a primer, check whether it's water based or siicone based. You need a water based primer for a water based foundation and vice versa. Set with powder, I like the Huda beauty loose powder and finish with a setting spray, current faves are the beauty crop glow milk mist and the L'Oréal infallible spray.

@almondflake all ive been told is it could be hormonal and what do i want to do? Haha! Uhh help me lol so ive just been trying all different creams! But yes i will take a look into this also, thank you!!

@Mrscharlieeeee perfect thank you!! I need a routine of how to do my makeup/skincare, great! :)

OP have you tried giving up wheat and gluten for 6 weeks? I had terrible acne for years until I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Nowadays I can tell immediately if I've eaten something with hidden gluten in (normally barley) because I will get spots on my face and my head becomes almost instantly covered in hives. Worth a try. Also, when I was in your position, I found products that dried my skin made things much worse. Be gentle if you can. Good luck.