Hello!
If you've read my last blog post, you'll know that I've been having some skin issues that have stopped me from being able to wear makeup and even skincare. Months later, my weird patch of nose eczema hasn't been active, but it has left behind a light scar. Over the last month I started using skincare again and even washing my face with my foreo without irritating it, so I know it's similar to my other eczema scars and is dormant at the moment. Because of this, I want to start using proper skincare again to target all of the acne scars I have on my face, the acne itself and my uneven skin tone. Of course I will be linking to the products I mention, and those will be affiliate links where I'll only earn commission if you make a purchase.
I haven't been able to see a dermatologist at all. Everything is locked down again and I haven't moved yet, so I'm still stuck with the only doctor in this town. I've been doing research on skincare and have decided, after testing out ingredients for a few days, to try a strict skincare routine and see what results, if any, it brings.
In the mornings I will wash my face with water (nothing else) and will apply my The Ordinary Azelaic Acid suspension 10%, and on days where there's sun I'll top it off with my Juice Beauty SPF 30 Oil-Free Moisturizer. It's not the most moisturizing product out there, but it's nice and thin and keeps my face safe from the sun without me needing to apply multiple products. If there's no sun, I'll use a very small amount of my The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.
 |
| Flash photo of my face on Day One |
 |
| No flash photo on my face, Day Two |
In the evenings I'll be washing my face with my Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser, and two to three times a week I'll use my Foreo (original Luna Mini) to get a deeper clean. Once dry, I'll apply my Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% and then massage my Divine Essence Rosehip Oil into my face. The rosehip oil is very moisturizing and doesn't irritate my skin at all. If anything, it soothes it, which is great considering Vitamin C can be irritating to people with sensitive skin, and this seems to counteract that part for me.
For my actual acne breakouts, I've been using the Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel. I've always loved salicylic acid, but The Ordinary hasn't been selling it for years now and a few co-workers gave this one a good review. I do really like it, but I will say that you should only apply it directly to the spot and only sometimes over the surrounding area because it will completely dry out the surrounding skin if you use it every day.
I'm hoping to do this routine for at least four weeks, but will be taking weekly progress pictures to include in my update post at the end of this trial period. Here's what my face looked like at the start so you can have a good look at the dark spots/scarring I have around my chin, the very light spot on the bridge of my nose, and a few on my forehead. My cheeks are always red (though you can't tell from these pictures), so I'm hoping that will subside as well.
I'm hopeful that the Vitamin C and Azelaic acid will help with the dark spots and the redness with consistent use. I'm publishing this post on day four and so far nothing has gone wrong, which is great! If anything weird happens, like my nose eczema spot returning, I'll definitely do an update post to talk about it, but otherwise I won't update about this routine until the end of the four weeks! My next post should be a mini-review post with a bunch of products I've used up/expired/are being thrown out so keep a lookout for that.
See you soon!
