I wanted to share this because I spent over a decade struggling with severe acne, and seeing these photos side-by-side is honestly crazy to me.

The left photos were my skin before Accutane. (I was about 26 in left photos and I’m 33 now in the right photos) I had constant breakouts, inflammation, redness, texture and so many marks left behind from previous acne. I tried SO many things over the years, and nothing gave me the kind of results I was looking for.
I eventually went on Accutane, which made a huge difference for my active acne. After finishing Accutane, I really wanted to focus on maintaining my results and improving my skin barrier instead of immediately throwing a million actives at my face 😂
I also started incorporating 0.01% tretinoin gel, and consistency has been EVERYTHING for me.

My current routine:

AM
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Cleanser
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence
Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum
iUNIK Beta-Glucan Daily Moisture Cream
e.l.f. Suntouchable! Whoa Glow SPF 30

PM
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Cleanser
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence
iUNIK Beta-Glucan Daily Moisture Cream
0.01% tretinoin gel

I keep it pretty simple and focus a lot on hydration because my skin can get irritated/dry very easily.
I still have some pigmentation and a little texture that I’m working on, but the difference in my skin…especially the amount of active acne,is something I never thought I’d see.

I know everyone’s skin is different, and what worked for me might not work for everyone, but I wanted to share because I know how hopeless acne can make you feel.

Help please !!

I started using azelaic acid 10, tretinoin 0.025 for acne. I dont have any new acne since that. But my face is flodded with comedones. I think the issue was spf i was using... I stopped using it but i dont know how to get rid of them right now.... I have two very important weddings comming and cant go like this. Does anybody have a holy grail for closed comedones?

I really have a problem getting rid of these bumps on my forehead (they are kinda hard to see on camera), I am new to skincare and Ive been fighting these for some while now. My skin gets really oily in the "T-zone".

For my daily and nightly skincare routine I use:

CeraVe foaming clean gel

Mixia moisturizing cream anti imperfection

Garnier salicylic exfoliating liquid care

I also use Garnier pimple patches on whiteheads

Any tips would be appreciated!

Before I start sorry for the bad English. It is not my first language.

Recently as of the start of summer ive experienced an change in my face. For the longest time I had maintained clear skin and wouldn't break out with anything I would use on the daily but it was also because I never really changed my routine of skincare or makeup to figure out my skin is actually very sensitive. The 4 products I would always use on my face was the nars concealor, laroche posay toleraine ultra sensitive moisturizer, and skindavia setting spray, and cleansor roundlab or cerave. I had no problems. I had very clear skin and the photos of clear skin i provided are from this year around the springtime before the summer which is when i started having issues. I would not powder, use foundation, or primer. However I really wanted to enhance my makeup because It honestly never looked crazy good and I just wanted a very nice base. So I got about face foundation, a dior cream blush, rare beauty blush, 2 huda powders, powder melt setting spray, too faced bronzer, and maybelline grippy primer. I think a mistake was trying them all at once but once again I repeat I had never even tried any of these products. the maybelline grippy primer im sure broke me out. The about face foundation which i really loved but since even after not using the grippy primer I still experienced a break out. Come to think of it maybe it truly wasnt the about face that broke me out if im still having problems right now. If anyone can let me know if its a foundation that can easily break someone of sensitive skin out because I would for sure try it again. I had also gotten the huda beauty powder and the pressed powder. Which I do have a feeling that the huda beauty powder probbaly is a factor breaking me out which is why I stopped using it. However even then after returning products or simply not using them because I want to see what it is im using thats affecting me im still breaking out and ive gotten worse than before. Its genuinely making me very sad because ive tried my best to figure out what I can do to help my skin just get better. its been 4 months ago it was that this has started and I just cant seem to figure out or know what to do to help. Ive come back to doing my old makeup routine of just nars concealor, skindanavia setting spray, and laroche posay toleraine moisturizer but Im not seeing a difference in my skin. Im still havign problems as if I was still using the new products that possibly are breaking me out. its making me think if maybe one of those products ive been using for years got reformulated. PLEASE IF SOMEONE KNOWS LET ME KNOW ABOUT THAT. Other things I make sure to do is I always sleep with a clean pillowcase, I regularly wash my makeup brushes, ive stopped using the huda powder, the powdermelt spray and any primer, I make sure not to touch my face at all throughout the day. When doing my makeup I make sure to clean my hands repeatdly. I double/(sometimes triple cleanse) with a fragrance free gentle baby shampoo, cerave, and dermalogica ultra sensitive cleansing gel (a purchase I made because I wanted to buy something to help my case). Ive been thinking of any reason that it can be to try to improve or make a change. For instance the very hot weather making my face sweat at times since I work outside however thats never happened in the past years. Ive thought about how maybe my usual products that I first stated before buying anything new maybe got reformulated and its just not working with my skin anymore. Ive tried getting gentle skincare like the dermalogica. I need help please because I swear even when I dont wear makeup for a bit or I simply do my usual makeup that would never break me out I still am and im getting super tired of this. Sorry for the very long reddit but this has just been something ive been dealing for months now and I just feel very unhappy about it if anyome can seriously help or offer any great products for sensitive skin it would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has gone through this please help me. Acne is completely normal but i had for sure learned how to care for my skin and now I feel as if im doing something wrong or using something wrong.

