Facial Skincare Routines?

[Della Nova]

Hello All,

This is more a post just to see what everyone else's skincare routines are like, rather than for specific advice.

One of my reasons for starting the Whole30 is to decrease my acne, and it's been doing a great job. However, my skin is also becoming super dry, particularly my face. I'm not sure if this is just due to the cold January weather or the diet change. When I say dry, I mean, waking up with visible dry flakes and such on my face.

My current routine:

1. Wet face with very warm water, then use Neutrogena Sensitive Skin face wash.
   
2. Rinse with cold water and pat dry.
   
3. I've used CeraVe moisturizer (felt irritating), then used Neutrogena Sensitive Skin moisturizer for a long time (first one pump, then I started using two pumps, but even with that, my face always seemed dry). I've recently switched to "Yes to Cucumbers: Senstive Skin moisturizer" and use one pump, but my face still gets dry during the day or night. (used morning and night)
   
4. I also use "Yes to Carrots: Eye Cream". (morning and night)
   
5. Before bed, I use Retin-A, as prescribed by my dermatologist a couple years ago. The last time I talked to him, he didn't want me to stop using it (but also didn't want me using moisturizer, which I needed, so I have been thinking about switching dermatologists anyways).
   

I'm pretty sure it's the Retin-A drying out my skin because it doesn't have any acne to work with, so I am planning on stopping it after my Whole30 and after my reintroduction period (so that period can happen without any other changes conflicting the results).

I'm hoping that after the reintroduction period, I can stop Retin-A without all my acne coming back, and maybe go without a cleanser completely, but I wanted to see what other people's experiences were like. (especially if this is just being caused by the weather and the Retin-A has nothing to do with it)

• What are everyone else's facial-care routines like?
  
• Do you use any cleansers/moisturizers/etc at all?
  
• Do you use any prescription-strength treatments, or any acne treatments?
  
• Have you struggled with acne while doing a Whole30?
  
• Do you still get bouts of acne during that Time of the Month?
  
• Do you bother visiting with dermatologists?
  

[kshacklett]

My husband and I both went through pretty much every acne treatment available in stores and through a dermatologist with no improvement all through our teens/early 20s. The only thing neither of us tried was accutane, a prescription pill, because it's known to cause birth defects (we weren't trying to conceive, but just in case). The ONLY thing that has shown us any improvement is Proactive. We started it after we graduated college and finally had jobs to pay for it. We've both seen significant improvement in our skin, although we both still get mild blemishes. My only complaint is that it dries our skin out. My husband really doesn't care; I find that about once a month or so I have to skip a few days to let my skin rehydrate itself. Lately, I've been subbing out the moisturizer they provide with one my mom makes once a day (you use Proactive twice a day) to try and get rid of the dryness, particularly around my eyes.

My acne has remained about the same during Whole30, but maybe I'll see more results in the long run - 22 days (so far) isn't really that long, even Proactive took longer than that to start working. I've never had acne that gets worse before my period - always the same. I haven't been to a dermatologist (at least for my acne) in about 10 years.

Just another Proactive note (I swear they don't pay me to do this, lol) - you can adjust the frequency of delivery depending on how quickly you go through it. So the initial cost of $20 a month (you get 3 months at a time, but they bill you in three installments) could end up being less for you. We've found that we go through a one month supply between the two of us in a little over a month - so for an individual, that 3 month supply could easily last you six months. The only thing we go through quicker is the toner, so we get extra of those in each order, and buy more through amazon if we need it between shipments. Hope that helps!

[Michele West]

I too struggled with acne as a teenager and as a young 20-something. Proactiv saved me! I still use it and I'm 35 now. I'm out now (waiting on my shipment) so I've been using Neutrogena face wash, Clinique eye cream and the Proactiv daily repair cream. My face is so dry that I've been using an Aveeno night cream twice a day. I'm not sure if I'm breaking out slightly due to hormonal levels changing, being out of my Proactiv wash/toner or if it's the products I'm using. And when I say breakout it's very slight, not near what it used to be. My skin stays in great balance when I use their system. I use the Proactiv SPF 15 moisturizer during the day quite frequently in the winter. I also have their clarifying cream which can help with signs of again. My biggest complaint is I feel their system is geared toward young adults. I would love to switch to something for my age group, but everything else makes me breakout.

