Best products for enlarged pores and uneven skin tone?
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free skin care · Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:58 am

Im 24 and I have very bad enlarged pores, blackheads and uneven skin tone due to having acne as a teen/young adult. I need to moisturize, protect from the sun, and refine my pores. I was also looking into products with retinol, I think they could really help, but for some reason are way more expensive in Canada than in the States... (ex: 60$ instead of $45!)

Im trying to decide on products: Im willing to spend money for results, but Im not rich either. What products would be most appropriate for me? So far I've been looking at:

Philosophy, Help me 60$

DDF Ultra-lite oil-free moisturizing Dew SPF 15 (DDF is the only brand I have experience with and I love it) 42$

Murad Oil-Control Mattyfier SPF 15 42$

Dr.Brandt Pores no More, Anti-aging Mattifying lotion 50$

Dr.Brandt Pores no More, Pores Refiner 63$

I cant afford so get all of them!!! I need enough retinol to see results and get my moneys worth, I need something with SPF, I need to minimize my pores and control oil on my face. What would be the best combination of 2 or 3 products from above??? Or other suggestions???

free skin care · Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:43 pm

Well, I think the best thing is tretinoin, though it does require patience and carefulness. You might be able to get your doctor to write a prescription without an office visit, and then get a cheap generic.

And then you could spend more money on a good sunscreen like La Roche-Posay or Shiseido or maybe MAC prep + prime SPF 50? Of course, sunscreens are tricky, so you might have to try a couple before you find one that works for you.

free skin care · Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:52 pm

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid has worked miracles for me. It doesn't aggravate acne and helps tons with existing acne and blackheads.

free skin care · Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:15 pm

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to see a plastic surgeon in a couple weeks, I assume she could give me a perscription, or do you think I need to see a dermatologist (seeing a dermatologist is a 6-12 months wait) Last time I saw this plastic surgeon though she was very insistant that I try glycolic peels, which I personally dont think is nearly strong enough for the price (150$ x 6 treatments, no way!)

I'll look into the other products as well. SPF 50 is too strong, I spend a lot of time outdoors and its quite odd to have a tanned body and white face lol. Im hoping to get a product that multi-tasks as both sunscreen, oil control/mattifying and pore minimiser, if such thing exsists. Im also limited by whats available in Canada sans paying too much for shipping.

free skin care · Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:51 pm

vienna_h wrote:

seeing a dermatologist is a 6-12 months wait

Wow, what if you had skin cancer? I thought Canadians also had access to private doctors. If I lived there, I think I'd keep making appointments and cancelling them just in case I needed them in the future.

free skin care · Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:26 am

use Dr. Hauschka cleansing cream....i found that it works great with acne prone/englarged pores....ofcourse you'll have to wait a course of a few weeks to see the results because at first there may be a purging process with your skin where your skin may look worse before it looks better. Also I found that Vichy Normaderm worked great...it's a light moisturizer that tightens pores at the same time as well as help with acne and mattifies oily skin (it's worth giving a try and is sold at london drugs/shoppers drug mart)
As far as spf....do you wear make-up? Make-up acts as a shield against UV and our skin already...and putting on something like Bare Minerals (which has 25spf) would be just fine for everyday use in Canada

Dr. Hauschka cleansing cream : $35
Vichy Normaderm : $35
Bare Mineral make-up : $30

free skin care · Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:28 am

vienna_h wrote:

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to see a plastic surgeon in a couple weeks, I assume she could give me a perscription, or do you think I need to see a dermatologist (seeing a dermatologist is a 6-12 months wait) Last time I saw this plastic surgeon though she was very insistant that I try glycolic peels, which I personally dont think is nearly strong enough for the price (150$ x 6 treatments, no way!)

I'll look into the other products as well. SPF 50 is too strong, I spend a lot of time outdoors and its quite odd to have a tanned body and white face lol. Im hoping to get a product that multi-tasks as both sunscreen, oil control/mattifying and pore minimiser, if such thing exsists. Im also limited by whats available in Canada sans paying too much for shipping.

