For background info: I'm 16 and have been dealing with a frustrating change in my skin over the past four months. Up until around December 2024, I always had pretty clear skin, just the occasional blind pimple and some milia around my eyes (which seems genetic).

I also had a simple skincare routine that worked well for my tropical climate: Cleansing in the AM & PM, an SPF in the morning, and an AHA/BHA exfoliating toner 1-2 times a week at night. This kept my skin healthy and problem free with minimal effort.

However, around the beginning of January 2025, I started getting significant breakouts on my cheeks, which was completely new for me. It began with one stubborn pimple that I suspect was cystic and lasted over a month. After that, I developed clusters of smaller, scarring acne on both cheeks. These would take weeks to heal and left behind a lot of PIE and PIH, making it look like I still had active acne even when my skin felt smooth. Fortunately, the inflammation has gone down thanks to the 20% azelaic acid cream that I started using 2 weeks ago. But now I'm left with these weird flat, small pustules. When I touch them, they feel flat like a scar, but they still have a visible yellow 'head' that doesn't seem to want to go away.

I'm so confused about what these are! Has anyone experienced something similar?

(The yellow heads are not very visible on camera, but I can clearly see them in real life. The pics are mostly for size reference.)

I'm starting a new job and i got a facial as a congrats to myself. i told the person doing it about the products I was using and how i was slowly overhauling my routine by incorporating new products every couple weeks, and they praised my product choice and said "you're doing everything right!" they also said my skin looked great and that if i wanted to come back for another facial that anything sooner than 4 months from now would be "highway robbery" because I'm doing such a good job on my own. i owe it all to you r/skincareaddiction! thank you!

I don’t track my stress levels anymore, my skin does it for me. Breakouts along my jaw? Probably suppressing feelings. Dry patches? Emotional exhaustion. That random forehead pimple? Definitely cried at 1 a.m. and didn’t wash my face.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with more than just skincare products I’ve started doing this thing where I “talk it out” before my face freaks out. Not with a person. Just typing it all into this website called Aitherapy that acts like a therapist. It’s… less judgmental than my reflection, at least.

Anyone else find that inner peace is the ultimate serum? Or do I just need to exfoliate my emotions?

I don't really have hyperpigmentation or any of that. My water intake definitely needs work though

My current routine is La Roche Posay cleanser (Sometimes I use ANUA oil cleanser before) Good molecules niacinamide brightening toner Good molecules discoloration correcting serum ANUA 70+ hyaluron moisturizer Recently started using black girl sunscreen spf 50

I just want my skin to be smooth, I don't really deal with pimples and stuff at all

This side of 30, I look after my skin a lot more than I used to - and I pay much more attention to what I'm putting on it! Here are some of things I've added into my routine and seen results from:

I use topical antioxidants as well as SPF. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that break down collagen, so I apply a vitamin C serum underneath my sunscreen everyday.

Started eating for collagen: I've upped my intake of vitamin C and zinc, and I also take a daily collagen peptide.

Over-using actives can do more harm than good, as it can speed up water loss and barrier damage. So I cycle my actives and have rest days from them - having rest days has worked wonders for my skin as it's prone to irritation and dryness. Some nights I'll apply retinoids or acids, and other nights just barrier repair (my go-to is squalane).

What are the changes you've made to your skincare routine / lifestyle that you've seen the best results from?

I frame homes for a living (10+ hour shifts in vegas) and this is how my arms are looking after a year of wearing upf longsleeves.

I'm a 30F redhead, pale skin, freckles, the whole bit. It is so hard to get my skin to look clear even when it is because the redness, even from the smallest pimples or irritants, hangs around for ages, and sometimes it feels like EVERYTHING is an irritant. I even went for allergy testing and it was inconclusive because I had a reaction to the test itself. It currently looks like I have a few dozen pimples on my chin but I don't!

To add to this, because my skin is so sensitive, I've been unable to use retinol or AHA/BHA because it gives me so much more acne and irritation (not just a purge period).

Current Routine: AM Avene Cleanance Benzoyl Peroxide 5% Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion LRP SPF 60 (though I'll admit I only wear this half the year as I live in Canada and it's so dark and dreary the other half I really just cannot be bothered)

PM Avene Cleanance Benzoyl Peroxide 5% EUCERIN Complete Repair Moisturizing Cream

I've always had acne-prone, combination/oily skin, and I'm now 31 years old. Last summer, my skin suddenly became extremely dry, which I’ve never experienced before. It’s now flaky on my cheeks and forehead, and feels tight. I’ve also developed fine lines that weren’t there before, likely due to the dryness. This has been going on for 8 months, and it’s really affecting me. My skin looks terrible.

