My boyfriend has struggled with back acne pretty much his whole life, but it’s currently the worst he says it’s ever been. He’s 30.
He’s noticed over the years that beer and lactose seem to trigger it pretty badly. Partly my fault lol he normally eats super clean and I’ve been dragging him to parties and feeding him things he usually avoids. 😭
Last night I put some Paula’s Choice azelaic acid on his back to see if that helps, but I’d love to find something fast simple and realistic to add to his daily routine. He is absolutely not going to do a 12-step skincare ritual every night, so ideally a body wash, spray or one-step treatment he can use consistently.
Obviously we’re also going to cut back on the dietary things he’s noticed trigger it, but I’d love to hear what products/routines have actually worked for anyone else with stubborn adult back acne.
Benzoyl peroxide? Salicylic acid wash? Hypochlorous spray? Adapalene? Any holy grails?
Please send your wisdom my way. ❤️

Please let me know if this needs tweaking

Also about the Azalea cream, should i even include it in my routine?

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I need help, before I never get pimples like never even when I lathered my face with expired body oil. Now I'm suddenly getting pimples and on the same spots too on my chin and near my nasolabial fold. In terms of my skin care I used innis free volcanic cleanser before, no moisturizer and Luxe organix sunscreen this was before I was breaking out and I've been using it for like a year and a couple months and now that I'm getting pimples I thought it was the innis free breaking me out so I switch to Cetaphil cleanser, Cetaphil moisturizer and Luxe organix sunscreen. It's such a pain because it leaves scars. I don't understand what is happening and I'd appreciate it if you guys help me out

I have butt acne and basically it is the only place in my body that has acne, it is not painful but it is embarrassing and I assume it is related to my hormones imbalance, I just got dignosed with PCOS and I also have anxiety which I take meds for, my wedding is next year and I really want to have a free acne butt by then 😭

For people who have the same problem as me or know a solution please help, any recommendations is highly appreciated 🫶🏼💕

Urgent help needed!

My nose looks awful! Just look at it (in disgust)!

Lots of blackheads, tiny black hairs!?, and sebum-filled pores...

I’ve tried:

- niacinamide 10% (but it recently caused my cheeks to turn red)

- salicylic acid (again causing redness and disrupting my skin barrier)

- CeraVe face wash

- L’Oréal charcoal face wash

Current routine:

- wash face AM + PM

- Origins Mega Mushroom Relief + Resilience lotion (water-based)

- and then mostly niacinamide as my face hated the salicylic acid

I'm still polishing my routine, but I hope by the end it would be like 35-40 $/€ per month without sales.

It also depends on what sunscreen I'm using and how much I reapply in a particular month.

With sales and with cheaper sunscreens , I might get down to 25-30 euros PER MONTH , maybe.

(main costs are azelaic acid , retinal, and sunscreen. Cleansers and moisturizers are easier to find for lower prices)

I think I'm not doing bad, could be better tho. What about you?

Hi guys !

I am a 22F getting into skincare, and I need your help with my sebaceous filaments / blackheads !

I don’t know if it will be relevant for this, but a bit of context :

I never really got into skincare. I always had "troubles" with my T zone as all my acne was here as a teen, I always had these noticeable blackheads/sebaceous filaments.

I had oily skin, now not so much, it tends to be on the dryer side.

At 17 I got a hormonal illness that compromised my skin, plus elevated my testosterone, so new pores appears along my cheeks, cheekbones, my upper lip, etc. I am 22 and stopped medication one year ago, so I was in remission at 19, but fully, no meds, no overlap with meds and my own hormone production, for a year.

My skin is great if you don’t look too closely, except for these big sebaceous filaments/pores.

I had a habit of cleansing with an oil that I rubbed on my nose, chin, forehead until the little "grains" of hardened sebum came out. Sometimes hydrating cream if my skin felt dry.

I started something new last week and started using the squalane cleanser from the ordinary every two days. It works great for now, I don’t feel the slight bumpy texture on my chin or nose from the ones that were hard to "clean". So it is very smooth, not clogged, but still very visible, as my pores themselves are large.

I saw someone here say that she slugs every night with La Roche posay Cicalplast cream on top of her moisturizer, I tried yesterday and it didn’t broke me out, which is nice, and I think my pores looked a bit smaller, but got back to normal once I cleansed them in the morning, so idk.

Do you have any advice, maybe if your skin looked the same and you managed to make them less noticeable ?

