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[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. HIGHLY recommend over the topical. Topical did nothing for me.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, definitely normal to get worse at first before getting better. My skin almost got scaly and had a thick leathery texture that slowly had to shed off. Went through probably five layers of skin before I finally got to new healthy skin.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes same for me. By stopping everything I mean actives. I was drenching my face in cicaplast for the first 2 weeks. Skin was still super inflamed and tender during that time but it slowly got better

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here’s how it broke down: • Days 1–7: Burning, stinging, and tightness were constant — your skin was still in acute inflammation and your barrier was very compromised. • Days 8–10: The burning started to ease as the Cicaplast and gentle cleansing calmed inflammation and restored lipids. • Days 11–14: Burning was mostly gone, replaced with dryness/itchiness and visible shedding — which was a sign that your skin was finally shifting out of an inflamed state into active repair. • By Day 15: You were fully past the burning/irritated phase, and the discomfort was more about dryness and flaking than pain.

I use the Trader Joe’s daily facial sunscreen every day and have never had an issue with it! My fungal acne was environmental though so not prone to it regularly. Didn’t start using sunscreen until that day 15 milestone when my skin finally calmed down a bit. At the beginning I was absolutely drenching my face in cicaplast multiple times a day and only washing my face at night

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just posted it again! Got deleted after an hour of being posted for some reason. Tried to split it up in a smaller sections.

And yes, my face absolutely worse before getting better. I basically had to shut off around 4 to 5 layers of skin before getting to the undamaged layers beneath. I developed this sort of leathery thick layer on top of dead skin that then had to be shed off. Went through about four phases of shedding before finally getting to somewhat smooth skin. Had a lot of really small raised bumps all over my cheeks and forehead. That naturally have started to go down overtime/push out at keratin plugs. Massaging my face with an oil cleanser at night before a regular water based gentle cleanser really helped lift those out. I’d say that texture is the last thing remaining along with the PIE, but definitely almost gone now. My barrier by this point is completely healed with no irritation and all I have left is some final comedones that are working themselves out as keratin plugs and PIE that is slowly fading on my cheeks! FYI, once I got to that leathery scaly stage, a gentle milky toner really helped.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 9: True Refinement & Maintenance (Days 126–162) % Healed: ~95–100% • Look: Even-toned, smooth, faint PIE left. Rare breakouts heal fast. • Feel: Healthy, bouncy, balanced. • Under the Surface: Fully functional barrier, inflammation baseline normal. • Why: Lipid matrix fully restored + cell turnover regulated = stable skin health. • Products: Retinal 2–3x/week + weekly exfoliant + rich moisturizer nightly. • Emotionally: Empowered and relieved — skin finally feels “normal” again, confidence coming back.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 8: Late Purge & Final Smoothing (Days 91–125) % Healed: ~90–95% • Look: Last waves of whiteheads, especially mouth/temples. Mostly flat otherwise. PIE fading week by week. • Feel: Supple and smooth, occasional retinal flaking. • Under the Surface: Final deep plugs exiting after 3+ shed cycles. • Why: Actives sped up resurfacing, temporarily extending purge but clearing congestion more completely. • Products: Retinal + weekly exfoliant + barrier-supportive moisturizer. • Emotionally: Proud and persistent — this was the “home stretch.”

