I have never had perfect skin. I have very oily skin that is hard to maintain and some dark areas on my cheek, but most of the time, my breakouts are confined to “that time of the month”. This week however, I am noticing that I am breaking out more and more, especially around my chin area and I am not even close to that time of the month.
What’s a girl to do?
I haven’t changed my skin care routine. To remove my make-up, I use Ponds. I have been using Ponds Cold Cream for years and it seems to do the trick of removing the grime. In terms of cleansing, I use Mary Kay classic skin care line (don’t laugh–it WAS working at one point and keeps my oily skin controlled) and I do their Clarifying Skin Mask twice a week. I use a fresh towel each time i dry my face and I use a facial brush in order to cleanse. Before bed, I also apply a Dermalogica blemish gel that is for nighttime use. I’ve been sticking to this regimen, and for the most part other than PMS breakouts, my skin is okay. Not perfect, but okay. Certainly not embarrassing.
But now I am seeing breakouts in places I never had them before. I am puzzled and confused. I was thinking about going to the Dermatologist to see if I could get a prescription to clear up my skin. Or maybe what I need is a good facial, its been months since I have had one! I’m 34 years old and I thought I would be over my breakout woes by now!
I am appealing to all of the dynamic divas and beauty experts out there for help. I am also posting pics below so you can see the exact products I have been using and also see the problems I am having with my skin. Thanks in advance for your help and guidance!
Have you tried any products by Neutrogena, Ambi or Black Opal? I use Johnson & Johnson's Clean & Clear "Morning Burst" foaming facial wash for everyday cleansing and St. Ives Apricot Scrub or Mario Badescu's Strawberry Seaweed facial scrub to exfoliate at least twice a week. For blemishes I rely on Juice Beauty's Blemish Clearing Serum and sometimes Mario Badescu's Miracle In A Bottle which contains a drying solution that dries up blemishes (whiteheads) overnight. I prefer using witch hazel as a natural astringent but I also have Mario's Chamomile cleansing lotion as well which is like a toner.
I'm trying to get into the habit of going to the spa on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to get a microdermabrasion facial. I had one a couple of years ago and my skin was GLOWING when I left. I was very impressed and satisfied with the results.
You're using too much. Most of the time we who have oily skin think that we need to dry it out – with products that contain a lot of alcohol – toners and such. try a moisturizing cream for normal to dry skin. honestly. especially we sisters – we black women always think our skin is oily and we need products for oily skin.
try a moisturizer. a good over the counter one is oil of olay regenerist. avon has some good overnight creams too. I'm not a mary kay user but if you're looking for something high end (u get what u pay for in beauty products) try Kiehls or another product from sephora.
Hey a few things. First off as we get older our skin changes with our hormones and in many cases it cause for us to change up Skincare routines. Also you may want to check the ingredients on your current products to make sure they haven't actually changed their formula. Another thing could be your hormones can come in contact with extra stress and/or stress which could be the reason why you starting to see problems in different areas of your skin. Before you go the dermatologist route, Maybe a few products you may want to try out… But keep in mind most will not help until maybe 2 weeks in.
One of my favorite and probably the lighter or skin care lines would be Philosophy. They actually have a special right now for a group of their products for $40 http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P2…
I also find Dr. Susan Taylor's Rx for Brown skin line very effective.
Another alternative is Avon Clearskin line. They actually also have Immediate Response Cleansers.
I actually use to use Pond for years, but my hormones changes and my skin went a whole different road so I had to play around with products to find a new effective combo.
I have many friends who have tried Mary Kay over the years and they have had major issues. I don't trust the line. In fact, I agree you are (1) using too much and (2) you need to try something other than products from Walmart. See next comment
They are laced with skin irrittating ingredients (and that's not just walmart brands, that most you find at the mall as well). In fact, please read this excellent cheat sheet on what's in the products you are using that are most likely wreaking havoc on your skin http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/pdfs/toxic_ing… Anyway, first, you should try something more natural. Using items containing alchohol will only serve to dry your skin further which puts your glands in overdrive producing excess oil and …..zits! You need to try a natural solution with maybe lemon balm. Lemon balm naturally helps keep the shine on your skin at bay without drying. I just started a organic / natural skin care line and although these item is not listed at my web store http://www.rawelement.etsy.com, I can make items such as lotions, toners, body / face washes for oily skin that do just that. They include lemon balm and lemon hydrosol. They also include lighter plant and flower based oils to moisturize and cleanse (its completely a myth that oil for oily skin is bad. Oil is a great cleanser as it removes dirt and grime and still remains light on the skin). see next
You can message me directly on etsy if you like and I can see what we can do to help you out. Short of that, I believe facials would be great as well. I hate to see you have to get prescription drugs to alleviate the problem as often those bring on serious side effects. Let's see if we can do this the old fashion natural way 🙂
I have experienced hormonal changes in my skin that are EXACTLY like the ones you are mentioning. AND combined with this winter weather it is most likely that the dry skin you do have from the elements, is mixing with an over production of facial oil as your skin attempts to regulate its moisture balance. I have had AMAZING results using Weleda's almond facial oil and an organic cleanser for sensitive skin. I use the oil nightly and a light organic moisturizer during the day. For the occasional breakout spot, try Burt's Bees tee tree oil blemish stick. Its a fabulous spot treatment. Julie above me has GREAT advise—she is right! Natural is the way to go. I am on my way to go and check out her Etsy site<3
Much luck sweetie!
