T zone troubles

[lillif121]

I've recently been having crazy breakouts in my T-zone area, especially in between by eyebrows. They aren't necessarily pimples, since I can never pop them, but are instead red and bumpy. I've been trying everything to clear them up and I'm not sure if I am helping or drying them out. Currently, I have been using a soft foam cleaning brush with an oil-free cleanser and washing my face about once a day at night. Every other day I use St. Ive's apricot scrub. Any tips to clearing this up? I have been having no luck and they never get smaller or go away. I'll attach a photo for reference, Thanks! 

[TrysBeautyItems]

@lillif121 All the exfoliation is being overdone and lead to irritation. That spin brush, spins. Which is hurting the skin, a tool should vibrate instead. Even with the Clarisonic daily usage and 2x day is overkill.

Also the cleansers currently using don't contain great ingredients and drying out the skin. St. Ives has jagged edges which cause micro tears, an exfoliant should be smooth round particles.

Drugstore basics, Neutrogena fresh foaming cleanser and their oil free moisture. La Roche Posay. And spf daily. Don't pile on acne ingredients nor oil-free/mattifing either, will backfire and dry the skin out.

 Blackheads on the nose typically  are sebaceous filaments, which can only be temporarily removed. SFs aren't blackheads. Marketing has made the nose equal blackheads. Also pore strips, if you use, are a no no- can cause broken capillaries/damage the skin, don't get deep into the pore to actually remove oil buildup.

[lillif121]

Thank you so much for the help guys, your suggestion worked out great! I got the foaming cleaner from neutrogena and a clay mask. Im going to use the mask 2-3 tines a week and ive been putting diluted tea tree oil on the area at night and I have so much improvement!

[Samtian]

Hello @lillif121 like the others have mentioned, what other products are you using? What is your skin type? Do you have an am routine?

[lillif121]

For the cleanser I’ve been using clean and clear daily pore cleanser. I put a small amount ontothe Grace and Stella facial spin brush. Ive been rotating between cleansing or exfoliating, moisturizing (just up&up moisturizer), not moisturizing, etc. I believe I have combination skin. I dont have any other breakouts just this one area. Am usually just wash with the spin brush.

[alexasteph]

@lillif121 I’d stop using the St. Ive’s for one. It’s super abrasive which can irritate and damage skin... which can then lead to breakouts. What is the cleanser you’re using? You mentioned it’s oil free, you might want to add some oil to protect skin as it starts to repair itself. What other products are you using? 

[lillif121]

Ive been using Clean and Clear daily pore cleanser. I used to use the St. Ives every other day in my past years and have never once had an issue. It helps with the blackouts on my nose

[alexasteph]

@lillif121 I think the combination of those two products over time might be leading to your irritated skin. They are both pretty deep cleaners/exfoliaters plus the brush. Even if you haven’t had issues before, it’s not uncommon for it to happen eventually. I’ve needed to switch up products for the same reason. What sort of products are you wanting to add/change? Also - are you looking for items you can get at places like Target or Walgreens or items from places like Sephora or Ulta? 

[lillif121]

I'm looking to really change everything. I'm not quite sure what I need, if I need a toner or a new cleanser or a moisturizer. Also if I should be having a better routine, like washing 2x a day or just 1x a day. So any suggestions you have would really be great. Products more from Target or Walgreens, but I'm open to anywhere. I just don't like to spend a lot on my skin care products. Thanks for the help!

[alexasteph]

@lillif121 Skin care does require a bit of trial and error, so you might need to be willing to invest a bit of time and money intially. When I was trying to establish my routine, I found it was easiest to switch up one thing a time. This is actually recommended anyway, since you don’t know how your skin will react to new things. By only doing one thing different you can pinpoint exactly what each products is doing. 

I think the most important step in a routine is cleanser. That preps your skin for every step after. I need my cleansers to be gentle but effective - I don’t really need it to do anything other than cleanse my face without stripping. My HG cleanser is L'Occitane Shea Cleansing Oil 6.7 oz/ 200 mL , which isn’t available at Target but at $24 it’s one of the more affordable options. Using an oil is good for cleansing - as long as it’s the right oil - because it gently breaks up grime, makeup, sweat, dirt, etc while moisturizing and protecting the skin. It can also help balance your skin by halting sebum production. After you cleanse your face, you want it to feel good, comfortable. If your skin feels tight or dry, it’s not the right cleanser. I do enjoy the Simple line of cleanser available at Target - because all they do is cleanse. If the L’occitane isn’t in your budget, Simple would be my next recommendation. 

Starting with that cleanser switch might begin to help. If you enjoy using the scrub, continue using it but since it’s a phsyical exfoliant, you want to make sure the other products you use daily are not. I don’t use a physical exfolaint any more than 3x a week - one is a deeper peel with chemical exfoliation, one is for pores, and one is just brightening and exfoliating. So I’m only using each product once a week. I do use a multi step routine daily regardless. I cleanse, use an essence (toner), a serum, a moisturizer, and an oil, with the exfoliation coming after clearing on those days. While you’re building your routine, as I mentioned, go one at a time though. 

I hope that’s at least somewhat helpful! If you are looking for additional product recommedations I am happy to give some. 

[cacf811]

Try Ole Henriksen’s Cold Plunge Mask, it’s very soothing & doesn’t dry out your skin. Also, use Kate Somerville’s Eradikate Acne Treatment at night; it’s a spot treatment you put on with a q-tip. If you get dry from the spot treatment use an oil as spot treatments on the dry spots to heal or use before you apply the acne treatment. I use either Tarte’s maracuja oil or Youth to the People Superberry Oil.