My face is a mess

[blotchyskin]

Wise mumsnetters! You never let me down.

My skin is so uneven and blotchy. Red bits, brown bits, blackheads, spots etc. It’s just horrible. Is there any way to make it more even? Double Wear covers it just fine but I just hate leaving the house without any make up on.

Back to basics. Double cleanse in the evening and single cleanse in the morning. Balm to oil cleanser followed by something like a Cerave face wash. Use cloths, a clean one each time. Properly massage in the cleansers and make sure your face is clean.

In the morning, moisturise (something plain and non perfumed like Avène Tolerance) and use an spf designed for your face, if your budget is tight, put more money into the spf than the moisturiser. Give it as long as possible to dry down and then follow it with the least amount of make up you can cope with.

Evening double cleanse, again really massage in the cleansers and make sure all the make up and spf is off your face. Retinol - Cerave do a good encapsulated one that is not mind blowingly expensive but hits the markers for what you want from a retinol; start 3 times a week and build up. Moisturise.

Do this for a month before you add in any other products or any exfoliants.

Thank you @ObliviousCoalmine I will definitely go back to basics. Thanks for the help. I can't use retinol at the moment as I'm breastfeeding but I will try it in the future.

Aha well breastfeeding can mess with your skin. Your hormones are all over the place.

Can you go for. Hydrafacial? It could clear out blockages and give you a spruce up.

These serums are great 'balance me' vitamin c and niacinimide. They do a hyrulaonic acid too. All about £4 each. Use these and a calming spf for rosacea.

Arguably that's even better. Back to basics until you're out the other side, and that will give your face chance to get some maintenance going before you introduce a retinoid.

Be careful with acids and vit c, they can work against you depending on what you're looking for/what condition your skin barrier is in. Focus on building a good routine and annoying as it is, consistency is everything.

Have you been to your GP? They can prescribe some pretty good topicals that even work for improving texture as well. I’ve got acne so I’ve tried everything under the sun, but my favourite topicals by far are Differin and Skinoren. (Actually they might have been prescribed by an NHS derm, but I definitely recommend seeing your GP about it anyway.)

I disagree with a lot of these regime's I'm afraid (they're all money spinners)

I've suffered terribly with spots and generally shitty skin in times gone by.

I find , keep it dry! No oils, moisturisers, creams. Dry it out (I do use tropics "clear skies") so being a tad hypocritical here- but it is very drying. Sounds all very controversial,but I personally found, drying my skin out was the only way to stop spots thriving and multiplying. Then gradually add small amounts of cream when skin is clearer. I'd use products that are marketed for babies (eg baby lotion ) as a moisturiser. If it's marketed for a babies delicate skin,it'll be good enough for an adults.

Stay well away from over priced "miracle cures" they simply do not work.

@Halloumiheaven Skincare is not one-size-fits-all! If I let my skin dry out then it becomes even oilier and I get a million spots. You have to find what works for you, and it's just not true that expensive skincare products "simply do not work" - I can't believe the difference in how well these things actually work these days compared to say 20 years ago.

What has made the biggest difference for me is The Ordinary's niacinamide serum right after washing my face. It's only £5 and lasts for ages.

You must have naturally oily skin (not a negative thing) to be able to tolerate this regime.

If I did what you suggest, my skin barrier would be in tatters, and my nose would be buried under about 2 inches of flakes.

And I'd be sunburnt. I hope you're using at least an spf if you're using prescription topicals.

I find that a two-pronged attack works best—both external and internal (diet). If I cut WAY back on UPFs, sugar, dairy, and wheat, it works wonders (but takes 3-6 months to see a change).

Salicylic acid- specifically Paula’s Choice- works well for me. I use it over blackhead prone areas, rather than my whole face, and apply it before bed. You may breakout initially, but I have found it is worth continuing with.

Thanks all. Lots of food for thought here!

A product that has never let me down (and is currently working wonders as I deal with an allergic reaction to a vitamin C serum!) is the La Roche Posay cicplast b5! I slather it on at night and after a couple of days my skin is a lot clearer. This won't deal with discoloration, but I find it deals with most other things. Make sure to get the thick cream, not the gel or the more liquidy one, I find they're nowhere near as good.

It's called La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+, just checked.

Agree. A holy grail.