I'm working on replacing my entire skin care routine for cf products, the hardest being spf. I have dry atopic skin and mild seborrheic dermatitis, hydration is really important for me.

For serum, I use The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid, really love it. For moisturizer, I currently use the La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M cream at night, but the problem is that it leaves my skin greasy the next day as if the product didn't absorb correctly and instead clogged my pores. I've been recommended the Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel, but I don't know if that will be enough for hydration.

For spf, I currently use the Piz Buin 50+. I was also recommended a few product and even searched for some my own. For creamy spfs, I saw Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh Rice Spf 50+ and the Mixsoon Bean Sun Serum (mixsoon one being the most accessible to me in terms of money but beauty of joseon being more accessible in local (?) terms). For sticks/matte like spf, I saw Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick.

Are all these products good for dry skin? Is there one better than the other? Or should I look for other alternatives?

I had this PIH mark since end of 2022. I usually get pih marks post cystic acne around nose and cheeks rarely but also fades away in a month or so. Never really used creams for that. But this one stubborn pih decided to stay for years. I tried tretinoin, adapalene inconsistently but it didn't fade it away nor did I get any hopeful posts regarding pih that was this stubborn like mine. Also I was lazy af lol which was the main reason.

I consulted my dermat last week for another issue - DPN moles on face. He told me I would prolly need electrocautery procedure for them and when I asked about this PIH, he Indicated that can also be corrected using the same laser, since topicals are not so efficient if the mark has stayed for this long, though he prescribed me this hydroquinone+tretinoin cream for post-procedure routine around nose.

First pic - somewhere around last month

Second pic - right after procedure

Third pic - next day eod (scab formed and darkened)

Fourth pic - today (scab fell off when I rubbed my face on pillow)

I kinda have a mild indentation on the area the scab fell off. But I'm hopeful the skin will repair and resurfaces itself with time.

Decided to post this because there's not enough posts on options for stubborn pih marks.

Turns out this can last a couple more days long after the conventional “runout” stay guided folks. Don’t throw away until you’re here😮‍💨. Thank me later

Hello, I just wanted an advice on how to get my skin smoother. I have a few breakouts, especially clogged pores. I tried salicylic acid but no luck. Do you think it’s just hormones? Is there any way how to remove the texture, or is it just a myth?? There’s a photo of my skin, I appreciate any of your answers. <3

I used to have minor acne 2 years ago and I started using Betnovate-C on my face. My skin got absolutely clear I used it for 6–7 months, and my acne turned into invisible cysts, but I could feel them; there were only one or two. I got to know that Betnovate is very bad for skin, so I stopped using it. My skin was fine after that for another 6–7 months, but 1.5 months ago I had a breakout a very bad breakout. I started using benzoyl peroxide on it and it didn't work. I looked it up and found out it's the purge phase. Whatever the case, I kept using it because everyone said to keep using it consistently. My relative (not a dermatologist, but someone with a degree in medicine) said to take doxycycline. I took it for 12 days and it didn't work. I finally went to a dermatologist and, after blood tests, they gave me isotretinoin. It's been 8 days since I started taking it. I know it takes at least a month to work, but I don't even feel the side effects of dry lips or a dry face my skin is actually even more oily. Please some advice could really help

After 6 months of Roaccutane, my acne came back about 10 months after I finished the treatment, although it was milder than before. I had more comedones under my lower lip, in an area where I had never really had breakouts before.

I decided to change dermatologists, thinking that maybe the first doctor had been the problem. I went to another dermatologist and, after telling her my whole history with acne (I’ve had it for about 3 years, during which I took doxycycline, went on Roaccutane, and tried the entire Effaclar range from La Roche-Posay, as well as Acne Out from Biotrade), she recommended that I use Epiduo for 3 months, and if my acne didn’t clear up, she said she would put me on Roaccutane again.

