What has made the most dramatic difference in your skin?

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Here is my skin care routine:

Drink 10 glasses of water in a day.

Always wear sunscreen prior to 30 minutes when you step out in the sun.

Wash your face twice a day.

Eat more green vegetables and fruits.

(edited to remove ad/tiny URL per TOS -magicalmom)

 
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It can't be any one thing, methinks. Things work best synergistically, right?

For me, it's rose water - which actualy might not do anything except make me feel like I'm swimming in a bed of roses (good for mood, good skin?) - combined with rosehip seed oil and argan oil for the winter days and rosehip seed oil and carrot seed oil for nights.

It's so, so low maintenance and my skin looks better than it has since I was 24.

 
For me, it was SK-II Whitening/ Brightening sheet masks!

I saw those acne scars faded the day after the use.

They are expensive, but really does work for special care. 

Another, for more daily use, is this Korean cosmeceutical brand Lee Ji Ham's Tea Tree 90 Essence.

They really help soothe my breakouts and make them go away faster when I get those occasional hormonal breakouts. 

 
Believe it or not, vaseline and drinking a liter of water throughout the day in conjunction have made the most measurable impact on my skin, along with occasional use of Nivea (face cleanser) and Tru Visage (anti aging cream and wrinkle reducer, read the review here ) twice every other day before going to sleep. 

A moisturizer and anti aging cream is oftentimes all you need in most cases. 

 
Paulas choice products & listening to their weekly Q & A podcast. Have learned so much about skincare & what works versus doesn't work. Love their social media videos & Q&A.

 
@@blubird21 me too! I wish they would edit a little... The newest YouTube skin care vid is freaking 1hr and 20+min. Unfortunately there was only 15 to 20 minutes of info. Still I really like their "back it up with independent research" and "fragrance is not skin care" philosophy.

 
This is helpful. I just joined so bare with me as I'm still new to how things work. But my Clarisonic Mia 2 has really helped my skin texture, it feels better and smoother.

 
@@klt19 welcome! One of my favorite threads here is the enablers one :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> people post great deals they find and buy.

 
I get good skin by just reading skin and hair tips. There are lots of available information online that you can try. 

 
5 years ago, my face is full of acne. I was so frustrated not to get rid of them. One day, I read in the article that using green tea helps a lot. I also did my research and I found the Clindamycin, an antibiotic, cures acne. I use it for 3 months and the scars were gone as well. 

 
What worked best for me was accutane. I'm just finishing up a 7 month course and it's truly a god send. I tried EVERYTHING before from prescriptions to holistic and everything in between. 

 
The biggest things that have helped my skin, in chronological order:

  • Gentle cleanser. Your face should not feel tight or squeaky clean after you cleanse, that means it's been stripped of moisture. Dove's bar soap, or any of the generic versions of it, worked well for me. I think I started using it in high school (I'm 30), and only tried something new in the last year out of boredom.
  • Daily moisturizer with SPF. For years I used Trader Joe's face stuff because it's not too heavy, it absorbs even if you use a ton, and it's really cheap. I started this back when I was spending $30-40 a year on cosmetics. I'm sure the moisturizer helped, but I've worn sunscreen every day (seriously, every day) for nearly a decade. My skin looks great, and I don't think that's just coincidence. Wear sunscreen, whether it's to prevent cancer or for vanity. It is one of the most effective things you can do for your skin.
  • Routines! I have a hard time with routines in many areas of my life, including skincare. Every time I get into a routine, my skin is great. Then I get lazy and sleep with makeup on, or go on vacation and forget a product, or whatever, and my skin does not like it! A couple days after I get back in routine, my skin is happy again. A solid routine even prevents period-related breakouts for me.
  • Gentle and frequent physical exfoliating: I use a konjac sponge. You could scrub a baby's face really hard with a konjac sponge and it wouldn't leave a scratch. So gentle, and so effective, they're like magic. If you're jonesing for a Clairsonic, try one of these first. It might be perfect for you and you'll have saved $100.
  • Gentle and frequent chemical exfoliating: BHA (breaks apart oils, so this is better for blackheads or oily skin) or AHA (breaks apart skin...sounds weird but basically this dissolves the dry flakey top layer of skin). I have dry skin but use a BHA to keep my pores clear. What is a good chemical exfoliant for one person can be painfully irritating for someone else, so be prepared to try a few things, and introduce them to your routine very slowly. My skin likes daily exfoliation, but some people do best with once a week, or somewhere in between.
  • Reddit. Seriously, search reddit for skincare advice. They know their skincare, the how's and why's and do's and don'ts, and are incredibly helpful.
 
