r/Skinfessionals

I really need some advice because I feel completely stuck with my skin at the moment and it’s genuinely starting to affect me mentally. I’m 25 and I feel like I’m constantly worrying about my face and trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong.

I had acne in secondary school, but it was never like this. I was prescribed Duac back then and my skin went extremely red and felt really hot, so we decided I was probably reacting badly to it. I was then prescribed Zineryt, which worked really well for me. Since then, I’ve generally had a flare-up every couple of years and Zineryt would usually clear it up.

But this time feels completely different.

I was on an A&E placement and after one particularly long 12-hour shift, I noticed that the skin on my middle cheeks had suddenly become really textured. Ever since then, my skin just hasn’t been the same. I’ve been left with marks, I keep getting new pimples, especially on my cheeks and chin, and it just doesn’t seem to be stopping.

The worst part is that I NEVER used to have acne like this. I feel like I’ve gone from having relatively manageable skin to constantly having something new appearing on my face.

I’ve tried Zineryt again because it helped me so much in the past, but I’m now on my second bottle and I honestly don’t feel like it’s working as well. If anything, sometimes I wonder whether it’s irritating my skin or damaging my barrier because my skin feels so sensitive now.

And I’m genuinely scared to try anything anymore because it feels like everything breaks me out or irritates me.

I use CeraVe moisturiser and have done for a long time without any problems. For sunscreen I use Garnier or the Beauty of Joseon blue sunscreen.

I don’t even use a cleanser anymore because I feel like every one I try makes things worse. I specifically tried the CeraVe Foaming Cleanser and I’m convinced it broke me out, so I stopped using it. Now I’m genuinely scared to try another cleanser.

I’ve tried niacinamide — didn’t agree with my skin.
Salicylic acid — didn’t agree with my skin.
I’ve tried other actives and my skin just seems to hate them.
I tried azelaic acid 20% around 3 times a week and my skin became really red.
I even tried the Beauty of Joseon milk toner because I thought it would be gentle, and I feel like that may have broken me out too.

So now I’m at the point where I’m scared to put anything on my face.

I was thinking about trying a barrier-supporting serum, maybe the iUNIK beta-glucan one, but even that makes me nervous because I’m so scared I’ll introduce something new and wake up with even more spots.

I just feel really stuck. I don’t know whether my skin barrier is actually damaged, whether I’m making my acne worse by trying different products, whether the Zineryt is still appropriate, or whether there’s something else going on entirely.

I’m honestly exhausted from thinking about my skin all the time. I don’t want to wear makeup, I just want to feel comfortable going out with a bare face without worrying about people looking at my skin. At the moment I’m getting to the point where I don’t even want to go out because of it, and I hate feeling like this.

I know acne might sound like a small thing to some people, but when it’s your face and you’re dealing with new spots and marks constantly, it really does affect how you feel about yourself.

What would you do if you were in my position? Would you completely strip my routine back and just stick to moisturiser/SPF for now? Should I actually be using a cleanser despite being so scared of them? And has anyone with really sensitive, acne-prone skin found a genuinely gentle barrier product that didn’t cause breakouts?

I’m honestly scared to try anything else at this point.

Guys, I’m at my wits end and am really struggling because I can’t figure it why I can’t get my hand eczema under control. I’ve been dealing with it consistently for the last 2 years, and it is breaking me down physically, emotionally, and mentally.

It started December 2024. I guess I should preface and say that I’ve dealt with eczema my whole life, but never this bad. Anyways, I started developing spots on my hands around then and figured maybe it was just the fact that it was winter time and I’m a healthcare worker, so I was washing my hands a lot. I thought maybe it was something new I’d come in contact with, so my husband and I tried to weed things out. We had just moved and I thought maybe the water where we lived was too hard, so I would wear gloves in the shower. Nothing changed, so we started analyzing everything and I hadn’t changed any of my products at that point that would explain the change in my skin so we were at a loss. It eventually got worse so I went to a dermatologist and they gave me a steroid shot and prescribed me Opzelura cream. The steroid shot worked really well and I was able to keep things calmed down for a while with the Opzelura cream as well as occasional applications of strong steroid topicals (clobetasol/beclomethasone).