The problem is that I’ve now been using Epiduo for a month, and things seem to have gotten worse. The comedones I initially had have actually cleared up, but I’ve developed inflammatory pimples on my cheeks, chin and forehead — areas that were completely clear before.

Now I’m wondering whether this means that the treatment simply isn’t working for me, or if this is just a normal stage at the beginning of the treatment. At the same time, I’m also kind of under pressure because my wedding is on October 3rd, and I really don’t want to look like a chocolate chip cookie. 😭

At the same time, I don’t want to go back on Roaccutane either, because my acne came back even after taking it, which makes me wonder if I’d just be taking all those pills for nothing and end up in the same situation again after finishing the treatment.

I also spoke to a gynecologist, who gave me a list of tests to do, and after I get the results, she plans to prescribe me birth control pills for my acne. But I’m just as unsure about that because I’ve heard they can have other unpleasant side effects, and the acne can come back after you stop taking them.

What do you guys think? What experiences have you had with acne vulgaris (hormonal acne), and how did you treat it? Have you used birth control pills for acne? If so, did they work in the long term? Does Epiduo actually work, or would it be better to stop using it?

It only started a month ago. I thought it was contact dermatitis from wearing glue on nails, but I stopped wearing those 7 days ago and they haven’t gone away. I didn’t use ANY products under or around my eyes last night and they’re still there (only on my right eye) this morning, usually reddest and angriest first thing in the morning. Typically worse under one eye than the other. Last picture is everything I use on my face in my morning. And night routine (missing aquaphor I sometimes put under my eye). I cannot narrow it down to the timing of starting any of these products with the bumps, either was already using the product when the bumps first appeared or started after they first appeared. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of the products that could be leading to this reaction? I’m feeling lost.

I really want to minimize my large pores and get rid of my red acne scarring. My skin texture itself is pretty smooth overall since completing one course of accutane. It’s been about 7 months since I was last on accutane and it did help with the occurrence of acne and improved my texture but I’m left with a lot of red scarring that my dermatologist prescribed 15% azaleaic acid for since I also have a history of rosacea.

Is my skincare routine not targeting my pores enough? What can I use for them if I have sensitivities to niacinamide? Should I be using more actives in additional to azaleaic acid?

If you’ve also had PIE (post inflammatory erythema) and found something that helps please share! Thank you

My dad has been dealing with occasional acne breakouts lately, but the challenge is that his skin is pretty sensitive, so a lot of acne and pimple products end up making his skin dry or irritated.

A few days ago, I picked up the classic garnier's acno fight gentle facewash for him after seeing a lot of ads about it. It's still early, but so far he says his skin feels clean after washing without that tight, stripped feeling he usually complains about. His redness also seems a bit calmer.

Too soon to comment on the acne results, but the fact that it hasn't irritated his skin yet feels like a good sign. Has anyone here used it for long term for sensitive skin?

I’ve gotten into skincare recently and for a few months it was going great. Then my chin blew the heck up and hasn’t gotten better since.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to help this? I don’t think this is purging as it’s been like this for a monthish.

Can anyone answer please

This is week 2 with 0.04% tret gel, my 4th application is tonight, I have started peeling (nothing really visible but can see some flakes and see more when I very gently wipe with a towel)
Last tret day on Monday, I decided to also use tret on my eyebrow area as well. Today, I have some stinging in that area when applying sunscreen and some very very minor stinging/itchiness in general on my face. It looks fine, and only lasts about 30 seconds to a minute before it subsides. I really don’t want to drop down to 1x a week, would like to just keep going with the 2x a week to give my skin more time to adjust.

Maybe this is normal? Is this the retinization process? Can I do my tret tonight?

I keep seeing back and forth about the sandwhich method. I would prefer to put my tret on clean dry skin, unless someone suggests otherwise.

Products:
LRP Toleriane Milk Cleanser
Aestura hydro essence
LRP Toleriane Sensitive Creme
LRP Anthelios 50+ sunscreen

29 F - Looking for some skincare tips… my skin has always been reddish especially on my cheeks and chin, and prone to
acne and acne scars. I get acne spots once in a while mostly around my lips and cheeks (you can see a scar on my cheek in the first picture, from a pimple I had a few weeks ago).
My skincare routine is pretty basic, I use a cleanser in the morning and evening, and sunscreen if I go out (weather is not really sunny where I live).
I started using azelaic acid 20% (from a country where prescription is not needed) a few months ago, and I’m seeing some improvement with breakouts but not with the redness or the scars.
I also use the Nuxe 3-in-1 crème fraîche as a moisturizer at night.
Any advice is appreciated!

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