I am male and currently suffering from red irritated skin and acne around my cheek/ jaw area. I am 19 and have never really suffered with acne, but suddenly developed it quite bad 6 months- 1 year ago. My girlfriend thinks that it is hormonal acne? I am not really experienced in skin care but this is my current routine. Any amendments or things that need adding? (I have added a picture of what my skin looks like after my morning routine)
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Hi, thank you very much for the help! My girlfriend currently uses a salicylic acid product so I will be sure to borrow that and try it out! :)
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I would contact a dermatologist (they will leave scars in your skin). I'm sure a doctor would prescribe some antibiotics.
On a skincare level, I would use simple white clay mask (buy it im powder, not a ready to use one as the pure powder clay does not contain any other s***t ingredients). To apply 3 times a week it will purify your skin and help you with dicrease the redness.
“Kaolin absorbs sebum and prevents pore clogging. It's used to draw out impurities and toxins from the pores. [It then] clears the skin of excess oil, dirt, and pollution without causing any redness or irritation,” says Alessandra Caceres, a licensed aesthetician and founder of Lavender Facial Bar.Feb 17, 2021
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Yes I was thinking about seeing a dermatologist as I can just not get rid of the acne.
I will take a look at the simple white clay mask and give it a try. Thank you so much for the help and sorry for the late reply! :)
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Hi Rio, I'm not a dermatologist, but I went through the same thing at your age. I remember thinking it seemed odd because I never had acne as a younger teenager when many of my friends had. Honestly, I tried a lot of really fancy, expensive treatments at the dermatologists office, but they didn't help me. Please take this with a grain of salt because again, I'm not a doctor and because our cases may have different causes. I will say that unfortunately, my acne persisted well into adulthood until I changed my diet to be totally plant based (vegan). I also drink a lot of water and get plenty of vitamin C. If you can try and resist picking, which I know is very difficult, you will prevent having scars later. Don't fret if you already have scars because they can be significantly improved. I get complimented on my skin ALL the time, but it still hasn't registered that my skin is finally what I'd hoped it would be. Lastly, if you decide to try being plant based, it's very important to take B12 and good omega 3 supplements because those are the only things that are hard to get from a plant diet. What you're going through is really hard, but I promise it will get better.
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Hi, thank you so much for this message- hearing that you was in the same situation and improved your skin makes me feel a lot better. :)
Coincidentally I have started being a lot more plant based (not completely), I have recently cut dairy completely out of my diet because I heard it is bad for skin etc, so hopefully that will have a benefit to me. I will definitely look at starting to take omega 3 (I take b12 already).
Thank you for the help, you have made me feel a lot more positive about the situation. :)
The Simple moisturisers are a little too simple, they wear off too quickly - try going one step up to CeraVe PM + AM moisturizers for lasting effect.
If your skin type is oily, the CeraVe hydrating cleanser is not enough - try the CeraVe Foaming Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin instead.
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I had looked through a few peoples skincare routines on this website, and keep seeing about the cerave PM and AM moisturisers so I will definitely give them a try.
My skin is not very oily but also not dry, so I would just say it is normal type (I think).
thank you for your recommendations. :)
It looks pretty concentrated by where you have facial hair growth. Is there a shaving routine that is newer that could be irritating skin
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That is something I have thought about- I had changed to using electric shavers rather than an actual razor, as I heard that shaving to the skin can cause ingrown hairs and acne? :)
This might be not acne but irritation from the shaving routine. I'd try switching back to how you've shaved before, and make sure to use super gentle shaving products (ideally fragrance free). If you can, maybe pause shaving for a bit to let your skin calm down. I am not a shaving expert, but I think there is no "best way to shave" that fits everyone. Any shaving method can result in ingrown hairs, so if your old way worked, it might be your ideal one.
Second the recommendation to use a sunscreen - it will prevent dark pigmentation from where the spots are.
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Hi, seeing all the comments about exfoliating and using retinol/tretinoin I recommend you look for a good sunscreen before starting to use anything new. Those are all very good suggestions but they can make your skin more prone to sun damage, so maybe look for a moisturiser with spf (30 minimum) or a good mineral sunscreen as the mineral filters tend to work better with acne prone skin
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When it comes to treating the active acne, I found that I can remove the pimple and prevent scarring using a set of "comedone tools" - these are little metal loops and things to help to get the pus out in a targeted manner without leaving a scar or leaving any behind.
Whenever I get a pimple nowadays, I wait a couple of days for it to reach a certain size that means, then I use the comedone tool (follow in the instructions and watch a video!), apply antiseptic and a little menthol comedone plaster (the little round ones), and then it's gone by the morning.
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I would recommend that you go get extractions done (usually part of a facial) with an aesthetician rather than using the comedone tools on yourself for the first time. An aesthetician will also be able to clear your skin (temporarily) by removing your acne & then help you figure out a skincare regimen that would work best for the long term.
Hello! It does look like hormonal acne to me as well. I am not an expert but I struggle with hormonal acne as a side effect due to medication. Yours looks quite a bit like mine. What helped me out a lot was to incorporate some gentle salicylic acid in my cleansing routine and using a gentle exfoliator every night before sleep. I use is the Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser from Cosrx in the morning on the areas I am likely to get acne and at night I used the BHA Blackhead Power Liquid from Cosrx. This pretty much cleared most of my acne without irritating my skin.
I hope this helps.