Keep my skin young

New to skincare, in early twenties.

I started exfoliating a few months ago after spots, red and painful to the touch, started appearing more often on and around my forehead (nodules or papules I think). I have an oily t-zone and although my routine has helped massively, I still have blemishes and darker areas of skin left by spots.

My nightcare routine works well with Nivea q10 energy rarely breaking me out (so long as it is not applied too liberally), but my day cream often leaves my skin greasy and less smooth. Tiny bumps appear which are visible close up in the mirror but are too small to really feel physically. Cosrx products have helped with this but I would still like to get rid of the small indentations and discoloration left by spots or at least make new imperfections less common. I have never tried serums or toners but am open to suggestions.

I would also like to keep away fine forehead lines which currently become more apparent after raising eyebrows to put contact lenses in. Would you recommend derma rolling for this and are there any rollers in particular you would recommend?

My price range is anything but high end, ideally ~£15 a product or less, but I am open to spending more on products that will last a long time.

Thanks in advance

Vichy - Normaderm Phytosolution Purifying Gel Face Wash

Maria from WIMJ

2 years ago

In your place, I'd look into starting a retinoid regimen. This routine, for example: https://whatsinmyjar.com/skincare-routines/public/7427 The retinoid product there is above your preferred price point, but you can substitute it for more affordable options like this:

Also, this guide to retinoids for anti-aging might be helpful: https://whatsinmyjar.com/skin-concerns/wimj-guide-for-retinoids-part-1-anti-aging

ActionPotential

2 years ago

One critical factor that wasn't mentioned is SPF. In your twenties, every day without sunscreen will be a week of pain in your forties. If antiaging is of any concern, not using SPF for your skin would be akin to not brushing your teeth for your mouth. You can get beautifully elegant sunscreens that will double as a moisturizer, smooth the skin and mattify it at the same time. Having great sunscreen is literally my real-life Insta filter nowadays, and that can increase one motivation to consistently use sunscreen immensely (La Roche Posay mattifying sunscreen is a great example of one suitable for oily skin).

Now as for your routine, you can't go too wrong with the companies you choose. However, here are some suggestions:

1. Having both the COSRX essence and the all-in-one cream with a moisturizer is absolute overkill for oily skin at your age. I would start by taking the essence off. Give it two weeks... if your skin still feels greasy in the morning, take also the all-in-one cream off the morning routine. Consider incorporating Ordinary Zinc + Niacinamide instead, as it can help mitigate the oiliness and the post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation you have described.

2. The Nivea Q10 is pretty good for its price, however, if you're price concise you could probably get similar (if not better results) with Loreal Triple-Active night cream- which in most countries sells for half of the price of Nivea. Personally, I wouldn't use them on the face because they contain perfume that may aggravate your skin problems, especially if applied to the skin with an impaired barrier due to pimples. Consider replacing these with CeraVe night cream, which is affordable, and safer and the formulation is better suited for oily skin.

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