Hi :waving:

I'm new to the forums and was told to speak to you on my questions re my skin care - some helpful advice would be much appreciated!

Basically, I have a problem with mild - moderate acne. I have just turned 30 and have never really had any sort of skin care routine that I have stuck to. I really don't know what to look for etc and too be honest with my partner no longer working, spending alot of money on this sort of thing just isn't something I can do.

I am quite oily around my nose area (have a lot of black heads), break out quite a bit around my mouth & chin and forehead and have very dehydrated/dry cheeks. I have pale skin too. Also seem to be getting deep frown wrinkles on my forehead which I'm not too impressed about!! I also smoke and I am on the pill - which I understand does not help my skin at all.

I have read many forums and from what I can gather, my best bet would possibly be (evening):

Cleanse with Neutragena Oil Free Anti-Acne Wash or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (as I read Cetaphil may not clean off all make up so maybe do a double cleanse?).

Benzac 2.5% - pat on & around the areas you break out.
** Not sure if I should then wash off after leaving for a few hours or if I just leave it on for the rest of the night** then wash off with the Cetaphil cleanser in the morning.

Moisturise - that's where I'm a little stuck, as I have combination skin I am not sure which to use. I have heard mixed reviews about the Cetaphil moisturiser. I've thought about using Neutrogena Healthy Skin Lotion. Or do you have a suggestion as to what may be suitable for my skin? Something that might help tackle the ageing signs as well would be nice.

Of a morning, I would cleanse and moisturise before getting ready for work.

And one more question - should I use a toner or is it not necessary if I use the above method? I have heard that witch hazel toner is fantastic but not sure if I really need to use it.

I have to say, these forums are fantastic - I have honestly learned alot from reading them and I'm really happy I have joined up.

Thanks :worship:

Welcome to the forum Collighan :waving:
Sorry I have no advice.
But welcome anyway.

Hi Collighan,
I am not a skin care expert but I would like to try and help in some way if I can. Firstly you mentioned that you have never really had any sort of skin care routine, I am glad you mentioned this as having a skin care routine is very important for everyone. This doesn't mean that you have to spend a lot of money on expensive products but it is important to take care of your skin by having a routine you do every day without fail.

Cleansing in my opinion is the most important part of any skin care routine. This should be done both morning and in the evening before bed. You mentioned you have problems with acne and a few blackheads etc. I would start using a medicated facial wash such as Benzac facial wash which will help treat the acne and blackheads. This will also help the redness you experience with the breakouts settle. The only thing with benzac is that it can be rather drying on the skin. You could perhaps use benzac in the evenings and something milder like cetaphil in the mornings if this was a problem. However remember you must cleanse am and pm as otherwise all the oil and dirt that builds up is going to go into your skin and next thing you know a huge breakout will occur. It takes a little bit of discipline to get use to doing this but after you have done it a while it will become like second nature and your skin will thank you for it. Oh and lastly do not ever go to bed with your makeup on ever ever ever ok! Repeat after me"I must cleanse am and pm every single day and never ever go to bed with my makeup on ever!

Toners are very much a personal choice. I love them as it makes me feel that my skin is thoroughly cleansed and I feel it prepares my skin for moiturising. I simply soak a cotton pad with my toner of choice and gently swipe it over my face and neck. Toners need not be expensive you can pick up witchhazel and rose water toners very cheaply at pharmacies etc.

Moiturising with acne prone skin can be tricky. I would suggest getting an oil free mosturiser and only using it when and where you need it. If your skin is dry in some places you may need to get one that contains oil just for those extra dry patches.

You also may want to consider getting some type of topical treatment product for your acne affected areas. These generally contain acids etc which help promote drying and healing of the acne.

Also Sunscreen in super important. You really must wear sunscreen every single day to protect your skin. There are plenty of oil free sunscreens on the market.

You could even try somewhere like priceline for your products. They have a huge variety and have products to suit every budget otherwise a pharmacy is your other option.

Hope this hasn't confused things too much. Feel free to ask our skin care guru's for further advice as I said I am not an expert. Just tried to offer you some budget firendly advice as often products and new skincare regimes can end up costing big $$$!! Good Luck!

Thanks Pinkcupcake :clapping:

I always have had the best intentions of getting into a routine with my skin but it always seemed to fall by the wayside after a week or so, but absolutely now I want to do the right thing and really start to look after myself.

So for example if I cleansed with Cetaphil of a morning and Benzac of an evening - would there be no need for the use of the Benzac 2.5% cream? I just presumed that was the way to do it from what I read in other forums. But then again, everyone is different and has different needs with their skin.