Yes, you should be able to get a scrip from your PS. And maybe the MAC P+P applied thinly would work? Or like BCgirl is saying, a mineral MU might suffice. But people who go the tretinoin route have to be extra vigilant about sun protection...

free skin care · Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:21 am

If you are worried about money (and today who isn't, right? Laughing

).

My two cents would be to start with OCM and DR. Huachucka Revit Mask.

I too have large pores and had acne issues when I was your age. (BTW-that whole 'you'll grow out of it' line is very frustrating. I never did, but that's my genetic makeup. Look at your folks and you'll get a good idea on how long it could last).

All that being said, I found clean pores can't be stressed enough. OCM really helped me get my skin under control and clean. Keeping that oil barrier, but still cleaning out my skin helped minimize the look of them AND help with breakouts. I found DR H's Revit mask (THANK YOU MABSY) to be amazing at not only calming my face but just amazing for my acne breakouts.

I tried the Dr H cleansing cream and even made my own for awhile, but it does make you purge and it can be messy (I know that sounds funny coming from an OCM user, but the grit I found easier to deal with in the shower.

Also, don't sell the Gly. peels short. I used to have those done and was amazed at how well it evened my skin and helped with acne. They were very gentle and I did them once a week for about two months. Mine were free with my medical insurance ...which now won't cover them, but I am glad I did them back in the day. I was 29 I think. I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh my skin looked. I really believe it was because it helped keep my pores clean and helped with skin renewal.

So if you are worried about cost, then try OCM. Its not a quick fix but over time it will help clean out your pores, get a good moisturizer that won't plug them back up. Right now, I like Hope in jar, but Neutrogena and Oil Of Olay have great reviews.

Then try your retina at night...like every third night or so. You can benefit from a retinoid now, but be careful with the sun exposure and also using too much too fast and have crazy purging.

P.S. I also like Neutragena Helio-plex suncreen. You may not care for a white face but if you use a retinoid, then it is better to get a self tanner to hide your white face than expose it to the sun and risk worse issues later.

Hope it helps!

free skin care · Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:04 am

I think you should try sth like exfoliating serum which contains sth like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) lactic acid and malic acid, and BHA salicylic acid, they are designed to significantly improve skin texture and removes dead surface cells, reduces discolouration and decongests skin.

free skin care · Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:21 pm

BCgirl wrote:

use Dr. Hauschka cleansing cream....i found that it works great with acne prone/englarged pores....ofcourse you'll have to wait a course of a few weeks to see the results because at first there may be a purging process with your skin where your skin may look worse before it looks better. Also I found that Vichy Normaderm worked great...it's a light moisturizer that tightens pores at the same time as well as help with acne and mattifies oily skin (it's worth giving a try and is sold at london drugs/shoppers drug mart)
As far as spf....do you wear make-up? Make-up acts as a shield against UV and our skin already...and putting on something like Bare Minerals (which has 25spf) would be just fine for everyday use in Canada

Dr. Hauschka cleansing cream : $35
Vichy Normaderm : $35
Bare Mineral make-up : $30

i've wasted enough money on bare minerals, it just doesnt work for me. it looks great for about an hour, then cakes and comes right off my skin, no matter what primer or technic i use. so i prefer liquid foundation, lately i've been mixing my nars oil-free (which i love) with MAC (which i not-so-love), which has SPF in it.

Since I have been doing 15% TCA peels and will be doing 10% Salicylic/Lactic acid peels this summer, I will be needing a stronger than usual protection from the sun.

I believe I tried Vichy Normaderm as a teen, but didnt have the discipline to use it consistently back then, i just remember not seeing a difference, but i might try it again.

I will look into Dr.Haushka, wheres the best place to find his products?

free skin care · Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:28 pm

SoftSkin wrote:

vienna_h wrote:

seeing a dermatologist is a 6-12 months wait

Wow, what if you had skin cancer? I thought Canadians also had access to private doctors. If I lived there, I think I'd keep making appointments and cancelling them just in case I needed them in the future.

I had two private dermatologists, I could usually get an appointment within 3 months. the first one wouldn't do anything but try to convince me to take accutane as a teen, which i refused, so i stopped going to him, and i went to another private dermatologist while i was in college, and he wasnt that great either, but then he sadly passed away :S and i haven't found another one accepting new patients.

