Information overload on skincare products!

[zerosense]

I'm trying to develop a skincare routine, and it feels like I'm constantly looking up ingredients and products, and what helps this and that. There is so much information online I end up getting into things I'm not sure I need, sometimes I end up forgetting what I was looking for in the first place. It ends up looking like it's going to cost a fortune! I know my skin problems, I have dry skin, some acne scarring, uneven skin tone, some mild discoloration, and Im 43 so anti aging is something I need to get. Any advice would be great! Thank you

[heartsmyface]

@zerosense  If your only starting a regimen now start with the essentials and build from that.  

Essentially what you need in the morning are a gentle non stripping face wash.  An antioxidant rich product and sunscreen. 
Everything else is to customize to your specific skin concerns.

face wash 

antioxidant product (usually vitmain c) 

sunscreen 

At night - 1)a non stripping face wash for daily use,2) a gentle exfoliating product to use one or two times a week, and 3)a retinoid to increase cell turnover, and increase collagen production and then a gel or cream dependant on your skins level of hydration.  

face wash

gentle exfoliator 

retinoid 

gel or cream 

Everything else is specific to your specific skin concerns. 

[mantia]

I think it's really cool to be a part of such community having very useful and interesting ..

[ayladropko]

I feel this. Different skincare concerns (acne, acne scarring, combo skin and I'm 26), but I'm new to skincare/building a routine and I definitely am in the same boat! It's kinda overwhelming sometimes 🙈 

[mantia]

Yes you are right there are different thinking of people about the skin ..

[kargo5]

Although it's always a good thing to look up products and do your own research, it can be a bit overwhelming especially when it comes to setting up a routine. I have found that skin cycling has worked very well for many people. 

Day 1: Exfoliate - use a gentle cleanser and then use a chemical exfoliator 

Day 2: Retinoids - use a gentle cleanser and a retinoid serum of your choosing

Day 3 & 4: Repair/Rest - use a gentle cleanser and while your face is still damp use a serum like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, niacinamide, etc. 

Then you repeat this process as many times as you want. By using active ingredients (exfoliator and retinoid) followed by gentle ingredients (niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, etc), you allow your skin to heal and prevent you from overusing active ingredients on your face which can be harmful. 

This process and skin care plan will help you keep your skincare routine simple but effective.

A few other tips I have for you: apply spf everyday and even throughout the day (apply it on your neck and all over your body if possible), always double cleanse after removing makeup (micellar water followed by a cleanser should do the trick), and be consistent. Good luck on your skin care journey 

[vanwriter]

An effective skin care regime does not need to be overwhelming. There are key principles to keep in mind, no matter your age or skin type. The key is thoroughly cleansing your skin with effective and gentle products that don't strip and subsequently, irritate your skin.

1. Use a mild cleanser; this includes oil-based cleansers that can be emulsified into a creamy cleanser to remove make-up, without drying your skin. Use a soft, plush make-up cleansing cloth to remove all traces of makeup before and after to cleanse your face.,

2. Moisturize. Including your eye and neck/chest area. Start doing this early. I started doing this in my 20's and I'm now 64 with very few wrinkles/lines. If you have oily skin and prone to breakouts, be careful about using products that strip natural oils. It's not fun to have acne or breakouts, but these can worse when using products that strip oils. 

3. If it stings, don't go there. This will likely aggravate any skin issues. 

4. Rethink foundation and assess using a CC or BB with SPF. The key is light, buildable coverage where you need it with nourishing products that allow you to look like you, but better. 

[tg1973]

Do-it-yourself is all well and good for people in their twenties, but in your forties it's time to get professional help.  A prescription retinoid is going to give you the best results, which are thoroughly tested and clinically proven.  If your insurance will cover a cosmetic dermatologist, lucky you, go see one.  As most insurance doesn't (it's considered elective so it's all out of pocket), a great option is an online telemedicine prescription service.  I personally have used curology for years and strongly recommend them, but by all means shop around.  Let the pros worry about your active ingredients for tone, scars, and anti-aging, then you just have to choose the basics.  A gentle cleanser like CeraVe, a moisturizing toner like Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin™ Liquid 5.07 oz/ 150 mL  or just a simple hyaluronic serum like The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL  (or both), plus a good moisturizer is a simple routine to support your skin while the prescription does the heavy lifting.  The hardest part is finding a good sunscreen that your skin likes that won't break you out and plays well with makeup.  I like Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Invisible Broad Spectrum SPF 40 PA +++  but my skin is more combo than dry.  Sephora sets with a number of products in small sizes are great for trying out things like sunscreens and moisturizers in a more cost effective way.  My best advice other than turning to medical grade actives is this: don't confuse price with quality.  Just because something is cheap and available at the drug store doesn't mean it's not great (CeraVe is great!), and just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's worth the money (looking at you, Dr. Sturm!).  

[greeneyedgirl107]

@zerosense I rec reading "The Beauty Bible" by Paul Begoun.  I think the 3rd edition is my favorite.   📚 

[ayladropko]

Do you what the difference between the third edition and the complete beauty bible is? Just looking on Amazon right now!

