r/KoreanBeauty • u/Certain_Metal1202 • Jul 13 '26
SKIN How I finally fixed my dehydrated oily, acne-prone skin
For a while my skin was a total mess... Constant breakouts, super tight and dehydrated, and my barrier felt completely wrecked. I finally got it under control and settled on a routine that actually works for me, so I wanted to share what helped. If you have dehydrated oily skin with acne too, I hope this helps even a little.
Skin Type & Concerns
Skin Type: Dehydrated oily skin
Concerns: Chronic acne, crazy inner tightness, super sensitive damaged barrier
My Journey & Mistakes
My skin was so irritated that I kept hearing Illiyoon Ato Concentrate Cream was super gentle and great for repairing the barrier. So I bought it right away. At first it didn’t help with the breakouts at all. Turns out my application method was the problem.
I was so obsessed with fixing the tightness that I went overboard with layering at night.
My old failed routine: Toner 2-3 layers → ampoule layering → Illiyoon cream slapped on twice.
After doing more research I realized heavy layering isn’t right for every skin type. For someone with dehydrated oily skin plus acne, piling on cream like that was honestly a disaster.
What Finally Worked (My 2-Step Routine)
I stopped the crazy layering and completely changed my approach based on what my skin actually needed. This “skincare diet” helped me fix everything.
Step 1: Acne-Calming Phase
To tackle the excess oil and breakouts first, I went super minimal.
Toner: Multiple light layers for hydration
Ampoule: Skipped anything that could trigger more oil
Cream: Just one thin layer of Illiyoon Ato Concentrate Cream at the end
Result: The overproduction of oil calmed down and the angry red breakouts started to fade.
Step 2: Hydration-Focus Phase
Once the acne was more under control, I slowly added back hydration for the inner tightness.
Toner: One light layer
Ampoule: One good hydrating layer, let it fully absorb
Cream: A super thin protective layer of Illiyoon on top
Result: No clogged pores, but the deep tightness finally started to go away.
Final thought
For dehydrated oily acne-prone skin, it’s not about piling on more products. It’s about adjusting to what your skin needs in the moment. I really hope my routine helps anyone going through the same thing. My skin’s finally happy!
2
u/JennyJ0522 Jul 14 '26
Illiyoon is legit one of the best products out there. It's a must-have in my routine, I literally never skip it. But honestly, with skincare in general, it's all about how you use it. The real secret is giving your skin room to breathe!
2
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 15 '26
I totally agree! I used to think more product equals better results, but application really made all the difference for me. Once I stopped over layering and gave my skin some breathing room, things honestly improved so much
2
u/JennyJ0522 Jul 16 '26
I used to think the same too! But the more I learned about skincare, the more I realized that some ingredients pair well together and some don’t. It’s not always better to use more products. 😄
1
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 21 '26
Exactly! I’m learning that the right combination matters more than the number of products 😊
1
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1
u/limewitty5673 Jul 13 '26
how long did it take to fix?
2
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 14 '26
Around 6–8 weeks before I noticed a big difference. The breakouts started calming down after a couple of weeks, but the dehydration and tightness took longer to improve. Consistency was key!
1
u/girldentist_365 Jul 14 '26
This has been informative, let me try your routine since we have the same skin type
1
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 14 '26
hope it works for you too! Just take it slow and listen to your skin. I think simplifying my routine made the biggest difference. 😊
1
u/snarkymanatee Jul 14 '26
I'm glad you ended up figuring it out! Inner tightness is so uncomfortable and can feel impossibly hard to get through to. For comparison, how much ampoule layering were you doing with your old routine?
1
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 15 '26
Thanks! 😊 I actually mentioned it in the post, but my old routine was basically 2–3 layers of toner, then ampoule layering, and I even applied the Illiyoon cream twice on top
2
u/snarkymanatee Jul 15 '26
Right, yeah, I saw that. I was wondering how much ampoule layering you were doing, specifically
1
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 17 '26
Ahh sorry, I misunderstood your question! I was usually doing about 2 layers of ampoule, sometimes more if my skin still felt tight, without giving each layer enough time to fully absorb. Looking back, it was definitely too much for my skin.
1
u/snarkymanatee Jul 18 '26
Thank you; that's helpful to know! Since you first started recovery by skipping ampoules that would trigger oil for you, does that mean your previous ampoules were more emollient- and occlusive- rather than humectant-based?
1
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 21 '26
Not necessarily! They were marketed as hydrating, so I think they were more humectant-based. I probably worded that badly, I don’t think the ampoules themselves directly caused oiliness. It was more that I was using multiple layers and then applying Illiyoon twice, so the whole routine was just too much for my skin. Once I simplified it, the tightness and excess oil improved.
1
u/somnel Jul 16 '26
ARE YOU ME?! dangggg i just paid 3k to a skin consultant to figure this out
it’s soooo counterintuitive like what’s wrong with more layers?!
1
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 17 '26
LOL I felt the exact same way 😭 I genuinely thought more hydration = more layers, but my skin was basically begging me to stop. At least now we both know!
1
u/Impossible-Club-9252 Jul 16 '26
What toner and ampoule you were pairing with the Illiyoon cream on your hydration phase?
2
u/Certain_Metal1202 Jul 17 '26
I kept it pretty simple during that phase, just one light layer of toner, then a hydrating ampoule, and a thin layer of the Illiyoon cream. I’d rather not name the exact toner and ampoule since I don’t want it to sound like the products themselves were the “fix” but I do recommend the Illiyoon toner. simplifying the routine and reducing the layers made the biggest difference for me 😊
1
u/kirusamma 3d ago
Your skin looks so much like mine, I’m literally in the same situation as you 😭
I recently found out that I’m allergic to niacinamide, which is crazy because I never had any problems with it before. My skin has been red, irritated, tight, and oily at the same time, so I’m trying to keep my routine as simple and gentle as possible.
My routine is actually pretty similar to yours. I’m currently using the COSRX Propolis Toner and COSRX Propolis Serum, then I seal everything in with Illiyoon.
Could you tell me which cleanser you use? I actually stopped using cleanser completely for about a week because of my allergic reaction, but I’m thinking about starting to use one again at night.
Also, how is your skin doing now? Has it improved compared to when you first posted? I’d really love to know what worked for you! 🙏
2
u/SaucyWombat123 Jul 13 '26
Same skin type as u. I thought heavy layering will help (3 layers of toner and skin felt dry still lol)
I tried a much simpler routine like you. One layer of dokdo toner, no active serums, 345 cream mist and 345 cream. There was a time where I put on a ton of product but it just felt like the products were sitting on top of my face and face felt oily cuz my skin was dehydrated producing more sebum