TLDR: After 10 years of trialing 50+ sunscreens (yes, actually that many), I've come to the conclusion that I simply can't wear sunscreen anywhere on my face or neck without it burning the absolute sh*t out of my eyeballs. I can't use any retinol either due to the damage Tret caused my tear glands. How badly will I age/is there anything I can do?

I started wearing sunscreen daily when I was 20 and I'm now 30. I had severe cystic acne throughout all my 20s. Dermatologists absolutely drilled into my head to wear sunscreen every day (especially if using acne treatments) and the internet made it seem like if you don't use sunscreen, you are guaranteed to turn into a raisin. I tried sunscreen after sunscreen after sunscreen. Chemical sunscreens and fragranced sunscreens immediately burned like hell, but mineral sunscreens also caused a lot of dryness and irritation. I've tried Korean sunscreens and Europeans sunscreens and the new "better" chemical filters also burn like hell. I managed to put up with it until I tried tretinoin, which destroyed my tear glands despite avoiding the undereye area. I've tried every acne treatment (topical AND oral) except Accutane, which I can't use due to the risk of worsening my dry eyes. So I'm out of luck with treating my cystic acne too.

I finally realized after not using any sunscreen at all this past winter that my eyes felt noticeably better. They were still very dry, but didn't feel like someone set them on fire. I finally realized I was reacting to both my mineral sunscreen, which I thought was safe, and my Vanicream moisturizer (the only other skincare product I was using). The only product my eyes can tolerate anywhere on my face is Avene Xeracalm preservative-free moisturizer. I should note that I do see an ophthalmologist and I use 3 prescriptions for my eyes: Xiidra (to improve tear quality), Tyrvaya (to improve tear quantity), and Tryptor (to improve tear quality). They are certainly better than nothing, but my eyes are still extremely dry and sensitive.

Now it's summer and despite trying, I can't wear any sunscreen at all on my face, even if I avoid the eye area. I've finally had to concede defeat and admit that I just can't wear sunscreen (or any other skincare) without f*cking up my eyes. I'm concerned because I'm quite pale and definitely prone to both burning and wrinkling. The internet makes it seem like unless you use sunscreen and retinol, you'll age absolutely terribly, and I'm vain enough to care.

So, real talk, how badly will a fair person age if they can't use sunscreen or retinol, and is there anything I can do despite not being able to use either?

I, 33M, shaved my whole neck and face, even the area above the redness. For whatever reason, my neck has horrible breakouts and bumps whenever I shave.

Does not matter if I use electric shaver or razers. Does not matter if I exfoliate, and I have tried several shaving creams.

This has happened my entire life, since I started shaving in high school. Usually I just leave myself closely trimmed to avoid this, but I would love to be able to get a close shave.

I have been using this for a week now and haven’t noticed anything (yet), usually my skin reacts to products after a week or two. I have hormonal acne/ dry and flaky skin. The dermatologist said I should focus on hydrating so I have been trying this moisturizer but a lot of people say this product causes breakouts? What are your thoughts on this?

I'm currently using La Roche Posay Invisible Fluid and it's awesome, but I look like I've been doused in oil whenever I apply it and it's bugging me. I heard that BoJ AquaFresh is thin and supposed to look matte, and l bought it with hope, but it does NOT look matte on me. I want to protect my skin, but I can't live like this.
Does anyone have any recs that actually protect well but don't look obvious? I’ve heard good things about the LRP oil control, for example?

Before photo taken; April 23, After photo taken May 30.

Products used: TO 7% Glycolic acid, 10% niacinamide serum, and Dove UltimateRepair deodorant after every shower.

December 2025: Started using glycolic acid on my armpits. Definitely burned myself at some point by overdoing it and made the hyperpigmentation worse in the crease where my arm meets my body. (If you look closely you’ll see what I’m referring to.)

April 2026: Stopped shaving my armpits and began getting them waxed. This was also when I started using the niacinamide serum and bought this deodorant. (I had been using the Dove ClearTone/EvenTone line for years and grabbed this thinking it was the same thing—but it’s even better!)

This has been an insecurity of mine for as long as I can remember. Cracked the code just in time for summer! 🥳

I am a teenager (17yr)

one day i wake up and suddenly I have little bumps on my forehead which i popped (have a bad habit of popping them ) they had water in them. they left big dark spots on my forehead. After some days i had them on my cheeks both side and i popped them again(they also had water in them) (cant control myself).

Now I have bad post acne marks on my face for over a month and am really insecure about them. like I don't feel like going out anymore , don't want to have eye contact with people.

