Skincare - let's sperg about routines and products

[Character from a movie]

Hello ladies, I need your expertise. It seems I developed a couple of cysts along my jaw (I think due to hormones and stress). It's never happened to me before so I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, especially because I have very sensitive and very pale skin so it gets irritated extremely easily. Do I just leave them be and wait until they're gone? Is there any product that can help them get reabsorbed?

Do you mean "cysts" or "zits", like pimples and such? I'm not a skin expert but as far as I know cysts are more like tiny balls made of... something under your skin, and they don't just go away if you give them time or wash your face (I think). Also I'm not sure if they develop due to hormones and stress. But if what you have are pimples, then do what Diet Cake said.

 

[HIVidaBoheme]

3. Spot treatment (diluted tea tree oil, 2% benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, Mario badescu, etc.) under some sort of pimple patch before bed.

I keep a salicylic acid soap bar for pimples and it helps a lot. Just gently apply to the area and let it sit for 30 seconds then rinse off with warm water after doing the other steps.

Though for sensitive skins maybe leave it on for 20 or 15 secods instead. Follow the good rule of thumb of testing a product on a different discrete area of your skin first to find out if you're not allergic or too sensitive for a product.

 

[Beluga]

Has it come to a head yet? I've found cysts that never come to a head take forever to go away, so I try to help it along.

What personally worked for me:
1. Warm compress throughout the day
2. At night, short contact therapy with 10% benzoyl peroxide (leave on for 3-5 minutes, wash off)
3. Spot treatment (diluted tea tree oil, 2% benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, Mario badescu, etc.) under some sort of pimple patch before bed.

Some people have success with applying evening primrose oil or drinking spearmint tea for hormonal acne, but I've never tried them.

Good luck, hope your skin calms down.

I keep a salicylic acid soap bar for pimples and it helps a lot. Just gently apply to the area and let it sit for 30 seconds then rinse off with warm water after doing the other steps.

Though for sensitive skins maybe leave it on for 20 or 15 secods instead. Follow the good rule of thumb of testing a product on a different discrete area of your skin first to find out if you're not allergic or too sensitive for a product.

Thank you for your advice, ladies! I'll see what I can find around here.

Do you mean "cysts" or "zits", like pimples and such? I'm not a skin expert but as far as I know cysts are more like tiny balls made of... something under your skin, and they don't just go away if you give them time or wash your face (I think). Also I'm not sure if they develop due to hormones and stress. But if what you have are pimples, then do what Diet Cake said.

I think they are cysts but I'm not too sure, tbh. Both of them came to a tiny head at one point in the last month and I stupidly squeezed them. I thought they had drained completely but I can still feel a sort of small ball underneath the skin and if you look at them from the side you can see the skin is raised like a bump, if that makes sense. They don't look nor feel like my typical, run-of-the-mill zits.

For sure one thing I learnt is not to squeeze spots like a fucking idiot.

 

[Character from a movie]

I think they are cysts but I'm not too sure, tbh. Both of them came to a tiny head at one point in the last month and I stupidly squeezed them. I thought they had drained completely but I can still feel a sort of small ball underneath the skin and if you look at them from the side you can see the skin is raised like a bump, if that makes sense. They don't look nor feel like my typical, run-of-the-mill zits.

Maybe they're boils. Maybe. Yeah, the rule of thumb when it comes to skin care is "don't touch it". One thing I know is that cysts grow over the years.

 

[NoReturn]

Thank you for your advice, ladies! I'll see what I can find around here.

I think they are cysts but I'm not too sure, tbh. Both of them came to a tiny head at one point in the last month and I stupidly squeezed them. I thought they had drained completely but I can still feel a sort of small ball underneath the skin and if you look at them from the side you can see the skin is raised like a bump, if that makes sense. They don't look nor feel like my typical, run-of-the-mill zits.

For sure one thing I learnt is not to squeeze spots like a fucking idiot.

Might still be cysts. Sometimes when you drain cysts they leave a little "pocket" behind that you can't get rid of unless it's surgically removed. Shit sucks.
I recommend seeing a dermatologist if you get anything that's unusual so you can get it chopped off/out before it grows too big.
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Edit:
No-makeup Kiwi women - What do you do/what's your routine? Every skincare ad and routine I've seen always includes an assumption you're wearing makeup on a regular basis, if not every day.

 

[Fialovy]

Edit:
No-makeup Kiwi women - What do you do/what's your routine? Every skincare ad and routine I've seen always includes an assumption you're wearing makeup on a regular basis, if not every day.

I don't wear makeup on a regular basis and I admit, I used to do a lot more when I was a teen, but not so much anymore now that my skin isn't super oily anymore between age and birth control. I did go back to my old routine of neutrogena when I was wearing masks more regularly and breaking out, but now that my skin has recovered, I am not really sure. I admit, I am still kind of clueless when it comes to skincare in your late 20s/30s, but I should probably do something.