I do feel that since beginning the Whole 30 (day 21 here) I have noticed a real improvement with my skin. It's brighter, pores are smaller and I just all around have a glow. That's something I want to see continue after my 30 days are up. I've been told I have a dairy and gluten intolerance and I'm positive that my eliminating both that it's done wonders for my skin.

[kshacklett]

Glad to hear it's not just our family who loves it, Michele. There was an article on slate.com the other day about how Proactive is just the same stuff you buy in the store with fancier packaging - um, not at all. Although if you're still using it at 35, my husband and I should probably consider buying stock in their company, lol.

[mary-t]

I tried a lot of different products for acne (and prescription meds back in the day), but the most effective thing I've used recently (in my late 30s and early 40s) is raw honey. As I've gotten older, my skin became drier and more sensitive and the honey is soothing, moisturizing, yet anti-bacterial. It's very important that it be raw, not processed. Basically, you get about a tablespoon on your fingers, let it warm up a bit and become very liquidy, and then smooth it over your face and rinse with water. It comes right off. No moisturizer needed most days, but if it's really dry, I use a tiny bit of avocado oil. It took about two weeks for my face to respond, but my skin still looks good after using honey for two years. You might also try the "oil-cleansing method" (just google for it).

[Karen]

I use the oil cleansing method and use oil as a moisturizer and my skin has never been better. Even friends have commented! I find it's a bit dry in the colder months, but I just saw an aesthetician this week that's versed in natural skincare and she suggested I add shea butter to my routine. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon! Sometimes, the best things for our skin are those that work with how our skin works, instead of against, but that's just me.

[heatherdarbs]

I stopped using Retin a after a crazy amount of years, changed my diet, started washing my face with cold water, a minimal-ingredient face wash combined with baking soda and moisturize with coconut oil. Coconut oil also replaced Retin a at night- I have no breakouts, no weird red skin, no dryness, no thin/sensitive skin. The ONLY time I break out is if I eat dairy and/or processed food; they cause a major imbalance for me. I also stopped using birth control at the same time and have great skin...as long as I eat appropriately!

I do a pumpkin/honey/heavy whipping cream mask and love it Oh and papaya works great for inflammed skin....

[befabdaily]

I'm in my 40s. My skin has been great since I've been eating paleo-style. I've never had huge problems with acne, but I have had problems with weird things like bumps at the corners of nose and mouth, cysts inside my nose, etc. when eating a standard diet.

I dry brush my skin daily before I shower, rinse with hot water, apply oil-free moisturizer (no sunscreen unless I'll be out for over 1/2 hour, and certainly no daily sunscreen for sitting in the office). I avoid soap except in nooks and crannies that need it, and wash my hair with conditioner only. The less stuff I use on my skin the better it seems.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

I just switched over to shea butter this week, I like it, feels very hydrating....a little bit goes a long way though. And I'm considering switching over to the oil cleansing. With traditional face wash I find my face gets very dry. I am prone to acne, one of the things I'm hoping the W30 will help clear up-so far with mixed results-but I'd like to get away from the over the counter stuff and go more natural.

[AKDietrichStyle]

I am also looking for advice and input on what other people do for their skin care routine/products.

I have been struggling with acne for years. I've used antibiotics, spiranolactone, birth control, topical creams that dried out and irritated my face as well. Nothing really seemed to work. Actually, Proactive worked for a little while, but as soon as I was stressed out, it didn't do the trick. The clearest skin I have had in a long time was 3 years ago, in the summer with lots of sun exposure, but using proactive sunscreen. I ran every day, and wasn't stressed. Didn't eat anything close to a whole30, but my skin did really well.

My acne seems to start with stress, which is compounded by eating poorly and gaining weight rapidly in the past. I'm on day 23 of the whole30, and people have said my skin looks better, which it does from earlier this summer, but it's still breaking out with cystic acne, and random whiteheads. A big issue for me is hormone imbalance, after being super stressed in June, I didn't have my period until January (7 months), which was not normal. This coincided with stopping birth control as well. I'm hoping the continuing acne is a result of my body detoxing, both with healthier foods, as well as losing weight with exercise, and getting those hormones back to somewhat normal levels.

