Skincare advice

emily_jackson

Hi,

i'm after some skincare advice please. I'm 28 & have suffred from acne since my teens. I would describe my skin as mainly being oily. In winter my t-zone gets dry, itchy & flaky. Wrinkle-wise, I have a few lines on my face, mainly around my eyes. I'm of white origin & have dark brown hair. I occassionally get dark facial hairs on my cheek.

I'm a little confused about how to care for my skin. I've not been to see my GP about this recently because my time has been taken up with personal issues, & also sometimes the acne doesn't seem that prominent. I've never had a consultation with a dermatologist. What I'm basically asking is, should I enquire about seeing one? I currently just wash my face with soap, which clearly isn't working, & I just want to get into a skincare routine which will 1) treat my acne & 2) help to prevent my skin from ageing.

Thanks for reading

fadedpages

I get my skincare from Lush. If you have a store near you, I'd suggest going in and talking to one of the assistants there - they're very helpful, and will give you samples of products they suggest, so you can see if they work for your skin before buying them.

xxvickixx

I would see your gp. I am 28 also and have suffered as a teen, I was on Dianette for years but came off 4 years ago. I have recently started getting acne again and saw the doc almost 3 weeks ago. It was only on my chin and jawline and it was bad but I have seen a lot worse. I thought she was going to send me away without doing anything but she was actually helpful and prescribed me a topical solution to use morning and night. I made my skin feel horribly tight and dry but this week I have seen a real improvement. I wish I had gone sooner and not wasted time with trying different skincare products over the counter.

kjmtidea

Have you tried carleys clear and smooth? You can get it online from America, you use the soap then the scrub and then the soap again. It is pretty strong stuff but works absolute wonders, it is the only thing that has ever worked for my acne.

NOVASTAR

I went on Dianette for my bad skin too as it was my hormones responsible for making my skin produce too much oil and then blocking the pores, etc. It worked a treat on me i'm glad to say! I had to pay for the prescription every month though as was not using it for contraceptive purposes, but well worth it.

xxvickixx

Just to add, Dianette worked wonders for me too but I got mine free as was using for contraception. The reason for mine coming back 12 years on is that I had a Mirena coil fitted last September which releases hormones that can cause acne. Since making the connection I have done some checking and found out that they should ask you if you are prone to acne before fitting it. Needless to say i'm pretty upset about the whole thing as it was agony to fit.

suki1964

First of, go see you GP about your skin, it may or may not be acne, and it sounds to me to be acne roseacea - but then none of us are doctors and none of us can diagnose .

Once you do get a diagnoses then you can work on a skin care regime that suits your skin, condition and lifestyle.

One thing, soap and water is very drying to skin, which retaliates by producing more oil- hence oily skin. Oily skin needs really gentle products. My own oily skin has cleared up using the OCM (oil cleansing method) and I and many many others on here swear by Liz Earle cleanse and polish. A cheaper version can be found in tesco in their naturals range

Buttonmoons

I recently developed acne on one cheek, then it started appearing on the other. It was caused by the contraceptive implant, I already had some of that topical lotion from the Doctors but it made no difference.

I read (on this forum I think) about freederm gel, so I thought I'd give that a bash, it didn't work for me to start with, it just gave the acne heads, and they'd re-run their cycle.
What I found was that I was plastering too much of it on my face, and too often per day, now I just wash my face in the morning with some warm water, dry it, then apply a very thin layer on the affected areas. I do it again at night, and have been avoiding foundation/concealer for the time being. It's almost all gone - Hooray!

lee26g

nothing of interest

lee26g

nothing of interest

suep

Ive googled the products that lee26 recommends and can only find the Alpha Hydroxy face wash on American sites is it available in the uk ?

Also the Skinceuticals products seem a bit expensive.I couldn't find the exact serum but one I saw on there was £33.00 :eek:

I did find La Roche products and there not too pricey, but again I couldn't find the exact product mentioned.

Please dont take offence, Im just passing on what I found, I like the sound of the face wash and would buy it if it was available over here.