Howdy! I’m no skincare guru but I’ve lurked on r/skincareaddiction since forever and have battled my own skincare woes for longer than that. Whenever I begin a new routine, I look to what people with similar skincare goals are doing and use that as a base, which is all this post offers. Just a base to get started. My recommendations do not take oily vs. dry skin into account. As far as I’m concerned, treat both as dry, to gain or maintain oily skin, since oily skin appears to have less wrinkles/scarring.
When transitioning from one routine to another, patch testing products helps you ensure they don’t cause adverse reactions before you use them all over your face. Before I begin a new routine, I might caveman (go a month only washing my face with water, using no products on it but sunblock) if I think my skin’s PH is way off, or like I’ve been treating it with so many chemicals as to be wholly reliant on them.
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Without further ado, here are the routine bases.
Routine to treat/prevent acne:
First off, a regimen is great but it's also important to be thoughtful regarding what you put into your body. If you know you have intolerances or allergies, stop eating or exposing yourself to them, within reason. I get that most of us can't feasibly cut pollen out of our lives, and I'm not getting rid of my dogs, BUT I can cut out processed sugar and dairy. Eat well, drink a lot of water, and make sure you're getting enough sleep. Work to minimize stress and prioritize, not just your physical health, but your mental wellbeing. Even a simple cold sore can trigger a larger outbreak when you're stressed and exhausted. It might by worth a discussion with your doctor, regarding getting on birth control, or switching brands, if you have hormonal acne.
Also, when I say acne, I'm not referring to fungal acne. If you have fungal acne, (which tends to show up as many pustules clumped close together with or without redness, and can itch, there are over the counter treatments that might help. Look for athlete's foot products with ketoconazole, butenafine, or clotrimazole cream. Once the fungal acne is handled, then you can work on preventing regular acne.
Morning:
Wipe clean face with damp paper towel
Rub Eva Naturals Vitamin C Serum on face
Rub Cerave Moisturizing Cream on face, neck, and chest
Gently rub Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream around eyes
Rub Nivea Super Water gel SPF 50 Sunblock on face
Spray Sunblock on exposed arms/legs (My brand varies.)
Evening:
Wash clean face with Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser
Rub Eva Naturals Vitamin C Serum on face
Rub RoC, Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Cream onto wrinkles and acne scars
Rub Cerave Moisturizing Cream on face, neck, and chest
Gently rub Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream around eyes
Spot treat with Perrigo Benzoyl Peroxide 5 Percent Acne Treatment Gel over active acne
2x/Month in the Evening:
Dermawand face ( https://dermawand.com/ ) (Before Vitamin C Serum)
My understanding is that the Dermawand is supposed to use radio frequencies to slightly vibrate and irritate your skin, while flushing it with oxygen. When I bought it, the company claimed it helped with scarring and wrinkles. After using it on and off for a few years, I’m unconvinced. In reality, I’m pretty sure it just creates some CO2 wherever it hits the skin, and that CO2 kills bacteria that might be causing your acne. At a low setting, and gradually working up to higher settings depending on your comfort level (stop if you feel pain), you run the Dermawand over your face, moving in tiny spirals, focusing more where there is acne.
Bonus Tip: Taking a hot (not so hot you're going to leave a burn) black tea bag (I use chai) out of your tea, and pressing it to a pimple with a washcloth, can bring down the inflammation of the pimple or make it come to a head. I assume mint & green tea would work as well. I'm guessing this has something to do with the combination of heat and the tannins in these teas.
Routine to prevent/minimize fine lines and wrinkles:
First off, eat well, drink a lot of water, and make sure you're getting enough sleep. Work to minimize stress and prioritize, not just your physical health, but your mental wellbeing. Your skin can't heal properly or as quickly, if you're otherwise unwell. Try to minimize your exposure to sunlight and wear sunglasses when outside. Squinting causes fine lines.
Morning:
Wipe clean face with damp paper towel
Rub Eva Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum on face
Rub Cerave Moisturizing Cream on face, neck, and chest
Gently rub Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream around eyes
Rub Nivea Super Water gel SPF 50 Sunblock on face
Spray Sunblock on exposed arms/legs (My brand varies.)