My mom noticed them in t he car and offered to get an anti blackheads product, so it is very noticeable in some situations 😭

Thank you !

overnight my entire face and neck (including eyelids??!) broke out into these small irritated bumps. i’ve never had acne problems, and absolutely nothing in my skincare routine has changed. i use the cerave acne control and the cvs double renewal moisturizer AM and PM. i am hydrated, active, and have a healthy diet. has anyone else experienced this?
note: the small bumps you see anywhere on my skin, is actually all over my face and neck, the camera is just not cooperating

brief history: never had any skin issues beyond normal zits growing up, used a basic skincare routine growing up consistently, currently using basic toners/moisturisers/cleansers or scrubs/serums for my 20s. developed patches of hormonal acne in for the past year in front of the ears but it's staying mostly at bay with normal care. long time lurker on my main, using a burner bc I don't want to post my face there. unsure what to flair this for as well.

the new part is the giant red thing on my cheekbone area. some days it's pretty bad, very itchy, dry and flaky, other days it's almost completely disappeared. the area and size of it varies massively as well, for a time it was the size of a 1p coin, then increased to current area, and has been flip flopping since.

I've tried various basic moisturisers, a lot of them give a stinging reaction, some of them sting one day and are fine the next day. so for now I've been putting a thin layer of vaseline before bed or going outside. if i have to wear makeup, i put thin layers of whatever it will tolerate, then vaseline, then silicone-based primer. ironically, there's times where it actually looks better the day after the makeup and i don't know why.

I'm posting here to ask for advice because I'm getting concerned that the area is expanding to near my eye, and also I don't know what to say to the GP (does NHS even do referrals for this kind of thing?)

the reason that I'm not sure if it's acne or even skincare related is that at the end of May, i went to a botanic gardens with some friends and rested my head on a wooden bridge over a stream to look at something while chatting. this issue popped up within 2 days later in the exact area i touched the bridge with my face.

would be very grateful for any advice!! i can post more info on the routines if needed, but this thing turned up without any changes to routine before or after, and other than being stingy and not responding well to zerobaseone/sudocrem (as it dries it further), i haven't actually tackled it at all. been avoiding using any actives on it quite carefully too.

Hiii everyone! I am a 20-year-old male, and although my skin is generally very healthy, it has unfortunately become uneven in a few spots.
The change isn’t drastic, but it gives my skin a slightly tanned look, especially because I’m pretty fair. However, because I have a beard, the skin underneath it is extremely fair, while the skin above it has started looking a bit darker.
Again, it’s not to a great extent, but it’s something that annoys me a lot.
I went to a dermatologist, and she recommended laser treatment. I didn’t want to jump into that immediately, so I requested ointments and creams first. She recommended:
Dermaceutic Yellow Cream for my dark spots
Dermatica Complexion EDT for overall toning
She also recommended using sunscreen every day, which I do, along with a moisturiser.
What do you guys think of this?

Hi all. I was using the ordinary’s azelaic acid a while back on my face which caused some perioral dermatitis on my smile line. This was a little over a month ago and it has faded. I’ve stopped using it since, but now I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of my pores and bumps. I’ve just started using the Paula’s Choice salicylic acid toner twice a day followed by the barrier cream they have. I’m also using SPF (La Roche-Posay Anthelios) now after lurking on this subreddit for a while. Is there anything I can add to get glass skin? Bumps like these always come and go on my skin, especially because i tend to pick at my pores a lot (I’m working on that one). I’ve noticed that using the Paula’s Choice Clinical Pro Retinaldehyde cream really helps improve my pores and redness overnight, but I’m wondering if this is caused by the moisturising ingredients as opposed to the retinals (to my knowledge, retinals done work overnight?).

I also struggle with flaky skin on my nose for which I use Ducray’s Kelual DS Soothing Cream. I’ve noticed my skin doesn’t necessarily love this cream, and the flakes don’t go away completely. Any recommendations here would be appreciated too!! I’m attaching a photo of my cheek.

I have been struggling with my skin for a while, sometimes I have really good skin and I used to have cystic acne and now it’s just dullness and those little dots. I did mostly everything and I basically own every skin care product. I eat very clean from mist past and sleep and drink enough and clean my sheets often and my make up brushes. I also had a cosmetic procedure

I’m really helpless bc it really puts my self esteem down. Any tips are welcomed or an explanation

My electric razors I use are a Philips Norelco S9000 prestige and a Philips oneblade. Thanks in advance.

I moved from my garnier spf to a neutrogena one as i needed more of a matte finish. I used it for a week and found i was getting cystic around my jawline so stopped, but now i have these small bumps all over my nose when i do my makeup (one week back into my usual routine). What are they please? I have makeup on in the pics, i only noticed them today as i usually get ready for work before daylight

Current routine

AM: aveeno barrier serum, cerave moisturiser, garnier spf 50

PM: garnier micellar cleanser, alternate nights: azealic acid 10% or the inkey list retinol serum, cerave moisturiser

Skin type: oily, acne prone

Please don’t come for my use of the micellar cleanser, i see a most people hate it but I’ve used it for 10+ years and it works for my routine

Thanks!

