What should I do for my skin (acne)

[biglycinate]

I have on and off breakouts and idk what to do with my routine, i also have scars, i dont get acne on my forehead or cheeks but on my jaw and the area around my mouth like the chin and philtrum i get acne a lot, my current routine is alternating the ordinary 0.5% retinol is squalene and then naturium topical azelaic acid, followed by cerave moisturizer, in the morning i use the ordinary niacinimide and zinc and good molecules daily brightening serum, then moisturizer. I have other products, cerave hydrating cleanser the green one, the ordinary glycolic acid exfoliating toner, the ordinary salicylic acid 2% masque, a hyaluronic acid serum, a salicylic acid serum, elf holy hydration serum, elf makeup melting cleansing balm (it was a sample). Im open to everything really i just need it cleared up before school starts again.

Should I just stop coping and hop on tret, its like my last ditch effort
I have acne prone skin and its oily around my nose
Ill provide pics if needed

 

[biglycinate]

16yrs old

 

[Zeekie]

You need 4 products:
1. A cleanser
2. A sunscreen
3. A moisturizer
4. A retinoid

Nothing else is needed unless you have other conditions you'd like to address, from what you describe, that's likely not your case. You should know how these products work but just in case, for the AM use a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen, in the PM use your cleanser and moisturizer again, along with your retinoid.

Now, not only having the product matters, but having the skin-appropriate products if equally important. For example, the CeraVe hydrating cleanser, as the name suggests is appropriate for people with normal to dry skin, but if you have oily skin, you're not going to do so well on it...

It seems like you have combination skin with some oily and normal areas, if this is the case just use these products:
- CeraVe SA Cleanser
- Bioré UV Aqua Rich SPF 50+
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
- You're already using The Ordinary's retinol serum and it seems like it's not doing the job you wanted to, that's not too crazy to think about, because retinol is weak as fuck, the weakest of the retinoids in fact (behind retinyl esters but that's another topic). So, you'd ideally move on to a stronger retinoid, Adapalane or Tretinoin, I would start with Adapalene since it doesn't require prescription and see if your skin improves, if it doesn't, you either buy the Tretinoin illegally or get your parents to take you to a dermatologist to get a prescription.

If your skin happens to be both oily and dry in terms of combination, then you're on your own buddy

 

[Zeekie]

You need 4 products:
1. A cleanser
2. A sunscreen
3. A moisturizer
4. A retinoid

Nothing else is needed unless you have other conditions you'd like to address, from what you describe, that's likely not your case. You should know how these products work but just in case, for the AM use a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen, in the PM use your cleanser and moisturizer again, along with your retinoid.

Now, not only having the product matters, but having the skin-appropriate products if equally important. For example, the CeraVe hydrating cleanser, as the name suggests is appropriate for people with normal to dry skin, but if you have oily skin, you're not going to do so well on it...

It seems like you have combination skin with some oily and normal areas, if this is the case just use these products:
- CeraVe SA Cleanser
- Bioré UV Aqua Rich SPF 50+
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
- You're already using The Ordinary's retinol serum and it seems like it's not doing the job you wanted to, that's not too crazy to think about, because retinol is weak as fuck, the weakest of the retinoids in fact (behind retinyl esters but that's another topic). So, you'd ideally move on to a stronger retinoid, Adapalane or Tretinoin, I would start with Adapalene since it doesn't require prescription and see if your skin improves, if it doesn't, you either buy the Tretinoin illegally or get your parents to take you to a dermatologist to get a prescription.

If your skin happens to be both oily and dry in terms of combination, then you're on your own buddy

Needless to say, if you were to try this, only use these products, you don't need anything more than this, again, unless you have very particular skin conditions which need addressing (heavy textural irregularities, hyperpigmentation, etc.), those 4 products regardless of your skin type will solve most if not all of your problems, no need to fall into the skincare industry propaganda and thinking you need 50 different serums to solve an easy that objectively a single strong active will take care of.

Just again, make sure you're using these products tailored for your skin, dry and oily skin fundamentally need the same products since they have the same needs (skin cleanliness, hydration, sun protection and retinoic acid), but product formulations have to differ.