Come October of last year, I found out I was pregnant and was told to get off the Opzelura cream and use the steroids for a flare ups. I was able yup manage it with the steroids…until the 3rd trimester. A couple weeks into the 3rd trimester, my eczema flared up SO bad. I was coming home from work everyday crying because my hands would flare up so bad and cause so much pain. Mundane tasks like cooking, cleaning, and even showering were becoming more painful. I went to another dermatologist, and they gave me another steroid cream (it was a little tricky to find something safe with pregnancy). Then, after crying to an allergist I work with, he thought maybe it could be related to the nitrile gloves at work. After that, I did everything in my power to stay away from nitrile gloves up until my maternity leave, which was a month after this discussion. I even used nitrile free gloves and even still, it didn’t change much. I got so desperate that, at 38 weeks, I ultimately decided to try Dupixent and get a biopsy taken of the skin on my hand. The testing came back saying it was an eczema type reaction but it could not identify if it was contact or just atopic dermatitis. My dermatologist said that the Dupixent should work and 2 weeks later I had my baby.

Initially, it seemed that the Dupixent was working well but, about a month in, then I started to develop extremely red, burning, and irritated palms that seemed to get worse with each Dupixent injection. It got so bad, especially with having a newborn, that I desperately went back to my dermatologist and she decided that we should try Nemluvio. It’s been almost 2 weeks since my first injection/loading dose, and although my hands feel slightly better, I still am struggling to do anything because even with just the slightest use, my hands seem to flare. Even feeding my daughter it challenging because when I hold her head, if makes my palms red and hot. I’ve skipped out on a lot of stuff lately because they’ve been causing me so much discomfort and pain. I can’t even begin to explain how many times I’ve cried to my husband about how uncomfortable I am. My steroid creams don’t seem to be cutting it any more and I’m stressed as I will be heading back to work next week after being on maternity leave since mid July. At this point, I’m at a loss and don’t know what to do. I have an appointment scheduled with an allergist at the end of this month to see if it really could be something that I’m frequently in contact with and that’s why it won’t go away, but I’m losing hope on finding a solution.

Guess I’m just here hoping that I’m not the only one or that someone can tell me that it gets better. Thanks for reading 💕

Hey everyone, looking for some insight or reassurance from people who have been through this!
I’ve been dealing with stubborn skin texture for over a year now, and I’m currently on week 3 of Aklief. I’m noticing new texture coming up and I can’t tell if it’s just the classic retinoid purge or if my routine is breaking me out.

Here is my current routine and schedule:

Aklief Schedule: 2x a week (Monday and Thursday nights)

AM Routine:
Quick cleanse with Dr. Sam’s Flawless Cleanser
Purito Wonder Releaf Centella Serum
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
Sunscreen

PM Routine (Non-Aklief Nights):
Double cleanse: Micellar water + Dr. Sam’s Flawless Cleanser.
Purito Wonder Releaf Centella Serum
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

PM Routine (Aklief Nights - Mon/Thu):
Double cleanse: Micellar water + Dr. Sam’s Flawless Cleanser
Wait 20 minutes for skin to dry completely
Apply Aklief
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

For those who have used Aklief or dealt with prolonged texture, did your skin get bumpier before getting smoother around week 3? Should I just push through, or does anything in my routine stand out as a potential culprit?

Any advice or experiences would be super appreciated!

Hi guys,

I need some help deciding what to do with these skincare products. I bought most of them about 20 months ago, and most are marked 12M after opening. Unfortunately, I was dealing with a lot in my life and stopped taking care of my skin for a long time, so these products are still almost completely unused.

I’ve always kept them in a skincare mini fridge, and they still look completely normal—no change in smell, texture, color, or consistency.

The products are:
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
Timeless 10% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum
La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Would you personally still use them, especially since they were barely used and refrigerated the entire time? I understand they may have lost some potency, but I feel terrible throwing away almost-full products if they’re still reasonably safe to use.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who knows about cosmetic formulation/stability or has used skincare past the PAO date. 🥲

I have this horrible texture raised pores bump rough orange peel look i need advice please