Need help please-overwhelmed with questions!
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Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:26 am

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I'm so excited to have found this forum. I didn't realize that I was not the only one so interested in skincare topics! I am particularly impressed with Masby's knowledge and as such Masby, maybe you, and others, could help me out??

I keep trying to come up with a skincare routine that is effective and end up feeling overwhelmed with all the possibilities! I would like to come up with a standard routine for a.m. and p.m. As a single working mother of a very active 5-year old my time is limited Smile

I get a lot of whiteheads that seem to persist. My t-zone is SOMETIMES oily, but can be flaky and dry as well! I think I have combination skin, but sometimes think it's more on the drier side. I'm 34, have olive skin, which used to be mostly clear. Lately I've been breaking out more, particularly on the chin and forehead and upper lip.

My doctor prescribed Differin for me which I've been trying only on my forehead for experimental reasons, for the past 3 1/2 weeks. I've broken out a little but understand this may be normal. I have had no irritation thus far - maybe a little flakiness (but still some oiliness!).I use the Differin at night and on the rest of my face use Murad Night Essential Treatment with glycolic acid. I think some of the whiteheads have broken out and formed into regular pimples which I assume means it's working.

My doctor said I could use the Murad with the Differin together but I'm concerned it might be too irritating/drying. Does anyone know if the two can/should be used together or what my options are? I have yet to combine them on the same part of my face.

I don't have a "standard" nighttime moisturizer to follow the treatment - any suggestions? At night I wash my face, put on Differin on my forehad and Murad on the rest of my face and a Prescriptives eye cream and then sometimes a moisturizer. Any suggestions for a better/alternative routine at night?

In the morning I wash my face, sometime with just a toner (non-drying, Paula's Choice). And then I put on my CoverGirl tinted moisturizer with SPF 15.

I want to add a Vitamin C serum to the a.m. but am not sure which one? Any suggestions? I used to use N.V. Perricone's nighttime Vitamin C Ester treatment which I actually liked but want to use Vitamin C in the a.m. now instead. I've heard of J/A/S/O/N's vitamin C line - anyone try it? I'm also thinking of Skinceuticals C 10.

Sorry this is so long! I guess what I'm looking for is recommendations on a standard routine to simplify things and not feel so overwhelmed but get great results of course (no more pimples or whiteheads!). I would also like to try a mask of some sort periodically. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!!

free skin care · Fri Jun 25, 2004 10:34 am

Hey morelia,

I think you may have combination but dehydrated skin. As for the serums;
You may want to try Skinceuticals C+AHA, Hydra B-5 gel followed by a good sunblock. If you have any scars or pigmentation from past break then add in Phyto+. Make sure you use a sunblock.

As for me I have oily sometimes combination sensitive skin and I am planning to order
Viver Vitamin C and Phyto+ with DDF organic sunblock spf30.

Hope this helps but I really hope Masby or caspers mum replies.

free skin care · Fri Jun 25, 2004 1:05 pm

Hi, I'm a single mom with a little one running around as well. My skin is olive and combo. Sometimes it gets dry on the cheeks but generally a bit oily in the t-zone and fairly normal elsewhere, though the sides of my chin sometimes can be flaky and oily at the same time. Here's my routine. It is fairly simple so might work for you, too.

In the morning:
AHA cleanser (Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser)then
C+ Firming Serum all over face and neck including under eyes.(12% concentration and very nicely priced at $3 Cool

Then Relax-A-Line for crow's feet and frown lines. (sort of a topical botox)
Then sunscreen and Nivea CoQ10 around eyes.

During the day I use little oil-blotting papers in my t-zone (or any paper that is available in a pinch)

At night:
Same cleanser. Sometimes I might use a peel or a scrub - maybe once each week.
Retin-A 0.025% all over face and neck but not in eye area.
Relax-A-Line again.
Nivea CoQ10 again in eye area.

Maybe once each week I will use Jojoba oil all over my face at night to balance out my skin. When it starts flaking AND being oily, the jojoba oil seems to calm it down and rebalance it.

I use Desert Essence Jojoba Oil, NuSkin Polishing Peel, St. Ives Apricot scrub, prescription Retin-A, C+Firming and Relax-A-Line from CellularSkinRx.com.

I hope this helps a bit. Smile

Fri Jun 25, 2004 4:01 pm

Thank you indianT and betterat40 so much for replying! Both of your recommendations sound good and I'm going to look into the products mentioned.

Actually, I was thinking of trying the C Serum mentioned (betterat40) based on some of your prior posts that I've read through. Does it dry your skin at all? Also, is Relax-A-Line considered a moisturizer? I'm also glad to see that a combination of C serum, a prescription Vit-A, and an AHA can work b/c those are the three main treatments I was thinking of trying.

In terms of sunscreen, how many times a day should it be applied? I only put it on in the morning before going to work (office environment). I've heard people say it should be reapplied throughout the day but wouldn't that mean reapplying make-up, etc.? Seems like a lot of work!

Thanks again!! Smile

free skin care · Fri Jun 25, 2004 4:05 pm

I'm glad you thought it at all helpful. I only apply sunscreen once each day...Sorry, just can't be bothered to do it again unless no makeup and outside doing sports.

The C+ Serum has never dried my skin out. I think the concentration (12%)is simply not irritating - so no drying. Anyhow, with the sunscreen over it....never had a problem.

The Relax-A-Line is not a moisturizer. Just a treatment serum. It does, however, have hyarluronic acid in it which is a great "booster" for the moisturizer I apply once the Relax. is dry.

Good luck!

Sat Jun 26, 2004 2:19 am

Hi Morelia,

Welcome to the forum!