I use azelaic acid 10% at night and benzoyl peroxide 2.5% in morning apply sunscreen as well, with that i try to not touch my face but no improvement. it's been more than a month but the marks are not fading.

though i do have some very tiny bumps on my face (cheeks) with water in them. I have a oily skin type

please advise me some products or anything to help remove them, everyone around me has clear skin except me.

​

Hi everyone,

I'm a 22-year-old male with combination skin. My main goal is to get brighter, healthier-looking skin and improve overall glow.

Currently, I'm using:

Pilgrim Vitamin C serum

Glyco-6 occasionally at night

Moisturizer and sunscreen

The strange thing is that when I use the Pilgrim Vitamin C serum, my face often looks a bit dull afterward. However, when I previously used a niacinamide serum, my skin looked noticeably brighter and healthier.

A few questions:

1.Has anyone experienced Vitamin C making their skin look dull instead of brighter?

2.Could this be because of the specific Vitamin C formulation, dehydration, irritation, or something else?

3.Since I'm 22, is it worth starting retinol for skin glow and texture, or should I stick to a simpler routine?

4.If retinol is recommended, what beginner strength would you suggest and what brand do u suggest?

5.Has anyone switched from Vitamin C to niacinamide and gotten better results?

I'd appreciate hearing your experiences and any advice. Thanks!

Routine 2x a day: Cetaphil foam cleanser, cetaphil moisturizer, Sunscreen during day, benzoyl peroxide gel 5%

Main concern: these red marks on my face. Im pretty sure its post inflammatory erythema (PIE) butI need your thoughts on how I can deal with them

Lifestyle: Nothing much, I usually go to the gym every day and just stay home. I have a silk pillowcase and I am conscious with everything that touches my face. I am hygienic overall.

I have been sticking to this routine for ~3 weeks now and the active acne has decreased a little bit but what are these red marks and how do I get rid of them it gets worse whenever im sweating in the gym but calms down after i wash my face but overall its really annoying and I need help on how to get rid of it.

I saw posts about azelaic acid being the best thing for this. Is this true?

Chatgpt said it might be irritated but it doesnt hurt or itch, it just looks like that. I need your thoughts guys tysm

Okay so I’ve been going back and forth on Tatcha for a while now and I just cannot pull the trigger. Every time I’m about to buy something I talk myself out of it because what if it breaks me out or just… does nothing?

My skin is combination, oily in the T-zone but the rest is dry and can get flaky. I think I’m also acne-prone, so I have to be careful with anything too heavy or pore-clogging.

I don’t want to just try something and think “yeah it’s fine.” I want the thing that actually makes a difference, the one you’d be devastated if they discontinued.

What Tatcha products have actually delivered for you, especially if you have a similar skin type?

I use Cetaphil Gentle Clear Complexion-Clearing BPO Acne Cleanser with 2.6% Benzoyl Peroxide, then Bioderma purifying cleansing foaming gel, and then Cetaphil Face Moisturizer, Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer With 0.5% Salicylic Acid. Is this good enough for acne prone skin?

I know the answer is probably going to be "very important" but I feel like I need to ask anyway. I spend very little time out in the sun and most of it is in my car on the way to and from work. Depending on the hours I work and traffic, it's anywhere between 10 and 25 minutes of indirect light. I spend 95% of my time at work in rooms without windows, and at home the curtains are always drawn and I rarely sit near them. It's just frustrating to have to apply a bunch of sunscreen for 10-12 minutes of driving in the morning, then have to apply again when leaving (assuming the sun is still out by then.) I'm still trying to find a sunscreen I like, which makes it more frustrating. So my question is, how bad would it be to just skip the sunscreen, or at least skip the second application? If I'm going to be out longer or even in my car for a longer drive then obviously I won't skip it.

Stainless Steel Spatula

Hello! I’ve tried searching in the sub but have been unable to find. I’m looking for a nice quality stainless steel skin care spatula for applying my creams. I have some plastic ones that came with products but would love a SS one. Any thoughts?

(Would also love a stainless steel makeup/mixing palette if anyone has a lead…)

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice because I'm experiencing a type of acne I've never had before.

In my early 20s, I struggled a lot with hormonal acne. I'm now 29, and over the past few years I've managed to get it mostly under control.

However, for the last few months I've been getting these strange pimples that are different from anything I've had before. They start as deep, under-the-skin bumps, and I can usually feel them forming.

Then, within 1–2 days, they develop multiple whiteheads on a single pimple. Some of them end up having two, three, or even four whiteheads.

I've recently had two on my chin, and previously I had one under my nose and another above my upper lip. What's strange is that I've never experienced this type of breakout before.

Another thing that confuses me is that these pimples often develop very obvious whiteheads, so at first they look like regular pimples that are ready to be extracted. In the past, with normal pimples, I could usually remove the contents fairly easily and they would heal relatively quickly.