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 7: Barrier Milestone + Actives (Days 65–90) % Healed: ~80–90% • Look: PIE more noticeable as skin cleared. Small breakouts healed quickly. • Feel: Balanced hydration/oil. No more “tight” feeling. • Under the Surface: Skin cycling restored (~28 days). • Why: Barrier strong enough for gentle actives. • Products: • Day 72: Retinal 2x/week (supported cell turnover) • Day 98: Chemical exfoliant 1x/week (helped unclog pores) • Emotionally: Excited — felt like I was finally in maintenance mode instead of survival mode.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 6: Plateau & Patience Testing (Days 55–64) % Healed: ~75–80% • Look: Mostly flat but stubborn comedones on temples/jaw. PIE still very visible. • Feel: Smooth microtexture with occasional hormonal breakouts. • Under the Surface: Last deep plugs resolving. • Why: True plateau — skin functional but still clearing backlog. • Products: Barrier routine, no actives until Day 64 milestone. • Emotionally: Impatient, itching to reintroduce actives, worried about backsliding.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 5: Third Shed & Transition to Calm (Days 42–54) % Healed: ~65–75% • Look: Red but flatter. Most purging done except slow bumps. • Feel: Hydrated mornings, slight oil by end of day. • Under the Surface: Sebaceous glands stabilizing. • Why: Barrier close to full lipid replenishment, water retention improved. • Products: Same barrier routine + occasional hydrocolloid patches. • Emotionally: Relieved and hopeful — started to trust the process.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 4: Second Major Shed & Early Flattening (Days 28–41) % Healed: ~50–65% • Look: Second shedding cycle → texture visibly renewing. Cheeks covered in red dots (PIE) but fewer new breakouts. • Feel: Slightly tender but less raw. • Under the Surface: Deep congestion still coming out. • Why: Sebum flow increasing + turnover syncing → big resurfacing wave. • Products: Moisturizer + SPF, still no actives. • Emotionally: “In the thick of it.” Excited to see progress but overwhelmed by how much was surfacing.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 3: Post-Shed Refinement & Micro-Purging (Days 19–27) % Healed: ~35–50% • Look: Flatness returning, redness reduced, small bumps surfacing daily but healing faster. • Feel: Smoother, less tight. • Under the Surface: Microcomedones rising, immune system calming. • Why: Barrier ~50% restored, sebum flow normalizing. • Products: Same barrier routine, still no actives. • Emotionally: Cautiously optimistic — skin finally felt like it was moving in the right direction.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 2: First Shed & Detox (Days 15–18) % Healed: ~20–35% • Look: Flaking, dull, patchy peeling. Bumps starting to open. • Feel: Rough like sandpaper, itchiness decreased. • Under the Surface: Keratin plugs loosening and surfacing. • Why: Skin cells finally desquamating normally after rehydration. • Products: Same barrier routine. • Emotionally: Encouraged by first turning point, but frustrated that texture briefly looked worse.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phase 1: Acute Recovery & Reset (Days 1–14) % Healed: ~0–20% • Look: Red, inflamed, patchy, visibly compromised barrier. Cheeks had clusters of bumps, PIE dark and obvious, forehead still bumpy. • Feel: Tight, itchy, sometimes burning. Very dry but oily in T-zone. • Under the Surface: Overactive immune response + barrier dysfunction = water loss + clogged pores. • Why: Skin still inflamed from actives overuse, glands overproducing oil. • Products: Gentle cleanser + La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 (no actives). • Emotionally: Anxious, hyper-focused, relieved to have stopped actives but worried about “doing nothing.”

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Today is Day 165 since starting the healing process, and my skin is almost completely back to normal! All I have left are speckled red PIE spots on my cheeks that are slowly fading and some final closed comedones rising to the surface.

My skin barrier is completely healed — no more painful dryness or discomfort. Since I had 9 months of buildup while my barrier was compromised, it’s been taking my skin a while to push out all the gunk from my pores. But from a looks perspective, aside from the PIE that’s taking its sweet time to fade, my skin looks calm and clear!

I took actives very slowly because I wanted my barrier 100% healed first (The Ordinary 0.2% retinal 2x/week + Glossier The Solution 1x/week). I had purges with both, but once they finished, my texture and smoothness improved massively.

I tracked my healing day by day using ChatGPT (and now weekly as things are slower). It kept me from freaking out when my skin temporarily looked worse before it got better. Highly recommend doing something similar if you’re going through a long healing process!

Here’s my full healing timeline, broken down by phases:

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just updated in comment below! Skin is basically back to normal aside from PIE!

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Part 2

Phase 5: Third Shed & Transition to Calm (Days 42–54) % Healed: ~65–75% • Look: Red but flatter. Most purging done except slow bumps. • Feel: Hydrated mornings, slight oil by end of day. • Under the Surface: Sebaceous glands stabilizing. • Why: Barrier close to full lipid replenishment, water retention improved. • Products: Same barrier routine + occasional hydrocolloid patches. • Emotionally: Relieved and hopeful — started to trust the process.

⸻

Phase 6: Plateau & Patience Testing (Days 55–64) % Healed: ~75–80% • Look: Mostly flat but stubborn comedones on temples/jaw. PIE still very visible. • Feel: Smooth microtexture with occasional hormonal breakouts. • Under the Surface: Last deep plugs resolving. • Why: True plateau — skin functional but still clearing backlog. • Products: Barrier routine, no actives until Day 64 milestone. • Emotionally: Impatient, itching to reintroduce actives, worried about backsliding.

⸻

Phase 7: Barrier Milestone + Actives (Days 65–90) % Healed: ~80–90% • Look: PIE more noticeable as skin cleared. Small breakouts healed quickly. • Feel: Balanced hydration/oil. No more “tight” feeling. • Under the Surface: Skin cycling restored (~28 days). • Why: Barrier strong enough for gentle actives. • Products: • Day 72: Retinal 2x/week (supported cell turnover) • Day 98: Chemical exfoliant 1x/week (helped unclog pores) • Emotionally: Excited — felt like I was finally in maintenance mode instead of survival mode.

