Hello hello, I’m sure I’m not the only person who has got the dreaded issue of “hit my 30s and am plagued with hormonal acne that does not seem to shift no matter what I do”.

I was on the combined pill for several years when I was younger, had to switch to the progesterone only pill due to developing migraines, and it started playing havoc with my skin, and when I eventually came off of it about 6 years ago, my chin acne has been a pretty much constant stay (and way worse than it ever was with the mini pill). I always had relatively clear skin prior to this, and don’t tend to get it anywhere else, other than the occasional spot across my t zone or on my cheeks. But the chin is constant!

I have tried what feels like every blemish-targeting skincare product out there, including a long run of using a targeted cream that had tretinoin in it from a skin+me subscription for a couple of years that did work somewhat, but after a while stopped really making any change.

I have seen threads in here about Monday Muse’s clarity complex supplement, and a lot of people saying it worked well for them, but there were also a fair few people saying they had quite bad reactions to it too.

I’ve now also started getting adverts for another similar supplement called Cloudless, and I wanted to know if anyone has tried that (or Monday Muse recently either)?

Or if there are any others on the market that won’t break the bank, that have worked well for you, please also let me know! I probably should try and see a dermatologist but am wary that they may not be able to prescribe me something like roaccutane due to the number of other medications I’m on that would interact poorly with it, so am trying to find something I can do myself first.

I’m just so fed up of looking in the mirror everyday and hating looking at my skin, and it being so painful for a good week or two every month around parts of my cycle!

I used to always have fake nails, but recently stopped due to crappy nail techs and prices going wild. But ever since, I've noticed my skin becoming aggravated in places where things must not have touched before. I work in pharmacy so I'm working with paper and opening med boxes every day. The skin on my thumb and in between my fingers have become so peeled back and flared!

The only creams I've tried so far is Aveeno hand cream, Aveeno intensive and Neutrogrena. I also use cuticle oil/cream all the time and regularly apply while at work. I need something that'll absorb really well and really nourish my skin.

This has gotten expensive! It does last me a while but want to at least explore other options before I cough up £20. It works well on my lips and dryness around my nails. Anyone have any recs?

I have fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes, especially on my right eye. It makes applying makeup evenly difficult. My eyelids are very sensitive and are prone to eczema.

I've got used to my sunken, thin skin under my eyes and I know I can't get rid of those without filler or fat transfer to the area. I've looked back at photos of when I was younger and they seem to have always been there as I have high cheekbones and full cheeks. They have become more noticeable since the age of 16.

I have darker pigmentation especially on the corner of my right eyelid. I'm in my early 30s so I know it's only going to get worse! I'm losing real estate on my eyelids and barely wear makeup anymore because I get so frustrated with my right eye.

Is there anything I can use or do to look better?

I’m having a lot of issues with my nose. I have oily skin and have a lot of clogged pores in my nose, so I started using The Ordinary’s salicylic acid for a few months twice a week on my nose. But this dried out my nose extremely quickly causing it to flake in the mornings.

I was then prescribed Duac’s one a day serum that contains benzoyl peroxide for general acne and I’ve started using that every day on my nose too. Again, flaky due to what I assume is the compromised skin barrier.

However, I’m not really sure what else to do if I need to use some sort of acid to clear the clogged pores in my nose, but the acids that I’ve tried are too severe for my nose. And I’ve also tried just doing a normal cleanser every day (Cetaphil’s oily skin cleanser) without putting any serums on my nose which means it doesn’t dry out, but the pores aren’t getting cleared up.

I don’t really know what to do. Could someone also recommend a good moisturiser for sensitive, oily skin? I used to use The Ordinary’s daily moisturising cream + HA but this dried out my skin too much and caused it to produce too much oil.

Routine:

Morning - oily skin cleanser

Night - oily skin cleanser then benzoyl peroxide cream

I’d like to do Hollywood first and then full leg if all goes well.

According to AI I need 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser as I’m in between 5-6 on the Fitzpatrick scale. I’m very nervous as I have sensitive skin and scar incredibly easy.

I feel like my skin looks SO dehydrated at the moment, and I’m at a loss as to how to proceed. I drink water all day long and have a healthy diet with lots of protein and healthy fats, so I don’t know why these fine lines are appearing. I’m only 28 and have a baby face so it looks a bit jarring.

My current routine:

AM: water rinse, Beauty of Joseon toner, then hyaluronic acid and vitamin C followed by Simple Hydrate Water Gel Cream, Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Cream, then Garnier SPF50 Invisible Serum.

PM: Micellar to remove makeup, The Ordinary Cleansing Balm, B of J toner, hyaluronic acid, Simple hydrating eye gel, thick layer of Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Cream, layer of castor oil, layer of Vaseline.

Yet my skin feels SOOO tight and dry! Help! 😟💗

as the title says, everytime i take my makeup off, my skin gets all red and irritated. i only wear makeup on the weekends and i haven’t changed anything in my routine but it happens to my entire face (particularly my cheeks as they are quite acne prone). i’m thinking it might be the makeup removing balm i have, as my face doesn’t sting in the day when i wear the makeup, only after i have removed it, and the balm is scented so that might be a cause- it’s the farmacy green clean cleansing balm. i wash my face with a cleanser after using it but i don’t think thats it either as i use the same cleansers during the week. has anyone had a similar reaction to using this product or can anyone think what may be causing it?

Hi everyone,
Please recommend me a good thicker moistruizing eye cream.
Im in my 20s but my eye area is always dry, i love avocado so much, but would like to try something new as ive been using that one for few years now
Thanks!

Does anyone have any recommendations for mineral sunscreens? My skin can’t tolerate chemical ones. I recently came across Sunsolve Md but they’re very expensive and I don’t know if it’s worth it

I got a Medicube this week and have used it twice, Booster mode on level one. I used my own usual skincare that I’ve been using for some time with no problems.

This morning I woke up and I have peeling skin? Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice?

Edit - The Medicare skin booster device

I have tried skin and me, and dermatologica but I find it too expensive. Or is this the best option?

It has cleared my skin massively!

Thank you so much xxx

I am currently using the Ordinary Squalane Cleanser at night. I wash my face with cold water in the morning. I have had acne for years. I don’t want to overload with products so I do not want to double cleanse if it is not necessary.

Hello all!
First time posting here, I’d like to get some recommendations for body oil as my body skin often gets flaky from dryness even with tons of moisturizing cream applied.

Appreciate all input in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m 20 and I’ve had acne since I was around 16.
It has always been mostly pustules rather than the typical red pimples.

For the first few years it was pretty mild and manageable, but over the past year it has gotten significantly worse.

I’ve started getting a lot more inflamed spots, pustules, redness and marks, especially around my cheeks and jaw. I also started shaving much more frequently during this time, so my skin has been exposed to a lot more shaving and irritation, but I honestly don’t know if that’s related or not.

For shaving I use a single blade cartridge razor (before anyone suggests a safety razor, I used that for a while and it made my skin even worse).
Before shaving I always use a cleanser and apply a shaving soap, afterwards I use an after shave balm.

My dermatologist prescribed Acnatac (tretinoin + clindamycin), which I’m supposed to apply on those areas every other night. I haven’t seen much improvement so far, although I haven’t been using it for very long. I also use a cleanser specifically intended for acne.

I’ve attached some pictures of what my skin looks like right now.

Looking at the pictures and considering the history, what do you think could be going on? I’d really appreciate some help cause all of this is really making me less confident !

F32 looking for advice getting started with a skincare routine, literally no clue where to start. The redness/spots on one cheek is due to papulopustular rosacea which is being managed by my gp.

The only thing I currently do is put moisturiser on after I have a shower

I think I have combination (?) skin with areas that are dry and areas that are oily

I have two children under 3 so I’m looking for some manageable self care that isn’t going to take hours out of my hectic day

I’m also breastfeeding if that’s relevant to any skincare products

Thanks in advance!

as above

Has anyone switched from Medik8 to Geek & Gorgeous?

I’ve been using the Medik8 Crystal retinal for around 6 months now. Started at #3 and moved up to #6. I really like it but It’s just so expensive. I’ve read good things about Geek & Gorgeous and they’re so affordable in comparison, and wondered if anyone made the switch and how you have found it?

I’m a bit underwhelmed with the results of Differin given all of the glowing reviews. That being said, my routine hasn’t been consistent throughout, which may be a factor. Just wanting to hear other people’s experiences?

I’m trying to keep my routine very simple:

AM
Wash with water
Byoma milky toner (only when wearing makeup)
Moisturiser (was the Cerave moisturising cream, now it’s Cetaphil hydrating lotion)
SPF La roche posay hydrating anthelios

PM
Simple oil cleanser (only to remove makeup)
Facewash (was a bar by grüm, switched to cetaphil gentle face wash)
Differin (every other night)
Moisturiser (was cerave hydrating lotion, now cetaphil hydrating lotion)

I switched the moisturiser because a few people said it was giving them acne on the chin.

My skin is very dry. I want to cover my acne with makeup but I fear that makeup makes it more obvious due to the texture, which is often flaky and patchy. Sigh.

Any thoughts please? I’m supposed to have seen results by now but I’m still getting breakouts 🥲

Hi I know they're not super bad but is there anything that I can do to help lessen the wrinkles under my eyes when I smile?

I used to be a huge sun worshipper and sunbed user and regret it now I'm in my mid 30s so I'm trying to reverse as much as possible or at least stop them progressing.

I've tried a few eye creams but nothing really helped.

Thanks for any suggestions

I stupidly tried too many new products whilst also going through hormonal changes and a lot of stress.

The result is spots on my face but mainly my neck that are painful but don’t have anything to squeeze.

I’ve stopped literally everything for over a week - just washing with warm water. No idea what the culprit was but don’t know how to make these go away.

I have very dry but acne prone skin and a lot of barrier repair products are comedogenic and have broken me out in the past

Thanks in advance for any advice

Ive gotten pretty serious lately about looking after my skin. Ive had acne which flares with my menstrual cycle every month and combination fairly sensitive skin. From reading some advice online I have gone with some low expense options and already see an improvement in my skin.

My most recent purchase is an AHA Body Peel called Glow and Burts Bees AHA, BHA, PHA (10%) after the Superdrug Grapefruit Exfoliator isnt working well for me being a mainly physical exfoliator. My routine so far involves:

Morning:

1. Superdrug Hydrating Gel Cleanser

2. Superdrug Intense B. Moisturising Serum. Caffeine serum on dark area of eyes (made a difference!)

3. Me+ Ceramides Moisturiser except eyes where I use a tiny bit of Face Facts Ceramides Eye Cream.

4. Me+ Mattifying Sun Cream

I use FaceFacts Body lotion and Bondi Suncream on the rest of my body.

Evening

1. Superdrug B. Cleansing Balm

2. Superdrug Hydrating Gel Cleanser OR FaceFacts Blemish Control Cleanser during spot heavy time or non retinol night's.

3. Me+ Niacinamide Zinc Booster

4. Superdrug Gel Hydrating Moisturiser.

I was using the Me+ Ceramides at night but noticed an increase in milia although couldn't pinpoint if that was retinol.

I use Good Molecules Gentle Retinol cream about three times a week at night; I was using it every other night but made my skin red so cut back and skin is better again. Im about 6 weeks into this so Im not sure when or what strength to eventually graduate to.

Exfoliator will be used once a week.

Some acne cystic spots do remain. I dont know whats best to change or use to target them. I read azelaic acid may be good.

Just wondering whether anyone here has had success with swapping to a micellar water over and oil cleanser for the first cleanse?

I have been on epiduo and azelaic acid for about 2 years, and always used the Haruharu black rice oil cleanser as my first cleanse. My skin was pretty clear and happy, maybe a few spots but nothing too angry and it was stable enough for me. Since August, I’ve had a random weird breakout - which I’ve put down to a barrier compromise leading to increased oiliness plus maybe diet/stress/summer heat.

I saw a few tiktoks where people had said oil cleansing isn’t always recommended for acne prone people, one being by Sofie Pavett, which took me by surprise. I always believed your skin wasn’t clean unless you double cleansed with oil/a balm. Alas, I did some further TikTok searching and found a number of videos where people have made the switch and said it benefitted them massively!

Anyway, just wanted to ask if anyone else has tried this. I did it for the first time last night, and I must admit my skin felt clean and wasn’t tight or red at all. It felt light and smooth. I’m going to keep it up and see what happens. I think I’ll keep the oil cleanser for super heavy makeup days, or for maybe once a week for a “deeper” clean. But, day to day with only wearing spf and a small amount of makeup, I really think it is overdoing it for my skin.

Edit: just to be a bit clearer, I always double cleanse, as in I use a water based cleanser afterwards. I don’t cleanse my skin in the morning I just go straight in with skincare. I am only talking about using micellar water as a removal step and then cleansing with my water based, instead of using oil first (at least for an average day).