[greeneyedgirl107]

@ayladropko the 3rd edition is the most user friendly.  The 2nd is ok, but I found myself having to cross reference and put things together too much for myself; my friend had a similar experience independently.   I don't remember what I didn't like about TCBB, but I disliked it enough to donate it.  Begoun has a book, The Best Skin of Your Life (2015), and while I didn't donate it (I kept all her other books) I thought it wasn't as good as TOBB and it just scratched the surface. 

[kaytee2012]

Morning: Wash face with warm water (no cleanser needed especially with dry skin)

apply a vitamin c serum, moisturizer, and a sunscreen of spf 30 or higher. Vitamin c will help brighten skin, even skin tone, and promote collagen for anti aging and also gives your spf a boost. You can skip the moisturizer here if your sunscreen is moisturizing enough. 

pm: remove makeup and spf and cleanse face. I prefer to use a gentle micellar water on a damp microfiber soft cloth. Follow with a retinol and moisturizer 6 nights a week and one night a week replace the retinol with an aha/bha exfoliator. 

don’t jump in all at once, add in your products slowly one at a time. For retinol start with once a week and work your way up to 6 nights very gradually. Doctorly and dr sherenne idriss are great on YouTube. 

[WinglessOne]

@zerosense  I'm glad you're looking up ingredients! It can definitely be overwhelming, but the more you learn about what certain ingredients can (and can't) do for your skin, the more informed your product decisions will be. 

A good anti-aging skincare can be very inexpensive and simple. Example: 

AM: 

Spoiler

1. Cleanser (optional) - not everyone needs to wash their face in the morning. I often just gently wipe my face with a wet plush microfiber cloth (like a Makeup Eraser). If I do need AM cleaner, I use a very gentle non-lathering cream cleanser (I like Paula's Choice RESIST Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser; some folks love CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser) or a cleansing balm (either The INKEY List Oat Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm 5 oz/ 150 mL or Paula's Choice Omega + Complex Cleansing Balm 3.5 oz/ 104 mL ), and sometimes I cleanse just around my eyes. 

2. Moisturizer (daily) - CeraVe, Vanicream, and Cetaphil make good moisturizers. So does Aveeno. You can use a body lotion on your face, as long as it doesn't contain something your skin's sensitive to. I use Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. Whichever moisturizer you choose, apply it to damp (not soaking wet) skin to seal in hydration instead of dryness. 

3. Broad spectrum sunscreen (each day skin's exposed to sunlight) - minimum SPF 30, all year long, regardless of weather or season. Sunscreen is the best preventative anti-aging skincare product on the market. Do you already use a sunscreen? I rotate through several all year made by Supergoop, Native, Dermstore, Eucerin, Cetaphil, La Roche-Posay, and more. 

PM: 

Spoiler

1. Cleanser (nightly) - choose a gentle cleanser that won't leave your skin feeling stripped, dry, or "squeaky clean." CeraVe, Vanicream, Cetaphil, and Paula's Choice make good cleansers. I have mostly-dry combo skin and I'm in my 50s; each night, I use the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar on my face and body in the shower. (I'm a night shower person.) That's the lathering bar version of CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. If I wear makeup, I start with one of the 2 cleansing balms I mentioned earlier and then wash with the CeraVe bar. 

2. Treatments (as needed) - if your acne scars are flat dark marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or PIH): a good ingredient that targets PIH and uneven skin tone, as well as acne, is azelaic acid. In the US, you can get Rx-strength 15-20% azelaic acid from your doctor. A far less expensive option is OTC 10%. My favorite is Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 1 oz/ 30 mL , but I've just started testing The INKEY List SuperSolutions 10% Azelaic Serum Redness Relief Solution 1 oz / 30 mL and I quite like it. I also like Facetheory Lumizela A10 Serum, and I've used The Ordinary Azelaic Acid 10% Suspension Brightening Cream with no issues. You can use azelaic acid each night, or every other night, or however often you want. You can also use it in the daytime, which will get you more bang for your buck because it has antioxidant properties. 

And/or, you can go the vitamin A route. This is the retinoids family: tretinoin (available only by Rx), retinaldehyde/retinal, retinol, granactive retinoid, etc. You don't need to start with a high strength product; retinol, for instance, has been proven effective at strengths as low as 0.02%. I can offer up some product recommendations if you're interested, or you can talk with your doc about it. Also, anyone who claims tretinoin's the only effective retinoid is misinformed: retinal and retinol are effective, just slower working. Of the 3, retinol's the slowest. I use retinal each night (mostly for hyperpigmentation) because it's the least irritating to my skin and works faster than retinol. 

Another option is a product that contains multiple ingredients that target hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone, like Hyper Skin Brightening Dark Spot Vitamin C Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL . I use this one in the morning. 

3. Moisturizer (nightly) - this can be the same product you use in the morning. 

There are other products you can add as needed. For instance, my favorite hydrating serum is The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum 1 oz / 30 mL (formerly known as "Buffet"). I apply this either morning or night to damp skin. 

[Butterfli777]

Murad invisiscar has been a godsend for me.  

[mantia]

It's really good to be apart of this community where you can have plenty of information about skin and beauty products that are the most essentials parts of women's life ..

[mantia]

I would say that it's really good to be a part of the community about beauty products about skin makeup and hair ..