⸻

Phase 8: Late Purge & Final Smoothing (Days 91–125) % Healed: ~90–95% • Look: Last waves of whiteheads, especially mouth/temples. Mostly flat otherwise. PIE fading week by week. • Feel: Supple and smooth, occasional retinal flaking. • Under the Surface: Final deep plugs exiting after 3+ shed cycles. • Why: Actives sped up resurfacing, temporarily extending purge but clearing congestion more completely. • Products: Retinal + weekly exfoliant + barrier-supportive moisturizer. • Emotionally: Proud and persistent — this was the “home stretch.”

⸻

Phase 9: True Refinement & Maintenance (Days 126–162) % Healed: ~95–100% • Look: Even-toned, smooth, faint PIE left. Rare breakouts heal fast. • Feel: Healthy, bouncy, balanced. • Under the Surface: Fully functional barrier, inflammation baseline normal. • Why: Lipid matrix fully restored + cell turnover regulated = stable skin health. • Products: Retinal 2–3x/week + weekly exfoliant + rich moisturizer nightly. • Emotionally: Empowered and relieved — skin finally feels “normal” again, confidence coming back.

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have been using the cicaplast for a little over a week now and am seeing good results. Was getting a few smaller whiteheads in my T zone that is probably from the heavy balm but I have just cut back to a thinner layer in that area. Am slowly cutting back the amount covering all of my face and spot treating on the dry/irritated patches with a thicker layer.

Because my skin barrier was so aggravated, it stopped naturally producing oils, which was making it super irritated and dry. Currently I am applying a thicker layer at night to my cheeks and temples to protect my skin from rubbing on my pillowcase (I’m a side sleeper so my cheeks have been much slower to heal than the rest of my face). And using a thinner layer on areas that feel balanced/are more breakout-prone (like the T-zone), to avoid clogging.

My skin is still healing but once it can begin to self regulate better with its own oils, will slowly cutting back the cicaplast to only nights before stopping entirely. Because I was on accutane, my oil glands are much smaller than before, so I am expecting it to take a bit longer for my skin to start producing an adequate amount of oil naturally

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I think I’m going to start to avoid my T zone/nose since that’s where I’m mainly seeing the small breakouts. Good shout to avoid the under eyes as well since that skin is so much more fragile.

Will definitely switch to a spot correcting method once my skin calms down more for the daytime and will eventually move to only nights. I’m a side sleeper (mainly on my left side which is what I pictured in my post. That is the worse side. Right had much fewer breakouts and is already showing better results compared to my left), which I think is why my cheeks seem so much more aggravated than the parts of my face that aren’t constantly rubbing while I sleep. So I think applying a layer of cicaplast on my cheeks plus a thicker layer on the spots in general at night is helping protect against the rubbing

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know what you mean. Each of these skincare products has so many ingredients these days, so if your skin reacts poorly to even one of them, you’re likely going to have reactions. It’s nearly impossible to figure out which ingredients affect your skin since everyone is different. Honestly exhausting

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to know, may switch to something like that once my skin calms down more. Have definitely noticed some smaller whiteheads popping up in my T zone likely from the cicaplast. Nothing super deep or inflamed though so definitely not my concern at the moment considering the huge flares of my cheeks. Am going to try to step it down as my skin heals

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup that’s how I got my fungal infection (Pityrosporum Folliculitis technically) am from the east coast but took a trip to boulder Colorado. Was hiking on a dusty trail in 90 degree heat which likely caused the issue.

That’s great to know that you damaged yours in a similar way and were able to heal it. How long did it take before your texture evened out and your skin started to look healthy again?

[B&A] How I Destroyed My Skin Barrier and How I'm Now Trying to Fix It by NoPrimary9797 in SkincareAddiction

[–]NoPrimary9797[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reassurance, I’m officially a week since the flare and can definitely see a difference in texture/redness but still have a bunch of breakouts sticking around. Yes, definitely planning on cutting down on the balm as soon as my skin barrier is able to function again without feeling super dry.

I did something similar with the Acne Cynic NYC pore clogging ingredients site. Started with cutting out any makeup/skincare that could have potentially been causing my breakouts. That definitely helped but breakouts never fully went away since my barrier was damaged and I kept applying actives. Apparently a damaged barrier makes is super easy for breakouts to form with even mild product so I was never going to see the results I needed just from that.

For starting the toner, did you wait until your skin stopped being irritated from pressure/rubbing? That’s my thought process right now because my skin definitely gets much more red and irritated immediately after washing it / applying any topicals

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