Clueless about skin care !

[fiat500]

So I have a big problem.

 

I use a facial wash (neutrogena or biore) about two times a day (I have acne) and drink LOTS of water. I really have no clue about how to take care of my skin and my mother's never told me how. I don't go out in the sun too much and I never go tanning. I'm not a beach goer either. I'm 24 and my skin probably looks about 40.

 

Can any girl out there enlighten me about skin care? What are your skin care routines? What moisturizers do you use? Is eye cream important? What's a good one to use? AH! Please help.

[kuma]

I use DHC skincare products. I like their mild lotion and if you wear make up, you'll love the Deep Cleansing Oil. They have some products for acne. but I don't know if they are good. My skin feels soft and I'm happy about their products. You can request samples from their website.

[josie54]

Could be hormonal. I had acne as a teenager/young adult and then went on birth control in my mid-twenties. My skin cleared right up and stayed clear for more than ten years. Recently, I went off the birth control because I didn't want to stay on it for that long--once the regulatory effect of the pills left my system, all the acne I'd had when I was younger has come back! And I AM 40!

 

It seems a frivolous reason to get back on the pill, but I don't think I can stand these breakouts much longer.

 

My old roommate also took birth control to both control her acne AND her PMS.

 

Anyway, you might want to talk to your gynecologist about the option. And, of course, a dermatologist can help. Retin-A is a great product for both acne and anti-aging (and even in your 20's, it's never too early to get on that kind of regimen!).

 

I also had good experience with Proactive, the stuff they sell on tv (and no I don't work for them!). It really worked well for me--just be careful. The cream bleaches out the color from towels, so if you get it, only use it with white towels. I'll also second the use of DHC products. I really like their stuff--mostly the moisturizers and anti-aging products . However, their olive oil wash, which is their most popular product, was too oily for me and made me break out more.

 

Finally, be sure not to OVER-cleanse. Cleaning your skin too often or too harshly can just make the problem worse.

[fiat500]

thank you so much for the advice, kuma and josie54

 

i will be looking into DHC.

[josie54]

I wanted to second LisaLee's point about "retinol burn." When I first started using retinol products, I was overzealous and used them every day and got just what she describes--a BURN. My face turned red and scaly, and it was awful.

 

However, retinol remains one of the only proven anti-aging treatments and is good on acne if you use it correctly. My dermatologist instructed me to use it only 1-2 times a week at first, and only in small amounts. I worked up from there and now I'm using it every night with no trouble. My skin just had to ease into it slowly.

 

I use Neutrogena's Healthy Skin anti-aging lotion and I love it. It makes my skin say soft and smooth-looking. On occasion, I use stronger over the counter treatments (like Murad) and sometimes the prescription Tretoin, which I get from my dermatologist. All of these contain retinol in varying amounts.

 

I also wanted to agree with Lisa on another point--daily sunscreen and no tanning. It's incredibly important. As I said in my other post, I'm 40. But I've used sunscreen on my face, neck, and hands every day since I was in my early 20s, and most people think I'm younger than I am. And I like that! So start using sunscreen now and you'll be thankful when you're older.

 

I know it can be tempting to skip the sunscreen if you tend to break out. But don't--you can find one that works and use it religiously. Neutrogena's sunscreens make me break out, or I'd use those products. In fact, most sunscreens irritate the skin on my face, so it took some trial and error to find one that didn't. But I've been using Eucerin's Everyday PRotection SPF30 for Sensitive Skin for years, and it seems to do the trick, and works well under makeup once it soaks in.

[green_tea]

Well I am nearly 40 (which I'm not happy about) and look like I'm in my 20's so I must either be doing something right or just have good genes (I think a combination of both). I think the most important thing is to moisturise and as others have said, use sunscreen daily. I really don't think it matters which brand of moisturiser you use - I use any old one - I use a thicker one at night, and for day I use a lighter one that is at least SPF 30. I do also use an AHA/retinol product at night, before I put on the thicker moisturiser.

[josie54]

Agreed. When I first met my neighbor in the house behind mine, I was shocked at her appearance. Her skin was tanned--and wrinkled and leathery and awful. I had to keep myself from staring. She has a teenage son, so I would guess she's probably no older than her late 40's to early 50's, but she LOOKS 60+.

 

Now that I've lived here for a while, I see that she is literally ADDICTED to tanning. My kitchen window overlooks their backyard, and if the sun's out and it's warm, she's outside baking herself for hours on end. I simply don't understand how she can't see what she's doing to herself when she looks in the mirror--although at this point, it's probably too late to change it now anyway, her skin is so far gone.

 

If people aren't going to be afraid of skin cancer, they should at least be vain enough to fear looking like old leather when they're in their 40's or 50's!

 

I also just realized that I never answered the original poster's question about my skincare routine. I think I follow a routine that is pretty standard:

 

Morning:

Use mild cleanser (I use Aveeno Positively Radiant)

Apply 30 SPF sunscreen to face, neck, and hands

 

Night:

Use mild cleanser

Apply a moisturizer and retinol treatment (Neutrogena Healthy Skin). I use an anti-acne treatment as necessary, on troublesome spots. I don't use a separate eye-cream. I know I'm supposed to, but it seems like the ingredients in the regular facial moisturizers are about the same as the eye creams, so I just use the same moisturizer around my eyes and on my face.

 

Once a week:

Use an anti-aging mask with AHAs (sometimes I use DHC's CoEnzyme 10 mask, sometimes I use Zia's pineapple enzyme mask)

 

As green_tea pointed out, the brands aren't as important as the ingredients. Look for products with antioxidants like Vitamin C or green tea, AHAs, and retinol--all of which help prevent signs of aging AND work to reduce acne. And because your skin is sensitive, what works for any of us might not work the same for you and vice versa. For instance, as good as dermatologists say Vitamin C-based products are, I've found that I can't use them. They make me break out almost immediately. But others love them.

 

So, experiment a little to find what works best for you (you can get free samples of products sometimes, or you can return products that don't work, if you do so within a reasonable period of time).

[fiat500]

Thank you for enlightening me, guys! I really, really appreciate this and I'm grateful.