Combination skin... help!

liah

I have a horrible case of combination skin. On the sides of my nose, and above my upper lip leading towards the corners of my mouth, and my chin I've got a breakout of very small, VERY red spots. Looks like I have some sort of weird goatee.

The problem is, it's also incredibly dry, so if I don't moisturize, I get flakes. It's infuriating, I'm not sure what to do-- all the spot creams dry my skin right out, but all the moisturizers just lead to more spots.. I'm 21, this shouldn't be happening! I also used to have really clear skin til I moved over here.

It's also super sensitive to the touch, so applying makeup to cover it up is so irritating.

Other than location nothing about my lifestyle has really changed to warrant this "breakout."

I just want it fixed! Can anyone recommend anything? Preferably cheap? I'll even try home remedies, I'm just sick of this...

McCABE1

Use a wash with salycillic acid to get rid of the oilyness of your skin, Hickeys pharmacy have something called Acnisal and its less than a tenner. Salycillic acid is widly recommended to help with spots. Then made sure you use an oil free moisturiser which wont clog your poors, oil of olay do one for oily/combination skin which is about 7 quid. It has spf 15 in it too. These may help, hope they do. Good luck.

Leprachaun

Yeah just use an oil-free/non-greasy moisturiser if you're getting spots/greasy skin from your current one. Remember to drink at least 2 litres of water a day in case you weren't doing that already.

Larianne

Do you use a face scrub? I'd recommend Origins Modern friction. It's brilliant. Use it twice a week. Will help get rid of the dead skin.

What moisturiser do you use?

Birdie

I've had the same problem for while. . Not fun I know. Little spots on the surface, very sore to wash or exfoiliate. I was told that my skin was actually dehydrated and that the little red spots were actually spots trying to come out, that didn't have enough moisture to actually come to a head. The best thing for do is to apply some sort of mask/moisturizer thats gonna give your skin plenty of moisture and to increase your water intake. This will bring the spots to a head (not fun!) and hopefully they should all heal up. All my sensitivity is gone now. . still a few spots left to clear up. But overall much better.

I'd advise maybe going into a beauty salon and asking about some sort of consultation, maybe a dermalogica face map etc. and a beauty therapist will be able to lead you in the right direction regarding products.

Bluebells

What brands of skincare do you use? Ive heard Vichy and La Roche-Posay (pharmacys) and Aveene (boots) are good for sensitive skin and not as expensive as department store brands (clinique/clarins are cheaper ones but be carefull which products you try, maybe ask for samples?).

Use wash off cleanser morning and evening and gentle exfoliant once or twice a week. Do use moisteriser after cleansing even if your oily (skin will produce excess sebum/oils if you dont). I read about a home made asprin face mask on makeupally.com. (good reviews and boards there for advice!) Eat well, sleep well and excercise. If youve only moved recently maybe your skin is just getting used to the change?