Fancy skincare doesn’t help. Why does my skin looks like this?

[Croissantsfordinner]

Sorry for the horrible pic, it is a close up of my cheeks currently. I have little spots and an uneven tone and no matter what products I use, it always looks like this.
I have tried vitamin c serums, nice exfoliators, double cleansing, moisturising etc. Nothing makes a difference (and have tried some nice brands like Paula’s choice, Medik8, Trinny, some more “natural” stuff etc)

What am I doing wrong and what else should I do?

Black heads on my nose and chin also a constant battle

Apricot exfoliating scrub always helps me. But I think your skin looks normal 🤔

Have you tried prescription Tret? Numerous threads if you search. Sorted out my acne and tone.

You are using too many products OP.
Some skins just aren’t meant to have so many products layered onto them. Dermatologists talk about this all of the time.
I would try Skin+Me who can give you a more personal set of products.
Go back to basics - a good cleanser, a like a spray mist, and a moisturiser. I really like La Roche Posay.

Professional micro needling will help with the pore size and uneven skin tone.

Has this come on all of sudden or its always been like that? Honestly, it looks fine x

Have you tried laying off all products and all make-up? Cleanse with clean cloth wrung out in warm water. Leave it alone for a week or two.

I have similar skin and now I use Tret and nothing else except moisturiser and sunscreen.No faffy routines or procedures. Best thing I ever did

What's your current routine?

They look like closed comedones, i.e. spots that don't have a 'head', which are blocked pores. I'd suggest: take it back to basics for a couple of weeks and drop all actives, to see how your skin behaves. There are a number of things that might be causing it, like your current skincare, or makeup, or hormonal factors, or diet.

A retinoid, like retinol or tretinoin can help with closed comedones, so a service like Skin and Me might be worthwhile as that involves a dermatologist consultation.

Isn't this just how normal skin looks for a lot of people? Mine is pretty similar tbh.

I'm not massively bothered by it but if I am I just use some foundation to smooth it over. Thinking of trying some tinted moisturizer for a similar effect.

I think lots of makeup, and filters/blurring on media images gives us a false idea about what normal looks like?

So vitamin C is for brightening so that won’t help with the comedones you have. You don’t seem to have any retinol based product in your routine either so that is a must - OTC or you could try a prescription tret or differin gel. Spending lots of money isn’t the issue (the ordinary, inky list and even boots ingredients are all fab) but you need to be consistent. At least 3 months before trying something new.

My skin is better now at 32 than it was at 25 and I have reduced fine lines, eye bags and crows feet and basically eliminated comedogenic acne (can’t do much about the big spots I sometimes get at ovulation unfortunately!). I don’t use anything expensive, just a consistent routine with actives my skin can tolerate.

Thanks all, it's encouraging to see some of you saying it looks normal. Maybe I am just surrounded by people who are blessed with perfect skin as it looks so much worse to me than all my friends and family (I have seen these people also without make up so I know for sure their skin looks better).

Current routine is quite simple tbh, I didn't think I was using too many products.

Morning:

• quick wash with a gentle foam
• moisturise with a cream (using a french bio brand) and sometimes add a few drops of Vit C serum

Evening:

• Take off make up, I normally either double cleanse (micellar water + a face wash) or take all the make up off with a face wash if I am not wearing much
• Use salicylic acid exfoliator every other day (I have only started a month ago)
• Moisturise

That's it really

What age are you OP?
Has your skin always been like this?
Do you not use any SPF (you haven't listed it as part of your morning routine)

I'd agree with using Tretinoin, but you absolutely must use a good separate facial SPF every morning if you do (and should be using one anyway)

@LifeInAHamsterWheel I am 40. Yes my skin has always looked like this. I do not use SPF unless I am spending a lot of time outdoors and/or it's summer. My aunt is a dermatologist and has always warned me about the benefits but also RISKS associated with daily use of spf as they are full of really nasty stuff that can be harmful. I leave home at 7:30am and spend my day in the tube + office then come home when the sun is setting, I really don't need spf.

You'd need it if you are to use tret though, so just bear that in mind.

That looks like a fairly good basic routine, and it doesn't sound like you're overdoing it with the actives either. If you've only recently added in the exfoliation then you might need to give it a bit longer to see results - a month isn't a very long time, and if there's something you're using that's causing the breakouts it can be a bit of a process of elimination to work out what it is. If you wear makeup, do you keep your brushes/sponges clean and try to keep products within their expiration dates?

I would try tret for a month to see if it helps clear them. Probably your best bet. Check out Skin+Me and Monderma.

Tret can take up to 6 months to see if it works

You might find changing your cleansing helps as well as the other suggestions (tret is always suggested for a reason!)

Micellar water and foaming washes just dry out the skin, hot cloth cleansing might work better for you as a gentle manual exfoliation often improves texture

I think it looks like mild rosacea. Try azaleic acid.

Also OP what's ur diet like?

I get complements for my skin but do always seem to get blackheads around my nose. To keep them under control I use an oil based Micellar cleanser (morning and night), followed by a syallic acid serum and then a moisturiser (normally Olay Beauty Fluid).

I do not use any facial wash or soap on my face as my skin hates it. I do a Beauty Circle Coffee exfoliter/scrub twice a week.

If you have TikTok, watch Natalie O’Neill. She gives amazing advice on skincare and will suggest products at all price ranges. I’m 46 and have the best skin I’ve ever had thanks to her videos.

If your aunt is a dermatologist can she not recommend something?

It looks to me like it's mild acne, have you ever tried any acne creams or medication?