Anti-blackhead treatment... boots voucher??

iPink

So I'm on a campaigm to finally get rid of these blackheads. .. They are driving me mad... literally! !
I always had the nicest skin... people would compliment me on it all the time then around my late 30s I started getting bad blackheads & pores on my chin & forehead... around my cheeks & lips... I always had them to some extent on my nose but they are defo worse!
I'm 41 now... The rest of my skin is quite dry... it's a nightmare & I'm obsessed with getting rid of them. .. I squeeze regularly & 'mutilate' myself as my partner calls it...But they always come back! I also have little bumps at the sides of my chin & some sort of psoriasis around the bottom of my nose that can spread if I don't treat it with hc cream...
my skin gets really flaky & red, probably from all the squeezing & dryness...
it's a mess & really depressing tbh (

I really wanted to keep my regime natural & was using kelkin teatree facewash for years plus cidre vinegar (diluted) as toner... baking soda as a scrub & coconut oil (with teatree & lavendar) or organic sunflower oil or organic vitamin e oil etc but the problems would never go away!

I'm so sick of it now & a few days ago (after doing research) have bought a load of neutrogena visibly clear products... as chemical as can be eh but will they work? !

I have a voucher foe no.7 skincare & was thinking of maybe getting a peel or something to use once a week... any recommendations plse??

Also, any advise would be VERY greatfully recieved! ! )

TIA X

iPink

Last night I double washed with the visibly clear facial wash (orange stuff), followed by the blackhead eliminating lotion & the spot stress hydrating lotion...
skin felt silky to the touch but felt dry & tight so I ended up having to use my Natural High Night Cream (superdrug organic range, very thick & creamy!) After a couple of hours & even had to use my Dr. ORGANIC Vit. E oil a while later as still felt dry... lots of salalyic (sp?!) acid!!

Oh & redness is a problem too... especially around my cheeks... the little veins are starting to show!!

HELP ME PLEASE!!!

Semele

Origins do some good products for combination skin that I find amazing- I haven't been using them for a while but they're on my shopping list again now! Maybe speak to someone on the Origins counter in a department store about what would be good. I know the cleanser I used to use was called Checks and Balances, and it really cleared up pores around my nose without drying out the rest of my face. It was amazing, I always felt squeaky clean and yet moisturised at the same time after using it!

jadie

Semele wrote: »

Origins do some good products for combination skin that I find amazing- I haven't been using them for a while but they're on my shopping list again now! Maybe speak to someone on the Origins counter in a department store about what would be good. I know the cleanser I used to use was called Checks and Balances, and it really cleared up pores around my nose without drying out the rest of my face. It was amazing, I always felt squeaky clean and yet moisturised at the same time after using it!

Would you try microdermabrasion or a glycolic peel? There was a good review this week on beaut.ie about it

Ilyana 2.0

Ren do this well-reviewed glycolic mask which is apparently quite gentle on the skin because it doesn't dry out like most masks do. It's pricey but it should last ages.

Tiddlypeeps

iPink wrote: »

I really wanted to keep my regime natural & was using kelkin teatree facewash for years plus cidre vinegar (diluted) as toner... baking soda as a scrub & coconut oil (with teatree & lavendar) or organic sunflower oil or organic vitamin e oil etc but the problems would never go away!

Never put baking soda on your skin. Just because something seems natural does not mean it's not damaging to the skin. Here is a good post on Reddit about it. http://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/195lue/psa_please_do_not_use_baking_soda_on_your_skin_it/

Teatree is also very drying. It's sometimes fine for skin that's oily/acne prone but even then it's sometimes a bit harsh. Definitely not for dry skin tho, it'll only make the problem worse.

Cider vinegar is not much better in the dryness department. It's most common use as a cosmetic product is to treat oily hair, so I'd imagine it has a very similar effect on skin. Not 100% on that one tho so take that with a pinch of salt.

If I were you I'd cut my routine right down to a few very mild products and see how that goes. If black heads are still an issue then I'd start experimenting with adding a glycol peel or an AHA toner.

For a mild cleanser/toner I'd go with some micellar water. This is very good at cleaning out pores but is very mild so it may solve your black head problem without making your skin dry. L'oreal do a nice one, the Garnier one is meant to be pretty good too. A bottle usually costs about a fiver so it's pretty cheap too.

For a moisturiser you could go with one of the Aldi Lacura Q10 moisturisers, sounds strange but they have rated higher than a lot of premium brands in independent studies. I'd love to be able to use them but they are very heavy, so perfect for dry skin.

I'd stick with those or similar products for a few weeks and see how you get on. It really sounds like your previous skin care regime was doing more harm than good so cutting your regime down to something very simple and very mild for a while will at the very least show you which problems are ones that are a genuine problem with your skin and which were as a result of the products you were using.