 

[Diet Cake]

Edit:
No-makeup Kiwi women - What do you do/what's your routine? Every skincare ad and routine I've seen always includes an assumption you're wearing makeup on a regular basis, if not every day.

I don't find my skincare routine to be that much different from when I was wearing a full face of makeup every day vs now all I use is mascara. Cleanse, moisturize, spf. Everything else is extra.

 

[Sarah Connor]

No-makeup Kiwi women - What do you do/what's your routine? Every skincare ad and routine I've seen always includes an assumption you're wearing makeup on a regular basis, if not every day.

Morning;
- Cerave moisturizing cleanser
- Fourth Ray Beauty charcoal clarifying tonic
- VERSED Vacation Eyes vitamin c eye serum
- Neutrogena hyaluronic acid moisturizer
- Carmex lip balm
- Fourth Ray Beauty hyaluronic acid facial spray
- Biore SPF 50 essence if I’m leaving the house

Night;
- Cerave cleanser, charcoal tonic, VERSED eye serum as before
- Fourth Ray Beauty vitamin c oil
- Neutrogena hyaluronic acid moisturizer
- Vaseline in eyebrows, lips, smile line and eye bags.

Once a week I’ll use The Ordinary’s Lactic Acid concentrate and on Sunday nights I’ll use a gentle retinol cream.
I do wear makeup but I don’t wear foundation - it clogs my pores way too easily even with moisturizer/primer so I tend to avoid it. The only makeup I’ll wear is brow gel, mascara, and a little bit of tight lined eyeliner. If I actually wear foundation/concealer then I’ll use PONDS cold cream over Cerave.

 

[Vingle]

tretinoin makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Myth. It's about retinol, but retinol has to convert to tretinoin/retinoic acid, for it to do anything.

Might still be cysts. Sometimes when you drain cysts they leave a little "pocket" behind that you can't get rid of unless it's surgically removed. Shit sucks.
I recommend seeing a dermatologist if you get anything that's unusual so you can get it chopped off/out before it grows too big.

Well, fuck. I have one on my jaw now, but it's small and just sits there. Because at first, it was big and painful, without touching it too. So used high frequency wand on it. I deficiently need another round of isotret, but haven't bothered doing it and it's Xmas soon. So need to use money elsewhere, and I do keep the zits at bay. If I zap the fuck out of my face each day.

So I get it checked out next year.

No-makeup Kiwi women - What do you do/what's your routine? Every skincare ad and routine I've seen always includes an assumption you're wearing makeup on a regular basis, if not every day.

I would check out Melodee Morita and skeleton lady. Melodee is pretty hideous with make-up on. Don't take actual tips from her, Asian skin-gurus usually don't know shit about skincare (like Western gurus too, what a surprise) and there is a lot of pseudo-science with all their extracts and whatnot.
Stay far away from foaming cleaners. Those foaming from the pumps is okay, some. Like Hadalabo (Biorè is a huge no), but those foaming from a paste is death to the skin.
I don't care what people mean about fragrance in skincare, it is an irritant and does NOT belong on the face. Spray some perfume under your shirt if it's that important. Even skeleton lady is a fan of scented stuff, just not on the face

The secret is, if you have zits. Isotret or spirolactone. Don't got experience with spirolactone, as I'm a manchild. But I know that Rachel from Rachel & Jun on jewtube is on it.

Tretinoin evens out everything. I've used it under all of my cures with isotret. The dermatologists natively from my country is freaking the fuck out by the idea. Meanwhile I did have the best skin-days of my life.

Salicylic acid keeps away some sebum after the isotret is out of the system, and keep the sebacious filaments at bay (black dots on the nose)
Vaseline/slug-face in the evening to seal in all the actives and moisturiser. Can probably use a sleeping pack, but they're just heavy on dimethicone and petrolatum is far superior at sealing.

I've never really not used green tea, but a cheap serum with green tea is the caffeine serum with EGCG from The Ordinary. Or another brand that's copying TO, just check the ingredients. Caffeine do suppress some redness too

And sunscreen with whitecast is good for blurring out the skin. Without it looking fake like foundation.
Only works on pail princesses, but pail is beauty and the sun is a death ray. I do prefer some shine/dewyness. People can whine all they want about it, but the though of becoming a prune is horrible. And the shine is a feature, not a bug. UV is supposed to reflect off the skin, while the rest is absorbed.
Take your D vitamin and fear the sun.

 

[Freya]

I have taken to using bleach baths with great success to combat acne on my ass and thighs.

Exfoliating, loose clothing and stridex pads didn't do much. But this works wonders. Sometimes I even just rub it directly onto my skin and let it dry!

I'm going to try tea tree oil next

 

[Character from a movie]

I have taken to using bleach baths with great success to combat acne on my ass and thighs.

It's the first time I hear of bleach baths. They look safe, as long as you're careful, I suppose. How long have you been doing them?

 

[Clown Baby]

No-makeup Kiwi women - What do you do/what's your routine? Every skincare ad and routine I've seen always includes an assumption you're wearing makeup on a regular basis, if not every day.

