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Trying to fight a light acne case

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(@coldcat)

Posted : 08/17/2019 10:59 am

Hi, I'm 23 and I have a light case of acne, with some white heads and red spots, especially on my chin and around the mouth, some hyperpigmentation and enlaged pores on my nose and around it, under the eyes, combination skin with the typical t zone. I have quite a sensitive skin that is easily irritated. I am now using a gel containing a combination of azelaic acid, glicolic acid and a retinoid (hydroxipinacolon retinoate) and a moisturizer which is specifically designed for "oily, combination, acne prone skin". For cleaning I use a gentle cleansers, one of those with a lot of glycerin and gentle surfactants(although my skin sometimes still gets a bit irritated) and sometimes a sulfur soap (strangely this doesn't irritate my skin at all, but instead it leaves it clean and with a shiny look). The morning i simply wash my face and moisturize, the night wash, apply the gel (only on affected areas and on hyperpigmentation) and then moisturize. My acne is light but stubborn, large pores won't shrink and in some areas acne infiammation won't heal or heal slower, especially on oilier areas. I was a bit lazy on the past, but now I decided that I want to clean my face completely, so in the last 2-3 months I've been regular in my regimen. Any advice, especially on how to deal with oily skin and those large pores? Also because of sensitive skin I get irritation when shaving, so I shave every other day, I can't wait more than that because I noticed that a bit dead skin forms around fscial hair, it look like dandruff so it looks like I don't wash my face, also I noticed that red spots forms easily with a beard, did you notice that too?

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(@coldcat)

Posted : 08/25/2019 7:48 am

I found that the thing causing skin irritation was too hot water (although it wasn't very hot, but I noticed that using waterwhich is a bit fresh is better).

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(@username110)

Posted : 08/25/2019 10:47 am

acne around the mouth and chin can be caused by many things but some people see improvements switching to a SLS free toothpaste.

if your shaving, acne around the beard can be caused by using a razor and shaving foam.. personally i cant use a razor or i will break out.i use an electricfoil razor - no need for shaving creams or foams and i don't break out from shaving anymore... but if your talking about spots in your beard, that could be something likefolliculitis?

 

if you want to reduce your oily skin, this can be done through diet (removing certainthings like dairy or milk), vitamins and or avoiding certain products and soaps... its a bit of an experiment finding a balance but as a rule of thumb, for me, no soapshould cause redness or make my face over produce sebum. (just a heads up, over washing can = oily skin)

google some of the things ive mentioned and your find lots of helpful information.

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(@coldcat)

Posted : 08/25/2019 11:26 am

I think it could be caused by shaving, I still unfortunately shave with supermarket shaving gel/cream and multiblade razor, althought I try not to irritate my skin I always get some irritation and cuts, especially when shaving against the grain around my mouth, chin and jaw.

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(@foodforthought)

Posted : 08/26/2019 12:25 pm

One of the best ingredients for reducing oil production is the Ordinary Niacinamide and Zinc. It's good for decreasing oil, as well as reducing inflammation. You could add that in the morning, along with SPF (to avoid further pigmentation; a good one is EltaMD, which actually has niacinamide in itself I believe, so just the one product might work instead!)

You could also switch to a simple micellar water to clean face first thing, as washing in the AM also can increase oil production (as someone mentioned above).

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(@coldcat)

Posted : 08/29/2019 9:27 am

I don't want to buy too many products, also I noticed that whatever thing I use, even if it should decrease oil production, just doesn't work, I think I just have hyperactive glands :( I tried azelaic acid, salicilic acid and they did nothing). Do you think thay cerave moiusturizer can help? It has niacinamide in it. Anyway, now I'll see how the regimen I'm following now will clear my skin, that I will think about oily skin. I found an eucerin aha/bha cream with licochalcone a, similar to the acne.org one, it should help decrease oil and improve skin texture, I will get it if I get rid and the acne I have now (which is very light but doesn't seem to respond well to treatments, I have a few spots on the chin and some closed comedones on the bump). Anyway, thank fpr all the answers

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(@foodforthought)

Posted : 08/30/2019 6:47 am

Would definitely just add in TheOrdinary Niacinamide and Zinc twice a day only then. It only costs 5gbp and made a huge impact on my oil production! It's very anti-inflammatory and has absolute minimal ingredients in.

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(@coldcat)

Posted : 08/30/2019 11:46 am

Anyway, how do you think I should do my routine? I usually at night wash my face, then apply my azelaic acid gel then moisturize. But I was thinking, since the gel also contains AHA, it has a low PH for them to work, so maybe the moisturizer can make them less effective? Maybe I should moisturize first then apply the gel?

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(@coldcat)

Posted : 09/20/2019 7:26 am

I now don't have active acne anymore, just the occasional withe head which goes away in a day. I'll finish the remaining azelaic acid gel I have then I have to think about the iperpigmentation, irregular skin texture, large pores and some under the skin closed comedones I have. I think I'll get a glicolic acid cream (I found an eucerin one which has glicolic acid, salicylic acid and gluconolattone, and also licorice extract) to see if it helps.

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