Hey dudes.
I don’t know if it’s the temperature dropping or the insane amount of candy I ate over Halloweekend (and subsequently, the leftovers these past two weeks), but my skin has been lashing out.
For some background, I will let you know that I have always had pretty good skin. The only two things I’ve had to consistently battle from adolescence have been hyperpigmentation and oversized pores on my nose (pore stripes are not good for you, y’all, take my word for it.) I, blissfully and with the full understanding of my luck, never had to deal with acne or anything worse than the occasional breakout.
But now, it feels like all that ‘good skin’ luck is catching up with me in the form of painful spots on my chin and forehead. It has only been in the past week or so that I’ve managed to satiate my skin and dim the spottiness to a dull roar. It’s taken a lot of poking, probing, potions, and lotions, but I’ve finally seemed to find a routine that not only has started to clear my skin but maybe even make it look better than it did before.
Maybe, in sympathizing with my plight, you can pick up a few tips to put your skin through some much-needed rehab. (I’m well aware that a lot of these will only work for my finicky, will-they-won’t-they skin, but might as well see if there’s something to learn.)
- I religiously wash my face, but only in the evening.
- This is one that I realize is probably weird, but I only wash my face in the evening. I use an exfoliating daily scrub first, and then a creamy, slightly most astringent wash second. Instead of washing in the morning, I swipe a cotton pad laden with witch hazel all over my face and proceed with my makeup. Does the job just fine and gives me a nice, early morning tone.
- I actually started caring about the actual stuff I put on my face, skincare wise.
- Having always had relatively clear skin, for a long time I was able to get away with washing and swiping any old lotion I had lying around all over my face. Not anymore. Now, I have a strict regime of two different moisturizers (based on the weather), two overnight serums (that I alternate), two different under eye creams, a retinol treatment, and a lactic acid treatment. I don’t use them all every day, my skin would overtire and react poorly, but used in proper moderation and repetition, my skin has finally started to go back to normal.
Honestly, skincare requires a learning curve and, although mine seems to have come later in life, it did come. But, I’m learning and I know that my health and self-care is really the most important part of this process. It’s not all Neutrogena commercials and improbably water splashing, it’s getting down to the nitty-gritty of what’s really going on. Take care of your skin, dudes. It’s with you your whole lives.