Omg my face!!!!!!

[Anniedaynow78]

I’m an idiot. Ok so I’m 43 yes old and just learning about skin care, ingredients even terminology. I’ve always used good products but didn’t know anything about silicone vs water based. So because I really thought I was a genius, I just started over and bought a new (& very expensive) skin line. One would think that I would do much more research prior to putting it on my face, but patience I lack. I got a chemical peel, retinoids, vit c serums and moisturizers, spf.  and now I look like a 13 year adolescent with acne.
You. Got. To. Be . Kidding. Me. 
what am I doing wrong?!

[newcarlee]

Hi @Anniedaynow78 - like you, I got into skincare rather later in life and wanted to do it all! Especially when you hear and read about all the good things that can happen. 

But you really need to take it slow! I suggest you STOP all products and just go back to either what you used before or even (gasp!) nothing. If your skin is really bad and you think you might have damaged it - suggest you seek out a dermatologist if you don’t have one already.

The key is to introduce products slowly. Figure out what is most important to you (peel vs retinoid vs vitC) and slowly test it. If your skin is good with it, then slowly add something else. Best of luck! 

[tg1973]

@Anniedaynow78  Girl, get your learn on!!  About ten years ago I noticed my first fine line and got VERY interested in skincare, spending years researching it on the internet and going through several buying phases and ordering giant boxes of products straight from South Korean retailers and spending way too much time on Reddit--it's a bottomless rabbit hole if ever there was one.  Bloggers were very helpful to me but the ones I read have either moved on with their lives and their real jobs or have turned their skincare interests into a real job.  Now there seem to be a lot of"influencers" who are less about knowing things and more about free products and getting their own product lines.  I don't blame them, creating content takes a lot of effort and time.  Anyway, I am not an auditory learner so I don't listen to podcasts or watch YouTube videos, I read.  There is still one very good blog from a reliable source I can wholeheartedly recommend.  Dr. Hannah Sivak is a Ph.D in Biochemistry and has a super informative blog I cannot link to but will say the address is just her name.  She has written articles on everything from how to layer skincare products to exactly what kind of skincare is best for your mitochondria.  She also calls out radical overpricing and the misconceptions around the "clean beauty" marketing and various consumer traps.

Because prestige skincare is fraught with lies and insane markups, she started her own brand of skincare that is rich in active ingredients while remaining reasonably priced, but to be honest, the products aren't cosmetically elegant and I have tried several but never emptied one.  Every cream I've tried has pulled.

Anyway, check out her blog because her science is legit and academically vetted while being very practical.  A million people will give you advice, but it's best to go with a professional.  I don't even bother with Reddit anymore after seeing so much bad advice going around, some of which I probably gave at one time.

Another great blog is kindofstephen which is written by a totally different cosmetic chemist who works in the industry, shares knowledge, and tracks trends.  It turns out that most dermatologists don't know much about skincare products because they study diseases and treatments.  Chemists are apparently the real experts we need.

[WinglessOne]

Hi @Anniedaynow78 ! Did you start all those new products at the same time? How frequently did you use them? Simultaneously throwing too many new things at your face can cause a temper tantrum. Also, retinoids are an infamous cause of purging. A retinoid purge isn't necessarily a bad thing, though; think of it as vitamin A evicting crud from your pores. 

It's generally best to introduce one product at a time to your skincare routine, and use it a few weeks before adding the next product. That way, you can see how your skin reacts to it. For now, you may want to roll your routine back to basics: a gentle cleanser (at least each night, optional in the morning), a basic moisturizer, and sunscreen. Which retinoid (brand + product name) did you use? You might be able to keep using it, but scale back the frequency to just once or maybe twice a week for a while. Just be aware that it may continue to cause purging/new acne. The purge shouldn't last much longer than a month, though. 

Definitely stop the chemical peels for now. Ditto with the vitamin C. You can reintroduce those things later, one at a time, when your skin's gotten used to other products. 

[redhead1256]

that is very true about using too many new products @ one time. I had my chemical peels done @a dermatologists office and even though I have red hair and fair senative skin I came out fine. Use gentle products to cleanse and a good moisturizer I like Tatachi products don't over exfoliate and the best thing is a real good sunscreen I use Elta MD. Good luck w/your skincare 😊