Also takes 3-6 months to see my private gyno, and i havent had a family doctor since i was 5 BUT ANYWAY lol... lets get back to large oily pores, hopefully a problem more easily solved than canada's health care system!

free skin care · Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:35 pm

deanne123 wrote:

If you are worried about money (and today who isn't, right? Laughing

).

My two cents would be to start with OCM and DR. Huachucka Revit Mask.

I too have large pores and had acne issues when I was your age. (BTW-that whole 'you'll grow out of it' line is very frustrating. I never did, but that's my genetic makeup. Look at your folks and you'll get a good idea on how long it could last).

All that being said, I found clean pores can't be stressed enough. OCM really helped me get my skin under control and clean. Keeping that oil barrier, but still cleaning out my skin helped minimize the look of them AND help with breakouts. I found DR H's Revit mask (THANK YOU MABSY) to be amazing at not only calming my face but just amazing for my acne breakouts.

I tried the Dr H cleansing cream and even made my own for awhile, but it does make you purge and it can be messy (I know that sounds funny coming from an OCM user, but the grit I found easier to deal with in the shower.

Also, don't sell the Gly. peels short. I used to have those done and was amazed at how well it evened my skin and helped with acne. They were very gentle and I did them once a week for about two months. Mine were free with my medical insurance ...which now won't cover them, but I am glad I did them back in the day. I was 29 I think. I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh my skin looked. I really believe it was because it helped keep my pores clean and helped with skin renewal.

So if you are worried about cost, then try OCM. Its not a quick fix but over time it will help clean out your pores, get a good moisturizer that won't plug them back up. Right now, I like Hope in jar, but Neutrogena and Oil Of Olay have great reviews.

Then try your retina at night...like every third night or so. You can benefit from a retinoid now, but be careful with the sun exposure and also using too much too fast and have crazy purging.

P.S. I also like Neutragena Helio-plex suncreen. You may not care for a white face but if you use a retinoid, then it is better to get a self tanner to hide your white face than expose it to the sun and risk worse issues later.

Hope it helps!

thanks for the advice, but whats OCM?!!! And what exactly is "purging"?

and i do agree, white face is better than sundamaged face!

free skin care · Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:37 pm

queenielau718 wrote:

I think you should try sth like exfoliating serum which contains sth like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) lactic acid and malic acid, and BHA salicylic acid, they are designed to significantly improve skin texture and removes dead surface cells, reduces discolouration and decongests skin.

I had a AHA/BHA cream once, it stung so bad and made my skin so greasy and oily, i had to stop using it. Do you have any suggestions for a better product with those ingredients?

free skin care · Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:39 pm

im wondering if theres something more drastic i should invest it. Do yon think there is a laser treatment, microdermabrasion, IPL treatment that could work for me? What about clarisonic or dermarollers, would those help me at all???

free skin care · Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:49 pm

vienna_h wrote:

im wondering if theres something more drastic i should invest it. Do yon think there is a laser treatment, microdermabrasion, IPL treatment that could work for me? What about clarisonic or dermarollers, would those help me at all???

yeah, Spectra peel is a laser for enlarged pores and acne prone skin. it cleanses the pores and shrinks them

free skin care · Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:48 pm

vienna_h wrote:

queenielau718 wrote:

I think you should try sth like exfoliating serum which contains sth like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) lactic acid and malic acid, and BHA salicylic acid, they are designed to significantly improve skin texture and removes dead surface cells, reduces discolouration and decongests skin.

I had a AHA/BHA cream once, it stung so bad and made my skin so greasy and oily, i had to stop using it. Do you have any suggestions for a better product with those ingredients?

You can try the Vitamin B3 lotion and Vitamin A (just like retinol, but in retinol molecular file form, which is much stable and won't irritate ur skin)

here is some photo befor and after using those 2 products

http://www.facebook.com//#!/group.php?gid=341995707392

you can order directly from the offical website from AU:

http://www.probiohtma.com/Products?cmd=Category&Product_Category_ID=3

but i order from the facebook group (see the above link) as group purchase. They offer free shipping in Canada and US.

thanks

free skin care · Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:11 am

Is there a difference in what we'd use for those who don't currently suffer from acne or blackheads?