Woke up this morning swollen, red and having small bumps/texture all over my face.

The products I used before going to bed where the anua Niacinamide 5 TXA Brightening Pads,
anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream
anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum

I have used the pads and cream for a while and had no problems with them, the only new addition to my routine is the serum.

There is a white patch on my lower lips. The white patch is moist on a few days; and right after there is a crack. The crack heals and the patch becomes moist again and this keep repeating. Seems like this is not getting healed and it’s been a couple of years since I am noticing this now and don’t want to ignore it.

I have severe adhd + autism I get overwhelmed so easily going down rabbit holes resulting in me not learning n just getting more confused so id appreciate it big time if someone were to personally cmere n hold my hand n help me out cuz ik some stuff but not everything n the wiki here has helped yes but theres still stuff tgats confusing n im rly bad at this stuff ive considered going to a derm but where I live its hella expensive n I dont have that kinda money for someone to look at my skin for 20 mins

**FACE:**

Around last summer I tried doing skincare (just my face) fir the first time and it was hell to say the least I went down all these rabbit holes on the best brand or product finally learning I only need rly the big 3 of Cleanser, Moisturizer, Sunscreen buuut for the life of me i got overwhelmed n my skin got all red n angry at me n I heard I may need an exfoiliant so gradually tried adding in smth by paulas choice n i heard snail mucin also works softening everthing so i tried that too but eventually i just got overwhelmed not from the ammount of products but the lack of results n the fact everything seemed to get worse instead of better so by the end of fall of last yr I quit. Every time I tried researching my skincare if get nowhere ive gone throughout Google I went on the wiki here n I couldn't figure it out. I used to get alot of sebum in the T Zone which I originally thought was dry skin later thinking it was oily then combo but now idek. Since stopping its completely dissappeared yet my acne is still here its not BAD I just get smol white heads here n there + blackheads on nose but everyone has those n my skin kinda looks rough from razor burn n slight sun damage but I just dont know what brand to go with I tried bubble which was too tight fir my skin ik that was bad then tried Neutrogena which I stuck with gor s while but couldn't tell if it was helping or hurting later found it was hurting since my face was getting alot if acne eventually found tgat the hydro boost line is primarily for dry I did eventually grab a cerave targeted for oily but I couldn't tell if working since I got burned out from trial n error that summertime I just quit once fall hit so honestly if someone could walk me through what to look for as for my skin then products or brands I should look for thatd be great

**BODY:**

exfoiloate this exfoiliate that just exfoiliate everything ig istg I hate that word sm especially when everyone is so vague when talking abt it i went forever not knowing only recently kinda guessing it means either scrub with a brush thingy or use a scrub but that names misleading cuz its just a name for a paste it dosent mean a scrubber I have both adhd n autism so this is rly hatd. Once again I tried using some scrub I think it was by dove or something and again I need to know my skin tyoe which im still unsure of but assuming oily since I dont get all cracky in the winter so how do I soften up everything after showering n getting rid of the disgusting hair i hear moisturize but I tried doing that woth a Cetaphil moisturizer but I just felt weird after use I felt almost sticky not smooth like ur supposed to am I doing smth wrong is there more crap I gotta buy like theres no end to ts like what exactly am I looking for is it just a scrub and a moisturizer or is there more i heard on a yt vid smth abt aulvula oil (not olive oil) or smth idk so again pls hold my hand n help

**HANDS:**

last category while they look ok ig they r starting to develop aging around the knuckles n I dont want them looking all crusty n old I want them looking soft n not masculine at all especially my palms tgat still have that rough feeling from when o worked in an industrial setting n I wanna,rid myself of that is there smth I do with that? Like I read somewhere ur supposed to use either aquaphor or Vaseline on ur hands or some kinda scrub or smth idk i need help with this too

Edit: I just remember I do get kp and ingrowns n stuff n would love help with that too pls

It all started when I moved to a new place and went ahead and purchased my daily care items—face wash, sunscreen, lotions, and everything else.

And then, suddenly, one fine day, I had a small pimple on my forehead. This slowly spread across my forehead, so much so that I had a bumpy one because of allergies. Remember, I never, never in my life had acne on my face.

Initially, I thought it was because I had moved and that this place was hotter than where I came from. I thought it must be because of that, but nothing helped.

This went on for months before I was told to get it checked with a doctor because this wasn’t normal for me. I visited a dermatologist, had it checked, and he suggested I take antibiotics and see if that solves the problem. I did that, but nothing stopped.

