Beating my head against the skincare wall

By Lauren

I have always, always had challenging skin. Back in high school, in the worst-skin days, I emplyed a bevy of prescription remedies to banish the neverending pimples. Some combination of Retin-A and something that had to be kept in the refrigerator finally worked, although it left my skin dry and red and sore to the touch . . . a classic case of the cure very nearly being worse than the disease.

Things have improved in adulthood, certainly, but my frustration is mounting that here I sit at age 36, contemplating the unholy combination of fine lines and persistent jawline acne that currently plagues me. There are worse problems, sure, but I've always longed to be one of those women who has pretty skin. 

I think my biggest frustration in trying to find an appropriate skincare routine is that I just don't know who to ask. Obviously any cosmetics-counter employee is going to recommend products from her employer's line. But what if a cleanser from Line A is best for me, along with a moisturizer from Line B and an under-eye cream from Line C?

Add to that the fact that decent skincare products, even many of those from the drugstore, just aren't cheap. I'm willing to spend a certain amount of money to help my skin look better, but I'd really like to know that the products I'm choosing are going to work, you know? I've tried various product combinations, ranging from Oil of Olay to Proactiv to Kiehl's, although I haven't asked a dermatologist for advice in years. I'm just at a loss as to how to deal with aging issues and lingering acne, though at this point I'm willing to try just about anything.

What do you do, dear readers? Do you have a favorite drugstore regimen? Are you a department store devotee? Do you put your trust in a dermatologist? Please help!

{Image credit: nomoredirtylooks.com}

Comments

[Kate]

Boscia, Boscia, Boscia. Seriously. They will give you very generous samples at Sephora, and as far as skincare goes, it really isn't nearly as pricey as they could get away with charging for how well it works. (The black luminizing mask? Amazing. It's what got me started on their line and now I am hooked.)

[Sensibly sassy]

Oh goodness, I had persistent acne for a long time-I tried accutane and it didn't work BUT I gave up dairy and I stopped breaking out! For day to day I wear duduosun soap with a clarisonic and it seems to work well

[Elizabeth]

I tried everything. EVERYTHING. I could not believe that at 34 I was STILL dealing with horrible skin. I always had at least one breakout, if not more, and it was so frustrating! And it just kept getting worse and worse. I tried all that Philosophy stuff and it was a DISASTER.
Something I had from Aveda sort of worked, though, and when I went to get more, they had discontinued it, but the woman who worked there said "It's just Cetaphil, basically." So I switched to Cetaphil, which for some insane reason I had never tried before, and now I have the best skin of my life. I just make sure that I never ever ever scrub my skin, never get facials, never put other weird stuff on it. Just once a day in the shower wash it with Cetaphil. It's like the miracle substance.

[laura]

I finally got my adult acne under control by following the benzoyl peroxide regimen at Acne.org. I'm a long time user of Retin-A and now use just Cetaphil, using a Clairsonic a few times a week. I use drugstore stuff mostly, and you can't be afraid to moisturize. I'm in my 40's and its a frustrating struggle for sure, but I think it can be tamed. Good luck.

[Arina]

This is going to sound nutso, but on someone's advice, I started drinking a tbsp of organic apple cider vinegar in my water, twice a day, and my skin (which previously was prone to breakouts, and always had at least one active pimple) has never looked better.

[Kristy]

Does anyone know if there is anything you can do for hormonal breakouts? As in, the entire time I am pregnant and nursing before my period comes back, my skin is clear. With the return of my period, comes the once a month breakout like clockwork - always on my chin. It's really frustrating me this time around although maybe I am wrong to assume there is *nothing* I can do to help it?

[Rachel]

I also struggle with the same issues at age 34 and it makes me SO angry. I started following the acne.org regimin too (even bought the products) and have been really happy with the results. I think it is really mild which is hard to wrap your head around (at least for me, i always wanted the STRONGEST stuff), but it does work if you are consistent. Meanwhile, i also have the best skin ever while pregnant - i wish it was always like this!

[jodifur]

the only thing ever to work for me is a line from Aveeda called the enbrightment line. change my skin completely.

