Need to start taking better care of my face. Help.

[singer82]

I know that there is a lot of stuff on here about this, but I wanted to ask for my specific problems and its more than just one. I need to get a daily routine going. I have redness, dryness, large pores, acne scars, black and white heads (mostly on my chin and nose). And its pretty sensitive. And I'm pale so that seems emphasize everything. I dont break out much, but have lots of small bumps that turn into zits. Plus I'm turning 30 this year, so I want to take better care of my face. I have the Clarisonic , but maybe I'm just using it wrong? Cause I dont really see a difference. (edit: I just saw that you should remove makeup before using the clarisonic. I just put cleanser on the brush or my face and use it, makeup and all. Maybe thats why?) I've tried scrubbing face washes. So I wanted to start getting into a routine. If theres anyone that seems to be having the same problems as me what do you do? What products do you use?

So I'm guessing that it pretty much 3 steps right? Cleanser, some kind of skin treatment, then moisturizer? I've been hearing good things about the clinque 3 step system. Anyone used this?

Thanks!

 

[c00kiezRyuMMy]

First off
Always remove makeup before your cleanse.
Never go to bed with makeup on.
Dont pick at your face. It's really hard but put tea tree or a spot treatment on it and let it do its own healing.
Look at what youre using on your face. What are the ingredients. Do you recognize them? If not, google it. I am a firm believer in everybody knowing what they are using on their skin.


Not sure if you have any cystic acne or just blackheads and whiteheads but I would use a gentle cleanser. Alot of things that say they are for acne are actually too harsh. Personally I stay away from brands like proactive which are too drying and harsh for skin. If you'd like to try a few natural brands I would be happy to list a few. In my opinion, your skin needs something nurturing. The last thing you need is a really strong product to worsen your condition. You may benefit from a series of facials that include extractions of your blackheads (not forced though!) and the use of a high frequency machine to jumpstart your skincare regime. Hope I helped in some way. Let me know!

My routine:

1) I do my first cleanse to remove makeup impurities with sephora dual facial brush. [100 percent pure purity facial wash/mask, kiss my face start up or alba botanical acne wash]
2) Second cleanse to actually clean my face (by hand or with the pink squishy side of the brush) [same wash as above]
3) apply toner [mineral fusion toner or 100 percent pure purity tonic]
4) My acne spot treatment treatment [nelsons pure and clear acne gel or kiss my face breakout]
5) Moisturizer. I have oily and acne prone skin so I try to use lighter moisturizers.

 

[c00kiezRyuMMy]

First off
Always remove makeup before your cleanse.
Never go to bed with makeup on.
Dont pick at your face. It's really hard but put tea tree or a spot treatment on it and let it do its own healing.
Look at what youre using on your face. What are the ingredients. Do you recognize them? If not, google it. I am a firm believer in everybody knowing what they are using on their skin.


Not sure if you have any cystic acne or just blackheads and whiteheads but I would use a gentle cleanser. Alot of things that say they are for acne are actually too harsh. Personally I stay away from brands like proactive which are too drying and harsh for skin. If you'd like to try a few natural brands I would be happy to list a few. In my opinion, your skin needs something nurturing. The last thing you need is a really strong product to worsen your condition. You may benefit from a series of facials that include extractions of your blackheads (not forced though!) and the use of a high frequency machine to jumpstart your skincare regime. Hope I helped in some way. Let me know!

My routine:

1) I do my first cleanse to remove makeup impurities with sephora dual facial brush. [100 percent pure purity facial wash/mask, kiss my face start up or alba botanical acne wash]
2) Second cleanse to actually clean my face (by hand or with the pink squishy side of the brush) [same wash as above]
3) apply toner [mineral fusion toner or 100 percent pure purity tonic]
4) My acne spot treatment treatment [nelsons pure and clear acne gel or kiss my face breakout]
5) Moisturizer. I have oily and acne prone skin so I try to use lighter moisturizers.

