suncream, zits and wrinkles: rolling skincare thread?

listen dudes, i like the scratchy and i like the feeling of taking off dead layers of skin, but liking it doesn't make it good for my skin. i only use baking soda on the face because it's sensitive. on the rest of me i would happily use a sandblaster, but i settle for some crappy scrubbing thing i got at marshalls.

let me add that i enjoy exfoliating so much that i bought the god-forsaken ped-egg, and it wasn't tuff enough for me! in fact, it sucked and didn't take off but the top layer of dead foot skin. not recommended!

I'm thinking with my results from the peroxide set that my skin doesn't need DRYING, per se, but it does need sterilization ALL THE TIME. It's just so prone to infection and dead-cell/oil build-up, it has to be germ- and sweat-free as much as I can manage. The scratchier exfoliators take off the right amt of skin for me, I think. Not for everyone, though, for sure.

this afternoon, i got the aveda pads that rrrobyn (fellow sensitive-skin sufferer) mentioned upthread. the combination of sunscreen/chlorine/saltwater/sun has really done a number on my complexion, so i'm hoping these will help sort things out. definitely pricey, but the saleswoman recommended tearing them in half and then using a cotton ball to soak up leftover product once the pads are gone.

yeah, i cut them in half. discovered also that i can only use them like twice a week because they were causing sensitivities blargh. but they still work.

i need to do some kind of experiment where i go live in a dry climate for a few months or damn even a few weeks and see what happens to my skin. i wonder if it wld be good? i have never lived or even visited anywhere that didn't have some kind of humidity and/or regular precipitation!

i figured i'd try using them 2-3 times a week... really hope they don't end aggravating the problem.

Style, what do i buy for my face? I am generally neither greasy nor dry, but I do work out a lot so I am frequently sweaty.

I want to keep from getting wrinkles, and have never applied cream or lotion except for in the incident of sunburn.

What should my regimen be? (I am poor, btw.)

Gentle cleanser, antioxidant (Vit. C or copper peptide serum), sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, Rx retinol (retin A, tazorac, etc.).

But mostly sunscreen. A#1 ultimate most important thing!

why am i breaking out on my forehead? just tiny little bumps. this never, ever happens. i am concerned.

My skin got really bad lately and I realized I had forgotten to change towels, sheets, as often as usual because of not being at home all the time now. So when I start getting little bumps and annoying redness it's usu b/c of linens and things that touch my skin.

yeah that can make a big difference - did i already talk about how you can add 1/2 tsp of bleach, heavily diluted in a small container of water (like a small plastic container from yogurt or whatever) and add that to the soap while the washing machine is beginning to fill up, then add clothes - doesn't affect coloured fabrics and kills bacteria/mildew/etc - esp good for washing towels and sheets.

my skin is ok these days tho still not perfect or anything and still really sensitive. i find i can only use the aveda salicylic acid pads once every two weeks, and i should probably not wear make-up but i mean damn i work in an office and also like to look somewhat polished despite my hippie leanings. using the weleda salt toothpaste has made a noticable difference in breakouts around mouth though!

rrob, those aveda outer peace pads have really worked well for me. i've cut them in half and use a half every day or every other day, and so far no irritation or dryness or anything of that nature. these plus my sulfur cleanser have been keeping my skin in pretty great shape despite the heat and humidity.

i'm currently debating whether i should buy a tinted moisturizer or a primer to help even out my skin tone...i don't want to wear foundation every day, but i need something to help smooth over my pores and give me a more even look. any suggestions?

Re bleach: Hah, for years I only bought all-white sheets and towels and Tshirts for sleeping in, expressly for the purpose of bleaching them at every wash. I stopped somewhere along the way b/c of the lure of polka-dotted bed-set but I do wash all household linens in hot water.

i'm glad to hear it, lauren!

i would like aveda to make their super-sensitive skin moisturizer with a slight tint, that wld be nice

a friend gave me some of her nuxe (french, expensive) mattifying moisturizer to try and even tho it is all 'botanicals, high-quality, blah blah blah' my skin went a bit pink and i got a couple (minor) pimples by the end of the day eeesh botanicals whatever

bell i have been using laura mercier tinted moisturizer and i really like it. not too heavy, and seems to maintain a nice look all day w/out looking too makeup-y.

also they have good shades for fair skin.

laura mercier website just made me feel highly under-makeuped

I've been really frustrated all summer with breakouts under the corners of my jaw and in my cleavage.

THEN I read somewhere that I might be allergic to perfume.

Mystery solved.

Last time I tried natural scented oils I broke out as well. Any suggestions?

Put the scent somewhere else, I'm sorry to say. I can't wear it on my head or ears or neck or chest either. Wrists are okay usually, back of knees, armpits seem all right. That's it for me.

For tinted moisturizer usually I just mix a little foundation (usually only for special occasions) with my regular moisturizer = not having to purchase another product + color is right.

hmmm. glad that perfume issue does not happen to me. i am feeling rly greasy this summer, though. i keep forgetting to blot during the day and then at 5:30 i'm a mess!

