suncream, zits and wrinkles: rolling skincare thread?

OMG daily salicylic acid face wash and toner has worked miracles. No more blackheads and no more break-outs for the last couple of months. Plus my skin feels really soft and smooth. Fucking miraculous!

I'm still using the Retin a regularly and I think I am starting to see results? I'm not really sure though. Def a little peeling but nothing maj. Still purging and breaking out a little which really sucks but I'm still determined to wait this phase out this time. It just better get better soon.

DO NOT BUY the Cetaphil moisturizer with SPF. I did and it was really bad. The sunscreen just sits on your face and stays white and ugh I am angry at it.

Sunscreen is like the hardest thing. It is harder than foundation, I have decided.

i made a derm appt for next week because i can't stand my gross bumpy face anymore
can someone tell me what the purpose of retin-a is? should i ask my doc for it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/30/fashion/30skin.html?pagewanted=all&loadDynamically=false&commentsPosition=middle&_r=0

Prescription Retin-A first became popular more than 20 years ago as an acne treatment. But doctors and patients soon noticed another benefit, one with enormous impact on those who were looking for a way to keep skin vibrant and smooth.

Retin-A users reported improvements in skin texture, including diminished wrinkles and brown spots. Early studies soon confirmed its anti-aging effects. In 1988, Dr. Voorhees and his colleagues at Michigan published the first double-blind study of Retin-A’s effect on photodamaged skin and found that all 30 patients who completed the 16-week study showed statistically significant improvement.

that sounds promising

That article is pretty good. Basically it combats acne and the other things mentioned BUT something to mention is that your skin MAY get worse before it gets better as it adjusts to it.

http://jezebel.com/277896/perfect-skin-in-365-grueling-days-the-wonders-of-retin+a-micro

Yeah basically it causes a cell signalling cascade that causes cells to die off and replenish at a faster rate, in addition to being directly anti-acnegenic. You really really really have to be careful with the sun while using it, like no joke.

I have used retin-A micro .04% (on the mild end of the spectrum); any of the stronger concentrations or other retinoids like tazorac are intolerable with the redness, stinging, peeling.

But that is just me and I am a sensitive flower.

Oh! E, I'm glad you said something. You'd mentioned Retin-A before and I was wondering how it was going. I have a dermatologist appointment next week to get a spot looked at and I was going to ask about Retin-A, retinoids, etc. I tried Retin-A in the late 90s but I gave up at the first sign of trouble.

Like that NYT article mentioned, besides the benefits in appearance, it apparently repairs pre-cancerous skin cells? Sounds good to me.

i would read that jezebel article but it is so full of jokes that i can't find the relevant facts -- i think i might try retin-a/oids even if things get worse before they get better. it's better than being stuck with spotty bumpy face skin. i guess i'll see what the doc says.

I'm going to the dermatologist for "age spots" I guess they're called. WTF are those? They're on my face. Probably sun damage? Until this year I'd worn sunscreen on my face exactly never.

LL it def could help just know it might get bumpier for a couple months. I'm definitely breaking out more than I normally do but I'm not giving up dammit!!!!!

One thing I've read that helps with the dryness and peeling is to wait 1/2 an hour after washing yr face before applying it thereby making sure your face is totally dry before it touches it. IDK why but supposedly this makes a difference and I think it's helped for me.

Jesse - I think it can help with age spots because of the rapid cell turnover etc.

I will keep updating! I think I've been using it regularly for about 5-6 weeks now.

letting my face dry before moisturizing or applying makeup has helped me a lot with my rosacea. i think it's something about the dampness idk?

I want to try a chemical exfoliant, which is supposedly better for your skin than a scrub - that is something that might help with face bumpiness, LL.

I got a mad chin break out right after posting above that the retin-A hadn't been shitting up my skin. But I actually think it might be the fault of the sunscreen I started using.

I haven't experienced the initial breakout/purging thing with Retin-A. I get bumpy on my forehead the week before my period, which is perfectly in synch with when the DREADED CHIN HAIR (just one, but a pesky bastard) makes its appearance.

I have a pact with a girlfriend of mine that we will each make sure to pluck the DREADED CHIN HAIR for each other should either of us happen to fall into a coma.

I've had the worst chin breakout in years but i think it's low-level stress :(

Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliant. I got on the SA wagon after reading an Ask Me Anything Reddit thread by a skin care chemist who just wouldn't shut up about it. She recommended Selsun Blue Naturals as face wash b/c it contains SA.

I bought 30% SA from Amazon and did some home chemical skin peels but I didn't follow through for very long b/c the peeling is kind of a pain in the ass. And for me there was about a day of hyperpigmentation before I peeled and it made me feel like hiding from society.

Testing products for breakouts is the biggest pain. I change a product, and then sometime later I get a breakout. Is it a) because of the product, b) because I'm premenstrual that week anyway, c) because I accidentally got hairspray on my skin while styling, c) because I need to change my pillowcase or sheets, d) because I wore a bike bag with a strap across my sternum and got it sweaty and now my neck is a Robin Cook novel. Seriously how am I ever supposed to know if it was the product?!??

I did try chemical exfoliants for a while but the bumps and spots are not limited to pms times anymore, they're just there ALL THE TIME. I feel like I'm being a little vain about this but then I see people without bumps and feel like I deserve to not have bumps too.

idk, psychological peace of mind is not the same thing as vanity. sometimes skin stuff, especially on yr face, can just kind a make you feel a bit paranoid and/or set apart. seeking answers is fine!

c) because I need to change my pillowcase or sheets

Frequently changing pillowcases is one of the most surprisingly valuable skin-care tips ever and I learned it from one of your posts.