So it's not overly necessacary to moisturise everytime you cleanse? I figured that was the way to do it (please excuse my ignorance but I wasn't joking when I said I really have no idea on skin care). But I would presume if I used a toner I would have to moisturise afterwards - only thinking this way as every toner I have used (on the few times I've used it) has always made my face feel quite dry. But I guess the ones I used to use may have been alcohol based.

I think the 2 different types of moisturisers may be a good idea for me, oil free for my nose & chin area and one containing oil for my cheeks etc.

Thanks so much for the advice - it is very appreciated and I am currently repeating "I must cleanse am and pm every single day and never ever go to bed with my makeup on ever! :chuckle:

Also, Trash thanks for the welcome.

:penguin:

I would use the Benzac facial wash instead of the topical cream. You need to be careful with toner as some have a large amount of alcohol in them which can be very drying on the skin. Things such as pure rosewater are good to go with as they are very gentle on the skin.

Ok, I'm all set to go. I found some Neutrogena Healthy Skin in my cupboard so I'll use that for my moisturiser as I've seen it mentioned alot in these forums and it seems to be quite popular. Will give it a go and if it doesn't help my skin, I'll try something new.

I think I will exfoliate once a week as well - asked this question in another forum but will check here as well - considering my combination skin, any suggestions as to a good one for me to use?

Thanks alot

Hi Collighan,

when it comes to an economical way to get started with a complete skin care routine you can't go past the alpha h active kit.

the gals on the forum always rave about it too.. you can check out the reviews here: http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/adorebeauty/viewitem.asp?idproduct=5378

You may find that for two masks, an exfoliant as well as a cleanser and moisturiser it's cheaper than the chemist while still being a cosmeceutical product specifically to treat your concerns.

I would also like to see you using the liquid gold too: http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/adorebeauty/viewitem.asp?idproduct=381

again read the review on that one.

The glycolic in these products will work on improving the texture of your skin while getting in there and clearing out the pores, in this way it is preventative.

If you are concerned about lines and wrinkles then the fags have got to go girlfriend :chuckle:
They are horrible oxidants on the skin and as you say the pill puts extra pressure on the system in this way.

I could recommend some great additions to the program to make it more of an antiaging skin program but for now I think start on the active kit which gives you products to cover all bases there and if you can manage to get the liquid gold that would be REALLY great for results (it refines the skin so those lines wont feel as prominant). That will tide you over for a while then and when you are ready we can add to the routine to target any nasty lines and wrinkles :vomit:

Check out those links that i have included and have a good read and let me know what you think

:penguin:

oh and yes-definitely use an eye cream... let me know if you need help with that one... I love the ultraceuticals eye creams and the dermadoctor one is lovely too... (we stock all those)

Yes the kit has two masks. You can apply the purifying first and follow with the glycolic one- do this once a week or you can space them at different times during the week.

so your routine will look like this:

am
cleanse- triple action cleanser

apply balancing moisturiser and eye cream

apply light broad specturm 30+ sunscreen.

pm
cleanse as above

apply liquid gold

apply balancing moisturiser and eye cream


other:
exfoliate 2-3x week with microcleanse exfoliant (this is done after cleansing)

then apply a mask (after exfoliating) (and follow with your liquid gold and or moisturiser)

make sense?

Hello and welcome Collighan!

PCC and Allison are right on the mark (of course!)

Another thing to consider though is the makeup you wear. Do you wear much makeup? If so, it is really important to choose carefully. If you must wear foundation, there are a few ones out there suitable for acne prone skin. Ultraceuticals mineral foundation is a compact foundation with no irritants - it is great for troubled or sensitive skin. I have very oily although not (acne-prone) skin and this is great; however if you suffer a lot of shine during the day you may find this slips off a bit. I do, but it is still a wonderful product.

Clinique do a mattifying foundation for break-out skin too, and I think Dermalogica do as well.

With cleansers, options as gentle as Cetaphil but with better cleansing/makeup removal abilities include Ego, Hamilton and Dermaveen; all are cheap but high quality chemist brands.

With sunscreens, Invisible Zinc is excellent. It may seem off-putting because it is quite thick but trust me, it is great on break-out or sensitive skin because zinc is really healing.

Hamilton and Ego also do tinted sunscreens for oily skin, at good prices.

One final thing - remember to always treat your skin with gentleness, kindness and respect. Don't use really harsh things to treat the acne - it will only make it worse. And I know, I had it as a teen!

Please keep us posted on your progress and welcome again :)

Thanks guys - I'll keep you posted on my success.

And I say success because that's how I intend it to be!! :spin:

Just one more thing - the moisturiser I have to use is Neutrogena Healthy Skin, is this enough? I read on the bottle that it can be used under your moisturiser. I'm thinking maybe I should get myself another moisturiser as well.