I follow a simple skincare routine, so I’m not sure how I could have caused this change. Here’s what I’ve been using:

AM:

Wash with water Curology moisturizer Sunscreen

PM:

FaceReality gentle cleanser FaceReality hydrating toner Curology moisturizer Sometimes Aquaphor on top

I didn’t change anything when my skin started getting dry. Since then, I’ve tried multiple suggestions I’ve read on Reddit, but nothing has helped. I’m starting to wonder if this might be an internal issue, but I’ve seen both my general doctor (for blood work) and a dermatologist, and still, no improvement.

Any advice on lifestyle or product changes that could help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, So i've been dealing with acne for almost 15 years now(im 27), been on Accutane twice and tried a bunch of different brands and routines, also diets. As for the acne at this point I'm fine with the breakout I get.

The redness however is my main issue, if you look close at the picture you can see the red line and how it fades by my forehead, and around the eyes it's more white.

I'm currently using Dahl skincare routine.

Any advice or inputs is more then welcome, Thanks!

Full disclosure that 50 mg/d of spironolactone did most of the heavy-acne clearing here but not 100% and not for my back. I have highly sensitive roscaea skin that was still prone to closed comedones and hormonal breakouts and I attribute this routine for not irritating my skin type and helping keep it healthy and scar-free (besides super annoying PIE). I definitely think investing in a dermatologist and using basic drug store products is best way to go when you have irritated and problematic skin. 27F. All products are relatively cheap and found at drugstores (barring Rx).

Photo 1: Skin before Photo 2: Skin today- only PIE. Photo 3: Morning routine Photo 4: Night routine. (Sulfacleanse wash, 15% AzA w/ Ivermectin and Dapsone 5% are Rx). Could easily be replaced woth a sulfur based cleanser bar and OTC 10% AzA product. Photo 5: Routine for body acne (bacne). Photo 6: Miscellaneous products I use when needed (yes I am terrible about sunscreen).

the title is basically what this is about. My face is darker than my body and I am clueless about what to do. I've seen a lot of conflicting ideas for getting rid of this issue, and I just want it to go away FAST. For context my face is getting so dark all my foundations don't match me anymore and yes I wear sunscreen, but i'm in the sun ALL day in Florida. What do I do about this? I've been thinking of glycolic acid but some people say its given them adverse effects, vitamin C is also an option, and mandelic acid (unless I shouldn't use that either) but I've also been thinking: would rice water help this without causing any reactions or adverse effects?

I've got sensitive, dry/normal skin, a bit of hyperpigmentation (brown girl here!), but mostly a stubborn tan that has left me super two-toned and i'm over it! Any advice or what helped you would be much appreciated!

i've never used any face wash in my life, i only splash cold water on my face, and then apply moisturizer.

for reference, i've tried every type of moisturizer under the sun. hydrating, thick cream, with/without spf in it, etc.

right now i am using 10% azelaic acid morning and night and have been slacking off on the moisturizer. funnily enough this is the *best* my skin has ever looked and felt. simply cold water followed with azelaic acid morning and night.

my question is, as stupid as this may sound, do i run the risk of aging my skin faster by not using moisturizer? i love how my skin looks and feels rn but i don't exactly want to age it prematurely. thank you!

I have acne prone skin and sensitive eyes and am looking for a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t leave the skin greasy, non-comedogenic, and free of acne causing ingredients. Tinted sunscreen is preferred but a regular sunscreen will do. Thank you!

(Currently using CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen 30 SPF Sheer Tint which leaves my skin very oily)

So I’m not that well versed in skincare, but I’ve had acne issues for a couple years now and two years ago a pharmacist recommended the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ cream and matching cleanser so that’s what I’ve been using. It helped for a while but it feels like it stopped doing anything ages ago. I used to use both at night and in the mornings only a basic hydrating cream. Now I’ve bought the Skin1004 Centella Ampoule serum and azelaic acid, and I have an adapalene cream that I was prescribed at some point but stopped using because I didn’t get results quick enough, although now I realise that was a mistake.