I had been using, and still occasionally use Cetaphil for a cleanser and moisturizer. The moisturizers tend to make my face fairly oily after a few hours though. It feel hydrated, but later it feels gunky. My current routine is to use DeVita products that are geared toward troubled skin. They seem to dry my face a little, but I think that's more to dehydration and dry air up here in Alaska. Cold weather doesn't help either. I'm looking to use as natural of products as possible. I've heard of the baking soda, and oil cleansing methods but haven't tried them yet. What is it that you mix in with baking soda for a cleanser? And what about for oil cleansing? Do you use a mixture of oils or just one?

Everyone's posts are encouraging! I'm looking forward to completing this whole30, and just going longer to see what happens. Seeing what are different triggers environmentally, biologically, edible...

[goddesslynne]

Hi Della Nova! I just want to address one part of your original post. I'm an esthetician in L.A., and, although I would never tell you to go against your doctor's advice, I WILL mention that some derms I've spoken to, along with many knowledgeable skin-care trainers, say that it's fine to use moisturizer after applying Retin A, as long as you wait 10-15 minutes after applying. This allows the Retin A time to penetrate and dry. The reason they don't want you to apply moisturizer immediately is that it will dilute the Retin A. For very sensitive patients, sometimes the derm will even have you mix a bit of moisturizer in with the Retin A!!

Retin A has many benefits in addition to acne treatment, and it's one of the few skin-care products that CONTINUE to improve the skin for as long as they are used - compared to some products that seem to plateau in their effectiveness.

Retin A is proven to increase skin thickness, which is what gives it the "anti aging" application. As we age, our skin gets thinner (microscopically) and we lose volume, which causes the sagging which sends some to the plastic surgeon for a nip and tuck. Many products promise "firming" but Retin A (along with retinols, the milder, over-the-counter products) are among the only ones to actually deliver.

If you're having trouble tolerating the side effects of drying, peeling or redness, you might want to try an every-other-night application for a while, then move to 2 days on/1 day off, and then finally every night. The best results with Retin A/retinols comes with consistent, long-term use. They are not as effective as spot treatments, or just used occasionally when acne flares.

Hope this was helpful!

[Della Nova]

Thank you all for responding! I especially like the raw honey/shea butter/oil cleansing ideas, as they seem more towards the natural path I am looking to go on. I'm still afraid of breaking out again....but hopefully in a couple months I'll give it a shot.

Thank you too goddesslynne for the Retin-A input. I have been on Retin-A consistently (applying every night) for almost two years now, but I really don't want to be on it forever. It seems like it's had a drying effect ever since I started using it (despite consistency). My routine is putting the moisturizer on before the Retin-A, do you think this would be a problem and I should switch to after? Another thing to note is that I also experience the dryness during the day, so I don't know if the Retin-A is solely to blame. Overall, I'm just trying to explore alternatives.

[mary-t]

Della Nova and AKDietrichStyle, if you're wanting more info on "natural" ways to take care of skin, check out Crunchy Betty's blog (just google her). She has some great posts on both oil-cleansing, acneic skin, and honey cleansing. Her blog is where I got the idea to try it. I use primarily honey, but every once in a while I use oil-cleansing as a "treat".

[goddesslynne]

Thank you all for responding! I especially like the raw honey/shea butter/oil cleansing ideas, as they seem more towards the natural path I am looking to go on. I'm still afraid of breaking out again....but hopefully in a couple months I'll give it a shot.

Thank you too goddesslynne for the Retin-A input. I have been on Retin-A consistently (applying every night) for almost two years now, but I really don't want to be on it forever. It seems like it's had a drying effect ever since I started using it (despite consistency). My routine is putting the moisturizer on before the Retin-A, do you think this would be a problem and I should switch to after? Another thing to note is that I also experience the dryness during the day, so I don't know if the Retin-A is solely to blame. Overall, I'm just trying to explore alternatives.

You might want to cut back to every-other-night and apply the moisturizer 15 minutes after. Retin A works best when applied directly to clean dry skin. Wash your face, wait about 5 minutes, apply the retin A, wait 15 mins. and apply moisturizer.

But, I've had a couple of clients tell me that their derms have them MIX the retin A with moisturizer!! I'm not sure what kind of moisturizer works best if you do this. A nurse or assistant at your derm's office can probably help you, if you can't get the doctor on the phone.

