I started taking care of my skin from last three months, earlier i used to have clear skin with one or two pimples in a month and they fade away in 2-3 days. So at that time i didnt worry about my skin at all. Last December i traveled out of country and after that you cant imagine i had small bumps all over my face and milia under my skin. And i started to get so many pimples out of now where. I started to freak out and searched all over the internet and started to use few products. Some products didnt work out for me and some i dont know whether they are working or not. I have a very dry skin when i apply some moisturizer on my skin it will get oily and i started to get pimple. I dont know what i have to do. Can anyone suggest me any products that works for dry acne prone skin.
Has your skin always been very dry, or did it start looking/feeling very dry after your trip?
Is your whole face dry, with invisible pores? Or is there also an area of your face that’s always oily, with large visible pores (combo skin)?
Exactly what skincare products do you currently use, including the moisturizer that makes your face oily?
EDIT to add another question: What was your skincare routine before your trip? What did you typically use on your face?
During your trip in December, did you use anything different than usual on your face? Sometimes environmental changes can affect skin, but so can skincare products your skin’s not used to. My skin has flipped out over new-to-me cleansers a few times.
Where’d you travel to? Okay, that’s me being nosy 🙂 —but seriously, was the weather there very different from the weather at home (much warmer or colder, or windier)? I live in Chicago. Each winter I travel to Orlando for a week. If Chicago temps are subzeroºF and Orlando temps are 85ºF+, there’s a good chance my skin will throw a minor tantrum over the sudden drastic temp change if I don’t keep it hydrated and moisturized enough.
Hi @WinglessOne , Yeah i really enjoyed my trip. But now i am all worried. 😞 Please find the answers below and suggest me something for acne, acne scars especially.
Has your skin always been very dry, or did it start looking/feeling very dry after your trip? - Its always been dry skin
Is your whole face dry, with invisible pores? Or is there also an area of your face that’s always oily, with large visible pores (combo skin)? - I have oily T-zone not too oily, and dry cheeks especially.
Exactly what skincare products do you currently use, including the moisturizer that makes your face oily?- I am using The ordinary glycolic acid toner for milia and acne scars, Ordinary Niacinamide 10%+zinc 1% and sometimes when my skin is very dry i use Cerave healing ointment at night. And i use Fresh deep hydration face cream sometimes. And also i started to shave my use two months back with tinkle facial razer. I dont know whether it cause the acne on my skin or not.
EDIT to add another question:What was your skincare routine before your trip? What did you typically use on your face? - Actually before the trip i dont really have any particular skin care routine, i just wash my face with The body shop tea tree face wash and Fair and lovely cream (Actually its cream for fairness, this product is based on india)
During your trip in December, did you use anything different than usual on your face? Sometimes environmental changes can affect skin, but so can skincare products your skin’s not used to. My skin has flipped out over new-to-me cleansers a few times. - During the trip i dont think i tried anything new but that climate is very hot compared to here. I traveled to india hope you can understand the climate and pollution over there.
Where’d you travel to? Okay, that’s me being nosy—but seriously, was the weather there very different from the weather at home (much warmer or colder, or windier)? I live in Chicago. Each winter I travel to Orlando for a week. If Chicago temps are subzeroºF and Orlando temps are 85ºF+, there’s a good chance my skin will throw a minor tantrum over the sudden drastic temp change if I don’t keep it hydrated and moisturized enough.
@chinni8 Sorry for the delayed response! I’ve never visited India but I can imagine how hot it was; I’ve been to similarly hot climate countries and islands. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip!
For acne, salicylic acid (BHA) is the gold standard ingredient. It gets down into pores to degunk them; AHAs can’t do that.
I currently use FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Resurfacing Liquid 10% AHA 1-3 times a week, sometimes layering it with BHA. Before I switched to this product, I used the very gentle FIRST AID BEAUTY - Facial Radiance Pads; I still use them whenever my skin’s in bad reaction mode and I’m desperate to exfoliate.
I’ve never used The Ordinary’s 7% glycolic acid toner, and I was surprised to see perfuming rosewater (rosa damascena flower water) so high on its ingredients list. This kind of rosewater can irritate skin. (Some people have no immediately visible problems with it. My face hates it.)