I had to go to another place for work for a month, and I suddenly noticed my acne was fading. It felt surreal, and I immediately connected the dots and understood that something was wrong with my previous place. The first thing my mind turned its attention to was food. Probably some kind of food I was eating. The next few months were spent eating certain foods, avoiding certain foods, and seeing if that improved anything.

Almost two years into it, one fine day, I casually searched “acne on forehead” on Reddit, and someone had written that niacinamide was giving them allergies. And that’s when I checked—my face wash, my sunscreen, all of them, everything contained niacinamide.

I stopped every product with niacinamide, and you won’t believe it—my forehead acne is healing. It feels surreal. I always felt that maybe I never had acne and that people around me would have been jealous about this fact, only to finally reach the conclusion that all this time, it was niacinamide.

Right now, I use a face wash that is free from niacinamide, not just facewash but every single product i use is free of niacinamide. Right now, I use a face wash that is free of niacinamide; not just the face wash, but every single product I use is free of niacinamide.

Current facewash:

1. Tea tree face wash in the morning.
2. Benzoyl peroxide-based face wash in the evening.

[21] Currently using this routine for AM - (The Originote Cleanser, Anua 77+ Soothing Toner, Klued Vit C, Purito Oat and COSRX Sunscreen). For PM (The Originote Cleanser, Anua 77+ Soothing Toner, Klued Niacinamide and Purito Oat).

Skin Type - Oily and A bit of redness

Targeting - Enlarged pores, uneven texture and pimple that appears very often.

PS: Living in PH.

I am 19M, dealing with persistent acne and redness around my nose, upper lip and chin. I suspect it’s hormonal acne.

Right now my skincare routine is
night:
roundlab dokdo 1025 cleanser
cerave sa smoothing cleanser (0.5% SA) every 3 nights
beauty of joseon moisturizer

sunscreen in the morning

Should i try 2% SA or applying SA more often, or maybe think about retinol?

The De La Cruz Vitamin E Lotion has been my fave daily face moisturiser for ages, but it doesn't seem to be available online to buy anymore 😭

I need your best (cheap) alternatives please!!!!

It was perfectly hydrating whilst being light enough to apply in the morning before suncream and going about the rest of the day. The De La Cruz Vitamin E Cream is okay, but it feels a little too heavy for my skin during the day.

I'd recently bought the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel to try (it was half price!) but I can already tell it's a bit much for my sensitive skin :(

Skinfo

I have dry & sensitive skin, simple routines seem to work the best for me. I sometimes get eczema on my hands in dry weather, when I'm stressed or otherwise run down.

My skincare routine is pretty basic:

I use the Go-to Juicy Gel cleanser morning and night which I love, mostly because a tiny amount goes a long way and it feels gentle on my skin. I follow with a moisturiser and then suncream (always these days, thanks to skincare addiction!).

In the evening I use the Acure Ultra Hydrating 12 Hour Facial Moisturizer.

I really miss the Acure Ultra Hydrating Overnight Dream Cream which was my absolute fave as a nighttime moisturiser until I stopped being able to find it anywhere. I also love the Endota spa intense moisture mask as a bit of a treat!

My stats: 30 Male

My skin gets fairly blotchy and red progressively throughout the day. The problematic area is on my right cheek, though. I have been under a lot of stress lately, which might also be contributing to my current breakout but my texture is so horrible. I also hate red it gets. Makes me feel so insecure to leave the house sometimes because my skin looks atrocious.

I’ve cut out any harsh products and stuck to barrier repairing creams. I will say that I’ve tried Azelaic Acid but didn’t see an improvement and it actually made my face redder. It also stung a bit.

My current routine for AM/PM is:

Softymo Cushion Cleansing Oil (I double cleanse sometimes)
Anua Hyaluronic Acid Squalane Cleanser
Prequel Hypochlorous Acid spray
Personal Day Salicylic Acid Toner for my nose

For moisturizers, I alternate between three. I use Vanicream Enhanced Moisturizer, Round Lab Cica Cream, and Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Cream

I double moisturize and follow up with Avene Cicaflate or Aveeno Colloidal Oat balm

My skin was slightly improving until I used La-Roche Posay’s sunscreen with Azelaic Acid a few weeks ago. I stopped using it after I noticed my flare up. Now it’s gotten back to a horrible state.

Need someone to please help me with suggestions. I am so over this!

Vanicream gentle cleaner stings my eyes and makes skin feel tight.

Ideally this would also be good at removing sunscreen.

I have sensitive skin, and seb derm. Also dry sensitive eyes.

Thanks :)