Skin Care - Help!

[Rukia]

Hey, ladies.  I am in serious need of your guidance.  This past year my skin has become quite different.  To start, I have been collecting scars for about a year.  Even if I don't pinch, my random pimples (however few) seem to always leave scarring behind.  About a year ago, I got the tiniest little scratch on my cheek when gardening, and it is still visible.  I think my skin is combination/oily, which leads me to my next concern - I still haven't found products that really work well with my skin type..  I use Neutrogena Acne Wash ( which sometimes leaves my skin red after washing), and I can't find a compatible moisturizer for the life of me..  The pores on my cheeks are becoming somewhat large and clog easily..  My mom has large pores over her whole face, and I feel bad, but I really don't want to progress to that.

Please help!  Do any of you have similar skin trends or knowledge on products or any way to fix this?

I appreciate your time and help =]

 

[magosienne]

For the scars, you could try exfoliating, i hear AHAs are really good for that, but be careful with them if you have a sensitive skin. You can also use essential oils like lavender, tea tree or lemon. I also suggest you wear sunscreen as the sun will make them appear darker. You will also have to be patient as no matter what you do, it will take time to get rid of them.

For the pores, i also suggest you do masks, considering your skin is oily i can suggest green clay, or white, a mask once a week is a good regimen. This will help keeping them clear. You can't really shrink pores so if it's bothering you, a silicon primer could help in making them appear less noticeable.

For the moisturizer, i never found anything good worth of being recommended. Stay away from Garnier, their moisturizers are too greasy no matter what they say on the label. I think the most effective moisturizer that is not overly pricey i found is Effaclar by La Roche Posay. One i loved because it did mattify my skin the whole day was the rice moisturizer from l'occitane, but sadly it's expensive. I can recommend Hyseac from Uriage, only for spring and summer as it's a light moisturizer.

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by magosienne /img/forum/go_quote.gif

For the scars, you could try exfoliating, i hear AHAs are really good for that, but be careful with them if you have a sensitive skin. You can also use essential oils like lavender, tea tree or lemon. I also suggest you wear sunscreen as the sun will make them appear darker. You will also have to be patient as no matter what you do, it will take time to get rid of them.

For the pores, i also suggest you do masks, considering your skin is oily i can suggest green clay, or white, a mask once a week is a good regimen. This will help keeping them clear. You can't really shrink pores so if it's bothering you, a silicon primer could help in making them appear less noticeable.

For the moisturizer, i never found anything good worth of being recommended. Stay away from Garnier, their moisturizers are too greasy no matter what they say on the label. I think the most effective moisturizer that is not overly pricey i found is Effaclar by La Roche Posay. One i loved because it did mattify my skin the whole day was the rice moisturizer from l'occitane, but sadly it's expensive. I can recommend Hyseac from Uriage, only for spring and summer as it's a light moisturizer.

I agree!

Definitely start using a daily (or every other day, always at night) chemical exfoliant, AHAs if you have drier skin or BHAs if you're oily and/or acne prone. So for you this will probably be a BHA (2% salicylic acid, but it has to have the correct pH to ensure that exfoliation is actually taking place!), as it can penetrate pores better which MAY make them look smaller. Look for products without alcohol, menthol or other irritating ingredients. Most of the BHA products in acne lines are too irritating, the Neutrogena Acne Stress control 3-in-1 moisturizing treatment supposably is an exception though (I plan on buying it myself soon, even if I don't actually have acne but just oily skin)

Also, I'd throw out that acne face wash that's leaving your skin red and irritated - a lot of acne face washes contain irritating ingredients. Go for one made for sensitive skin, even if your skin isn't actually sensitive!

Sunscreen is an absolute must of course. If the chemical exfoliants don't lighten your dark marks (which aren't actual scars, if you have actual indented scars the treatment will be different!) enough, you can try an over the counter cream with 2% hydroquinone.

 

[Nicole86]

I had the same problem before. I actually bought a facial steamer, which opens up my pores and gets that dirt out, after i steam my face i  use a clay mask. I also use a moisturizer that has spf in it.   As far as scars go, I exfoliate my skin every couple days, i also have vitamin c serum (from the body shop) that works really good for scars.

 

[magosienne]

Vitamin C is good, but it's very sensitive to oxidization, so that's one thing to keep in mind when you buy or use it.