Hello everyone,
I just finished exploring all the 22 pages of this forum (took me several days), and I've learned so much! (especially from Fredrik and Eva)
I never really had great skin, and it's been getting worse every year. I've never used sunscreen in my life, picked at my skin a lot, smoked and used hot water to wash my face.
As a result, at the age of 30, I now have:
- photodamage all over my face, but especially on my forehead
- very poor tone and texture, "tired" looking skin
- porous and very congested skin (tons of blackheads all over my face, which sometimes become infected, but not deep)
- some sagging at the cheeks and naso-labial folds
- constant itchy "bumps" that look like rash/hives (but usually there's a comedone inside)
- lines on my forehead, naso-labial lines, and some crows feet at rest
- skin feels like that of a grandma - no firmness, kind of loose
- scarring from picking (not deep, but still visible)
- bumpy and rough to the touch
- a lot of dead cells build-up
My skin looks worse in real life than in these photos (the lighting makes it look better/fresher here - in reality it looks grayer, older and more tired):
Eye at rest - some lines and crows feet
Eye creases when laughing/smiling
For the past 2 years, I washed my face only once a week (I exfoliated my skin at the same time - using a washcloth in a shower, and then moisturized it with an herbal oil blend). I was hoping that that would give rest to my skin and let it heal. I was also hoping that my pores would clear up (because I wasn't clogging them up with products every day). Well, it took me 2 years to realize that this "regimen" doesn't work, so here I am, asking for help.
Please help me create a system/regimen to undo the damage/restore, protect and prevent my skin from aging further. I've already found a place online where I can order the sunscreens recommended by Eva and Fredrik. Other than that, I don't know what I should do/use: retinoids, niacinamide cream, acids, etc?
My skin makes my life miserable, I feel like a freak, and very self-conscious. I always compare myself to other girls my age, and I know I look much older than them.
Eva and Fredrik, what would you do if this was your skin? Please help!
Edited by Yelena, 29 April 2010 - 04:00 PM.