I mean, it makes sense - Your head is oily and you don't want to lay your face on an oily, grimy surface for hours and hours at a time, but it never occurred to me.

It's true! I don't know how it first occurred to me, maybe I just over time noticed that my skin clearing up coincided w changing my sheets. The top flat sheet that I fold under my chin can be a problem too--I know when I start getting bumps under my jaw and on my upper neck that it's dirty. This doesn't necessarily coincide with the amt of time it's been on.

hahaha, ENBB, you sound like me on this thread! Glad you are (finally) sticking with the retin-a!

Frequently changing pillowcases is one of the most surprisingly valuable skin-care tips ever and I learned it from one of your posts.

― potatoes-in-law (Je55e), Thursday, August 8, 2013 9:54 PM (58 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

As someone who has been hassling you about changing your sheets more often for years, I feel like I should get some credit for at least laying the groundwork here.

I had my neck and chest dermapenned last week and then had straight retin-a applied immediately afterwards. Peeled like a motherfuckers all weekend but now I'm verrrry smoooooth.

idk, psychological peace of mind is not the same thing as vanity. sometimes skin stuff, especially on yr face, can just kind a make you feel a bit paranoid and/or set apart. seeking answers is fine!

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, August 8, 2013 9:53 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Also this is super true.

Also! The salon where I have been getting my hair cut since 2005 declared me one of their "top clients" and sent me a card good for a free facial! This is very exciting. I have had two facials in my life (one free because my roommate worked at a salon and one gift), but they are definitely things that I see as complete indulgences that I am unwilling to purchase myself. For once my skin isn't giving me any grief, too, so I feel like I can just go in for the relaxation aspect as opposed to the problem solving aspect.

Several years ago I was able to afford a facial every two weeks. The spa used Pevonia products and my skin looked amazing after four sessions. I remember friends telling me it was like I had a film removed and strangers at grocery stores and out and about would come up and compliment me or ask me if I was French. I miss facials! They are totally worth it. Of course finding the right esthetician can be tricky and products that agree with you.

I've never had a facial. I always thought they were excessive but I guess I was wrong!

I mean that 100% sincerely lest I sound flip. I really never knew they actually did anything.

I have oily skin and maybe that's why it made a noticeable difference. My skin really looked clean and smooth and more balanced.

As someone who has been hassling you about changing your sheets more often for years, I feel like I should get some credit for at least laying the groundwork here.

― Lawyer... SUAVE... (carl agatha), Thursday, August 8, 2013 5:54 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Haha yes. It's just that I'd never realized that being less filthy could have tangible effects on my dermal wellness.

Re facials: what do they involve? Like LL, I'd always thought they were just about pampering and some snake oil (until recently I thought every hair and skin product beyond plain old soap, conditioner, and lotion was snake oil) and maybe some hardcore pore extraction.

Just googled Pevonia and the first product I looked at says

An unsurpassed formula with micronized actives: Caviar (repairing)

CAVIAR! o_0

The facials I've had have involved the application of steam and like, a whole bunch of skin care products - masks, scrubs, peels - plus hardcore pore extraction and some moisturizing and face/neck/shoulder massage. I don't think it's snake oil, but like I said, it's def a pampering thing for me. I've never had them regularly though so who knows how amazing my skin could be.

something i never knew: a regular t-shirt is like SPF 5

something else i never knew: either you are using SPF 50 or you are just fucking around

Women's mag wisdom, at least from the last time I read women's magazines, was that anything over SPF 30 was a waste. That's been awhile, though.

keep up, GRANDMA!

lol

and if you do, you'll be such a sexy grandma. mmmmm sexy wrinkle-free grandma.

I bought a Marie Claire in the airport the other day but I only read the first ten pages or so before I got annoyed and stopped. I will revisit to determine the most expedient way to become sexy and wrinkle-free.

this looked like a good airport read for the ladies on this thread (if you speak french):

http://f.cl.ly/items/3A3A0l17283i0m1Q0p1m/ClouDrop%209%20Aug%202013%2016%3A48%3A56.png

lol sorry, sorta confused this with the body positivity thread.

i.e. i have no idea if there are specific skin-care tips in there. though i wouldn't be surprised. there was a little fiction, some fashion stuff, some culture stuff.. like, basically a "woman's magazine" except not quite so in hock to the 5 conglomerates that own every product marketed to women.

Women's mag wisdom, at least from the last time I read women's magazines, was that anything over SPF 30 was a waste. That's been awhile, though.

Me too, but what I read was that anything over SPF 15 was a waste. Also quite awhile ago, so I guess I'm a grandma too.

I don't know that it's a "waste" but the protection increases only very incrementally above 30 or so--you only gain a few percentage points' more protection even when you make a big jump in SPF number. Considering that the UV blocking chemicals can irritate some skin etc etc, it just makes sense to find a balance somewhere in between and make sure to reapply.

Also considering that in our lifetimes, sun protection has gone from "none" to "absolutely crucial, don't ever go outside" levels of alarm, I think we tend to put a lot of faith in sunscreens, esp ones that seem extreme (do they still make Bullfrog?), to give a level of protection that they can't deliver. Like, a strong sunscreen is not a magic bullet.

I used to use Bullfrog on my face when I lifeguarded. But being a grandma, I have no idea whether it is still around.