[Kelley]

I have a dermatologist I visit when needed...I had the occasional hormonal bad pimple (cyst) in high school which was made worse by retinoids etc. long story short, I have super sensitive skin (I don't have rosecea but my dad does.) Now I use Eucerin sensitive skin face wash, Finacea cream (azealic acid for acne and rosecea), Cetaphil moisturizer and an eye cream. For a occasional blemish I use sulfur or tea tree oil. I also use glycolic acid 1-2 times a week and it helps keep pimples and wrinkles at bay, but doesn't bother my sensitive skin.

I do NOT have perfect skin by any means but I constantly get compliments on it (and a good foundation and concealer helps!) My advice is go to a derm and get their advice first!

[Curly Girl]

I second the dairy comment above to some extent. I had to give up dairy while nursing, and my skin seemed much clearer (although it could have been my hormones were even-keeled).

I'm only about a week into it, but I'm optimistic about the OCM. As a 27 year old that has always struggled with acne (include bacne...shudder) putting oil on my face seemed so counterintuitive to combat the oil slick I produce each day. But it's working! I do the OCM at night (I use castor, grapeseed, and a dash of olive) and no moisturizer is needed. I don't do anything expect a splash of water in the morning. I have less redness, MUCH less oil during the day, my acne seems to be waning, and no tightness. Feel free to email me if you want more details (not like you know who I am or anything, but I can point you to a few good sites I found while doing my research)!

[Rebecca (Bearca)]

I recently found something that's working REALLY well for me. I have been using MD Forte level 2 cleanser and level 2 cream. It has glycolic acid, which helps smooth out fine lines and also helps exfoliate to banish breakouts. I have skin similar to yours and have been really really pleased! I rarely get a zit now and when I do, it's small and goes away with no intervention after a day or two! Good luck. :)

[Moira]

Sephora skin consultants are good because they don't get paid by one specific company, so they can give you a combo of products. They also will give you samples in the store. I also second the dermatology route. It may be expensive, but they will give you the right answers. Other ideas is use an eye cream for the fine lines and a toner for the jaw line acne.

I luckily have good skin, but as I age I have gotten more frequent breakouts, so I have just had to adjust and try many different products.

Sephora is also good because you can return opened products for full price.

[Ten21ten.wordpress.com]

I too am about to sing the praises of Sephora. Last weekend I went in, spoke with an expert -she was wearing a tool belt. I identified my problems, my budget and current routine. When she didn't laugh at any of these things I started feeling really comfortable. She then did her magic finding products, filling samples (TONS of samples), and discussed this brand verses that brand. I was slightly shocked drugstore products were mentioned even!

I've been following her advice loosely for about 2 weeks and have seen some pretty nice results.

[Nic (notperfect)]

I wrote a LONG comment earlier that dissolved into the ether. I'm trying again.

I recently revamped my skincare routine. It's been a little over a month now and I'm very happy with the results. It's not perfect, but it's working. I'm prone to hormone related breakouts (PCOS stinks) and while I'm on contraceptive pills to manage my cycle, that never helped and may have made it a little worse. My worst spots are my chin and jawline. My jawline has completely cleared up and my chin is still doing some healing.

I did a bunch of research (beautypedia.com, dermadoctor.com, makeupalley.com, and a number of reviews) and this is what I settled on:
CeraVe Foaming Skin Cleanser (CVS)
Peter Thomas Roth Gentle Complexion Correction Pads (Sephora - these were recommended for the little white bumps I was getting) It was a narrow decision between the pads and PTR's Botanical Buffing Beads which are also supposed to be great.
Clinique Acne Gel Lotion (I got this in a sample and I'm still using it) to treat problem areas
Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream (Blue Mercury) This stuff is AMAZING. I love how it makes my skin feel.
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic SPF 15 Moisturizer (Blue Mercury) I will only use this in the winter when it's dryer.

I went with Mario Badescu over drugstore brands because it ended up being a bit cheaper, plus it doesn't have all of that "instantly age defying and possibly levitating" hype.

One big aspect of my skincare routine is that I use a new wash cloth every time I wash my face. It makes for a lot of laundry. I wet it with hot water and cover my face until it cools a bit, just to open my pores and then I wash my face and gently scrub with the cloth until all of the cleanser is gone. I picked up some cheap ones at Target and they work well.