I am not familiar with that neutrogena product I'm afraid. I recommended products that I know well :question:

My sister uses benzac (http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s388-s-BENZAC.aspx) and it really eradicates the scars. The occurrence of the pimple is almost unavoidable but with this medicine my sister is assured that when the pimple will disappear there won’t be any scar left behind.

I have started using Benzac (2.5%) as part of my routine in the hope to clear my skin right up in time for the wedding.

I use Cetaphil in the morning, and the Olay total effects cleanser in the evenings, with Benzac both morning and evening. If my skin is feeling a little dry I put a little bit of Olay total effects on top of the dry bits.

My makeup has never looked so good, and my skin tone is really evening up. I am literally amazed! And I have only been using this for just over a week, so i'm sticking to it! (and its soooooo cheap!)

Hi Tim Tam, great to see you on the forum!

The active ingredient works really well in a short period of time, but do watch the dryness and then maybe reduce to once a day.

Did you Sydneysiders hear you are getting a public holiday on the 7th Sept because of the ANPEC? Can't believe it either?!!

Hi Tim Tam, great to see you on the forum!

The active ingredient works really well in a short period of time, but do watch the dryness and then maybe reduce to once a day.

Did you Sydneysiders hear you are getting a public holiday on the 7th Sept because of the ANPEC? Can't believe it either?!!

Woo HOO! I know! It's my birthday weekend too! I am so stoked we get a long weekend!

Thanks guys. I'm on to my third day of using my Cetaphil & Benzac and I can certainly feel the difference. Still not 100% happy with the moisturiser I have, currently using Johnsons Clean & Clear Oil Free of a night and Neutrogena Healthy Skin of a morning. Thinking of going for the Olay Total Effects, I think that will be the best for me. Have noticed though I'm getting a pretty decent breakout around my chin/jawlilne - has that happened to anyone else when first starting to use this sort of thing? Or is that a sign I'm using the wrong products? I thought maybe it was part of the 'clearing' process.
So Tim Tam you use the Benzac twice daily, do you find your skin extra dry? I'm not sure what difference to expect from the Benzac, so far I am putting it just on the areas where I break out (very thin layer) and as I mentioned, I'm starting to break out around my chin area so I honestly don't know if the Benzac is really working for me or not. Maybe I'll try applying it twice daily or possibly go up in strength. Think I'll wait for the current break out to calm down and see how my skin is after that.:penguin:

the neutrogena healthy skin cream has aha's in it though I'm not sure how much & even if it is ph balanced, i'm not sure if this would 'interfere' with the other things u r using

Thanks guys. I'm on to my third day of using my Cetaphil & Benzac and I can certainly feel the difference. Still not 100% happy with the moisturiser I have, currently using Johnsons Clean & Clear Oil Free of a night and Neutrogena Healthy Skin of a morning. Thinking of going for the Olay Total Effects, I think that will be the best for me. Have noticed though I'm getting a pretty decent breakout around my chin/jawlilne - has that happened to anyone else when first starting to use this sort of thing? Or is that a sign I'm using the wrong products? I thought maybe it was part of the 'clearing' process.
So Tim Tam you use the Benzac twice daily, do you find your skin extra dry? I'm not sure what difference to expect from the Benzac, so far I am putting it just on the areas where I break out (very thin layer) and as I mentioned, I'm starting to break out around my chin area so I honestly don't know if the Benzac is really working for me or not. Maybe I'll try applying it twice daily or possibly go up in strength. Think I'll wait for the current break out to calm down and see how my skin is after that.:penguin:

Hi again Collighan,

It would take more than a afew days to notice a difference with the Benzac - its hard but try to be patient and stick to the routine! Also, sticking only to the pimple areas is great - it can really dry out the rest of the skin and cause more problems.

Re the Olay moisturiser, I'm not sure this is the best option for your skin. Ask Allison but perhaps something like the Ultraceuticals Ultra Hydrating Gel or a serum of some sort. I cannot remember if this has been suggested before but pure rosehip oil is great for troubled skins. I have oily skin and it is great on it. I could even use it when I used to have frequent break outs because it is a 'dry' oil.

this was my original response:

"am
cleanse- triple action cleanser

apply balancing moisturiser and eye cream

apply light broad specturm 30+ sunscreen.

pm
cleanse as above
apply liquid gold

apply balancing moisturiser and eye cream


other:
exfoliate 2-3x week with microcleanse exfoliant (this is done after cleansing)

then apply a mask (after exfoliating) (and follow with your liquid gold and or moisturiser)"

the balancing moisturiser is excellent for clearing and hydrating for sure. Let me know if you need anything else more specific

xxx
:penguin: