You can start anywhere you want, but I think I’ll start at the beginning, because that’s usually a good place to start, to borrow a sentiment from The Sound of Music.
I was lucky. I didn’t have any skin issues when I was very young, but I did started breaking out when I reached the sixth grade. I’d get these little pimples on my forehead, and I remember my mom taking me to a dermatologist, who gave me something called a PanOxyl Bar, which was a soap that smelled awful and bleached all my t-shirts, and a tube of super strong benzoyl peroxide.
They made my skin feel raw, but they kinda helped. Basically, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t incorporate any moisturizing products. My mom, who has perfect skin, really didn’t know how to help me either.
I pretty much continued to break out through high school, but the breakouts were minor. Just a few small pimples here and there. I used the benzoyl peroxide consistently, and it did help.
But things got more complicated in college. In my second year, I went through some sort of hormonal shift (my acne has always been tied to my hormones), and the few small pimples I’d been dealing with turned into big, painful pimples on my cheeks.
I started taking Accutane, and it was the only thing that really helped. It’s still controversial, and it was even more controversial back then, but it helped me a lot. It cleared up my skin, which remained clear until I hit my mid-30s.
I think that’s when I went through another hormonal shift. I started getting chin acne (but you already know about that).
I’m in my early-40s now with drier skin (which used to be super oily) that’s still acne-prone. I use benzoyl peroxide daily (Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion), both in the morning and at night.
Now I’m more concerned about evening out my skin tone and dealing with fine lines than I am about preventing and treating breakouts.
I do have some fine lines under my eyes and around my mouth, but I like to attribute them to smiling. 🙂 I guess I smile a lot, because I’ve got the wrinkles to show it, LOL!
I haven’t done anything like Botox or fillers, but I refuse to say that I’d never go there. I don’t have the desire to now, but who knows? Anything can change in the future.
My big worry about things like that is that I wouldn’t look like me anymore, and I can’t imagine looking in the mirror and feeling like something was a little off, you know?
For now, I’m pretty happy with my skin, but I do plan to get more aggressive with my anti-aging regimen. When I got pregnant with Connor, I pretty much only used moisturizer and sunscreen, and I’ve fallen out of the habit of using serums and whatnot.
How about you, my love? What’s your skin story? I’d love to hear about it. You can share as much (or as little) as you’d like.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF!
I had pretty good skin as a teenager, considering it was so oily and it stayed that way throughout my 20’s and 30’s and I never wore face cream, I didn’t think I needed it! It was only once I started to hit my mid to late 30’s that I started to use skin products.
I wish I knew back then about the dangers of the sun as now I’m 46 and I have a fair size patch of pigmentation which I hate! I’ve been trying various different kinds of products and treatments but nothing seems to fade it, so now I wear an spf50 daily, hoping it won’t get any worse or develop any more patches. I feel it makes me look older than I actually am, and I struggle to cover it up.
I’m quite lucky that I only have a few lines (I suppose I’ve my oily skin to thank for that) but these last few months my skin has changed a fair bit. I’d say it’s more combination, oily t-zone but dry patches on my cheeks and my skin feels tight after I’ve washed it, something that it’s never done and I’ve been breaking out with these awful spots/cysts around my lower face. They take an age to disappear and they are red and very painful, seem right under my skin. I’m following a simple routine and it seems to be helping, but I think these spots are hormonal! And I’m having to apply more foundation & concealer to try cover them! 🙁
My story is similar, although my experience with acne was perhaps worse than yours, by the sound of it. I think it started around the 6th grade for me as well, when I started getting a lot of bumps, whiteheads and blackheads, though not too many actual, red pimples. It was a difficult time, when I tried desperately to fix things – which I think backfired quite spectacularly. The more I tried to use a million products or remove them, the worse things seem to get. But I did get maybe a good week in a whole month (ha, that’s quite sad, isn’t it?).
Much later, in the 1oth or 11th grade maybe, my mother decided it was time to try something more drastic and I got my first Roaccutane course. Not exactly sure how to do it justice, but about a month or so after starting, I went from having obvious skin issues to having the the most luminous complexion in the class…! I was absolutely, completely, shocked at the change, and nothing had ever helped me as much. Nothing even came close. That said, I did experience some side-effects, the strangest one of all being stiff joints, to the point where if I crouched to pick up something I dropped, it would be a bit hard and painful to get back up… What can I say, you win some, you lose some.
The effects lasted for about 2 years, during which time I was completely free of skin concerns. Slowly though, my problems came back, and about 3-4 years later, I was (almost) back to square one. To skip over some details, I ended up having 2 more courses of Roaccutane, and I am hoping the most recent one will have been the last ever (fyi, at the moment I am 26, and the last course ended about 6 mths ago). I don’t want to tempt fate too much, given the side-effects.
Recently I’ve also discovered that a few simple changes in my routine seemed to help my skin a lot, more than I ever expected. I’ve switched from silicone-based foundations (used to use tonnes of these in school and undergrad), to mineral powders. And actually, just to be safe, I don’t go anywhere near liquid foundations any more, for fear of getting clogged pores with time… I’ve also started using some organic, cold-pressed oils that proved to be fantastic: hemp seed oil and raspberry seed oil. Together, these have made my skin far less oily than usual (maybe it gets tricked into thinking it shouldn’t produce more oil of its own, once I put these on instead), but also more radiant. I also love to use organic rose water mists – the type that is so pure it is actually meant for cooking with. Since I switched to this very simple regime, my skin has looked much, much better than usual. So I plan to stick with it, and keeping all my fingers crossed I never need to go back on Roaccutane.
That’s about it. 🙂 Thanks for your posts, it’s always nice to see something new pop up.
I had gorgeous, golden brown skin when I was a pre-teen. Then puberty hit and my face erupted in these evil little bumps known as The Acne. I battled The Acne until I turned 18, and my weapons of choice were from Clearasil, Clean _Clear and Oxy. By the time I reached that age my face became less oily and my enemy fell back.
From my late teens to early 20s I was kinda neglectful of facial skin care, only using Yardley London Oatmeal and Almond soap and whatever acne treatment I bought at the drugstore.
At 22, I started attending beauty school, and then I began to see what skin care could do for me. We were taught all about cleansing, toning, moisturizing, massaging, etc. I went to The Body Shop and bought the full Vitamin E skin care line, and I started using facial cleanser to wash off my makeup. I also upped my SPF game and began buying sunblocks of SPF 30 or higher. I started ordering products from DHC and Pangea Organics as well.
By my late 20s, I was using face-specific products and had a regular routine for evening. I still have a routine, and my skin is looking so much better.
I also use peroxyl- prescribed by the doctor and in a cream form, almost 6 months a year. My skin has always been sensitive and acne genie around my mouth, chin and when I was in my teens, forehead. The difference I noticed when Iturned 30 is that these pimples i got here and there would leave marks that would take ages to go. And that’s my concern now, one pimple or two means a mark…. Ive used brightening serums but they doy do anything really. Using a cleansing gel prescribed by the doctor helped as did this cream I’m using. I’m combination and get oily gradually through the day but w here I’m oily I tend to be dry and get spots. Worst experience so far was three years ago when I tried a foundation which broke me out so badly that I still have some left over marks on my left chin and it took a good two years to clean that side of my face, so I try to be the very careful.
Hey Eleni! I like to use Vitamin E oil on marks like that. I get them in the little vitamin capsules, and then just puncture a capsule and use that as a spot treatment. I use it at night after I cleanse, because it’s pretty heavy/greasy, but I find it works fairly well and helps things heal much more quickly, if I can remember to use it every night.
Making a mental note of your Vitamin E oil hack because sometimes I can’t help but pick at a pimple. #realtalk
Right?? It’s hard for me not to. The vitamin E oil tends to help once it’s not an “open wound” anymore, lol. (If I pick too much and things get messy, I’ll use a dab of neosporin until it’s closed up. Then proceed with vitamin E!)
Hi Shannon! Thank you, I’ve never tried vitamin E oil, I will definitely give this a go! ?
sweet! Let me know if it helps!
My skin condition is pretty much like yours. What do you recommend for anti aging serum? Reading your blog is part of my daily routines!
Hi Yuni,
I’ve had good experiences with both Sunday Riley Good Genes and Skinceuticals C+E Ferulic, but I’m trying to find what else is out there. I’ve heard great things about Drunk Elephant Skincare and have my eye on a couple of products. Have you heard of them?
Also, thank you for making MBB part of your daily routine. You just made my Friday, woo hoo!
I’ve tried a sample of Drunk Elephant from Sephora some time ago; I think it was the glycolic night serum? Since it was a small sample, I can’t really give you a review except that I liked the feel and it didn’t smell weird and I’ve since incorporated gylcolic peel pads into my evening routine.
Thank you Karen ….I’ve heard Skinceuticals ….both products have high ratings on Sephora ….I’ll check them out.
I’ve had really good luck with skincare in recent years. But to start from the beginning…
My skin was pretty chill until about 6th-7th grade (oh, Jr High!) when I started wear body glitter – you remember the stuff from Bath & Body Works? Oh man. I was all about it. I don’t know if it was the glitter or the hormonal change (probably the latter) but right around that time I started breaking out, and MAN was I always oily. It was a pain, but looking back wasn’t too horrible – I always had a spot somewhere, but it usually wasn’t more than one or two problem areas. My family did things on the cheap, so I got lots of different products at places like Big Lots and Target… skin scrubs, cleansers, toners, whatever! I remember using Clean & Clear, among other brands, but it was always really hit-or-miss. And nothing really helped the oiliness. Oh, and I was all about DIY skin potions at this point – I checked out books on natural beauty from the library and made whatever I could with whatever we had around. I remember my dad commenting around this time that I should wash my face less because it seemed red and irritated, ha! Probably too many skin scrubs (can’t I use them every day?) or encounters with lemon juice.
Sometime in High School – probably junior or senior year – my grandma took my sister and I to a dermatologist. Fancy! I started using NuCèlle Mandelic skin care, and I ended up using it through most of college. It did wonders for my skin, probably because of the gentle exfoliation of Mandelic Acid. My skin was rarely “perfect” but it was in pretty good shape throughout college.
It was during this time I discovered I had dry skin – I went to the dermatologist again with my grandmother, and the Dr. touched my nose and was like, “yep, dry skin.” Mind = blown! But that started me thinking more about both moisturization and exfoliation, and how they’re tied to clear and healthy skin.
Several years later – maybe when I was 22 or 23 – I started oil cleansing with Jojoba oil, which was revolutionary (oil on oily skin???) but started to make sense with the theory I was forming. I would rub in/massage my skin with oil, especially in the dry-skin build-up spots like my chin & nose, wipe off with a warm washcloth, re-moisturize with clean oil. I started getting even fewer pimples, and was pretty thrilled with how smooth my skin always felt. Plus my oiliness wasn’t as out-of-control as it had been. It was around that time that I came to my current conclusion on skincare: gentle exfoliation and moisturization are the two most important factors for healthy/clear skin. That seems to hold true no matter what products I use. I’ve used different oils for cleansing/moisturizing since then, but have most recently been using avocado oil (and loving it).
Now that I’m almost 30, though, I’m feeling like there’s a sea change coming on… I think the next few years will be the era of skin care for me! In the last few months, I’ve started transitioning to only *cleansing* with oil, and moisturizing with other products. (I was breaking out a little, which may be due to how I store the oil, and not necessarily due to the method. But still.) I started using a product I got in New Zealand (probably a stupid idea, lol!) by Alpine Silk: Manuka Honey Replenishing Night Crème, which is ROCKING MY WORLD. I use it during the day on my cheeks/under my eyes/on the sides of my chin because it just OBLITERATES my dry spots, which have been much more of a problem living in NYC. I’ve been using Caudalie’s Moisturizing Sorbet (birthday sample from Sephora, woohoo) on my nose, forehead and in the middle of my chin because it’s moisturizing but still cuts down on shine.
Welp, there’s my skincare novel, lol! Can’t wait to keep adding to it. I’m starting to see some fine lines around my eyes, but am hoping they’ll age gracefully with me. Interesting that you brought up botox/fillers, Karen… I wasn’t really into them, but have a friend now who’s in her mid-40s and uses them very tastefully. Never say never, I guess!
Hi Sharon,
Thank you for sharing your story; it’s always so interesting to me to learn about people’s backgrounds and what they love/don’t love, especially when it comes to skin care. I have a very similar approach to exfoliating/moisturizing (with the added step of keeping the acne bacteria at bay).
Did you (or anyone else reading this phase) ever go through a St. Ives Apricot Scrub phase? It was a rite of passage it seems for all the teen girls I knew. Oh, and Sea Breeze toner. OMG!
That was the one that was super grainy, right? With walnut powder? That was definitely something I “tested,” lol.
I don’t think I ever use Sea Breeze toner, though!! I mostly went the Clean & Clear route… I used one for blackheads that suspiciously made my skin burn, but never really did anything to those darn blackheads, lol.
Yeah. It was walnut or apricot pits. I’m not exactly sure, haha!
Why did we think it was normal for toners to burn back then?!
Mysteries of the beauty universe, lol!
Have you considered microneedling? Just got my first treatment a few weeks ago for my hyperpigmentation from old acne scars. I just turned 30 and also NC42. I’m getting 3 treatment I total so I’ll let you know how it goes! So far, I noticed a tiny improvement with the scarring, but a huge improvement in pore size. I can actually wear chunky highlighter again!
I never get spots, let alone acne because no spot could survive in the desert that is my skin!
I have had a problem with eczema all my life, so I used hydrocortisone regularly, which is not good for your skin longterm because it thins it.
My eczema spread to most of my body in my late twenties and made my life a misery until I went into therapy when it disappeared completely!
Now I have to look after my dry skin a great deal with Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day cream and Sun Factor 50 (I’m very fair). I still use hydrocortisone when I need to.
I have a spot of eczema on my leg and the employee at Super Supplements recommended hylauronic acid to treat it as it helps lock in moisture. I’m not a medical professional (!) but it’s definitely helped the flare-up. Maybe it’s worth asking your health care professional if they think it would help overall? Just a thought! 😀
That’s interesting – I didn’t know that about hyaluronic acid, but I guess it makes sense.
I was super lucky to have really good skin most of my life – pretty minimal breakouts during my teen years even. It was mostly in my mid-20s that my skin started to get cray. I typically have chin acne to deal with, and in the last like…not quite year (I’ll be 35 in August) I started noticing pimples would heal kinda, but leave a spot, I was like “WTF IS THIS?!” I also noticed sometime around May or June of last year that right next to my hairline at my ears I have dry, red patches that just don’t seem to go away. I’m trying YoDerm right now cause I’ve got Kaiser for insurance which is great for basics, but a pain for specialized stuff. The derm proscribed an antibiotic as well as continuing to use a 3% benzoyl peroxide formula, and a retin-a formula for night time. So far it almost seems like my skin is maybe getting a little worse? I can’t tell if this is something like – it’ll get kinda worse before it gets way better? Fingers crossed.
I didn’t really break out that much in middle or high school! I would get the occasional pimple, but my skin was more or less clear. I’ve worn moisturizer with SPF since I was 12 or 13, being fair-skinned, freckled, and redheaded. My biggest skin sins of this era were a few really bad sunburns.
Once I went on a 50 minute bike ride, and hadn’t realized that a lotion I’d applied earlier that day had AHA in it! My back was FRIED. I was wearing a tank top with a strappy back, and I had a really cool pattern burned into my skin all summer. It was right before my high school graduation, so I was wearing a halter top underneath my gown to minimize friction.
After high school, I started getting hormonal chin breakouts from birth control. I did a lot of internet-popular skin stuff at that time – oil cleansing method, baking soda to exfoliate (which is really bad for your skin). I moisturized regularly, cleansed, and wore sunscreen though.
Right now, I turn 30 this year (eek!), and I’m super into skincare and have been for probably 8 years. I’m much more breakout prone, and I am a heavy sweater. I’ve gotten heat rashes in the summer from my heavy sweating, it’s the worst. My skin is actually more dry though and prone to dehydration. My current routine involves a few layers of products, and I know which ingredients my skin loves. I rotate in both retinol and vitamin c serums, I use two different moisturizers, I love face mists, and I love sheet masks. My skin hates fragrance, alcohol, and essential oils. My skin loves pyrithone zinc, licorice root extract, vitamin c (in moderation), retinol (in moderation), and ceramides. I thought for the longest time I couldn’t use things with oil, due to breakouts from a number of types of oils, but I found products that work for me. Stratia Liquid Gold is a lifesaver.