With these ones, however, that doesn't seem to work. Even when there's a clear whitehead, trying to extract them either doesn't work or just makes the inflammation worse. Because of that, I've stopped trying to squeeze them and have instead either left them completely alone or used pimple patches.
The problem is that neither approach seems to resolve them fully. The pimple doesn't completely disappear, and it often feels like there's still something trapped underneath the skin. Afterwards I'm left with a persistent bump, redness, or what seems like lingering inflammation for months or even longer. That's what worries me most, because normal pimples tend to heal fairly quickly for me, whereas these seem to leave marks behind no matter what I do.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Do you know what could cause these multi-headed pimples to suddenly appear when I've never had them before? Could this be hormonal, bacterial, irritation-related, or something else entirely?

Any insights or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

\[translated with help of AI\]

I don’t really have a standard routine, I use what I think my skin needs that day. But mostly:

AM:
A hydrating lotion/moisturizer, either Clinique dramatically different or BoJ dynasty cream
SPF when I go into the sun: beauty of Joseon relief sun

PM:
Wash with Cerave hydrating crème to foam cleanser
Sometimes a treatment, either Paula’s choice bha or caudalie vinoperfect
Sometimes cosrx snail essence
One of the moisturizers

Literally two-layered eyebags that i've been having them since I was 15... I don't even know what "type" it falls under. Even if I get enough sleep they still show up everyday.

I've been using tretinoin for a long time, so I thought my skin would stay the same. But I've found that even small changes to my routine can make my skin irritated or break out. I don't know why small changes, like using a new lotion or doing it less often, seem to ruin everything. I'm not sure if my barrier is weaker or if my skin has become more sensitive over time, even though it doesn't look damaged.

From what I've heard, using something for a long time can sometimes make your skin less able to handle changes if it's already been used too much.

For those who have been through this: Did little changes make your skin respond more? Did cutting down on your routine or "resetting" your skin help it become more stable again?

Hellllloo everyone! So. My question is super simple. Basically, I have OCD and constantly wash my hands (like the title says). I’m 18 but feel like my hands are all wrinkly and dry! Specifically in the knuckle area the skin is all weird there.

I used to use the same pump lotion for my face on my hands at night and it was… okay? Now I use a jar for face lotion and am currently using a random La Roche Posay (booo not cruelty free) pump face moisturiser someone gave me on my hands at night. Spoiler alert: it sucks. Barely hydrating at all. Great texture, not great results. I only ever apply lotion on my hands at night (texture thing), so I pump it, rub it in my hands, levitate them in the air to let them not be as goopy for a second and then go under the blankets and sleep to let them marinate without me washing it off.

And so, I ask you this: what is a VERY good, strong, hydrating lotion I can use on my hands that’ll clear up my problems? It’d need to be a good amount for hopefully cheap. And cruelty free. And in a pump. These are my only must haves. I don’t care about scent as long as it’s not cocoa (tried a cocoa body lotion once and the scent made me GAG ugh). Anyone got any suggestions? I beseech thee! Please! Save my hands!

Thank you in advance :)

hi!! ive been looking thru this thread and cant seem to find much on this subject.

i started my 9-5 a few years ago (LOL) and the light has left my eyes a bit. i have such bad eyebags/under eye darkness that show even thru my foundation and powder!! i get 8+ hrs of sleep, drink a decent amnt of water, workout daily, and eat pretty well.

i dont want to jump to surgery or anything just yet -- does anyone have any legit recs for serums or anything to help this?! i can also ask for a prescription if anyone has recs that require one. pls help me out. i want to feel pretty again. thanks!!

Hello guys, I was at the doctor's last week and he but some spray on it and bandaged it, didn't say anything particular about it or how to treat it. So I guess I'm on my own. 🤣 Will it leave a scar? What should I start putting on it? Im currently using Ialugen plus patches + vaseline (so it won't get stuck on the skin) and I have it bandaged. I'm not asking about medical advice just what will help if it leaves a scar 😭 Thank you 🩷

I know the pictures aren't very clear. I have oily, sensitive, acne-prone skin, and I think I may have a damaged skin barrier as well. The corners of my mouth and nose sometimes peel, and I have a lot of blackheads on my nose and whiteheads here and there.

I thought the problem was that I wasn't cleaning my face properly, so I ended up over-exfoliating my skin. I've been to several dermatologists, but most of them just looked at my skin for a few seconds and prescribed medications that seem to be given to everyone. Many of them didn't ask me any questions or properly examine my skin.

