I destroyed my skin barrier chasing clear skin don’t make the same mistake

[dxelt]

For the longest time I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my skin. I thought it was diet, hormones, or even stress. I even switched to a vegan diet thinking it would fix everything but nothing really changed. I also quit smoking/drinking (should’ve done that anyway) but yea I didn’t know wtf was wrong.

Here’s what I was doing DAILY:

Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.

Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.

Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.

Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.

All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.

What helped:

No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience

If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare

 

[VolcelFTW]

yeah honestly for ehtnics, sunscreen is so underrated when it comes to skin tone evenness

 

[dxelt]

yeah honestly for ehtnics, sunscreen is so underrated when it comes to skin tone evenness

Exactly a lot of white people in this forum are against it but they don’t understand most darker skin people need it for hyperpigmentation

 

[Kirby7000]

For the longest time I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my skin. I thought it was diet, hormones, or even stress. I even switched to a vegan diet thinking it would fix everything but nothing really changed. I also quit smoking/drinking (should’ve done that anyway) but yea I didn’t know wtf was wrong.

Here’s what I was doing DAILY:

Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.

Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.

Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.

Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.

All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.

What helped:

No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience

If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare

imagine smearing all those jew chemicals on your face like a faggot.

 

[overtier1011]

Could only using tret, sunscreen and moisturiser cause harm to skin barrier?

 

[Napoleon1800]

For the longest time I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my skin. I thought it was diet, hormones, or even stress. I even switched to a vegan diet thinking it would fix everything but nothing really changed. I also quit smoking/drinking (should’ve done that anyway) but yea I didn’t know wtf was wrong.

Here’s what I was doing DAILY:

Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.

Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.

Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.

Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.

All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.

What helped:

No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience

If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare

What about Tretinoin or a retinol or accutane?

 

[Tyler1]

Vegan diet

 

[Pixel27]

What mineral sunscreen do you use?

 

[dxelt]

What mineral sunscreen do you use?

Tinted live brand is the only mineral sunscreen brand that doesn’t leave a white cast on my skin since I’m darker so that works for me the best. It’s spf 50 you just gotta find the right shade.

 

[Shinichi]

For the longest time I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my skin. I thought it was diet, hormones, or even stress. I even switched to a vegan diet thinking it would fix everything but nothing really changed. I also quit smoking/drinking (should’ve done that anyway) but yea I didn’t know wtf was wrong.

Here’s what I was doing DAILY:

Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.

Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.

Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.

Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.

All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.

What helped:

No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience

If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare

I just use sailicilic acid 3x a week and eat tons of animal fat and bone broth

 

[TARAN]

For the longest time I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my skin. I thought it was diet, hormones, or even stress. I even switched to a vegan diet thinking it would fix everything but nothing really changed. I also quit smoking/drinking (should’ve done that anyway) but yea I didn’t know wtf was wrong.

Here’s what I was doing DAILY:

Benzoyl Peroxide — super strong and drying, but I started using it because it actually saved me from constant ingrown hairs. As a Black man, shaving was wrecking my skin and BP helped stop the breakouts. The problem was I started using it like a daily face wash and never gave my skin a break it ended up over-stripping me and damaging my barrier.

Kojic acid — I used it to fade the hyperpigmentation that comes from ingrown hairs and shaving irritation (again, something a lot of Black mfs deal with). But using it too often on already stressed skin just made everything worse — it got more uneven, sensitive, and raw.

Exfoliating every other day - both chemical and physical.

Witch hazel in the morning - thinking it was “cleaning” my skin, but it just stripped it more.

All this combined literally raped my skin barrier: my skin got tight, irritated, dull, sometimes even burning when I applied moisturizer. I thought I had sensitive skin or allergies never realized I caused the sensitivity. Whenever I would apply moisturizer it feels as if it didn’t work.
My pores looked bigger, my tone got more uneven, and breakouts didn’t stop they got worse.
Only after I stopped everything and focused on healing did I realize how bad I wrecked my barrier.

What helped:

No exfoliants
No actives
Gentle cleanser, thick moisturizer, Aquaphor at night
Mineral sunscreen daily
Lots of water and patience

If you’re out here STACKING actives thinking MORE = BETTER, please chill. Give your skin time to heal and you’ll get way further in the long run.
I’ve realized you just gotta keep shit simple and not be a faggot about skincare

imagine smearing all those jew chemicals on your face like a faggot.

Actually I've done the same probably more on accutane too
And it raped my skin barrier im healing now tho

 

[dxelt]

What mineral sunscreen do you use?

^

 

[kalefartbomb]

lmao so you did everything except eat normal foods