Evening:
Wash clean face with Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser
Rub Eva Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum on face
Rub RoC, Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Cream onto wrinkles and acne scars
Rub Cerave Moisturizing Cream on face, neck, and chest
Gently rub Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream around eyes
Monthly in the Evening:
Dermaroll face (After Washing Face, Before Hyaluronic Acid Serum)
The Dermaroller is a tiny rolling pin at the end of a wand, and that rolling pin is covered in short needles. The idea is to roll it across your face, creating microtears, which both increases the amount of serum absorbed into your skin and encourages your skin to heal more evenly, drawing equal attention to old scars and wrinkles that might not otherwise fade. In my experience, more so with acne scars than with wrinkles, these claims hold true. My acne scars are gradually losing definition. I've read that a serum should be applied before rolling both to be absorbed while rolling and to moisturize the face and prevent excessive tearing. I don't do that because, rather than jamming serum's into my skin, I'd prefer to gently rub them on to be absorbed naturally, after rolling. As for how to roll: Roll the roller up, down, diagonally to the left, and diagonally to the right across the entire face without applying much pressure. If you experience pain or bleeding, you’ve applied too much pressure. They sell refills of the roller heads so you never have to use it more than once on your face. I did recently purchase a smaller roller, as part of a kit, to really focus on wrinkles. Stay hydrated and moisturized the night of and days after Dermarolling. Like with a tattoo, wet healing makes for a smoother complexion. I also pop a couple of kiddie aspirin the night I Dermaroll, since it's a blood thinner and I want the blood getting all up in those tears to heal them nice and fast. I'm not a doctor. Discuss that with your doctor if that's something you'd consider doing, especially if you're a particularly litigious person. Warning: Dermarolling can spread infections, bacteria, cold sores, etc. If you're breaking out or have a cold sore, do not dermaroll.
Routine to treat/prevent acne and minimize/prevent fine lines/wrinkles: AKA, mine.
First off, a regimen is great but it's also important to be thoughtful regarding what you put into your body. If you know you have intolerances or allergies, stop eating or exposing yourself to them, within reason. I get that most of us can't feasibly cut pollen out of our lives, and I'm not getting rid of my dogs, BUT I can cut out processed sugar and dairy. Eat well, drink a lot of water, and make sure you're getting enough sleep. Work to minimize stress and prioritize, not just your physical health, but your mental wellbeing. Even a simple cold sore can trigger a larger outbreak when you're stressed and exhausted. It's also worth a discussion with your doctor, regarding going on birth control, or switching brands, if you have hormonal acne. Try to minimize your exposure to sunlight and wear sunglasses when outside. Squinting causes fine lines.
Also, when I say acne, I'm not referring to fungal acne. If you have fungal acne, which tends to show up as many pustules clumped close together with or without redness, and can itch. There are over the counter treatments that might help. Look for athlete's foot products with ketoconazole, butenafine, or clotrimazole cream. Handle your fungal acne before focusing on your regular acne.
Morning:
wipe face with damp paper towel,
rub Vitamin C Serum on face
rub Mizon Eye Cream around eyes
rub Cerave Moisturizer on face, neck, and chest
rub Nivea Super Water gel SPF 50 Sunblock on face including around eyes
spray Sunblock on exposed arms/legs.
Evening:
wash face with Cerave cleansor for dry skin
rub Vitamin C Serum on face
rub RoC, Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Cream into wrinkles and around eyes (this will sting around your eyes for at least a couple of weeks. Use Mizon Eye Cream around eyes instead if you don't want to deal with that.)
rub Cerave Moisturizer on face, neck, and chest
Spot treat with Perrigo Benzoyl Peroxide 5 Percent Acne Treatment Gel over active acne
Twice a month, at night, zap acne with the Dermawand at a low setting before applying the Vitamin C Serum.
One a month, at night, between washing your face and rubbing on the Vitamin C Serum, Dermaroll your face. If you sweat a lot or wear a ton of makeup, consider face steaming after washing your face, then gently washing it again before dermarolling. You don't want to jam debris from makeup into the microtears you're making.
My understanding is that the Dermawand is supposed to be using radio frequencies to slightly vibrate and irritate your skin, while flushing it with oxygen. When I bought it, the company claimed it helped with scarring and wrinkles. After using it on and off for a few years, I’m unconvinced. In reality, I’m pretty sure it just creates some CO2 wherever it hits the skin, and that CO2 kills bacteria that might be causing your acne. At a low setting, and gradually working up to higher settings depending on your comfort level (stop if you feel pain), you run the Dermawand over your face, moving in tiny spirals, focusing more where there is acne.
The Dermaroller is a tiny rolling pin at the end of a wand, and that rolling pin is covered in short needles. The idea is to roll it across your face, creating microtears, which both increases the amount of serum absorbed into your skin and encourages your skin to heal more evenly, drawing equal attention to old scars and wrinkles that might not otherwise fade. In my experience, more so with acne scars than with wrinkles, these claims hold true. My acne scars are gradually losing definition. I've read that a serum should be applied before rolling both to be absorbed while rolling and to moisturize the face and prevent excessive tearing. I don't do that because, rather than jamming serum's into my skin, I'd prefer to gently rub them on to be absorbed naturally, after rolling. As for how to roll: Roll it up, down, diagonally to the left, and diagonally to the right across the entire face without applying much pressure. If you experience pain or bleeding, you’ve applied too much pressure. They sell refills on the roller heads so you never have to use it more than once on your face. I did recently purchase a smaller roller, as part of a kit, to really focus on wrinkles. Stay hydrated and moisturized the night of and days after Dermarolling. Like with a tattoo, wet healing makes for a smoother complexion. I also pop a couple of kiddie aspirin the night I Dermaroll, since it's a blood thinner and I want the blood getting all up in those tears to heal them nice and fast. I'm not a doctor. Discuss that with your doctor if that's something you'd consider doing, especially if you're a particularly litigious person. Warning: Dermarolling can spread infections, bacteria, cold sores, etc. If you're breaking out or have a cold sore, do not dermaroll.