Niacinamide is another good ingredient for reducing dark spots and evening skin tone. The one you’re using by The Ordinary should be a good one.
I currently use FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Resurfacing Liquid 10% AHA 1-3 times a week, sometimes layering it with BHA. Before I switched to this product, I used the very gentle FIRST AID BEAUTY - Facial Radiance Pads; I still use them whenever my skin’s in bad reaction mode and I’m desperate to exfoliate. I’ve never used The Ordinary’s 7% glycolic acid toner, and I was surprised to see perfuming rosewater (rosa damascena flower water) so high on its ingredients list. This kind of rosewater can irritate skin. (Some people have no immediately visible problems with it. My face hates it.) Niacinamide is another good ingredient for reducing dark spots and evening skin tone. The one you’re using by The Ordinary should be a good one.You could try adding vitamin C which also works well at evening skin tone. I normally use FARMACY - Very Cherry Bright 15% Clean Vitamin C Serum with Acerola Cherry but I’m also testing THE INKEY LIST - 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum and liking it so far. There are some higher strength vitamin C products, including some intended to be used as spot treatments for dark spots... I think Paula’s Choice still makes one.
I already knew the Fresh Deep Hydration product line contains rosewater, but I didn’t know the moisturizer also contains rosa damascena floweroil, which can be even more irritating. I can’t say your skin’s definitely reacting badly to all this rosewater/oil, but I know mine would. You might want to try a different moisturizer, perhaps another CeraVe moisturizer; many people swear by CeraVe’s PM lotion as a morning and night facial moisturizer. My daily moisturizer is Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Lightweight Face Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid 2 oz / 59 mL.
Whichever moisturizer you use, make sure your face is slightly damp before you apply it. That way, you’re giving the moisturizer some hydration to seal into your skin. Sometimes I just mist my face with plain ol’ water before applying moisturizer, but I also like Youth To The People Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist with Peptides 4 oz/ 118 mL. I recently started testing Cosrx Centella Water Alcohol-Free Toner which comes in a spray bottle: I primarily use it as a toner, but I just started misting my face with it pre-moisturizer. It’s first ingredient is cica (centella asiatica) water; cica can help soothe inflammation. My skin loves this ingredient.
I already knew the Fresh Deep Hydration product line contains rosewater, but I didn’t know the moisturizer also contains rosa damascena flower oil, which can be even more irritating. I can’t say your skin’s definitely reacting badly to all this rosewater/oil, but I know mine would. You might want to try a different moisturizer, perhaps another CeraVe moisturizer; many people swear by CeraVe’s PM lotion as a morning and night facial moisturizer. My daily moisturizer is YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE - Superfood Air Whip Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer.Whichever moisturizer you use, make sure your face is slightly damp before you apply it. That way, you’re giving the moisturizer some hydration to seal into your skin. Sometimes I just mist my face with plain ol’ water before applying moisturizer, but I also like YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE - Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist with Reishi + Ashwagandha. I recently started testing Cosrx Centella Water Alcohol-Free Toner which comes in a spray bottle: I primarily use it as a toner, but I just started misting my face with it pre-moisturizer. It’s first ingredient is cica (centella asiatica) water; cica can help soothe inflammation. My skin loves this ingredient.
About the Tinkle razors: Since AHA is an exfoliant (so is BHA), you probably shouldn’t use The Ordinary toner on the same day or night you use a Tinkle razor, which also exfoliates (in addition to removing hair). Over-exfoliation will break your skin’s moisture barrier and leave it wide open to bad bacteria, resulting in more acne. I’m not saying you should stop using the razors. Just be mindful of how often you use them, and what other products you use in conjunction with them.
And a caveat: Your best bet, of course, is to consult a dermatologist. (I know how hard that is these days.) A derm can give you a diagnosis and more personalized treatment recommendations. But whatever you use, remember that results take time. Even with my usual AHA, BHA, vitamin C, niacinamide, retinol (which I didn’t mention above... eh, not everyone needs it), and cica routine, my acne scars take a few weeks to disappear. I like to use a product for at least one full month before deciding if it works for me or not, unless I have a bad reaction to it—in which case, I’ll stop using it immediately.