I almost never wear makeup. In the morning I just splash water on my face and blot it off with a clean face towel. I generally only wash my face with cleanser in the shower, and I switch off between Burt's Bees Sensitive Cleanser and Burt's Bees Renewal Refining Cleanser, after that comes toner (I also switch off products with this, between a basic Dickinson's witch hazel toner and Touch Glycolic Acid and Rosewater Toner), Simplified Skin Eye Cream, and either Burt's Bees Firming Day Lotion or Body Merry Super C-22 Moisturizer. Before bed I splash water on my face again, after that here and there I will use a glycolic acid pad and a sheet mask followed by night cream, but most of the time I just wet my face, dry it, and go to bed. My skin is in the best condition it's been for quite a while. Less is more imo especially if you are not prone to acne.

 

[Freya]

It's the first time I hear of bleach baths. They look safe, as long as you're careful, I suppose. How long have you been doing them?

On and off for a few months.
I average about 3 times a week with a soak in warm bleach water now. I can only speak for myself but it's almost scary how effective it is. I'd suggest it for anyone that has body acne that wont respond to anything else. Just don't forget to moisturize afterward

 

[Character from a movie]

On and off for a few months.
I average about 3 times a week with a soak in warm bleach water now. I can only speak for myself but it's almost scary how effective it is. I'd suggest it for anyone that has body acne that wont respond to anything else. Just don't forget to moisturize afterward

Three times? Doesn't it irritate your skin?

 

[Freya]

Three times? Doesn't it irritate your skin?

No, not really. It dries it out a little but that's about it. You're only using about 1/4 cup in a regular sized bath. It's basically pool water

 

[celebrityskin]

Someone enlighten me on the cerave fad.

 

[NoReturn]

Someone enlighten me on the cerave fad.

To my understanding: Boomer-dad-brand has embraced zoomers and is actively marketing itself as a cheap and effective skincare brand. This is supported by cult followings on TikTok and skincare influencers like this dude:

Spoiler: He seems obnoxious

 

[Good Hank]

Hello all. I've been using Purity's microdelivery exfoliant (really gentle), YTTP superfood cleanser and Neutrogina Hydrogel Moisturizer. I don't use the exfoliant more than 2x/wk. It never seemed to work anyway.

Well I got dermaplaning today and realized why nothing ever works. You should have seen the shit that came off of my face. Mostly dead skin. How long should I wait before using the exfoliant again to keep my skin in this state? No soreness or irritation as there was a lot of moisture during the treatment.

 

[Yaoi Zowie]

Someone enlighten me on the cerave fad.

I don't know about the fad part but they tend to make good products and are affordable. That's about it. They seem to formulate their products well and don't add unnecessary fragrance or pander to "clean beauty" BS. Their stuff is generally pretty interchangeable with Cetaphil in terms of price-to-performance.

CeraVe's shtick, which is where they got their name from, is that they add ceramides to all their products. There seems to be good evidence that ceramides are beneficial for the function of your skin barrier (retaining moisture and reducing irritation from outside sources).

Dermatologists have recommended their stuff for ages and I guess the hype is catching up with them now. I'm a fan of their moisturizers and cleansers.

E:

Hello all. I've been using Purity's microdelivery exfoliant (really gentle), YTTP superfood cleanser and Neutrogina Hydrogel Moisturizer. I don't use the exfoliant more than 2x/wk. It never seemed to work anyway.

Well I got dermaplaning today and realized why nothing ever works. You should have seen the shit that came off of my face. Mostly dead skin. How long should I wait before using the exfoliant again to keep my skin in this state? No soreness or irritation as there was a lot of moisture during the treatment.

I wish I was knowledgeable enough to help precisely, but could you just call the office where you got the dermaplaning done and have them ask the doctor for you? I'd trust their knowledge more than ours.

 

[GeorgiaGuidestones]

I finally caught up on this thread and am so glad it’s here.

I started taking care of my skin in my late twenties but still ended up with skin cancer because of sun worship years before. However, I’ve gotten deeper into skin care after I was diagnosed.

Since I’m an old hag now, I tried Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty line. Gimmicky, I know, but I loved it. Especially, the eye cream. My eyes looked better than ever. The only thing that made me stop using the products were the price and the obnoxious perfume. It was wy too much and I could still smell the nighttime routine the next morning.

I’m still searching for my perfect routine but I’m getting closer.

To my understanding: Boomer-dad-brand has embraced zoomers and is actively marketing itself as a cheap and effective skincare brand. This is supported by cult followings on TikTok and skincare influencers like this dude:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CnLKDjFy5tE

Spoiler: He seems obnoxious

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TgNDy3a0mFk

I’ve watched Hyram. He’s OK but he’s more geared for zoomers. I think his buddy Brad Mondo (the hair stylist) is way more annoying.

Speaking of hair. Has anyone tried Function of Beauty for their hair? Mine has terrible breakage and I’m looking for products to help with that.