Sara Sophia
Having gone through (and still going through) hormonal changes with my skin I totally understand what you are experiencing right now. What worked for me is the Suki skin care line. It's crazy expensive but the foaming cleaner, balancing toner and oil worked for me. For spot treatments try Mario Badescu drying lotion.
But more importantly I started changing my pillow cover every other day. And I use a freshly laundered washcloth every day. And of course I drink a lot of water. This may sound excessive and obsessive but clear skin is worth it!!
If you are not already doing so, make sure you change your pillowcase frequently and use a good pillow protector. Also, this time of year more people are wearing scarves, which can irritate your skin depending on the fabric content, how sensitive your face is to your laundry detergent/fabric softener, etc. Also keep your cell phone clean as oil, dirt, makeup, etc. will be transferred from your phone to your face.
My skin is far worse now than it was in my teen years. I think it's hormonal, plus I often put my face on my son's head and the hair stuff on his head ends up on my face. Not as bad as when he was a baby/toddler but I still notice.
I totally hear where you’re coming from. I’m also past my teen years & I am still breaking out. I find that the Burts Bees spot treatment from their acne line really dries out my pimples.
Alright!! where do i start?! 🙂
Being a accredited skin care consultant i would not say you are using to much..
since you have oily skin i would definetly make sure all your products are oil free.. if not they can put extra moisture in your skin that you do not need. Since you produce your own natural oils,to much moisture can lead to clogged pores.. from looking at the pictures thats what it looks like 2 me..
there are so many things that can cause breakouts.. hormones,stress, the weather, using the wrong skin care , lack of exfoliation, fragrance, the list can go on and on..
i would recommend switching your regimen.. i highly recommend clinque . We are 100% fragrance free and allergy tested.. every single product we have has been tested on over 600 people individually 12 times.. if anyone showed any signs of breakout the product was reformulated and tested all over again.. I believe in our products. I have clients who had very severe cases of acne and now has not a blemish in sight,. I have personally seen the wonders the skincare can do.. CONT..
with cliniques 3 step the first step is a soap, 2nd clarifying lotion and 3rd a moisturizer. the first 2 steps cleanse your face and takes away your natural oil . the third step is to put that moisture back in.
Also make sure you are not washing your face with very hot or very warm water…
Feel free to ask me any questions!!!
I’ve studied skin care for year and I’m on my way to becoming an esthetician so I hope this help. I don’t endorse or represent any company…just speaking from my personal experiences and my knowledge of skin care.
-Pond’s contain mineral oil which is known to clog pores and cause break outs. You may want to discontinue using skin care products that contain mineral oil.
-Looking at the area you’re breaking out in it looks like it could be a few things. Breakouts on the chin usually indicate hormonal changes or imbalance. Dermalogica Clean Start is great but if you’re using other pore clogging products it could be counterproductive in your goal to eliminate and get rid of the breakout. Breakouts on the upper cheek area could indicate respiratory issues such as asthma or allergies. The lower cheek area could indicate dental issues. If you’re not experiencing issues with anything I named a common source is hair products. I’m not sure about you but I love products and if you wear your hair down on your face it’s very easy for the chemicals to come in contact with your skin and clog your pores.
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-I have oily skin as well and I’ve found that eliminating surfactants such as SLS in my skin care products (mainly my face wash) because it’s so stripping to the skin and it causes your skin to produce more oil by going in “protection” mode
-Keep exfoliating
-Find a great regimen and skin with it. Cleanse twice, tone, moisturize, sun block during the day, exfoliate as needed, and week mask…girl your skin will love you lol.
Hey Chica! I have switched my skincare routine over to more natural products for the last few years and I’ve never had any problems. However I don’t wear makeup often and whenI increased my usage of makeup my skin began to do lots of crazy things! I’ve been through many products to combat this and the most beneficial I’ve used was Burdock Root soap that I bought while in Atlanta. It can be bought online here http://www.naturalelementorganicsoaps.com/catalog/i1.html. The product worked VERY quickly. I’ve since began taking burdock root as a supplement daily because it has cleanses the body (flushes colon, liver, and kidneys). I highly reccommend the supplement AND the soap. The other product that has been working when I run out of the soap is liquid black soap that I purchased from AfroWorld. Hope this helps!
Hi, i need some help i started using rx for brown skin about a week ago and it has broke me out so bad i don’t know if my skin has to get use to the product or its just not for me + i started using clean and clear blackhead eraser. wat should i do? Cuz i’m thinking about trying proactive.