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My skin has always been my biggest back and forth battle...  I was one of those teenagers who suffered from severe acne (and now bear the scars, literally) and got told that it's just a phase and my skin will clear up on it's own once I hit my 20s. LIES!! I am now 25 years old, and even though I have always taken good care of my skin, it has continued to rebel like a teenager to this day.

It wasn't until I left the city, and moved to a small mountain town that I saw any improvement, whatsoever. What was the one significant change? The air. That's right, the air itself appeared to be the biggest issue with the condition of my skin. I left the air pollution and traded it for clear, clean skies. Now, I realize that this isn't a practical solution, and not everyone can (or wants to) move, and I admit that I didn't give it any thought until I saw change... but it's worth paying attention to where you live and how it may be impacting you!

Even though there is no magic solution, here are some other tips I recommend:

  • Drink lots and lots of water. Get in the habit of carrying a water bottle (Nalgene are great!) with you at all times!
  • Get plenty of sleep. Beauty rest is a real thing!
  • Moisturize. 
  • Protect your skin from the sun.
  • Hair/skin/nails supplements are worth looking into.
  • Try an oil as your night time moisturizer (even with oily, acne prone skin, I swear by Tarte's Maracuja Oil)
  • Try to eliminate irritants (pollution, bad food, harsh products, stress, etc)

Hope this helps!

 
@@SaraP Thank you!  Is there anything else I should know to help me navigate on here better? Also, are there any other sites you like that's about makeup chat as well? I'm trying to find ways to share what I know to help others and gain knowledge from others! :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I would say my top two thing are...

1) Cutting out products that could dry out or irriate your skin: with ingredients such as SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), drying alcohols (ex. denatured, ethyl), or products with heavy fragrances (my skin is sensitive as it is, and these seem to make my face look red and splotchy).  

2) Regularly exfoliating. I got a Clarisonic. I used to wash my face with my hands, and I didn't realize my face wasn't getting clean until this little tool! If it's out of your budget, and you're used to washing your face with your hands, switch to using a washcloth. Or, another favorite way to exfoliate is applying a topical BHA (salicylic acid) product every night. I use a 2% BHA liquid by Paula's Choice. It helps get off all of the dirt/makeup you missed when cleansing, and overtime can dissolve blackheads and shrink enlarged pores. Exfoliating is great, just don't overdo it. Pick a method that works for you and stick to it. 

 
CrazyHippo said:
I would also add that numerous times I have been advised to use Cetaphil and I have used it prior to my PC switch, but I find that Cetaphil has a good, gentle cleanser, but I find their products a little too basic and as my skin is starting to age and my skin is quite fine, I don't find that Cetaphil has the ingredients to plump up the skin and improve tone and texture. It is still a very good cleanser that does not increase redness though.
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Cetaphil has a really short, basic ingredients list, which is why I believe dermatologists recommend them (less ingredients, less likely to irritate the skin). However, they don't offer benefits such as antioxidants and vitamins. I definitely think it's good to stay away from products that are heavily fragranced, so you don't get that redness. 

I personally don't see a problem with a long ingredients list--if it's well-formulated, then the amount of ingredients used shouldn't matter. If there's an ingredient in that long list that irritates you, that's one thing, but if it's just the sheer amount of ingredients listed that bothers you, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I love Paula's Choice's BHA exfoliant and i think it has really benefited my skin: made it smoother, helped control acne, etc. I've never had a problem with my skin forming a tolerance to my skincare routine, but I know skin is always changing. You have to treat the skin you have right now, so what used to work for you might not work anymore, if that makes sense. I wouldn't stop using a routine in fear that your skin would grow tolerant to it, but rather stop when the products aren't solving your skincare issues the way they used to.

 
I think what my skin needs is to be moisturized with an oil. I really want to try Tarte's maracuja oil, but I'm looking for something less expensive. Any ideas?

 
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