Never Dermawand nor Dermaroll a couple of days, the day before, or day of social plans or you’ll go out looking like you’ve got a sunburn. Nearly every product I've listed (everything but the face wash, sunblock, and maybe the Mizon eye cream) includes either Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, and Salicylic Acid. Those ingredients increase sun sensitivity. If you spend a lot of time outside and aren't great about re-applying sunblock, exclude products using those ingredients from your daytime routine.
Bonus Tip: Taking a hot (not so hot you're going to leave a burn) black tea bag (I use chai) out of your tea, and pressing it to a pimple with a washcloth, can bring down the inflammation of the pimple or make it come to a head. I assume mint & green tea would work as well. I'm guessing this has something to do with the combination of heat and the antioxidants in these teas.
To maintain flawless skin:
First off, eat well, drink a lot of water, and make sure you're getting enough sleep. Work to minimize stress and prioritize, not just your physical health, but your mental wellbeing. Your skin can't heal properly or as quickly, if you're otherwise unwell. Try to minimize your exposure to sunlight and wear sunglasses when outside. Squinting causes fine lines.
Morning:
Wipe clean face with damp paper towel
Rub Cerave Moisturizing Cream on face, neck, and chest
Gently rub Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream around eyes
Rub Nivea Super Water gel SPF 50 Sunblock on face
Spray Sunblock on exposed arms/legs (My brand varies.)
Evening:
Wash clean face with Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser
Rub Cerave Moisturizing Cream on face, neck, and chest
Gently rub Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream around eyes
As for what each product is for, Hyaluronic acid reduces fine lines/wrinkles, and acne scars. My Vitamin C Serum has retinoids which also reduce fine lines/wrinkles, and scarring. Likewise, it has salicylic acid for treating acne and niacinamide for preventing inflammation. Vitamin C serum goes on before other serums because it's PH sensitive. My Deep Wrinkle Cream uses Retinol as the active ingredient which minimizes and prevents wrinkles by stimulating collagen production. The retinol cream causes some redness and stings when starting out, however, so if you have sensitive skin, the Mizon Eye Cream is better for you. Also, because the Deep Wrinkle Cream contains Retinol, I layer sunblock over it. Retinol makes skin more sun-sensitive, as do Salicylic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid. If you burn very easily, or spend a lot of time outside and aren't the best about reapplying your sunblock, it's best you don't use any products containing Retinol, Salicylic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid during the day. The Cerave Moisturizer contains ceramides which “help maintain and restore the natural skin barrier.” According to the Cerave site, they seal in moisture and keep out impurities. The eye cream is to prevent wrinkles. I like my sunblock because my skin has no trouble absorbing it. It’s neither greasy nor pigmented and doesn't break me out. Benzoyl Peroxide dries out pimples overnight, but because it's so drying, it should only be applied to active acne spots.
I’ve battled acne since before I hit puberty. I’ve tried everything from the big brands including Proactive and Neutrogena, to more holistic remedies like tree tree oil and witch hazel, to vitamins including Biotin (breaks me out) and Vitamin A (I’m allergic), to prescription pills (including Spironolactone), to drinking baking soda-water (Do not ever do this. Worst idea I’ve ever followed through with. Drank it like three times and it gave me 6 months of cystic acne on my neck). I’ve cut out dairy, temporarily, to see if that made an impact. I've cut out refined sugar. I’ve switched birth controls. The only doctor I actually see annually is my dermatologist. I. Have. Tried. Everything.
What I’ve found is that drinking a lot of water, sleeping well, and cutting back on sugar noticeably improves my skin. Stress and sugar break me out. Being surrounded by allergens (my pet rats, who have since passed away) breaks me out a lot.
After over a decade of abusing my face with every chemical under the sun, the caveman actually reduced both the amount of pimples I had and their inflammation. If you worry you’re using too many products on your face, or you think you’ve wrecked your natural PH, I suggest doing the full month long caveman to get back to your baseline skin type, then patch testing each individual product for a few days as you ease into the new routine.
Thanks for stopping by! I put out a new blog post every Monday. Toodles!
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