 

[SweetJoy]

I know the Clarisonic's been revered as making a huge difference in people's skin, but I think what you put on your face is much more important than what you wash it with. If anything, using the Clarisonic too much might be harmful to what sounds like sensitive skin. I would use it every other day if I were you. As for skin care regimen, here's what I would do.

Morning:
1.Gentle cleanser, foaming or no, up to you, though foaming tends to be better for oilier skin types (I like Clean & Clear foaming sensitive, but phisoderm sensitive cream cleanser might be a better choice for you)
2. Chemical exfoliant with 1 to 2% beta hydroxy acid (salicylic acid). (Neutrogena oil free acne stress control 3-in-1 is the cheapest one out there) This is SO IMPORTANT. It brings forward healthy skin cells and cleans down into your pores. Though spot treatment may help in treating individual blemishes that have already flared up, it doesn't prevent new ones from forming. This does. And it's the only treatment against blackheads. It also reduces inflamation which will reduce redness. Seriously this will probably be the most important step for you. It may even help in reducing acne scarring, but that depends on its severity.
3. Wait 15 minutes
4. Optional: Moisturizer. If you find that the next step isn't enough after about 2 weeks of use, I would add a nice water-based moisturizer here. Suprisingly, Mac strobe cream is a decent choice and it has antioxidants which will help in repairing your damaged skin. Plus it's MAC and we're on Specktra

5. SUNSCREEN. Preferably, a photostable UVA/UVB sunscreen. That means a sunscreen with Zinc Oxide, titanium dioxide (or a combination of both), or Avobenzone (also known as parsol 1789) WITH octocrylene. I use cetaphil spf 15 and I really like it. If you are using a chemical sunblock (avo+octo, which cetaphil is) wait a little while before putting makeup up on.

Night:
1. Makeup remover. I like makeup removing cloths, most of them are good. You might want to avoid fragrances though.
2. Cleanser, same as morning.
3. Exfoliant, same as morning, though if you find you are reacting to it you may want to use it only in the morning (or every other morning) until your skin adjusts.
4. Wait 15 minutes.
5. Treatment. The best one at a non-exorbitant price in my opinion is neutrogena healthy skin anti-wrinkle cream night. It has antioxidants plus a synthetic form of retinol which will repair sun damage and acne scarring.
6. If necessary, a nice water-based moisturizer. Simple is best, and try to avoid fragrance and brands that claim to have fruits and flower extracts, which sound natural and healthy but will really most likely contribute to the redness in your skin.

I didn't include toners simply because I think they are necessary only for the most oily skin, and if they contain skin repairing ingredients or antioxidants, which are present in other products in your regimen anyway. They do remove traces of oil and makeup, but aren't needed if you're using a good cleanser and makeup remover.

So...this turned into a book. I guess I get a little carried away when it comes to skin care. Let me know if you have any questions or if you need product recs.

tl;dr: BHA exfoliant and SUNSCREEN!!!

 

[singer82]

Thank you ladies very much! I really am clueless when it comes to skin care. I've always seemed to catagorize my skin as dry and/or combination, not really sure which one. It's fairly dry but oily in the T zone. I do think it is pretty sensitive though. I do have a tendency to pick at my zits, so I definately have some acne scarring from that. It's hard for me not to when a head forms on it, which is not pretty lol And I have redness esp in my cheeks and nose.

Also SweetJoy, where do I use my clarisonic in the regimen? I def want to use it cause I spent so much on it lol And I think I'll be purchasing the sensitive skin brush head for it. Any good clinique products? I think they have a new line for sensitive skin...http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/...set?ID=637806&CategoryID=30077&LinkType=PDPZ1 Or What other brands do you recommend?

 

[Urmi]

I would stay away from Clinique. It only further irritated my skin. My sister and friends who tried it had the same reaction.

