Unhealthy, dull + pale skin...
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Fri Dec 06, 2013 7:50 pm

Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for viewing this post!!
Basically, I'm a 21 year old guy and I'm pretty insecure about my skin. I get mild acne, my skin is dry and flakey with blackheads around my nose, and I am extremely pale!!

I have tried to fix these issues in the past, but my skin is really sensitive, meaning most things I try just aren't sustainable. For acne issues, I have used general face washes (which almost always make things worse as my skin suddenly gets oily), retin- A (which prevented acne 99%, made my skin really smooth, but caused extreme redness and sensitivity) and salicylic acid peels 30% (which has been the best so far, used once a week, really helped acne, but does cause broken saw skin around my nose and eyes). At the moment I do nothing to my skin. Just use the shower to wash it as this causes no side-effects.

For my paleness I have tried to apply instant tan myself, which looks absolutely terrible...it really doesn't sink into my skin well at all. I don't want to use sunbeds or go out in the sun, as I'm prone to burning and sun damage. I am strict with sun protection, and avoid the sun like the plague. As a result my sun damage is minimal, but again I'm very pale (to an unhealthy extent)

I'm not asking for amazing skin. But I would love to have smooth and clear skin, with some colour!! When I did go out in the sun, I would get a red/brown colour which looked much better...But i'm now too worried about sun damage. I'm considering seeing a derm, just because I literally don't know where to start, but I feel a bit silly...

Could anybody recommend a manageable regime with certain products which will give me the kind of skin I want? I don't really know what skin type I am, but I'd describe my skin as Irish (pale, naturally freckly, prone to burning and sensitive). Any help would be much much appreciated!!! Thanks.

free skin care · Sat Dec 07, 2013 10:19 am

I can certainly empathize! So many products out there ...

• Job 1 is your diet and exercise:

Try eliminating gluten, sugar/sugar substitutes, dairy, eggs, corn, peanuts and soy from your diet for 28 days. Then reintroduce each one gradually to see if you are reacting to a certain food. Eliminating these foods entirely really helped me.

Do you get at least 20 min of exercise a day in fresh air?

• If BHA are helping your blackheads try using a lesser strength less frequently to minimize irritation. Gentle exfoliation daily with a soft flannel does just as well as aggressive treatments w/o the problems.

• All you really need topically is vitamin C, vitamin A (like retinol or retinyl but not Retin-A which may be too harsh for you), and a barrier repair product (look for panthenol, niacinamide and ceramides). Vitamin C in daytime along with sunscreen, vitamin A at night time. Look for children's formulas in sunscreens which have less bad chemicals (hopefully) and are not fragranced.

HTH

Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:50 am

fawnie wrote:

• All you really need topically is vitamin C, vitamin A (like retinol or retinyl but not Retin-A which may be too harsh for you), and a barrier repair product (look for panthenol, niacinamide and ceramides). Vitamin C in daytime along with sunscreen, vitamin A at night time. Look for children's formulas in sunscreens which have less bad chemicals (hopefully) and are not fragranced.

2nd this! I'm in the same age as you.

I am not using Vit A product yet, so I can't comment about it.
But I can't live without my Vit C serum (simple DIY) and Niacinamide!
I'll use ceramide product (Physiogel cream) when my skin is irritated.

Vit C serum gives my pale dull olive (zombie) skin a healthy 'glow' to it.

For clogged pores, I find Finacea gel (Azelaic Acid) helps a lot. Mine has reduced like 70%. But, azelaic does cause skin to be lighter as it helps on hyperpigmentation as well.
I don't really get that much blackheads till I'm bothered, but what I have are those tiny flesh colored bumps, you can't see them, unless on certain lightning or when I stretch my skin and ZOOM IN. haha!

SUNSCREEN everyday - whether it's cloudy/rainy/sunny days!

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