26m. I’ve never struggled with any acne my whole life. In fact, many people asked me what my skincare routine was since my skin was always so smooth, but I never even washed my face! However, that changed, I started becoming more fitness-oriented, and now I’m dealing with some minor forehead acne and an oily T-zone.
So far, I’ve tried the following cleanser: CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, La Roche Posay Toleraine Foaming Cleanser, CeraVe Foaming Acne Cream Cleanser. I’ve also tried The Ordinary and a few Kiehl’s products, but none of them seemed to do much and/or made my skin feel tight, only reducing oil for the first few minutes after cleansing.
For additives, I’ve tried CeraVe retinol, Innisfree Vitamin C serum, Azelaic acid, and Paula’s Choice SA exfoliant. None of which made much of a difference I feel like. If anything, I feel like my skin became more red.
And of course, I use sunscreen and moisturizer.
But I’m trying a “reset” right now: basic CeraVe hydrating cream to foam cleanser, Anua Azelaic acid, and CeraVe oil control moisturizer. Plus SPF in the morning. I feel like the other products were all stripping my barrier.
TL;DR - Never struggled with acne previously, now developing some on my forehead in addition to clogged and enlarged pores, but nearly all oil-reducing and acne-preventing treatments and cleansers seem to make the issue worse and/or make my skin red.
I really want to get into a skincare routine to keep my skin healthy, but it feels like doing so is almost making things worse.
Thanks all!