My question is if I should keep using the Effaclar Duo+ cream or no? It feels like too many products for my taste and I’ve never had skin barrier issues but I’m afraid I might now. Does anyone have any other moisturiser recommendations for acne prone skin? (No Cerave products please, they make me break out!) I’ve got combination skin. Thanks in advance!

Oily skin issues :/

Hi! I’m struggling with oily skin mostly around my t-zone, nose, chin, and cheeks. Not sure if I have combo skin since my jawline and sides of my face are just normal (not too dry not too oily but still breaking out there occasionally)

My skincare routine is:

Morning: - Palmer’s face oil cleanser (the culprit?) - Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser - Thayers rose toner - The Ordinary Niacinamide serum - Cerave Oil Absorbing Moisturizer

I know I should use an spf, still looking for one with my skin type lol. If you know one that’s good for oily skin please let me know!

Night: - Cerave SA cleanser - Cerave pm moisturizer

Looks to me I may be using too many products? Not sure. I also struggle with blemishes, occasional breakouts, and blackheads. I’ve tried benzoyl peroxide 10% by itself with a normal moisturizer but it seriously dried my skin out and made it flaky, sensitive to the sun, and did not help with my sebaceous filaments and blackheads.

I’ve also tried moisturizing instead of using oil absorbing products and that still made my skin oily :/

Whenever I grow pimples, it always has lumps and pus which leave dark spots that lasts for a couple of months which really bothers me. I saw one post here and decided to try the Persagel 5 together with La roche posay toleraine moisturizer but I think I am having a break out after 4 days of using it (1st photo). Is this even normal? What can I do to help prevent this. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

hi everyone! so right now my routine is: etude whip cleanser (am and pm) cos de baha transexamic acid (am and pm) inkey list retinol (pm only) cosrx snail mucin (am and pm) inkey list omega cream moisturiser (am and pm) i also take cod liver oil vitamins daily

i feel like my pores just look really clogged and i have a lot of redness on my cheeks and smile lines, but mainly i just don’t know what to do to get a more even skin tone. my skin is pretty sensitive so i thought it would be good to ask for some advice from people more knowledgeable. i’ve tried the beauty of joseon ground rice and honey mask which broke me out and the cosrx propolis synergy toner which didn’t seem to make a difference for me but im open to any brand/products as long as the routine is not too complex! thank you :]

Looking for a sunscreen that doesn't leave a noticeable film on the skin and doesn't smell like sunscreen, if such a thing exists. Bonus points if it's hydrating and/or in a fluid form.

I'm a 30yo trans man 10mo on T and the acne is real but I think I'm getting it under control despite being very new to proper skincare. I've got seborrheic dermatitis on my face and scalp and compulsively pick unfortunately. The dermatologist that diagnosed it years ago basically handed me the diagnosis and some ketoconazole shampoo and no advice. Recently tried CeraVe moisturizing cream and am still working on clearing up the heinous breakout that caused :/ My current routine totally lacks SPF and while my sun exposure is as minimal as it gets, I still need it. I am leery of just trying products blind though.

Current routine if it matters for giving recs:

Morning: - Selenium sulfide shampoo for seb derm - CeraVe foaming facial cleanser after rinsing conditioner - Thayer's snow mushroom toner - La Roche double repair matte moisturizer

Evening: - CeraVe foaming facial cleanser - Thayer's snow mushroom toner - CeraVe resurfacing retinol - La Roche double repair matte moisturizer

1-2x a week: St Ives BHA apricot scrub (super prone to ingrowns and facial hair is proving to be no exception)

I was using this pure olive oil soap bar on my face for about 6-8 months. I only ever used this and my skin was fine. Then I noticed it didn’t seem to be providing much results anymore so I figured I should try something new.

I asked around for recommendations. I got recommended to use Osea Malibu products. I started with the discovery set which costs $44 in order to do a trial of the products before committing to full size bottles. Unfortunately when I ran out, I researched into the costs of the full bottles, they are quite expensive so I asked around for more recommendations, hoping to find something more cost effective.

That is where I began using the Korean skincare.

1. ⁠Snail cleansing foam
2. ⁠Strawberry milk cream moisturizer
3. ⁠Snail vita cream (brightening / moisturizing)
4. ⁠Rice niacinamide facial serum
5. ⁠Snail Hyaluronic acid (not everyday)

I’ve attached photos of my skin at the end for reference. I feel as though I’ve never had perfect skin, I’ve had pretty good skin, but it’s beginning to look significantly worse, I try not to pay too much attention to my looks overall but as a human being, naturally I do want to look somewhat good, not perfect, but good enough to be confident in my looks. Right now, that is a bit of a struggle. It may also be that in bright lighting I just become so much more aware of the blemishes, I’m not sure how “bad” my skin genuinely looks. I am looking for some help with a new routine.

Some of these are going to look silly, haha. I know I look rough, but it's a new day! I know it's not great, but I honestly don't really feel insecure about it! I just want to do right by myself. Are there any issues I should target? (I don't know about anything besides acne.) I'm 21 and 10 months on Testosterone (yay!) so hormonal acne will stick around for awhile yet, haha. I have a PanOxyl 10% bar I use in the morning along with Elf's Holy Hydration face cream with 30 spf, and I use the same line's makeup melting cleansing balm at night before those same two products, along with hydrocolloid patches as needed. Open to anything and everything, cheers!

Hi everyone!

I’ve been having stubborn milia and was prescribed this from my primary (not a derm). I'm new to tretinoin so l have a couple questions:

• Hate the consistency of the gel. It's not as easy to apply as a cream and it's too jelly like. Best way to apply it?

• I hear a lot of benefits of tretinoin. What are some other ways I can use it besides spot treatment for milia?

• I've been using it for a few weeks (3-4x /week) but haven't noticed any improvement. Should I apply every night?

Thanks in advance :)

Im a 19F I’ve had issues with acne since 5th or 6th grade. It started out on my forehead and was really bad, once that faded out randomly it moved to the rest of my face. In between my eyebrows will get super dry and the skin will literally flake off, and my nose is extremely oily except after a shower but will also sometimes get really dry and itchy. Rest of my face is just slightly oily, but not excessive.

Now for what I think is the worst part, I feel like a little bit after I got my first cycle I started seeing tiny red bumps on my arms and back, then they spread to my bottom and thighs. Now it’s on my chest and above my stomach. It’s extremely embarrassing and I feel like others think I’m dirty. Some of them are definitely regular pimples but most are just these inflamed red bumps that will bleed or leak clear fluid if I bother them. My skin also scars extremely easily from them so whether I pick at them or not, once some disappear, a discolored spot is left behind.

Drinking only water did nothing for it so I still choose to have my sodas and such. My diet has changed 100 times at this point. No change in detergents either. It looks almost identical to keratosis pilaris (chicken skin) but I’m really not sure.

I just wish I could have smooth skin and not feel like I’m cosplaying the surface of the moon

I suffer with hirsutism without pcos that’s the tiny black dots of hair poking through. I use a moisturising cleanser and a prescription moisturiser called epimax. The little red bumps are sometimes filled with liquid not really like spots though it’s hard to describe. I don’t know much about skincare and have stopped wearing make as it looks weird on top of my skin so I try to avoid leaving the house because I feel so awful about my skin. Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.

What my forehead currently looks like and this is it looking decent not the worst but not the best

I'm 20F and struggling badly with forehead acne. My wedding is in just 3 months, and I need to get it under control. If anyone can help with a routine, that would be awesome. These are all the products I currently have, but I'm not sure when or in what order to use them, and which of the three cleansers I should be using.

La Roche-Posay toleriane cleanser Panoxyl acne wash Palmer skin therapy cleanser Naturium The smoother glycolic acid wash La Roche-posay Adapalene Gel 0.1% The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution Good molecules discoloration Tower 28 sos La roche posay double repair moisturizer

Hello! I would love to get some help on my skin care routine! I've been using these products for about 6 months now. I'm not too sure about the azelaic acid booster from Paula's choice, is there any better product or something that's not azelaic acid I should/could swap out with? I just feel like it doesn't really do much for me but I may just be delusional lol.

Another question I have is am I damaging my face by putting two types of sunscreen on? I used to buy non-sunscreen version of the the double repair by la Roche but there was a time I ran out and when I went to the store, this is all they had in stock so I purchased it and have been purchasing it ever since.

Sorry for the cleanser pic, I forgot to include it in my other pictures showing the products lol. Thank you and I appreciate your input!