My recommendation would be to incoroporate vit C and also regular exfoliation. If you have problems with dry skin I would recommend going with the Vivier serum. I found that it seems less drying than Cellex-C and Skinceuticals. I'm with IndianT on the vit C + AHA idea though. It seems that if you have been breaking out lately the AHAs might help your skin out a bit in terms of exofoliation. Skinceuticals makes a C+AHA combination but I don't think Vivier does Sad

But you could follow in Betterat40's footsteps and just incorporate a glycolic cleanser instead of getting a combo serum. You might need a hydration booster over the Vit C serums (depending on your skin I guess).

So perhaps something along the lines of:

AM
Cleanser (glycolic)
vit C serum of your choice
B5 hydrating gel (possibly)
eye cream
moisturiser (you current one if you feel it's doing the job)
sunblock (if you chose a moisturiser with no SPF)

PM
Cleanser (glycolic)
moisturiser

In terms of moisturiser at night, I think you have heaps of options really and many people might suggest different things that work. I still don't have a favorite night cream either, I just cycle between what I have at home and have not yet found THE ONE but have found many good ones. I also don't particularily listen to the "day" labels on creams. I do sometimes use Dr Hauschka "day" creams at night and they are just fine.

Also, two things I'd like to mention before I forget. I know that Jan Marini Bioglycolic lotion gets great reviews in terms of clearing problem skin and helping exfoliate skin as well. I haven't tried it but it's on my list of things to get next time I order. Also I do have to mention that the Dr Hauschka cleansing cream has done great things for my skin! However it DOES take a bit of time when compared to other cleansers. However you are incorporating the cleansing and gentle exfoliation step into one. Perhaps it would be worth getting a sample of it to see if it's too much fuss for you?

HTH
Mabsy

ps. Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask is a good one as is the Dr H Rejuvenating Mask. Valmont Renewing Pack is a great pick-me-up mask but does not come cheap. What sort of mask are you after?

free skin care · Sat Jun 26, 2004 10:07 am

Morelia, Hi and welcome!
I think mabst's suggestion of exfoliation is good, but you could look at your fluid intake as well. If you like Jason's products, they do a really nice pineapple & papaya exfoliating mask. I won't say ANYTHING about glycolic acid as I have recently had a bad experience with it (all my own fault I hasten to add Confused

) I have dryish skin and use 20% Cvit serum (god, I just love those high percentages!) and my skin has been fine with it, in fact, it seems more hydrated than it used to, tho I think that the B5 gel with hyaluronic acid has helped. Having said that I'm ordering some of betterat40's relaxaline next, to try.
HTH Liz Smile

Tue Jun 29, 2004 8:00 am

Thanks Masby, Guapagirl and everyone else for your replies!!

I just ordered a Vit C serum for the a.m. to use and actually ordered PTR botanical scrub for use once or twice a week. I'm going to continue to use my AHA at night, but alternate with my Differin (A retinol product). I'm concerned about using both at the same time even though my dermatologist said it was okay.

I'm going to continue using my Murad Night Essential Moisturizer.

One thing I did notice though is that my eye cream, which is a Prescriptives cream (can't remember the exact name) is stinging my under eye area.

Anyone experience this with eye creams or have any suggestions?

Wed Jun 30, 2004 4:50 am

Morelia,

Ooo! I love PTR Buffing Beads! Very Happy

I've had a few eye creams over the years that stung, plus others that don't usually sting can end up stinging if the eye area is irritated. If it's a recurring theme then I would look into switching creams and also investigate if you have more sensitive skin around the eye area. The other possibility too is that the eye cream has been contaminated perhaps?

Mabsy

free skin care · Thu Jul 01, 2004 2:29 am

Hi Morelea,

I am 35 and I have the exact same skin type as yours!!! I had slightly oily skin in my t-zone that tends to have breakouts of whiteheads and blackheads on occasion. And also in my t-zone I tend to have flakes and dryness.

I used to think I had combination skin. Except most people with combination skin have dryness in one area and oilyness in another. I have dryness and oilyness in the same spots. Then I learned that my skin in considered normal-to-slightly oily, but severely dehydrated.

Knowing this, I now tend to go for products for dry skin, but with silicone and other non-greasy emolients. I have simplifed my skin care routine to control the oil and deal with the monthly hormal zit.

I use Cetaphil Cleanser in the morning (it's gentle and non-drying) and Serious Skin Care Glycolic Cleanser at night ( it's better for make-up removal). For a moisturizer I use Creme de la Mer. I know it's outrageously expensive. I only tried it on a whim because Holt Renfrew gave me a free sample, and I loved it immedeately, but not for the reasons it's so famous. I find this is the only moisturizer I have ever tried - including Dermalogica, Phytomer, Yon Ka, many high end department store brands - that works to give me enough moisture but completely prevents oil production! At the end of the day, my face is a soft and smooth as it was when I first washed it 12 hours before, with absolutely no excess oil, and no flakes. I realize the price is outrageous, but it is worth a try.

I also use Oxy Balance for the occasional zit. It works quickly without drying out my skin.

As for Masks, I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant every other night and Origins Drink Up every few days.

Currently I'm looking for a daytime moisturizer with sun protection so that I can save my La Mer cream for only at night. I'm testing out Dermalogica Barrier Repair right now - it seems ok. And I am cosidering buying Dermalogica Solar Booster SPF 30. It seems rather expensive to buy two products, when one will do, so if you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.

I think you should get your skin to the point where you don't have any more breakouts before adding other things to your routine. That way, you can tell for sure if the new product is irritating your skin.

Good Luck.

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