Most of the treatments they prescribed ended up making my skin barrier worse. At one point, I was using a salicylic acid cleanser, benzoyl peroxide every morning, and adapalene every night. After just a week, my skin started burning badly. When I told my dermatologist, he said that wasn't possible and told me to continue the routine.

I'm genuinely exhausted and have stopped looking at my face in mirrors. If anyone has suggestions for a good cleanser, moisturizer, hydrating serum, sunscreen, or any other product that could help, I'd really appreciate it.

(And please ignore my ugly face.)

Guys I'm really lost cause I'm just starting skincare and I want something basic and solid. I have no idea what I'm doing but people have suggested me cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen routine.

I have the sunscreen figured out but clueless about the other two. I have oily acne prone skin and the last time I tried a moisturizer, I had a bad breakout. I don't want to take chances by experimenting now.

Some people have suggested me Ponds super light gel or Garnier, are they any good?

Also, what does a cleanser do? Is it a substitute for face wash/soap? Which cleanser would you recommend to me?

Hi all!

Anyone can help with pore minimizing and dryness/texture, especially on the nose? I have sensitive dry skin, not acne prone.

My skin hates korean skincare and does not do well with retinol (yes I sat out the purge, yes I used a gentle beginner-friendly one, my skin kept breaking out after months)

Routine:
Morning:
Cleanser: CeraVe hydrating facial cleanser
Serum: Naturium Vit C or OMIC 10% tranexamic acid (I alternate every day)
Moisturizer: Versed gel moisturizer
SPF: Trader Joe's SPF 40 Invisible Gel

Evening:
Cleanser: CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser
Serum: Paula's Choice 2% BHA once a week, then I alternate Olay super serum and a basic hyaluronic acid serum every day
Moisturizer: Versed gel moisturizer

Im a teenager that has been struggling with ace for about 4ish years, some times worse than others. It mainly resides on my forehead with pimples, some blackheads, and lately worst of all, these bumps that have a white plug type thing in them (yes ive popped them, oops), and the bumps never really have a head they are just skin colored. I also have noticeable sebaceous filaments on my nose and chin, and sometimes some pimples on my cheeks. I’ve tried everything from panoxyl, differin, gentle cleansers, different moisturizers, zinc and other supplements, and Ive even most recently tried quitting all skincare all together. And with that I have noticed the redness and inflammation has gone down quite a bit however i still have some texture and pimples. I had heard about using a dove beauty bar on your face and was thinking about giving that a try, but I truly am unsure. Im so lost with what to do for my skin and I really really just want it to be clear for once. Please I’d really appreciate anyone’s advice, opinion, or tips!

Hey yall! I just noticed that when I barely touch my cheek, my skin wrinkles like this. Also my skin is very flaky (has been for a long time) and my nose peels? (Also has happened for a while).

Is my skin dry? I don’t have a skincare routine because any time I use product I feel like it makes me oily. Meanwhile I become oily anyway and it becomes a gross mess between the oil and flakiness. For face wash I use dove unscented soap.

- What’s up with my skin? Should I be concerned?
- What products would you recommend for me?

hii! i’m writing to see if anyone knows if i can/how i can get my skin to be less red?
on the pic is my skin without any makeup on in natural lighting. i’ve pretty much always had this redness and reddish spots and it rly bugs me. i’ve tried many different products but nothing has worked. also the lines on my nose are from glasses lol

my current skincare routine:

- if i’m wearing makeup i always remove it first with garnier vitamin c micellar water before cleansing
- cleanse with neutrogena hydro boost water gel cleanser
- after cleanser i use beauty of joseon green plum refreshing toner AHA+BHA
- just recently i started also using beauty of joseon glow replenishing rice milk toner
- moisturize with the inkey list omega water cream

i always wear sunscreen (holika holika cooling sunscreen stick 50+ spf) and in the mornings i also use revox vitamin C 20% serum

any help at all is appreciated <3

I’ve never really struggled with acne but the past few months I’ve been getting frequent spots specifically on my chin and around my hairline. They’re usually small red bumps that sometimes develop into a whitehead. On my chin I’ve also gotten some painful under the skin pimples (one of which I’ve noticed forming today at the beginning of a busy social week for me, yay!). I’m really unsure as to what the cause could be. I haven’t changed my shampoo (head and shoulders) or hair products recently. I’ll admit I’m not the most consistent when it comes to a skincare routine, but when I do the full thing it’s mainly focused on hydration for my dry skin. Even if I don’t do my full routine, I’ll always take my makeup off. I’ll also use salicylic acid as and when needed for acne. I’m thinking that maybe it could be stress as I’ve been job searching for a while now but stress has never caused skin issues for me before. If anyone has any ideas as to what could be the cause or how to get it under control I’d appreciate it!