Ooo, I love talking skincare as much as I love talking makeup! My genetic background on my dad’s side is German and Norwegian. He was a redhead and I got the fair cool-toned skin from him. My mom’s side is English and French. She tanned easily and had more warm toned skin. Unfortunately, they both had oily skin and acne issues which all of us kids inherited. I used a lot of drying products as a tween and teen but I also moisturized because I read somewhere that I should. I’ve always ALWAYS removed all makeup and washed my face before bed so I’ve had some good habits from early on. Oh and I used clay masks more in 20s and early 30s. Now, as I’m staring down the barrel of 40, I use a daily exfoliator by Everyone in the shower and a mattifying green tea daily moisturizer by Formula 10.0.6 in the morning. In the evening, I use a Korean cleanser (no idea what the brand is!) to remove my makeup, then a glycolic peel pad by NIP+FAB (which are amazing and help control oil and clear up any red marks from the rare cystic acne) and then I use a black currant and licorice scented night moisturizer by Formula 10.0.6 (which smells wonderful). Once a week or so, I use a Korean sheet mask and if I have any pimples forming, I use Formula 10.0.6 anti-blemish pads (can you tell I love this brand?! And brandless Korean skincare?!). I drink a lot of water every day as well, 3 or more liters. My paternal grandma is in her mid-80s and looks at least a decade younger, so the oily skin has some benefits! I still get carded (on the rare occasions I go out) and recently, an older friend of mine (in her 70s) complimented me on my beautiful skin which was so lovely to hear. I had so many body image issues going on as a child and as a tween and teen and young adult–it took me til the last couple years to really appreciate my body and to be comfortable in my own skin and to not care what anyone else thinks.
I’ve just realised that I may be the youngest telling his story.
Well, my skincare journey started when I was thirteen and acne started to pop out. I went to the doctor and he only gave me Avéne products.
However it didn’t make the cut and after some dermatologist appointments one said I should try Accutane; he told me it would get rid of all my acne and it was partially true, I didn’t get as many pimples while taking it but my skin was never completely clear.
Also my skin became more crazy after the treatment and it a product is too drying, nowadays I get an allergic reaction. So I think in my case I should have skipped Accutane, it helped but the secondary effects stayed more than the lack of acne.
Now I still deal with acne and also with dark spots because almost all the acne I get become a dark spot if it’s a cystic one, even if I don’t pick it.
Also my skincare routine is affected by the lack of money, but I think I make enough to get my skin in a good shape.
My skin started breaking out badly when I was in my tweens, not only on my face but also my back. I remember trying everything (so many face washes, creams, diets, etc.) and having to use acne creams and washes which would bleach my shirts and nightclothes. The back issue eased up later on but I had acne into my early twenties. I tried to use concealer to cover up the acne but the shops didn’t make shades pale and neutral-toned enough for me (either were too yellow or too rose toned). From far away, it looked fine, but if you got close, you could obviously see I was wearing tons of concealer. I constantly had to fix my concealer, as my skin was also super oily at the time. I went through so many blotting papers.
It took two rounds of Accutane for the acne to clear up, which it did into my early twenties. I now have clear skin with an occasional lone pimple popping up early once in a while. I’m so grateful I don’t have to wear heavy concealer anymore and I don’t feel self-conscious about my skin, which played into a huge part of my feeling self-conscious and insecure about my looks, overall. I use sunscreen and either a sheer powder or a pore primer nowadays.
I had breakouts at my temples in my late teens but I think it was from all the dirt at the hardware store that I worked at after school. I had good skin because I knew to exfoliate and would use Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion #2(essentially witch hazel toner) but I have keratosis pilaris on my cheeks toward my ears so exfoliating is a must(unfortunately my two year old son inherited it so wish me luck when he is older). Now in my mid thirties I have come to find out I have mild eczema apparently triggered by my seasonal allergies. I had never broken out until this year. Aside from that I have great skin with rosy cheeks and often get compliments but I am self conscious about my dark circles. I have freckles like you but I am an idiot because I stopped wearing sunblock for about 5 years because I had an office job and “didn’t need it since the only sun I get is while driving” I have started wearing it again… I hate getting burned, it just hurts and stings.