My skin is freaking out!

[Nourofmylife]

Okay, so I’ve tried so many products and recently my skin has been constantly changing. I had dryer skin and now it’s more on the oily, combination side. I’ve been breaking out for some reason, I thought it was because of my bare minerals foundation and I had stopped that. My breakouts are now not as bad as before I had stopped using it but the scarring and marks are hard to get rid of. I’ve tried the Kiehl’s ultra facial toner to tone my skin, but nothing has changed. Any recommendations for troubled skin? I also have sensitive skin.

[clphilli]

I went through something similar in my early 30's. I always had dry skin and then it changed to combination skin and the products I had always used were breaking me out. I ended up switching my skincare. I always used clinique or drug store brands. my skin was saying I needed to step it up. I ended up starting Caudalie. it cleared up my skin a little but was too drying. I then switched to sk2. within 6 months my skin was back to normal. The essence and tone helped balance out my skin. I used it for several years. I am now in my 40s and changing again to Dr gross. need to start adding in some retinol and AHA and BHA to the routine. Good luck. The AHA BHA advice below is good. I also really recommend a toner. it helps balance everything out

[Nourofmylife]

@clphilli Thank you! I will definitely look for products with AHAs and BHAs now! What toner do you recommend? I am still in search for the perfect toner? Have you found a good one for you?

[clphilli]

I like fresh rose toner and I also use DDG AHA BHA toner

[Nourofmylife]

@clphilli how is the fresh rose toner working for you? It is a bit pricey so I have not tried it yet.

[TrysBeautyItems]

@NourofmylifeUnidentified If you start with acids, BHA (salicylic acid) or AHAs, spf is a must.

How long have you been using the Origins cleanser? I wouldn't add in new products to fix the irritation. If you haven't recently, wash your makeup tools with antibacterial soap. That Origins cleanser I don't like, also has mint which can be an irritant. Which CeraVe cleanser?

What causes your sensitivities?

[Nourofmylife]

@TrysBeautyItems If I use a product such as cleansers they might sting my face. I try to find the ones for sensitive skin. I use the CeraVe facial cleanser for normal to dry skin. I believe it’s the foundation that I used to use that broke me out. I am just now trying to fix the marks and scarring it left of my face. I had stopped using it. It was the bare pro foundation.

[TrysBeautyItems]

Gotcha. Was wondering if the CeraVe you used was the one that I used that didn't work, I used their other one. I don't use sensitive skin marked cleansers, even though I do have. Our sensitivities vary.

I've used the Clinique even better serum, it does take time to see results for the marks, but helps. Are yours brown or red marks? 

@Nourofmylife

[Nourofmylife]

I have light skin so they were on the pink side but now my marks are fading into a light brown color. I’m trying to get rid of them and prevent more breakouts from occurring. Which cleanser from CeraVe did you use as well? I agree they’re good for sensitive skin but they don’t cleanse the face well. @TrysBeautyItems

[TrysBeautyItems]

@NourofmylifeI tried CeraVe foaming cleanser, but it made me itchy. I typically use philosophy purity.

Preventing breakouts, I have prescriptions. However, Mario Badescu has gentle, effective products from what I've tried. Contact them directly for samples. Mario has an anti acne serum - more gel like and just need a small amount, I don't usually use all over, just where needed.

the clinique will help with spots. light exfoliation as well. Paula's choice AHA serum seems gentle, from samples I've tried. spf to help the spots not to get darker, elta md or cotz is what i use. you could do a chemical peel every so often like dr gross or Ole Henriksen, or ptr pumpkin mask, which has AHA in it - there's a trial kit of most of PTR masks https://www.sephora.com/product/meet-your-mask-P423962?skuId=1977032&icid2=products%20grid:p423962

[Nourofmylife]

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@TrysBeautyItems

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@TrysBeautyItems Alright thank you. I will try some of these products! 🙂

[quspork]

Do you have a set current routine, @NourofmylifeUnidentified? To calm your skin from the breakout, I'd scale back to gentle products with just a cream cleanser, a BHA serum, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. Once you have those in place an vitamin C serum or a lactic acid will do wonders for the scarring. 

[Nourofmylife]

@quspork I also have a good clinique moisturizer btw the 72 hour hydrator

[Nourofmylife]

Thanks for the reply and recommendations @quspork yes I do have a skincare routine. I use the CeraVe facial cleanser but I have bought origins checks and balances cleanser to try out because of the recent combination skin. I used the kiehls ultra facial toner and I use origins clear improvement clay mask once a week. I that’s basically it. But I always cleanse my skin and occasionally exfoliate by adding the bare minerals exfoliating grains to my cleanser. What are BHAs anyway? I also heard there’s AHAs too but I don’t know the difference.

[quspork]

BHAs are Beta Hydroxy Acids that work to exfoliate your pores, so they're great for combatting acne. Salicylic acid is probably the most popular version and you'll see that in a lot of acne-fighting products.

AHAs are Alpha Hydroxy Acids and those work to exfoliate the skin's surface, so are helpful with things like discoloration, texture, and scarring. Lactic acid (e.g. Sunday Riley's Good Genes) and glycolic acid (e.g. Drunk Elephant's TLC Framboos) are two of the more popular kinds. 

ETA- Both AHAs and BHAs are great to include in your routine, but it's pretty essential to use moisturizer and sunscreen with them as they can easily dry out your skin and also make you more sensitive to sun damage. 

[Nourofmylife]

@quspork Thank you so much for clarifying. That really helps. 🙂