Thank you ladies very much! I really am clueless when it comes to skin care. I've always seemed to catagorize my skin as dry and/or combination, not really sure which one. It's fairly dry but oily in the T zone. I do think it is pretty sensitive though. I do have a tendency to pick at my zits, so I definately have some acne scarring from that. It's hard for me not to when a head forms on it, which is not pretty lol And I have redness esp in my cheeks and nose.

Also SweetJoy, where do I use my clarisonic in the regimen? I def want to use it cause I spent so much on it lol And I think I'll be purchasing the sensitive skin brush head for it. Any good clinique products? I think they have a new line for sensitive skin...http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/...set?ID=637806&CategoryID=30077&LinkType=PDPZ1 Or What other brands do you recommend?

 

[singer82]

Oh dur. That link is for Lancome. Anyone use them?

 

[Mabelle]

^ stay away from clinique, and sorry to say, but i dont think lancome is that great either.

first, lets talk clarisonic. Only use this one a day MAX. Using it 2x a day can dehydrate your skin big time. Honestly, using it every other day at night might be best for your skin.

As for cleansers, you want something that will hydrate, but clean in dept. I would not really recommend a gel (not nourishing enough) or a foam. I would recommend either a milk cleanser or an oil cleanser. You should stay away from self foaming cleansers because they usually have sulfates in them. They are what produces a sudsing effect. Sulfates will give you that tight and pulled feeling after you wash.
Milks are great for taking off makeup, and for hydrating and calming.
Oils are also nourishing, and with a clairsonic will help to unclog blackheads by loosening them from the pore and sweeping them out.

A good milk cleanser is Korres 3 in 1 Milk Proteins emulsion (not the foaming one)
And for oil cleansers i like the Josie Maran Argan oil cleanser, and the Boscia Makeup Breakup Cleansing oil (My bf, with large blocked pores uses this with our Clairi.... amazing!!)

As for a treatment, pick a main concern. Is it pores? Is it prevention? Is it hydration?
For pores, i like the Dr Brandt products alot, but there are other ways to address pore.
If it's prevention, a great option is something like a vitamin C serum.
For Hydration, look for something with Hyloronic Acid in it.

As for a moisturizer, we want to hydrate without being heavy.
For reddness and sensitivity ive heard loads about first aid beauty.
I, myself, have just tried the Origins Mega Mushroom redness releif cream. WOW! amazzzzingggggg!
Another new fav in my kit for day is the Ole Henriksen Herbal day cream spf 15. Sun protection built in which is a bonus, but its also full of antioxidants!

It's important to use a night treatment aswell. That is when our skin is actually regenerating. Some great PM products are Philosophy's help me retinol treatment, or the new dr brandt ruby retinol resurfacing cream. Anything with retinol in it, you should sample first as it CAN be irritating. Retinol will help with texture, tone, firmness, scars, hyperpigmentation, and pores.... basically its a wonder drug.
If that;s not your bag, check out Decelor's night baumes. The Rose one is excellent for hydration and redness. If that's not your thing, Ole Henriksen's Pure perfection contains lactic and Gylcolic acid to retexturize skin, and it's rich texture is very hydrating.


Whatever you do, be sure you are using an SPF that is both physical and chemical. They will protect you from UVB and UVA rays (uva causes first signs of ageing) and not just when your in the sun. We can get UV rays in the car, on the bus, from your computer screen, the lights at work. Scary I know...
And please! Please! Use an Eye Cream!!!!!

 

[arnold1200]

Wash your face a lot of times with water. Use fresh fruits & vegetables in your diet. Do not use different kind of cosmetic products on your face, it irritates the skin & makes it dry. Always take a balanced diet to maintain your skin glow. You can use the cream which contains Vitamin E in it because it will preserve your skin, makes it healthier & prevent wrinkles on your face.
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face spots

 

[singer82]

Ladies, thank you all so much! You have helped me so much. I looked up this post while I was at the store. Turning 30 is such a milestone, I want to be ready