Beauty Tips For Body Care
THIS WILL BE LONG, BUT PLEASE TAKE PITY ON ME.Here's the deal - half of my face is in full on rebellion mode, and I don't know what to do anymore. For the past month, I've been having cluster breakouts on the bottom half of my face while the rest is at a personal best, so I'm hoping some of you eagle eyed folks can see something I haven't or recommend a new route.I have combination/oily skin that becomes much more oily in warmer months. Hormonal acne's a thing, but usually not more than 2-3 spots per month - usually cystic. I'm not new to skincare or actives, I patch test (most of the time), and I don't add new things at the same time. In 2016, I've added retinol (in Feb) and P50 (in Apr). A few other things too, but those are the big guns. And half of my skin looks amazing - like it's the best it's ever looked from the nose up. But for the past month, I keep having acne flair ups on my lower cheeks, chin, and upper lip (not usual breakout spots for me). My first thought was that it could be purging from P50, but half of them came before I started using it and the latest two popped up three weeks into P50 use.My routine (italics are products I've used for years with no problems):MORNINGTatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil (or one of other second cleansers - see evening)Pixi Glow TonicPC Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Serum w/ Retinol (every other day when not using evening retinol)Glossier Soothing Face Mist or Goodal Waterest First EssenceOlay Anti-Aging Eye TreatmentAveeno Positively Radiant + SPFMizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream (In week one of use)Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50PA+++EVENINGTatcha Camellia Cleansing OilRotating between Aqua Glycolic Facial Cleanser (discontinued use when I started P50) and Acure Facial Cleansing GelBiologique Recherche Lotion P50VPC RESIST Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum (had built up to every other night... now using once a week)Glossier Soothing Face MistSkin Inc Serum (Hyaluronic Acid, CoQ10, French Pine Bark)Oil Blend (Jojoba, Argan, Rosehip)January Labs Moisture Balancing LotionMizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream (In week one of use)EXTRASDermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant (Discontinued use when I added P50)Origins Active Charcoal Mask (this was my HG mask - the past week, it's burned for the first time ever)Now about these spots. They're angry, painful, red, and they linger. And there are seven of them. Hormonally speaking, they've all popped up in my "clear skin" time of the month. Because there are so many at once, I've tried different things on them from hydrocolloid bandages, to spot treatment, to tea tree oil, to hot compresses, to babying the living daylights out of them with super gentle ingredients. I've washed my pillowcases frequently. I've quit sleeping with aquaphor on my lips (which I've done forever). I've laid off the lip color during the day (it only draws attention to that area of my face anyway). They've all done the same thing - painful and red cystic looking and then they start peeling and flaking no matter how much I hydrate them. Because I'm fair skinned, they leave red PIE marks that look awful. And more keep coming. They're unstoppable. My skin is suddenly sensitive feeling - it burns, it hurts, it gets red - this has never happened before. It's exhausting.I'm at the point where I'm thinking of stripping my whole routine down to two super gentle cleansers, a gentle moisturizer, and SPF. Then slowly adding products back in. Is this starting-from-scratch "detox" the best thing I can do for my spotty skin? Is this some weird purging that I just have to power through? I hate to lose the tolerance that I've built up to actives, and again, half of my face is looking its best ever, but if my skin needs a "reset," I'll do it.tl;dr - Half of my skin looks amazing. The other half is breaking out where outbreaks are unusual. Outbreaks are not coinciding with any major changes in routine. Should I strip down to a beginner's routine again, give my skin a break, and start from scratch?
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by revedoux
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