Good idea, Laurel. Thanks. I put it in my hair sometimes, too.

Sorry my suggestions are so limited. I don't like putting perfume in my hair but I should try dabbing a finger of scented oil into my part or somewhere on my scalp. It would make hair greasy in large quantities but maybe a little dab underneath....

Not a tinted moisturized, but I like MAC's studio fix as an alternative to foundation (to which I too am averse). It goes on powder-ish and but gives coverage somewhere between a powder and a liquid/creme foundation.

Most of all I like that I can wear it just on my cheeks--which need help in the evening-out department--but can skip it everywhere else. It matches my skin tone well enough, and is sheer enough, that it doesn't leave a line of demarcation.

I was really bored on my lunch break and bought a bunch of stuff from Origins. It was all much better than expected and I like the smells when you use a bunch together. There is some sort of microdermabrasionawesometimesupercub scrub that I am in love with. And I bought a bunch of mushroom dr. weil stuff because i read his book when i was like 15.

oh and I bought some loose powder which I like, because I don;t think I have had powder in about 8 years.

i got this mattifying tea tree oil moisturizer @ body shop yesterday. it really does feel mattifying! will see how long it lasts... i've been feeling so greasy this summer so i hope this helps cut that.

you're welcome

does not work for the sensitive skinned, have tried

tea tree? i just felt like i needed to strip off summer gunk.

(my breakouts are rosacea style bumps, not uh 'traditional acne')
i think tea tree does work as an anti-bacterial! but obv again it depends on yr own personal sensitivities to stuff

i don't really have "acne" either. i think it's just a little bit of congestion in the pores or maybe from summer sweat? it also may just be that it was my off-week for the birth control.

omg tehresa I LOVE that body shop moisturizer! It treats pores right, too.

Gonna see how much those Aveda pads cost if my sis-in-law gets them at cost...if under $20, I'm in. Salicylic acid normally turns my face into a cracked & reddened wasteland, tho, so I'm kind of afraid of it. I mean, wart remover is salycilic acid, just in a higher concentration!

Trying zinc pills for the acne...too many confounding factors to see if IT really works, but may as well give it a try. Sometimes I wish I had a second me as a control group.

When I stayed at her house, she had some really thin nylon scrubby cloth that was the BEST face exfoliator. I can't find it at any of the stores here (basically K-Mart, Target, drug stores & the like). Does anyone know what I am talking about & where I could find one?

New St. Ive's olive face wash is shit, btw.

oh zinc supplements totally work/help!

my link tells you to stay away from salicylic acid

i feel the winter skin in full effect. it is dull and occasionally flaky, but also i feel like i'm getting greasy by the end of the day! asldgjk. using same products as last winter, to different results. ugh. i hate trying to find new ones.

i got this mattifying tea tree oil moisturizer @ body shop yesterday. it really does feel mattifying! will see how long it lasts... i've been feeling so greasy this summer so i hope this helps cut that.

that stuff's great. i heartily recommend it, in combo with differin, too.

it feels too drying to me in winter!

guys, someone fix my skin. i have been breaking out like crazy.

stop eating sugar*

*is my dermotologically unsound but empirically proven skin cure. no refined sugar, and steering clear of stuff that's high in naturally occurring sugars. try it for a couple of weeks and see if you get better x.

how is it breaking out? is it like the dull winter blues your skin is freaking out?

maybe that's what it is? though tbh my skin doesn't seem dry or suffering from winter in any other ways. seriously, it just feels like i'm 13 again or something (it's not really that bad, i guess.)

man i have never tried to give up sugar! what would i eat?

i replace 1/3 of my coffee's sugar w/ splenda (bitter) and 1/3 with xylitol (poopy) [as low carb regimen]

there's some supplement on the market that supposedly blocks sugar from getting to skin. sadly can't remember what it is now.

other things to do.

heavy exfoliation
glycolic acid
retinol
daily sunblock (obv)
save green tea bags, douse your face w/ them in shower
daily flax meal in diet (omega-3s)
add cinnamon to sugary sweet junk (hot chocolate). it may slow production of insulin (and is antioxidant)

antioxidant food and high protein is something i focus on daily (mustard, tumeric, red wine, cinnamon, lycopene, etc every day)

i am vain as all get out

i just went to a korean sauna and had all my dead skin scrubbed off by an old woman
it was amazing

pappawheelie, i want to know more about this green tea treatment. i've only just started drinking the stuff and i've got bags to spare.

i just worry that if i use too much salicylic/benzoyl than it will age my skin faster :/

yeah i had a mini breakout last week and used a light salicylic treatment and noticed that i got REALLY dry and it scared me a lot and made me feel old.

The vitamin c and the A game which is their retinal. I need to find someone going to Spain who can get me some otc tretinoin. I got an Rx from my derm but it's £100 to fill it here so I'm using this in the meantime and so far I love it. Will check out that moisturiser next time I need one though I love the Sali Hughes one I have ATM.