I have large pores and uneven skin tone, but no acne. Just small discolorations & indentations due to past issues. I just want to tighten pores and smooth the texture of my skin, more than anything.
I already use vit c, tretinoin, sunscreen, a microfibre cloth every day, and ocm once or twice a week, which are all doing great things for my skin! Also dotting on 4% hydroquinone.

I've never tried microdermabrasion or acids (a little afraid since my dark skin leans towards hyperpigmentation), but am considering home treatments or ghk/cp's. Price is a concern at the moment.

I do happen to have 30% aha which I could start experimenting with. Could someone advise me as to how to use it? Thanks!

free skin care · Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:16 am

Purging is when your skin is getting rid of the dirt and gunk that's been in your pores. The idea is that some products that get rid of that junk can actually cause your skin to worsen initially as pimples may develop while your skin is getting rid of the waste in your pores.

However, that said--I distinctly remember people on this board telling me that skin doesn't purge.
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?p=361389&highlight=yonka+purge#361389

I've never really found out which theory is correct.

If you ever find anything that helps an uneven skin tone, let me know-I've been trying to solve that for a while.

free skin care · Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:08 pm

Kel wrote:

Purging is when your skin is getting rid of the dirt and gunk that's been in your pores. The idea is that some products that get rid of that junk can actually cause your skin to worsen initially as pimples may develop while your skin is getting rid of the waste in your pores.

However, that said--I distinctly remember people on this board telling me that skin doesn't purge.
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?p=361389&highlight=yonka+purge#361389

I've never really found out which theory is correct.

If you ever find anything that helps an uneven skin tone, let me know-I've been trying to solve that for a while.

interesting, Im not sure either if I would believe pores could all of a sudden "purge" or if pores are cleaned over time.

Anyway, My skin is healing from my second TCA peel (+jesner's) and I can say that my skin tone is more even (more even colour and smoother texture). I will be needing more peels before its perfect but, so far I think peels are effective.

free skin care · Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:43 am

Good to hear the peels are working for you. I've had a couple and felt they were worth it. I've had two TCA peels. The first was after my round of Gly peels. My derm decided on the TCA since I was having good results with the Gly peels on getting acne under control, but I still had scarring and the Gly peels really prepped my skin for the TCA. I got very dramatic results the first time. The second one was not nearly as different, but they really helped my skin clarify too.

OCM: Oil cleansing method. Lots on here about that. I like it, but just don't have the time with the baby. I've been using Purity made simple. Philosophy's line seems to work for me. Very Happy

I can see the whole 'purging' term thing....and it makes sense that whenever you change up your skin regime it then reacts. However, I still like the term because we all kinda understand what it means. Initial flare ups that then subside. Good read though. I had no idea it was considered a myth. Laughing

Since I've gotten flare up/purging when I used different products on here. I have yet to be steered wrong by you nice folks on here. I just love EDS!

free skin care · Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:00 pm

When I was in college, once a week I'd steam my face. Pour boiling water into a mixing bowl and put my face over it with a towel over my head. Then wash my face. I need to start doing that again but I don't have a lot of patience to just sit still. I am going back to my Queen Helene green clay mask every weekend to see how that works.

Fri Apr 08, 2011 6:22 am

I used a lot of masks.
Olay not so good as for example L'oreal.
But the best for me is Hyalogy Platinum Mask! try any of.
Maybe you should go to beauty salon?

free skin care · Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:47 am

I second the tretinoin. Also use a good sunscreen with a high % of zinc daily.

rockhugger wrote:

Well, I think the best thing is tretinoin, though it does require patience and carefulness. You might be able to get your doctor to write a prescription without an office visit, and then get a cheap generic.

And then you could spend more money on a good sunscreen like La Roche-Posay or Shiseido or maybe MAC prep + prime SPF 50? Of course, sunscreens are tricky, so you might have to try a couple before you find one that works for you.

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