Product suggestions - Almost 30, fair skin, light freckles
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Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:50 am

Hi everyone,

I am 28, and for the past few years I have been making a conscious effort to take care of my skin, and would like some feedback on my current regimen, and maybe some product suggestions that could suit my skin type. Obviously, it is a bit hard to 'diagnose' a skin type when you can't see it, so I'll try to be as descriptive as possible.

I apologise in advance for the length of this post. I tend to be long-winded.

At the moment I would say my skin care concerns are:

- Pigmentation
- Break-outs
- Ageing

I currently use the following skin care products:

- MD Formulations Facial Cleanser with Glycolic Acid
- Dermalogica Solar Defense Booster SPF30
- Dermalogica Active Moist
- Dermalogica Total Eye Care
- Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub (Probably 2-3 times per week)
- MD Formulations Vit-A Plus Illuminating Mask (1-2 times per week)
- MD Formulations Vit-A Plus Clearing Complex Mask (1-2 times per week)

All of these products were recommended to me by a beauty therapist in a salon.

I previously used MD Formulations Vit-A Plus Illuminating Serum each night, but I really didn't like the feeling of this product on my skin - it felt almost waxy and sticky. It didn't sink into my skin, and I couldn't sleep with it on because I often sleep on my side, the serum would wipe off my skin, and stain my pillow slips!

I have oily skin which I blot away throughout the day. I break-out occasionally - I might go a few weeks with great skin, then all of a sudden I have a couple of weeks where I break out on my chin or around the nose area. I might even have a week here and there where my skin just looks sallow and yuck. Generally speaking though, if I stick to my regimen, my skin is fine. I also find that a few days without any makeup helps to clear up my skin as well.

I have some freckles and pigmentation on my cheeks, and when I get pimples I tend to get a darker spots for a few weeks. I would like to get rid of the freckles and spots and have a more even looking skin tone. I have found that the products I am currently using have not been able to achieve this. I know that sunblock will not 100% prevent sun damage and freckle formation, so I try to avoid sun exposure. I do not sun bake or intentionally go out in the sun, although do get exposed to rays when I'm walking outside or in the car. I shield myself from the sun in these situations as best I can.

I work odd hours (which doesn't help my eye area), and find the skin around my eyes is super delicate and more often than not the skin in my eye area looks too 'thin' and lacks firmness (I have only just started getting strict with the eye cream, so this might improve over time).

And of course I'm nearing the big 3-0, and I would like to get stuck into a good skin care routine now, so that I can stay looking young for as long as possible (thankfully I have good genes on my side - everyone on both sides of my family are slow agers, but I am sure I got stuck with scrap genes, so don't want to rely on genetics alone!). I have one 'wrinkle' or 'line' on my face - and it is from smiling (and you can see it when I'm not smiling). It isn't a big deal, but I find at the end of the day my makeup tends to crease here and I have to pat around the area to even out the foundation.

I am sure there are people reading that last line and laughing about a 28 year old freaking out about a wrinkle - but lets just put it down to the 'age' and 'looks' obsessed world we live in....and a sprinkling of neuroticism Smile

So - with all this in mind...

- Is there something I should be doing that I'm not?
- Is there a product missing from my regimen?
- Are my products making my skin care concerns worse?
- What can I use to really make my skin glow and be more even?
- Any other comments?

Thanks in advance! And sorry again for such a long post!

free skin care · Mon Apr 26, 2010 7:46 pm

Hi and welcome trinket,

I think you could benefit from using a Vitamin C product in the morning (look for one that contains l-ascorbic acid). Skinceuticals C E Ferulic is the best I've tried and I've used it for years. Skinceuticals has a Vitamin C Phloretin formula that could be better for your oily skin. The Vitamin C will help with the pigmentation. You could also benefit from using a product that contains retinol at night. Or something like the Green cream that EDS sells or Avene Retrinal which has retinalhyde (sp?). This will help prevent wrinkles and will help plump up any wrinkles you have to make them less noticeable. It sounds like you already have a pretty good routine going but you would probably notice a difference by adding those two products. There's lots of information on this forum about retinol, retin A, and Vitamin C if you want to do a search for more information about those products. Of course, if you start using these products make sure you have a strong sunscreen. HTHs

free skin care · Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:07 pm

If I were you I would use (depending on skin tolerance, etc.)

a. A light hydroxiacid, working it up to every day use (the MD formulation might be strong enough,I don't know)

b. Retin-A

These would be my 2 "must use" products. Both will help with freckles, wrinkles and blemishes.

Once in a while I would do a stronger AHA peel.

Also... based on all the masks... you might be overdoing it a bit? I don't know how strong the glycolic acid on the cleanser is but...glycolic acid + scrubbing 3 times/week seems quite agressive....

Just my random thoughs!

free skin care · Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:39 pm

Josee wrote:

If I were you I would use (depending on skin tolerance, etc.)

a. A light hydroxiacid, working it up to every day use (the MD formulation might be strong enough,I don't know)

b. Retin-A

These would be my 2 "must use" products. Both will help with freckles, wrinkles and blemishes.

Agree, but I would add in an antioxidant product, or a C serum like Jom mentioned. And, don't forget a sunscreen every day!! Very Happy

Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:06 am

Thank you so much for your suggestions - I will look into everything you have mentioned!

Josee - re: scrubbing + masks - I don't use them religiously...Infact I am rather inconsistent with the masks and with exfoliation. I just realised I said I exfoliate 2-3 times per week, when really it should be 1-2 times.
The masks I tend to do whenever I think about it, and whenever I have the time. I might go more than a week or 2 without using a mask, but other times I might be more diligent and use a mask once or twice per week (note - I would use one mask, then use the other mask a few days later. I wouldn't use both twice a week).

Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:18 am

I definitely agree with the above posts regarding the Vitamin C. Read up on them to ensure the best brands. It should help with your pigmentation. I've had help with it treating breakouts as well.

free skin care · Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:26 am

rileygirl wrote:

Josee wrote:

If I were you I would use (depending on skin tolerance, etc.)

a. A light hydroxiacid, working it up to every day use (the MD formulation might be strong enough,I don't know)

b. Retin-A

These would be my 2 "must use" products. Both will help with freckles, wrinkles and blemishes.

Agree, but I would add in an antioxidant product, or a C serum like Jom mentioned. And, don't forget a sunscreen every day!! Very Happy

Yeah I guess I usually forget to mention Vitamin C because it reminds me that no matter how slow I try to go... my skin just does not tolerate it Sad

free skin care · Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:58 pm

Josee wrote:

Yeah I guess I usually forget to mention Vitamin C because it reminds me that no matter how slow I try to go... my skin just does not tolerate it Sad

Have you tried other anti-oxidants? I am a believer in a variety of antioxidants for the skin, not just C. I think the majority do not have much in the way of science, yet I think they could possibly help!

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