Keep with every other day until your skin normalizes. For day time dryness you might need a richer moisturizer. I use a hyaluronic acid serum for hydration first, then moisturizer. You can use your regular moisturizer and follow up with something like a shea butter cream. Basically, water first, then oil. You want to "seal in" the hydration. Some people do break out with shea butter (cocoa butter even more so) but you only know if you try! You can even just apply your regular moisturizer 2x, waiting a few minutes between applications.

Another thing you might look into is one of the milder concentrations of Retin A. I think retin A micro is lower percentage. .25% if I recall correctly.

[CAK911]

1. Murad's acne complex clarifying face wash, morning and night

2. Neutrogena naturals night cream both day and night

3. Spot treat anything that shows up with the other parts of the Murad acne complex system

I started using the Murad because my skin started breaking out very, very badly (like, the entire surface of my face was lumpy levels of badly) maybe a year and a half ago. 6 months ago, I decided to research adult acne treatments -- I'd been trying and failing to address the problem with the things that had worked when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. The Murad made a difference in 3 days. Now, my skin is basically clear all the time.

[heatherdarbs]

I stopped using Retin a after a crazy amount of years, changed my diet, started washing my face with cold water, a minimal-ingredient face wash combined with baking soda and moisturize with coconut oil. Coconut oil also replaced Retin a at night- I have no breakouts, no weird red skin, no dryness, no thin/sensitive skin. The ONLY time I break out is if I eat dairy and/or processed food; they cause a major imbalance for me. I also stopped using birth control at the same time and have great skin...as long as I eat appropriately!

.

I do a pumpkin/honey/heavy whipping cream mask and love it Oh and papaya works great for inflammed skin....

OH - and I forgot - when I eat tons of avocado, my skin glows, is never dry and looks better than I've ever seen it; I'm not sure why, but for me, it's tried and true.

[ciria]

I tried a lot of different products for acne (and prescription meds back in the day), but the most effective thing I've used recently (in my late 30s and early 40s) is raw honey. As I've gotten older, my skin became drier and more sensitive and the honey is soothing, moisturizing, yet anti-bacterial. It's very important that it be raw, not processed. Basically, you get about a tablespoon on your fingers, let it warm up a bit and become very liquidy, and then smooth it over your face and rinse with water. It comes right off. No moisturizer needed most days, but if it's really dry, I use a tiny bit of avocado oil. It took about two weeks for my face to respond, but my skin still looks good after using honey for two years. You might also try the "oil-cleansing method" (just google for it).

Does this method also remove make up or do you have to use something extra for that?

[melliemoo]

I wash my face with Skin Ceuticals DHA cleanser, then use the CeraVe AM/PM moisturizers. I also use Retin-A and apply before moisturizing. My skin looks great.

[mary-t]

Does this method also remove make up or do you have to use something extra for that?

Ciria, if it's just light makeup, I think the raw honey would be sufficient (it removes my sunscreen). If it's liquid foundation, etc., then the oil cleansing would definitely do it. Also, I've used a mix of honey and oil (you choose the oil based on the moisture of your skin, if you have acne, etc.) and the mixture will take off makeup, plus leave your skin super soft.

[Ann]

I second CAK911's plug for Murad clarifying face wash. It's my favorite.

[MrsStick]

Ciria - when I was in high school, I used baby oil to take off my makeup, so I'd hazard that any kind of oil will remove even non-waterproof makeup.

I recently started using Burt's Bees' Rosemary and Peppermint facewash and love it. If I feel I need to exfoliate, I will scrub my face with a washcloth in the shower. But I've never had bad acne, just the occasional zit mostly when I was younger, so I'm not sure I have much more to offer here.

[Pia650]

I swear by coconut oil as a moisterizer. I apply it at night and it keeps my face so smooth. My daughter uses it too and it has helped with the rough patches she gets in the winter.

[habitualpurpose]

Does anyone have suggestions for skin support for wrinkles? I'm in my early 40s and have the beginnings of crows feet as well as some puffyness and wrinkles under my eyes. Would love any ideas you may have.

Thanks!

[Aberrantatavia]

I use bare minerals, and I love it. I've never been able to use skin care products without it causing some kind of imbalance, and I've never been able to wear any brand of makeup. This whole line is awesome, and their anti aging night serum is fantastic.

[habitualpurpose]

Thanks, Missi. I use Bare Minerals makeup but have never tried their skincare products. Will check them out.